Where We Belong by Kim Vogel Sawyer Review

 

Where We Belong by Kim Vogel Sawyer is an awesome, amazing book!

Usually if I'm zinging through a book and needing to know what happens next it is a suspense or thriller. But I was so invested in these characters I could not put this book down. I finished it in a day! This is not my first book by this author, but it is now my favorite.

I was captivated from the very first page. I could feel Callum Holbrook's excitement and his desire to get to his children, two girls who he had no choice but to put in an orphanage when he was destitute and unable to care for them. However, now he was exhilarated, planning to pick them up because he had employment and housing. However, his hope was shattered when he learned that his children had been sent out west on an orphan train. 

And then we switch points of view to Hester Haak, a childless widow living in Kansas who desires the love and companionship of a little girl, a daughter, so she heads out to meet the orphan train. I mean, you can see where this is going, right? How can we not have compassion for both Callum and Hester?

And we also get the point of view of one of the girls, the teenager Evelyn, or Evvie. The reader can feel her determination and her confusion. Wondering why her and her sister Winnie have been sent out west, when she KNOWS her father is still alive and is supposed to be coming for them. So, when this strange woman wants to be her momma, she wants nothing to do with her. Yes, I admit I understand her attitude, but there were times I felt she went a little overboard. I loved seeing the way she changed throughout the story.

The other point of view is that of Scotty, an older man who had been a drifter, yet was now living in the storeroom of Hester's store and helping out with fixing and loading and such. Their relationship was close to that of father and daughter, and you could see that they cared about each other. 

I love the way this found family grew to love and care for each other. All the while wondering what would happen when the "real" father, Callum, found his children. 

I loved the way the town rallied around this family, welcoming the children, supporting them and Hester, caring for them in times of need. The younger children were wonderful characters. I loved Winnie and Guy and another little boy that found his way to them. I loved the way God placed people in their lives and in the life of Callum. I loved the spiritual truths that are shared in the book, and the faith that the majority of the characters had, while also seeing the way God was working to draw others to Himself, even through their anger and pain. And the reminder that God's will is not always what we think it's going to be. God answers prayer. God is there for us, even in our darkest times. But He is sovereign and He knows best, even if we can't see it at the time. 

Here is a quote that spoke to me:

"'Mr. Holbrook, I can't speak to this particular situation, but I can share my experiences. In the past when I felt as though God threw a barrier into my path, I eventually discovered He had something else - something better - in mind for me.' The man's solemn yet kind tone held Callum's attention. 'Maybe God is protecting you from something or is guiding you in a new direction.' He put his hand on Callum's shoulder. 'You see, God is always working on behalf of His children. I don't always understand His ways, but I've learned that I can always trust His heart.'"

Very inspiring, very emotional, very heartwarming. I can't really say anything else besides - I just loved this book and highly recommend it. 

My only disappointment is having to say goodbye to these characters. I wish their story could continue. Thankfully the author wrapped everything up perfectly. 

Friday Fun - August 7, 2026

Welcome to my Friday Fun post. This is where I share with four different book parties that post on Fridays: Book Beginnings on Fridays, the Friday 56, First Line Friday, and Book Blogger Hop.

This week I have one book to share with you.

I'm starting The Island Bookshop by Roseanna M. White. 

        Book Beginnings on Friday    

 

(Please join Gilion Dumas for Book Beginnings every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.)

and

First Line Friday

(Please join Carrie for First Line Friday.)

Here is my Book Beginnings/First Line Friday selection:

 The Island Bookshop by Roseanna M. White:

"White gloves tugged into place, Kennedy Marshall reached for the treasure before her-old leather, careful gilding, delicate paper."

I really wanted to know what kind of treasure this was and why she had it, where she found it, etc.

Now for:

The Friday 56 

The Friday 56 is hosted by Anne from My Head is Full of Books. 

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.

Here is my Friday 56 selection:

The Island Bookshop by Roseanna M. White:

"He searched his emails and texts from her - and wow, there were a lot. He hadn't really paused to realize that he communicated more with Kenni than anyone else. His search turned up nothing. But he swore he'd seen photos. And Britta had gone too, hadn't she? A couple months before that last trip - she and Lara had driven up together."

Book Blogger Hop.

Book Blogger Hop

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Billy over at Ranblings of a Coffee-Addicted Writer. The hop occurs weekly, starting on Friday and ending the following Thursday, featuring a specific book-related prompt each week. The main goal is to connect bloggers, encouraging them to follow each other, discover new titles, and grow their audience.

This week's question is: Do you see yourself more as an editor, a writer, or just a reader?

My answer:  Definitely more of a reader. I have tried writing books (notice how I added "and write" to my blog name?) I have always dreamed of writing a book, but I tend to be able to get them started but not make much progress in them. I feel so bad for my characters who are stuck in different predicaments.

And now it is time to share my current Reviews:

Last week I shared one book in my Friday Fun. I'm almost done reading it, but not quite. I will share my review next week.

I finished the last book I had shared about a few weeks ago, so here is my review of that book:

When the Silence Breaks by Elizabeth Goddard

When the Silence Breaks by Elizabeth Goddard Review

 

When the Silence Breaks is the first book in Elizabeth Goddard's Mercy Ridge series. Sarah is an ex-intelligence analyst who has come to the small town of Mercy Ridge to uncover a secret that seems to have had something to do with the death of her brother. She is determined to get justice for him and keep her other family members safe. Ryder is the former Navy SEAL who she want to hire to take her up Blackspire Mountain in the Cascades to uncover this secret.

Ryder does not jump at the opportunity of taking this job. He has reasons he does not want to go up the mountain, but there are circumstances that help him change his mind. 

I did enjoy this book. Though I wish there was a bit more suspense. That said, when the suspense came, it was quite intense at times and brought quite a bit of danger. However, there were things that I just couldn't get to make sense. Though, yes, some of it was explained toward the end of the book, there are some things I'm thinking back on and just can't get them to make sense in my mind. And there were times when the characters seemed to contradict what was just said or done. 

I do tend to prefer my romantic suspense with more suspense and less romance, so this was perfect for that. Sarah and Ryder took a while to warm up to each other, but I loved the way their relationship developed. And I loved that they had a connection that neither of them realized. And of course, because of their backgrounds and circumstances they had to keep secrets from each other, so that made it hard for them to really trust each other for quite a bit of the story. 

And I love books that have twists I didn't see coming, and this one had a whopper. I had foreseen some of what was going to happen. But I was not prepared for one reveal. 

Additionally, not only do Sarah and Ryder have bad guys on their heals as they try to uncover this secret, they are also dealing with the mountain and the weather. So, quite a bit of tension and suspense in this race-against-time book.

I loved the idea that a crashed plane from way back during WWII would carry some sort of secret that some wanted found while others did not. But the question was, who was who in this situation. And it was intriguing to read the real-life event that inspired the author to write this story. 

And of course, I appreciated the faith content in the book. The characters were both Christians who trusted in and prayed to God. And there is the reminder to trust in God's timing.

Now, if next February would just hurry up and get here so we can read book 2!

I received an e-copy of this book through NetGalley plus a physical ARC from the publisher and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.