A Welcome at Our Door is a heartwarming story of faith, family, and romance. Readers of Amish fiction will thoroughly enjoy the story of Cindy Riehl who was raised in an Amish community and her Englisher neighbor Drew. Cindy and Drew find themselves falling in love, but with disapproval from her Amish family, Cindy is unsure about her future and her place in the Amish community. Amy Clipston created a wonderful novel that will keep readers eagerly waiting to see what happens next. With well developed characters and an interesting storyline, this is an Amish story that readers will not want to miss.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Zondervan through NetGalley and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

3.5 stars

This is the final book in the series, though it could stand alone, and the focus in on Cindy. Returning readers will enjoy seeing familiar characters from the prior books. Things didn’t go quite as I’d expected, but it was an enjoyable story and a nice conclusion to the series. Situations not always addressed in Amish fiction are tackled in this one (such as how the community may treat a member considering a relationship with an Englisher and how that comes into line with their personal and religious convictions). Characters are well-developed. Cindy’s struggles with finding where she fits will likely be relatable for many readers, who may find themselves crying, cheering, and laughing along the way. On a fun note, I loved Cindy’s cow’s name! Through it all, God’s love and forgiveness is evident.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, but I wasn’t required to leave a positive review.

The final book in Amy Clipston's Amish Homestead Series, A Welcome at our Door, is the story of the youngest Riehl sibling, Cindy. Cindy has felt lost and alone in the seven years since her mother died. She has had a hard time understanding how the loss can be God's will for her family. She hasn't mentioned her thoughts to her family, though, because she knows she is simply supposed to trust. This causes her to feel even more lonely and cut off from them. When the family cow, Cucumber, escapes and makes her way to the neighbor's house, she meets Drew. Drew has also suffered the loss of family, and the two of them forge a special friendship. As the friendship deepens, Cindy's family warns them of the consequences if they are together. I won't tell you what happens, because I want you to enjoy the story as much as I did. I will say that I had moments where I was actually nervous and my heart hurt for this couple. I also laughed out loud and cried on more than one occasion. Cindy and Drew will have to reach out to God for the answers if they want to find a way to be together. This story was a nice conclusion to the series and I will be sorry to see the end of the Riehl family, although I am hoping that Clipston throws in a few novellas here and there so we can see what happens in the future! I would highly recommend this book to fans of Amish fiction and fans of Clipston. You won't be disappointed. I received a free copy of this story from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Book 4 in the "An Amish Homestead Novel" series, A Welcome at Our Door focuses on Cindy's story. Her older siblings have all married and moved from home while she remains with her father and step-mother & step siblings. No one fully understands Cindy's continued feelings of grief over the loss of her mother several years ago. She meets her new English neighbor and finally finds someone who understands. Great story about the depth of grief, the confusion of Amish/English relationships, and the depth of family love and support. Well-written story, difficult to put down!

I am a fan of Amy Clipston. Having said that I confess I was a little disappointed in A Welcome at Our Door. The plot is strong and the characters are believable but the story seems to be on a loop. Cindy, a good Amish girl, has never moved past the death of her mother. She feels disconnected from her family and the church. Then she meets Drew. Of course he is English and not someone she can have a future with. But that doesn’t prevent them from falling in love. At this point the story seems to repeat. They meet and decide they want to be together but they can’t. So they make an effort to get on with their lives until they meet again. And so on and so on. Then there is the repeated efforts of Cindy’s family to guilt her into staying Amish and joining the church....repeatedly. This really confused me. I thought if a person was not baptized and left the Amish lifestyle they would not be shunned. While the story never says Cindy will be shunned, the implication is her family will disown her. The predictability and repetition of the story really became tiresome. Sorry Amy. Just not my favorite book from you.
I voluntarily received a copy of this book from Netgalley.

One of the many things I like about this author is that she has a somewhat different style of writing Amish fiction. One of the things she includes in her stories is a viewpoint that this culture, as with all groups, is not 100% perfect. Although this is a work of fiction, including this gives the story a sense of realism.

The reality in A Welcome at Our Door has to do with the the Riehl family’s convictions. The family members are loving and caring. They are also friendly and hospitable to their neighbor, Drew Collins, an Englisher. Or rather, they are friendly and hospitable towards him until something occurs that goes against their convictions.

Although the Riehls are a loving and caring family, Cindy, the youngest of the Riehl children, just doesn’t feel like she fits in. Since her mother’s passing, she feels like no one understands her. That all changes when she meets Drew. And that’s also when the Riehls’ friendship and hospitality toward Drew changes, all in the name of their convictions.

The story takes you through the friendship, a budding romance, hurts, hard choices, and finally, forgiveness. It had me laughing in some parts, crying in others, frustrated in many, and left me with a feeling of peace seeing that no matter what the situation, God’s love and forgiveness make all of the difference. Add to that a surprise twist that I didn’t see coming and you have a lovely story that is well worth the read.

***I received a complimentary copy of this book from Zondervan through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a very well written book that holds your attention from the first page till last. This book is full of emotions, you will laugh, cry and cheer. This book has a twist to it that I've never read before, it was very interesting. Thank you Zondervan via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. This is my honest opinion of this book. I highly recommend this book.

This is the last book in the Amish Homestead series by Amy Clipston and by far the most compelling.. Cindy Riehl is the youngest member of the original Riehl family and the one who has struggled the most since losing her mother. She has yet to join the church and settle down which has caused an uneasiness within the family. Cindy meets an Englischer named Drew who went through a similar situation as she did. The two share a common ground and form a deep friendship. This friendship causes the Riehl family to become verbally hostile to both Drew and Cindy.
This was a very powerful book, exposing a side to the Amish and their commitment to the Ordnung that isn't always written about. My heart went out to Cindy and Drew as the constant badgering took it's toll on them.
I applaud Amy for showing how the Amish can and will treat their own family when one considers becoming involved with someone outside of their religion.
The book was well written with good characters had depth to them. The ending was a surprise for me. I really enjoyed the book and I am sure all of my library patrons will too.

A Welcome at Our Door provides a look inside the Amish community, but with a slightly different twist. This time it is a young English man who is interested in the Amish church. The characters are interesting and very likeable, and left me wondering how their lives will unfold.

I've enjoyed all of the books in this series, and just knew that Cindy's book was going to play out a little differently. She's the baby...it had to! However, I never expected it to go quite the way that it did. Without spoiling the story, I'll say that it was interesting to see how certain situations are handled in the Amish community. I enjoyed meeting back up with the main characters from the other books in this series and getting to see where they are at this point in their relationships. The only thing I wasn't crazy about was the ending. I know that it ties up loose ends, but felt that it just kinda jumped and felt contrived. Nevertheless, this is a fantastic series!