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Verdict: A warm, funny, feel-good celebrity romance set in Melbourne, where an adorable schoolteacher becomes live-in tutor to a Hollywood star’s daughter — beloved for its lead, the child and the found family, though some readers wanted more on-page chemistry between the couple.
Best for: Readers who want a fluffy, low-angst celebrity romance with a single mom, a lovely kid and a quietly sweet heroine.
Heat level: Not rated (sweet, with some heat; no romance.io steam rating)
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.0/5 — a 4.33 Goodreads average across 1,571 ratings and 4.17 on StoryGraph from 222 reviews)
Tropes: Celebrity and ordinary person, single mother, forced proximity (live-in tutor), age gap, found family, slow build, Australian setting.
Coming Home is KJ’s 2019 contemporary lesbian romance, self-published and set in Melbourne. Samantha “Sam” Markson, a Year 4 teacher at one of the city’s best private schools, is abruptly reassigned to tutor Grace, the nine-year-old daughter of world-famous actress Abigail Taylor, while Abby films a movie in town for three months.
It holds a 4.33 average across 1,571 Goodreads ratings, with 84% of them four or five stars, 4.17 on StoryGraph from 222 reviews, and 4.7 stars across 1,207 Amazon ratings. It is a word-of-mouth favourite that many readers have re-read or re-listened to.
What Is Coming Home About?
Sam is perfectly happy with her ordinary life, thank you very much — until her school volunteers her as Grace’s teacher so fast that blinking would feel like slow motion. Because Abby works long, unpredictable hours on set, Sam soon moves into their apartment, teaching Grace in the mornings and taking her around Melbourne’s museums and galleries in the afternoons.
Sam has never met anyone like Abigail Taylor, and Abby has never met anyone like Sam. As Grace becomes Sam’s biggest fan, Sam starts to realise her ordinary life might be missing something extraordinary — and that falling for a movie star comes with complications she cannot control.
What Makes This Romance Work
- Sam: Readers adore her. One called her an Australian Mary Poppins; another named her one of their favourite characters in lesbian fiction.
- Grace: The child is as central as the couple, and her bond with Sam is the heart of the book.
- Humour: The banter — including Sam’s exchanges with the security team and her best friend — made readers laugh out loud.
- Melbourne: An Australian author writing her own city, down to the weather obsession.
- The audiobook: Ruth Guice’s narration, her first, is widely praised.
Book Synopsis
What would happen if your regular, ordinary, safe, everyday existence suddenly became none of those things? When Samantha Markson, Ordinary Person, is thrust into the life of Abigail Taylor, Not At All Ordinary Person, it proves to be an experience like she has never had before.
World-famous actress Abigail Taylor is in Melbourne filming her new movie, accompanied by her nine-year-old daughter, Grace, whom she wants to experience an Australian education for three months. Sam, a teacher at one of the best schools in the city, is suddenly redirected from the classroom into the job as Grace’s teacher. Sam has never met anyone like Abigail Taylor, and she starts to realise that her ordinary life might be missing something extraordinary.
My Review
This is a genuinely comforting book. Sam is kind, funny and a little hopeless with women she likes, and watching her win over first Grace and then Abby is a pleasure. The setup puts them in a warm bubble — tutor, nanny and houseguest — so the relationship grows through daily life rather than big set pieces. Readers call it sweet, cosy and down to earth, never sickly, and many cried at the late-book turns.
The recurring criticism is about the romance itself. Several readers felt the chemistry between Sam and Abby is told more than shown, that more of their relationship happens off the page than they wanted, or that the Sam-and-Grace bond overshadows the couple. A few found it cheesy, predictable, or Grace a little too perfect for a nine-year-old. One reader wanted a stronger edit and better ebook formatting. There is also a painful split and a frightening late incident that catches readers off guard in an otherwise low-angst book.
My honest note: If you want a feel-good celebrity romance with a heroine you will adore, this is an easy recommendation — especially on audio.
| Element | In Coming Home |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Sam Markson & Abigail Taylor — Melbourne teacher and Hollywood star |
| Core tropes | Celebrity, single mother, live-in tutor, age gap, found family |
| Setting | Melbourne, Australia |
| Heat level | Not rated — sweet with some heat |
| Length | About 350 pages (71,000 words) |
| Ending | Happily ever after |
| Content notes | A painful split, a frightening late-book incident |
How Spicy Is Coming Home?
Not very. Readers describe a sweet romance with some heat; one noted there is only one sex scene. I Heart SapphFic labels it medium. Romance.io has no steam rating, so we have not given it a heat score.
On content, the book is low angst overall, but a frightening late-book incident and a painful split between the leads hit readers hard before the happy ending.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you want a cosy celebrity romance with a lovable heroine, a big role for a child and a happy ending. It is on our celebrity lesbian romance and single mom lesbian romance lists.
You may want to skip it if: you want intense on-page chemistry, lots of heat, or romances without children.
In short: A comfort read with a heroine you will want to be friends with.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)
This is a self-published Kindle Unlimited favourite with a large, loyal readership; a web search surfaced no Reddit threads. On Goodreads the split is 52% five stars, 32% four, 11% three, 2% two and under 1% one. On StoryGraph, 75% tag it emotional and 76% call the pace medium. The audiobook, narrated by Ruth Guice, runs 10 hours and 10 minutes.
Prefer audio? Listen to Coming Home on Libro.fm — the audiobook shop that supports independent bookstores.
Why readers love it (according to the discourse): Sam first. Second, Grace. Third, the humour and friends. Fourth, the audiobook.
What readers argue about and complain about: Told-not-shown chemistry, above everything. Second, the couple overshadowed by Sam and Grace. Third, cheesiness. Fourth, editing.
The comparison worth making first: If you enjoy an ordinary heroine and a star, In Her Spotlight is another celebrity romance we have reviewed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Coming Home a celebrity romance?
Yes. Abigail Taylor is a world-famous American actress filming in Melbourne, and Sam is the ordinary schoolteacher hired to teach her nine-year-old daughter, Grace.
How spicy is Coming Home?
Low to moderate. Readers describe a sweet romance with some heat and, according to one, a single sex scene. Romance.io has no steam rating, so we have not given it a heat score.
Does Coming Home have a happy ending?
Yes. Despite a painful split and a dramatic late twist, readers confirm a happily ever after.
Is there an audiobook of Coming Home?
Yes. It is narrated by Australian voice actor Ruth Guice, runs 10 hours and 10 minutes, and is warmly praised for its Australian and American voices.
Is Coming Home on Kindle Unlimited?
Yes, at the time of writing the Kindle edition is available on Kindle Unlimited.
If You Loved Coming Home, Read These Next
Try In Her Spotlight, Write Your Own Script or How You Get the Girl for more celebrity romance. For more, browse our celebrity lesbian romance and single mom lesbian romance lists, or the full Book Reviews archive.
The Bottom Line
Coming Home sets out to be a sweet, funny celebrity romance, and it succeeds with warmth to spare: Sam is delightful, Grace steals scenes and the ending is happy. What holds it back is chemistry between the leads that some readers found more told than felt. For a feel-good read, it is worth it. Check Coming Home on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, Coming Home ranks as a very good feel-good romance — lovable characters and warmth, held back slightly by understated chemistry.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall ★★★★☆ 4/5
- ✓ 4.33 average across 1,571 Goodreads ratings
- ✓ 84% of Goodreads ratings are four or five stars
- ✓ 4.17 on StoryGraph from 222 reviews
- ✓ 4.7 stars across 1,207 Amazon ratings
Romance ★★★★☆ 3.6/5
- ✓ Slow, natural build
- ✓ Family bubble
- ✓ Chemistry told for some
- ✓ Painful split
Characters ★★★★☆ 4.4/5
- ✓ Sam beloved
- ✓ Grace a standout
- ✓ Down-to-earth star
- ✓ Great friends
Writing ★★★★☆ 3.9/5
- ✓ Funny banter
- ✓ Authentic Melbourne
- ✓ Cheesy at times
- ✓ Editing issues for one
Emotional Impact ★★★★☆ 4/5
- ✓ Readers cried
- ✓ Late twist
- ✓ Heartwarming
- ✓ Low angst overall
Heat Level — not rated
- ✓ Sweet
- ✓ Some heat
- ✓ One scene per a reader
- ✓ No romance.io steam rating
Ending ★★★★☆ 4.1/5
- ✓ Happily ever after
- ✓ Found family
- ✓ A couple of parts did not work for one reader
- ✓ Satisfying
Re-read Value ★★★★☆ 4.3/5
- ✓ Frequently re-read
- ✓ Praised audiobook
- ✓ On Kindle Unlimited
- ✓ Comfort read
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