Reasons You Should Read WHERE THE LOST WANDER:
1) It's set on the freaking Oregon Trail. Do I need to say more? NO. But if you need more convincing, Harmon manages to create a truly believable account of what life might be like when walking across the country alongside oxen and covered wagons. It's admirable, beautiful, harrowing, and terrifying all at once.

2) It's obvious that Harmon spent time researching Native American tribes. Her depiction of Native Americans feels authentic. Can I know that is it authentic? Absolutely not. But she handles both perspectives of Americans and Native Americans carefully and in a way that allows you to sympathize for both sides in what was a very tumultuous time in America's history.

3) The love story is so, so exquisite. It's subtle and quiet but intensely emotional and so beautiful. I LIVE FOR the way she writes love scenes. UGH, they are just so perfect and sweet and delicate. I could read them over and over and over.

4) The families are everything. Whether it's the American, Native American, or mixed families, they make up the fibers of this book, and make it so much more than a love story. It's about finding grit in times of struggle and how the people with surround ourselves with get us through it.

Put WHERE THE LOST WANDER on your to-read list (or, heck, pre-order it!) if you want to see the resilience and beauty of humanity during a fascinating time in American history. If you want to bite your nails and sit at the edge of your seat, and if you want to swoon and weep, then you are going to love this story as much as I did.

Harmon does it again with another amazing historical novel. All of my feelings were tugged when reading this; happy, angry, and sadness. You felt like you were on this journey with these characters, while they were making a brave journey across America in the 1850's. When reading this you'll get to read the different perspectives of different characters: Naomi (white and widowed young woman) and John (half Pawnee and half white) and the difficulties the face on the Oregon Trail.
Yes, this is a traveling-based novel but it is such a fascinating one to read. I've mostly only read child and young adult historical fiction set in the pioneering times of the U.S. so it was nice to read a more mature interpretation of this time period.
I'll end this by saying I can't wait for everybody else to read this and enjoy it as much as I did!

In this latest release from the author, she takes us on a journey.
A journey through time.
A journey filled with hardship.
A journey of heartbreak and hope.
A journey with second chances.
And a journey for a better life.

This story is set in 1853, as several families bond together to travel West, with dreams of a fruitful life. Told primarily from the heroine's POV, Naomi May, the author transports us to a time when sheer will guided the travelers. Where exhaustion and sickness plagued many, and yet, each person pushed themselves to the limits, unwilling to be the person that slowed down their group. This story highlights the strength of the human spirit.

Stripped of meaningless drama, the author focuses on each character and their interactions with Naomi. The connections they form and the conflict that develops over time. The biggest connection built around John Lowry, a man who joins Naomi's family to aid in their journey West.

"But I think you're probably like the mules, Mr. Lowry, and I'm going to have to work for your attention."

Within the romance genre, this story would qualify as a slow burn, as the two are given the time to witness the strength of their character - their selflessness, their determination, their spirit. And during that exploration, they find a love that is real. One they will both need when tragedy strikes.

The pace of the story is slow and steady, as you can imagine, but there are pockets of danger. While these moments increased the intensity of the story, I found myself yearning to go back to the more peaceful moments, as lives I have begun to connect to, are put at risk.

As always, the author delivers a beautifully written story with a good dose of history. With two strong main characters, who find a way to overcome the heartbreak that surrounds them, I found myself trying to will them to safety, will them West, to an end of their journey. And when we get to that end, the author leaves the reader a gift.

If you are a fan of this author and/or the historical fiction genre, this is worth checking out.

I ugly cried and am still bawling as I write this review. Amy Harmon, I will always drop everything to read your newest novel. Where The Lost Wander, love, love, love the title, is a beautiful, haunting, love story that comes alive on the Oregon Trail in 1853. Many of the characters in the book are based on real people. If you enjoyed Where the Crawdads Sing and This Tender Land you will find this book just as epic and will put it down as one of your top favorite reads of all time.

Below are only three of the many sentences from the book I could have included. Almost every sentences tugs at your heart.

“The pain. It’s worth it. The more you love, the more it hurts. But it’s worth it. It’s the only thing that is.”

“Anger feels a whole lot better than fear.” “But anger is useless.” “It isn’t useless if it keeps the fear away..”

“I realize now that life is just a continual parting of the ways, some more painful than others.”

John Lowry, his white man name, Two Feet, his Pawnee name, given to him by his Pawnee mother because she was Indian and his father was white, will capture your heart and your soul. He is a stranger in both worlds. He feels unloved and unwanted and is determined to find out where he truly belongs. Naomi Caldwell May, a widow at the age of twenty, is sassy, strong and determined. She is traveling west with her family and a caravan of others on the Oregon Trail, with John and his uncle Abbott as their chaperone.

It is a heart wrenching, story of the complicated relationships between the Indians and white man, between parents and children, husbands and wife’s and between siblings. It is a glimpse into the ways of the Indians and their fight to protect their land as the white man invades it to head west for a better life.

DO NOT miss this read. It will be out April 28th. Thank you NetGalley, Amy Harmon and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. And..... Amy Harmon DO NOT ever stop writing. You help readers escape and find hope in difficult times.

I absolutely love Amy Harmon and have read all of her books. Her storytelling is beautiful, poetic, and captivating but I just couldn’t get into this story. Maybe this time period just isn’t in my wheel house to be intrigued by? But it felt like reading a game of Oregon Trail as it unfolded and I just couldn’t connect the way I had hoped.

Amy Harmon is by far one of my favorite authors and this historical romance is a perfect example of why.

Now I’ll be honest, when I first started the book, I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about it. There was a lot of background information about Naomi May, John Lowry, and their families, and while they began their journey along the Oregon Trail, it did seem to drag on a bit. But the story quickly picked up, especially as you got to know more about Naomi and John and they got to know each other.

Once tragedy struck Naomi’s family, I couldn’t put the book down and devoured every word. It truly was a fantastic book. Amy Harmon’s stories always have a way of sticking with you, and her character development was spot on too. I’m a fan of her writing for life!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3009305558

Historical fiction is usually not the genre I seek out. But this is Amy Harmon, whose book Making Faces is one of my all-time favorites, so I had to give it a try.

The Overland Trail, 1853: Naomi May, widowed at twenty is eager to leave her grief behind, so she sets off with her family for a life out West. On the trail, she forms an instant connection with John Lowry, a half-Pawnee man straddling two worlds and a stranger in both.

Unfortunately, despite enjoying numerous other books by the author, her writing couldn’t save this one for me. Where the Lost Wander began with an exciting moment that grabbed this reader’s attention. What follows is a steady, interesting story, but not one that brought out much emotion for this reader. What little emotion is generated wasn’t enough to put this book over the top. Ultimately, this story felt flat. It flowed very slowly with minimal moments of spark.

Here sits a reader hoping the next book guts me like Making Faces.

"Where the Lost Wander" follows the May family, specifically Naomi, as their wagon train travels to the West Coast. Naomi experiences love, loss, and a rebirth along the way. I enjoyed reading about the relationship between Naomi and John, and the happiness and stability it brought them. Overall, I felt there were too many characters to keep track of, but the book plot was a good representation of the wagon trains of the past.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Where the lost wander is an uniques story told in the most amazing way possible. Its full of emotions, love and is penned down in a epic way. The story is told in two POVs of Naomi May, a widow who is travelling towards west with her family and John Lowry, who is struggling to place himself in the society. The tension and romance between Naomi and John are captured beautifully along with the reality of the surrounding. Amy Harmon beautifully pens down the harsh realities of running towards the path of happiness in this historical romance novel!
Thank you NetGalley, Amy Harmon and Lake Union Publishing

Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union publishing for the advanced copy.

This was an entertaining read, but definitely not Amy Harmon's best work. The premise was interesting, but I felt that it was all very superficial. Maybe because it was lacking steam, or chemistry between Naomi and John...I didn't feel connected to any character. I felt like something was missing.

I thought that the idea was good though - basically Oregon Trail, written out as a book and a romance. I just think it was lacking that something special that the rest of her books have.

As anyone who follows me closely knows, i LOVE Amy Harmon novels. Every time i see a new one coming out, i almost jump for joy! Where the Lost Wander was no exception, even if a little outside my usual taste of books.

This novel was described as an epic sweeping romance and whilst i do believe the romance that was there was wonderful, i wouldn't go as far as to say it was epic. I really loved the connection between Naomi and her family, in particular her Mother and baby Wolfe. John was a beautiful character and had a great connection with Naomi. There were little to no steamy bits in this book, more the alluding to the fact or lead up i guess you could say.

The only real problem i had with this was that i felt cheated with the ending, it was quite abrupt.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

WOW! My pure heart 😭
What an amazing, extraordinary emotional and unique love story 😭
When it comes to historical fiction, Amy Harmon is the unrivaled queen without competition for me 🤷🏻‍♀️
Her books are very carefully researched and detailed, yet incredibly perfectly mixed with fiction, that makes you so enchanted and drawn in, that her character's life and world becomes part of you, it's simply incredible 😍
My admiration and love for her books is like an addiction.
I was usually not so interested in historical fiction, but she taught me to love this genre. With books like this one and her amazing writing style, it's really simple to fall in love with her books.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This story begins in Missouri in 1853 and describes the long and brutal journey through Americas plains with wagons that has barely enough to keep the people alive and hope that's bigger that their skills to survive.
This is a story about people who were looking for the promised land and wanted a new, better life for their families. An incredibly heartbreaking story about broken dreams and new beginnings in a land that was all other than welcoming to the migrants.
It is a story about different nations and peoples who come together and try to understand each other, or in some cases, try to enforce their rights.
It's America's story.
It's an amazing and gripping story about hope, loss, grief and finally love with new beginning in the promised land. This book is emotional rollercoaster that lets you cry big ugly tears and love the characters in the darkest time of their life and awakens the need to help them, to hug them. ❤❤❤
Gosh, I love this book so much. I'm really happy that
despite all the horrible things and ugliness that happens in this brutal world, the main characters gets their HEA. Maybe not, as they expected. Definitely with a lot of "scars".
But they really deserve it after this incredible story.
What makes the story even more beautiful is that a lot of the characters in this book really existed. Maybe they were not like in this book, but they were there and their descendants live in America from their dreams to this day.

A well written interesting read but not my type of book. Sorry

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I absolutely loved this book. It reminded me of a grown up version of Little House on the Prairie. Very exciting and well written.

I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.

"1853: Naomi May never expected to be widowed at twenty. Eager to leave her grief behind, she sets off with her family for a life out West. On the trail, she forms an instant connection with John Lowry, a half-Pawnee man straddling two worlds and a stranger in both."

An okay read, vivid descriptions of the life and hardships endured while traveling.

3☆

Oh my! It's been a few weeks since I finished this book and I'm still thinking about it and the characters, the setting and the feelings the book evoked in me. I wish I would've written a review sooner, but I just didn't have it in me. The state of our world prohibited me. But Amy Harmon can slay me with a well told story, even one I didn't think I really wanted to read. I like Historical Fiction, but I have to be in the right mood. It is not a genre I read on a regular basis unless it's one set during WWII. This book for all intents and purposes was not for me. And I will be first person to say that I was so very wrong.

This story is told in dual POVs. One from Naomi May who is a white woman who recently lost her husband. She is traveling to the West with her family across the rough terrain in a covered wagon with a slew of other families. It's the mid 1800's where women and men have their place in the world and so do people with different backgrounds. It's not always pretty and it's not the world we know today. While the scenery can be beautiful, the actions of people and the lives they all live to survive is eye opening. To see how far we've come and to see how people balance living in a world not completely their own is something that Amy Harmon obviously researched very well.

"We all need each other. We can all I've side by side peaceably, can't we? We don't all have to be exactly the same."
"Some cultures do not mix. It is like having fins but trying to live on land."

The second POV is from John Lowry. He is a mixed race man that doesn't feel he is a part of either world. He is part Native American and part white. They call him Two Feet. Living his life in both worlds. He is a man that is helping these white settlers cross to the West, but he also feels a connection to his Native side; his mother. He doesn't know where he belongs, but he knows that there is some sort of attraction to Naomi. Should he act on it? Should he keep with "his own people" or is his place with his family back home?

"I am not split down the middle, straddling two worlds. I am simply a stranger in both."

Amy Harmon is simply magic. She wrote a stunning and beautiful book that captivates you with the beauty of the scenery and the tension of the characters one moment and then takes you to a brutal truth the next moment. The characters are all so real and you feel like you know them. When tragedy strikes, you break right along with the characters and feel their emotions just as if you're there. The careful study and research that Ms Harmon took in creating these characters and the setting was obvious. I never for one moment was taken away from this book. I was right there in the wagon, crossing the rivers and losing myself and family members along with Naomi and John. And watching their romance blossom was truly captivating. It was intense and I understood when John wanted to pull away and his hesitation, but the words from a very wise woman were always there....

"It's worth it, you know."
"What is, Jennie?"
"The pain. It's worth it. The more you love, the more it hurts. But it's worth it. It's the only thing that is."

Where the Lost Wander is a story of love, family and finding one's own place in this world while seeing the best and worst in your surroundings. It's about finding happiness in the least expected places. It's about balance and different cultures. It's about acceptance. There are some harsh realities that may break you, but fear not....Amy Harmon will find a way to piece you back together in a very real way. You may have scars, but the scars will remind you that you lived.

Bravo Amy Harmon for another beautiful work of art. A masterpiece of Historical Fiction!

Where The Lost Wander by Amy Harmon is a wonderful historical fiction story. You can really lose yourself in the pages of this book, being swept away into another time and place. There is just something so magical about books like this one. Maybe its that there is no television or phones or social media, is pure survival and wits that keeps people going. It makes me think about how I couldn’t survive back then. No electricity or toilets? I couldn’t! But I like to read about it.

Check it out:

The Overland Trail, 1853: Naomi May never expected to be widowed at twenty. Eager to leave her grief behind, she sets off with her family for a life out West. On the trail, she forms an instant connection with John Lowry, a half-Pawnee man straddling two worlds and a stranger in both.

But life in a wagon train is fraught with hardship, fear, and death. Even as John and Naomi are drawn to each other, the trials of the journey and their disparate pasts work to keep them apart. John’s heritage gains them safe passage through hostile territory only to come between them as they seek to build a life together.

When a horrific tragedy strikes, decimating Naomi’s family and separating her from John, the promises they made are all they have left. Ripped apart, they can’t turn back, they can’t go on, and they can’t let go. Both will have to make terrible sacrifices to find each other, save each other, and eventually…make peace with who they are.

Coming out on April 28, pre-order now and have it magically delivered to your Kindle!

Oh my! I absolutely loved this story!! I was hooked from page 1.

1853, Young, widowed Naomi May is following the Overland Trail west with her family.
1/2 Pawnee Indian, John Lowery is heading west on the trail to follow in his father's footsteps.

There is so so much more to this story than just romance, but the romance is just so beautiful!
I can't remember the last time if ever I've been so emotionally invested in characters. I ugly cried multiple times throughout this story for multiple characters. It's now been a few weeks since I finished this book and I still think of it often with emotions.

I really don't want to say too much more about this one. Just know that it has some pretty darks parts that are not for the faint of heart.

I could not put this book down! Naomi and John's love story and their journey west was a perfect escape. The characters were complex and relatable, and the beautiful writing made it easy to imagine the scenery every step of the way.

Where the Lost Wander is my second Amy Harmon read, and now I can't wait to read some of her backlist titles. I especially love the way she takes pieces of her own family history and weaves it into captivating fiction. Thank you netgalley and Lake Union for the advance copy!

I'm a big fan of this author's work and I love history but for me, this book was a slow read. At times it read like a diary and other times like a history book, packed with information and not enough character interaction and dialogue. I had a difficult time connecting with the characters and caring about them. I commend the author on her talented writing and thorough research.

I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley. The review is my honest opinion.