Happy Friday, fellow readers! The book I’m sharing today is a perfect fall weekend read – a small-town story about faith, family, and forgiveness that’s lighthearted but has substance. I’m linking up with Hoarding Books‘ First Line Friday series to share the first line of You Belong with Me by Tari Faris:
“Was she really the only one left who cared about this town?”
You Belong with Me by Tari Faris
The Basics
Title: You Belong with Me by Tari Faris
Series: Restoring Heritage (Book 1)
Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
From the Back Cover: Realtor Hannah Thornton has many talents. Unfortunately, selling houses isn’t one of them.
When a business tycoon determines to raze historic homes in the small town of Heritage, Michigan, and replace them with a strip mall, Hannah resolves to stop him. She sets about helping Heritage win a restoration grant that will put the town back on the map–and hopefully restore her disgraced family name. But she’ll need help to do it.
As a foster kid, Luke Johnson never truly felt he belonged. Now he has a chance to earn his place in his hometown. But he doesn’t anticipate how his relationship with Hannah will set into motion events that reveal the truth about who he is–and who he was.
My Thoughts
Tari Faris has written a charming, delightful debut novel in You Belong with Me! I loved the slightly quirky small town of Heritage, Michigan, and the close-knit group of family and friends that make up the cast of characters. The friends-to-more storyline between Hannah and Luke was done really well, although there were times I wished they would just talk to each other, for goodness’ sake! If the sign of good, realistic characters is when you feel invested in their lives and care about the decisions they’re making, this book is full of them 🙂
Luke’s story is really compelling; he grew up in foster care, and that experience had a huge impact on his life as an adult. He’s always felt a little bit out of place with his friends, with Hannah, and with God. The twist revealing his family history was one I definitely didn’t see coming! Hannah is a problem solver and wants to help her friends and her town, but that tends to get her in trouble sometimes. Her brother, Thomas, is a secondary character and has his own storyline that adds depth to the story. One of my favorite characters was Pastor Nate, who has a knack for showing up at just the right time with wisdom and encouragement!
If you enjoy small-town romance with substance and are a fan of Courtney Walsh, Becky Walsh, or Susan May Warren, you’ll love this book!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, Revell!
Such a powerful first line! Happy Friday!
My first lines are from Undercover Twin by Heather Woodhaven
Audrey Clark adjusted her crossbody bag as she stepped out, under the cover of stars. The atmosphere matched her mood, dark and uncomfortable
Happy Friday! Today I’m sharing the first lines from Where Dandelions Bloom by Tara Johnson: “Gabriel Avery hit the unforgiving pavement with a grunt.”
https://moments-of-beauty.blogspot.com/2019/09/first-line-fridays-where-dandelions-boom.html
Today on my blog I shared from Something Needs to Change by David Platt. Right now I’m about to start The Killing Tide by Dani Pettrey so I’ll share the first line from that here: “Fire ripped through Finn’s right shoulder, ricocheting down his arm.” Hope you have a great weekend!
Happy Friday! My first line(s) is from “I Don’t Chase the Garbage Truck Down the Street in My Bathrobe Anymore!” by Dianne Barker:
“Weddings make me laugh. It’s that pledge to the spouse, “All my worldly good I thee endow.” If my husband had only known!”
I’m sharing from Aiming for Love by Mary Connealy on my blog today, so I’ll share the second line:
“She smiled inside, but kept the emotion tucked away.”
Happy reading and have a great weekend!