The Wild Road Home

A Novel

By: Melissa Payne

Narrated by: Landon Woodson, Lisa Cordileone

A beautiful and enriching novel about unforgettable love and the power of friends and family by Melissa Payne, the bestselling author of The Night of Many Endings and A Light in the Forest.

Mack Anders will do anything for his wife, Daisy. Even die. With the woman he loves fading away from Alzheimer’s, Mack fakes his own passing. The insurance makes certain that Daisy will be taken care of with dignity and comfort until the end. In a lonesome cabin in the Wyoming wilderness, he lives off the grid with nothing but thoughts of the past to keep him company and the belief that Daisy is better off without him.

Strong-willed eighteen-year-old Brandi has just been released from juvie. Willing to risk everything to save her young brother, Sy, from their unstable mother, Brandi takes him on the run. Her destination is their aunt’s house in Casper. Maybe there she can finally find a stable home for Sy. After a busted tire strands them in the remote wildlands of Wyoming, they cross paths with Mack. Brandi quickly realizes this quiet stranger might be their only hope of reaching safety.

On an unpredictable road ahead, escape brings these three kindred souls together. But the real world is closing in, and to help Brandi and Sy, Mack will have to come back to life in ways he never imagined.

©2024 Melissa Payne (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Fans of Andrew J. Graff’s Raft of Stars, Catherine Ryan Hyde’s Just a Regular Boy, and Lee Smith’s Silver Alert will find lots to like in Payne’s tender and heartwarming novel about unexpected connections in surprising places.” —Booklist

Good Story, Well Told

An easy to read, feel good book with a kept-me-involved plot. There are still good novels written that don’t depend on excessive violence or gratuitous sex to earn readers.

Outstanding

I love the multi storytelling. You really get a inside character view. This is very heart feeling and a good journey into love, hope, and survival. I definitely would recommend this book. Great read.

Wonderful story

This book was one of my favorites I’ve read in a long time. Melissa writes in such a way, that it is easy to connect to all of the characters and feel like you know each of them. Beautiful, heart warming story.

Wonderful Narration! Heartwarming story.

Melissa Payne is an amazing writer. She turns the most painful experiences into something hopeful. I loved how the narrators worked together to weave a story of longing and pain, resilience, hope, and joy.

Touching

I enjoyed this story, and fell in love with the characters. Written so well, I laughed, cried and was unable to put the book down.

Well written, I couldn’t put it down from beginning to end.

This was a beautiful, touching story and beautifully written. It keeps the readers interest all throughout the book.

Moving story

Great characters and a touching story that you can’t forget. Well done I’ll look for more from this author.

Excellent audio!

Only thing I found wrong with it was, I sat too long listening to it! You never could guess where the story would take you!

this book deserves ten stars!!

What an emotional rollercoaster. I absolutely loved this book! It was a good palate cleanser between my normal thriller or dark romance novels. The Wild Road Home was such a moving and compelling story. I felt a connection with the two main characters. I did not want this book to end. This was my first book by this author but it definitely will not be my last!!

Brandy is 18 years old with a troubled past. Her mother is a meth addict and neglectful. Brandy had taken care of her brother Sy since he was born. She was sent to juvie after stealing food for him. The story starts off after she takes off from the group home. She returns home to find her little brother in a very bad situation. Doing what she thought was best she takes her brother and her moms boyfriend's car and goes on the run.

Unfortunately she doesn't get very far. She ends up in a ditch with a flat tire and not sure how to change one. She meets up with Mack after a long night of being stranded. Mack is an older man living off grid. Macks wife has cancer as well as Alzheimer's. He went into hiding hoping people would think he was dead so the insurance money would pay for his wife's treatment.

Things start off rocky between Brandy and Mack. He offers to help her change her tire. Mack only has one arm so he tells her what to do. After that Brandy needs gas and doesn't have the money. Mack offers to help them syphon gas from a nearby gas station Sy, becomes close with Mac and doesn't want him to leave. Mack decides to join them on Brandy's quest to her aunt's house, a safe haven for her brother.

The story goes on to tell their adventures going across Wyoming. While driving each character gives a glimpse into their past that led them to where they are. Unfortunately there are many hurdles along their trip. I'm not going to give any more details because I don't want to give spoilers..

This story proves that family isn't only blood.

I thought the narration was done really well.

10/10 highly recommend!!

I really understood about the Hospice conflict. As I get older this really stood out to me.

Both of the main characters were very age appropriate and realistic. I can see myself in both of them.