My Review of You Belong with Me by Tari Faris: I went into this book expecting a Hallmark like story and found not only that but one of the best books I have had the honor of reviewing this year. You Belong With Me (though a possessive title) is truly a wonderful romantic read that had ups and downs but ended sweetly. Filled with romance, cuteness, and love mixed with heritage and God’s love, two couples love and make misguided decisions that lead to lies and hurt. The hippo side of the story was silly and humorous with the mysterious moves. I can’t wait for the next book and “seeing” the town of Heritage again.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review and am truly happy to provide it. ( )

As I posted on Goodreads midway through this novel, "I haven't had a novel draw me in like this in a long time."
Okay, this novel was amazing. The character growth, the friends-to-lovers, Pastor Nate and his advice (I must have a story featuring him.), almost everything about this novel was perfect.
The only thing I have about this novel is that Luke and Hannah needed to learn how to communicate with each other. They had obviously known that they needed to work on it for years, but they never really did figure it out.
You Belong With Me is a perfect light-hearted read for a quiet day at home.
Rating: 5 Stars
Content: 5 Stars
*I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own and a positive review was not required. ( )

 Eh. I stuck with this one, but it was a little cring-worthy for me. I won it free on Library Thing a few months back when my library was shut down, but just remembered it this week.
This is a very Christian book where they mention God and the Bible a lot in their conversations...and that usually doesn't feel normal to me. I'm a Christian and fully believe in Christ, but the way they talk about Him in some books just doesn't seem like typical conversation.
And the reason the 2 couples kept having issues was pretty silly. They were all just keeping secrets. You just wanted to shake them. It wasn't the best plot.

This debut novel had so many great elements. I love when a main character wants to preserve history in a small town.
Hannah loves the historic buildings in her town and wants to save them from being torn down for a strip mall. She has great ideas and friends and family rally behind her. But can she pull off the requirements for a contest from a national magazine and win the prize money to begin to rehab her beloved Heritage, Michigan?
As a former foster child, Luke feels that he has never fit in but there are surprises in store that he could not have imagined.
There are two romances that run into obstacles but with introspection and learning to seek God for the answers, disappointments are averted.
“When we hold the broken pieces of our lives too close, they will cut us up inside.”
“When you’ve got nothing left, that’s when you see how real your faith is. Faithh with everything you want is easy. But faith when everything goes wrong? That’s when God alone has to be enough.”
The characters have a lot to learn but they see that God can take broken pieces and make something beautiful.
A feel good story in my favorite setting, a small historic town.
* I won this book in a Just Reads Tour contest in October, 2020. All opinions are my own.* ( )

With hopes of reigniting interest in her community's downtown, Hannah looks for a creative solution to avoiding the imminent takeover of a developer razing both Mom & Pop shops and local dreams. Luke is trying to reimagine his own future, while staring down the possibility that Hannah may be unearthing a history that will limit him personally and professionally. An ability to see beyond, and accept some divine intervention that might know better than your own controlled interests, is key to groundwork for both triumph and romance in this work. ( )