*Blog Tour: How to Belong by Sarah Franklin

*I received an ARC free of charge to enable me to take part in the blog tour. I absolutely loved How to Belong by Sarah Franklin.

In the follow up to her acclaimed novel Shelter, Sarah Franklin returns to the Forest of Dean, this time exploring what it means to belong to a rural community in a rapidly changing world.

Jo grew up in the Forest of Dean, but she was always the one destined to leave for a bigger, brighter future. When her parents retire from their butcher's shop, she returns to her beloved community to save the family legacy, hoping also to save herself. But things are more complex than the rose-tinted version of life which sustained Jo from afar.

Tessa is a farrier, shoeing horses two miles and half a generation away from Jo, further into the forest. Tessa's experience of the community couldn't be more different. Now she too has returned, in flight from a life she could have led, nursing a secret and a past filled with guilt and shame.

Compelled through circumstance to live together, these two women will be forced to confront their sense of identity, and reconsider the meaning of home.

My thoughts?

Having loved Shelter I couldn't wait to read How to Belong. We are back in the Forest of Dean. Jo was brought up here and has returned, leaving her high flying career as a Barrister behind. She's hoping to take over the family butchers shop as her parents are retiring. She thinks it'll be easy to slot back in to life in the village with her old friends, doesn't she? Jo finds life back home is a lot different than coming back for visits. Her lifelong friend Liam is off with her and she's not sure why, her colleagues at the butcher's who worked for her folks are awkward, unhelpful and seem to want her to fail...

She decides to rent a room with Tessa, a loner who works as a farrier and has a cottage in the forest. It's a learning curve for both of them with Tessa being terrified that Jo will find out about her illness. Meanwhile, Jo's struggling with being back and finds her landlady a bit strange. 
Tessa is hiding a lot of things, is abrasive and unfriendly at times. She's hurting from recent and historical things which have happened to her, as well not understanding why she feels unwell at times. I loved how Jo helps Tessa even after they have fallings out. I loved this story of belonging, friendship, starting over and finding a sense of self. It's one of my favourite reads this year.