Amy Harmon does it again and I can't even say I'm surprised. She's a dynamic writer, with each book being better than the last. Where the Lost Wander may be my new favorite of hers, and if I hadn't already made my list of favorite books for the year, this beauty would have been at the top of the list. The word that comes to mind as I reflect on this book is: rich. The writing, the storytelling, the characters, the pacing, literally every facet of the book is exquisitely done.

One of my favorite things about historical fiction is being sucked back in time as if I'm actually there myself. Unfortunately, many books within this genre do not possess the ability to transport me back. Sometimes the history gets too heavy, making the plot drag. Though I love pioneering stories, I thought this tale might have a tendency to drag as slowly as the oxen pulling the wagons. Boy, was I wrong in my assumption! Where the Lost Wander had no lulls -- I was sucked in as I read the very first page and was torn between eagerly reading and slowly savoring this book. It was one I didn't want to end and I knew I would have the most epic of book hangovers after finishing.

As always, after finishing Amy's books I'm at a loss for words. I want to do the book the justice it deserves, but my language is inadequate. There are numerous life lessons, beautiful sentiments, and emotional moments within this story. It pulled deep feelings from me and had me in tears by the end of the book. Sometimes blogging and reading can feel like a chore, with the special books coming fewer and farther between, but this was exactly the type of novel to reignite my love of reading.

I especially loved that the story didn't sugarcoat the brutality of this time in history and the hardship of being a pioneering family. Amy's author's note in the end made me further realize how often we try to reshape history to make us feel more comfortable in our modern lives. Whether we agree with the past, it's not our duty to rewrite the story. We should accept it as is, if anything, it should make us better today.

I eagerly recommend all of Amy's books to anyone and everyone, but this one is at the top of the stack. Pick up a copy on April 28, 2020 - you won't want to miss this evocative journey!

Thanks to Amy Harmon, Netgalley, and Lake Union Publishing for providing me with a digital advance copy of this novel. Set in 1853 on the Oregon Trail, Where the Lost Wander is an exceptional, moving story of hardship and love. I don’t read much historical fiction but I loved this novel from the first page and was sad to see it end. Highly recommend!

I seriously have to give it to Amy Harmon. There is literally not one thing she writes that I don’t love. I am not a huge fan of historical fiction but WTLW takes us on a story I personally have never seen. She has these characters that are weaving in and out of your soul telling a story of hope, love, loss and everything in between. I was forced to put the book down because of my family, but as soon as I had a free second, I was jumping back in. This story was just perfection.


*more in depth review to come closer to release date*

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

This book… this book!
Once again I wrote, rewrote this review and rewrote it once more! I never know how to craft my reviews to convey all the feelings that I get while reading Amy’s stories.

What will I tell you first as I have so many emotions battling inside?

That I was shedding tears on the train, again? Tears of sadness and tears of gratitude.
That Naomi and John were an evidence? Will I talk how they just made sense together?
Or will I tell you that this story is about finding his place in the world when you are from mixed origin? That this heritage will make you extra cautious when you love someone and think really hard, as you know that people will judge?
Maybe I’ll choose to talk about these pioneers, their courage, their hard life and about the brilliant job Amy did making them feel real?

The truth simply is that this historical fiction is brilliant!

Written with Amy’s beautiful prose it’s also slightly different from her other stories with some true but gritty parts. I respect that Amy did not shy away from some very harsh realities of that time. There is one scene that could be a trigger for some but it’s been written such as to spare us the graphic details. Kind of fade to black if you want but present nonetheless.
I bet all you want that Amy fretted over writing that scene or avoiding it, but I am glad she went all the way as this adds an added layer of authenticity to the story.

Authenticity is a key word.
I could feel that Amy did once more a fantastic job of researching many historical facts. How pioneer’s life was around 1850. What it felt being between two races, Indian and “white”. What motivated people to go on these dangerous adventures. What their hope and dreams were.
“Regardless of their possessions or their position, it seems everyone has the same dream. They all want something different than what they have now. Land. Luck. Life. Even love. Everyone chatters about what we’re going to find when we get there. I’m no different, I suppose, though I’m more worried about what we’re going to find along the way.”

The story takes place in 1853 following a caravan of pioneers departing from Missouri and headed to California. We’ll read about mules and horses, jacks and oxen. How people crossed rivers once, twice sometimes more, often in the same day, carrying their belongings, coaxing their mules.
We’ll learn that these pioneers lost weight while traveling as between forts the food could grow scarce. Pregnant women gave birth without any help from a nurse or doctor and were expected to resume their duties quite soon after. If you wanted to wash, you did it either in the pouring rain with your bar of soap, cleaning your family’s clothes, either in the cold river. No hot bath on the way.
Encounters with Indians could go peacefully or become ugly. And when you committed a crime you rarely had a fair trial. Justice was swift and death punishment not uncommon.
This is the wild west Amy wrote about! And she did it splendidly!

But above all else, this is a romance! A love story! And a family story too. It would not be Amy otherwise.
Naomi May is twenty and already widowed.
She is following her parents and her brothers all the way to California. Their wagon train will be guided by Abbott, an experienced guide and accompanied part of the way by his nephew John Lowry.
John is half Pawnee by his mother half white by his father.
He’s been raised by his father’s wife Jennie and I would like to take a moment to praise that woman.
She welcomed John amidst her family. If she was not the kissing and smothering type, she raised John right and showed her acceptance and tenderness through small actions.

John is stuck between two world and does not feel like fitting in any.
“My mother’s people called me Two Feet. One white foot, one Pawnee foot, I am not split down the middle, straddling two worlds. I am simply a stranger in both.”

When John meets Naomi, it will be instant pull between these two unique characters.
Naomi is strong and knows her mind. John thinks …a lot. Too much would tell Naomi.
“Thinking takes time. Feeling . . . not so much. Feeling is instant. It’s reaction. But thinking? Thinking is hard work. Feeling doesn’t take any work at all. I’m not saying it’s wrong. Not saying it’s right either. It just is. How I feel . . . I can’t trust that, not right away, because how I feel today may not be how I feel tomorrow. Most people don’t want to think through things. It’s a whole lot easier not to. But time in the saddle gives a man lots of time to think.”

Naomi is fire. I loved her banter and sharp tongue. Never mean but always funny and somewhat irreverent. Naomi loves drawing. That’s her way to see the world, to express her feelings and to collect memories. Dutiful daughter, I loved the relationship she had with her mother.
Both were strong women. Naomi knows her mind. Knows what she wants. She has been raised by an open-minded mother and John’s mixed blood has no importance whatsoever to her. She sees John, the man, his worth, his strength, his honor, his loyalty and his protectiveness. Naomi is determined to woo John, even if she knows the dance won’t be easy and she is not afraid to tell him her mind.
“That is not the way I want to be kissed,” she says. “No?” “No, I want you to kiss me like you’ve been thinking about it from the moment we met.”

John’s heritage has made him into someone cautious but also very aware that he’ll always feel different from others. He is a simple, considerate and smart man. John is hard working and loves his mules and horses. He keeps to himself as he knows others distrust him. I loved how patient he was with Naomi’s brothers even if Webb was always talking his ears off! I loved how he helped everyone in the caravan, how he tried to avoid confrontation when possible and choose the peaceful road. I loved how protective of Naomi and her family he became.
“John does not flirt. He doesn’t say pretty, empty things. He listens, soaking everything in. John’s a doer. An observer. And his thoughts, when he shares them, are like little shoots of green grass on a dry prairie. The flowers on the prickly pears that grow among the rocks.”

As the synopsis said, a tragedy will strike them and they’ll go through fire in the hope of having a future together.

Told in Amy’s graceful and powerful writing, this love story engulfed me and propelled me into Naomi and John’s hard, uncompromising yet beautiful world. I smiled, I swooned, I cried, I feared, I hurt and I hoped.

A big thank you to the Lake Union Publishing for my copy as I had the privilege and enormous joy to read this story way ahead! As usual, it does not influence my review in the least and this is willingly posted (dang I would boss everyone to read it anyway 😊 ).

Beautifully written a novel about the Oregon trail the hardships the trials Amy Harmon is an author to follow she makes history come alive#netgalley#lakeunionpublishing.

A beautiful novel about the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of the Oregon Trail. Another stunner by Amy Harmon. She never disappoints.

Beautifully written work! Amy Harmon has a way of telling a story that makes you feel like you are there. There were times my heart sped up with anticipation of what would happen next, and times I cried feeling the pain of the characters. She did an amazing job weaving fiction with real life history showing the difficulties of the pioneers, and what they were searching for in a new life. I really enjoyed the story of John and Naomi and their trials and triumphs in a difficult time in our country’s history. Definitely a 5 start read for me!

My face hurts! Sigh. Sob. Sigh. Sob. Whelp.

I finished this epic tale late last night and I have dreamed the Wild West, the Oregon trail all night. I’ve had a theme tune on repeat in my head, probably from a 70s tv show.

I loved it!

Amy Harmon writes with such cinematography that I could hear the noise of the cartwheels as the beleaguered travellers followed the trail to the land of their dreams.

The May family are centre stage with their wagon loaded with all of their possessions. Naomi May is strong, clever and brave. She will need all of those on her journey. It’s fraught with danger and at times it hurts to read.

John Lowry - Is part Pawnee and will help the migrants along their way. I was so thankful that he was there when they needed him. I adored how Naomi’s brothers worship him like the hero he is.

Amy’s writing makes me feel every emotion. I went from smiling and so happy to broken but I knew my heart would get stitched back together in the end. A bit bruised, a bit bashed, not quite the same as it was but beating like it wanted to jump out of my chest.

5 superstars!

“Eventually, time thinks for us. It cuts through the fog of emotion and delivers a big bowl of reality, and feelings don’t stand a chance.”

“I would carry you to the ends of the earth.”

Thank you to the Publisher for my advanced copy of the book and also NetGalley for this opportunity – This book is not for the faint hearted. Amy Harmon has captured the historical accuracy true to the time set in the 1850’s. The research that would have been done before this story was put together is phenomenal.

This beautiful and descriptive story starts with a horrific and shocking prologue.

We are then introduced to the May family who are about to embark on a journey across the Oregon Trail travelling in a wagon train to California with other families searching for a new beginning. The story is told by their eldest and only Daughter Naomi.

We are then introduced to John Lowry who is a half white, half Pawnee Native American mule breeder who feels he has never belonged to either world being half, half.

The story is then told in dual POV by both Naomi May and John Lowry.

A very unique story which is told in a time when romance was never shown and love was shown in different ways such as providing for the family. There is death, violence, struggle and survival.

Make sure you read the Author’s Note at the end of the book where Amy Harmon explains her family history and connection within the story which she named some of the characters in the book after.

Enjoy the journey.

Wow did I love this book!! An amazing journey in the Oregon Trail.. it is heart breaking .. I could not put it down..

Where the Lost Wander follows the story of Naomi May and John Lowry as they make the trek by wagon train to the west coast in the early 1850's. John Lowry isn't sure where he fits in the world being half Pawnee half white, he's never felt fully accepted by either. Providing a mule team and assistance he joins the wagon train the Mays are taking to Oregon. Naomi May is already a widow at the young age of 20 and is unlike most of the women John's met. She's brave, strong, and speaks her mind. When tragedy strikes the train both must learn their way.

This is a beautifully written book, I love Amy Harmon's words, the picture that she paints with them. The roller coaster of emotions, the tragedies, the hardships, even the joy of weddings and new life all came through brilliantly. I was so heartbroken at several points in this story I wasn't sure there could be an hea, I didn't know how she was going to bring the characters back together and give them peace. In some ways she did and somethings Naomi and John would have to learn to live with, things that might haunt them forever, but that's also just real life. This story does have a pretty serious trigger. Normally I'm not a huge fan of historical fiction, but I absolutely loved this book.

Another superb read from Amy Harmon. I have such a hard time writing reviews for her books because I am often speechless by the end of them and I know that nothing I can say can possibly do her words justice. I love so many things about her writing. The details she gives. The research she must do in order to write historical books like this. How well developed her characters always are, even her side characters. How clearly I can picture every setting in my head as I read. I did not expect that I would ever enjoy a book set in the 1850s, yet here we are. I am positive Amy Harmon could write a book on any topic or genre at this point and I would love it.

Where the Lost Wander is a beautiful yet heartbreaking story of the May family and their journey across the Oregon Trail in the 1850s. Naomi is the eldest child and only daughter of her family. When she meets John Lowry, the man hired to guide her family's wagon train, she is immediately captivated by him. John feels the same instant connection to Naomi, however his half-Pawnee heritage leaves him believing that he is not worthy of her love. Their romance slowly develops amid the harsh conditions of the trail. Prejudice, illness, even death are hardships they must overcome and the way they do is inspiring. While their story was difficult to read at times, I was not ready for it to come to an end.

It is hard to imagine how these pioneers had the strength and determination to make their way out west. Their fortitude and tenacity, beyond heroic. With each page Ms. Harmon shares their journey with the reader. It is amazing. This book, so descriptive with the cast of characters that draw you in, is a story that will stay with you for a long time. My first book by Amy Harmon but not my last. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Plain and simple, straight to the point: This book was STUNNING. Absolutely 100% stunning. All of it. Every single page. Every single word. 

While reading Where the Lost Wander, Amy broke my heart. Absolutely shattered it. But when it was all said and done, she healed me so completely in a way that only she can-- a beautiful way. Not only that but Amy has such a way with creating worlds and settings and bringing them to life. I know I have said that a thousand times before but I mean it. It's all so vivid and real to me. When you're reading her books prepare to be transported inside of it. Also be prepared to not want to leave it. 

I was captivated the entire way through. There were no lulls, no slow parts, and certainly no parts that I felt the need to skim. In fact-- the characters in this book might just be my new favorite Amy Harmon characters to date! She spent a lot of time tending and caring and building these characters and it certainly shows. They will each find their way into your heart. I promise. 


With Amy's delicate story telling and her caring writing it really makes this story what it is. Whether you like to read about history or not, you'll appreciate everything that Amy Harmon offers to you. She writes historical fictions like no one else I have ever read and I stand by that for the rest of time.

Where the Lost Wander, Amy Harmon

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Women's fiction, General Fiction ( Adult)

Gah, I hate Women's Fiction as a genre heading, so outdated. Men and women can read the same books....its 2019, not 1919.

Anyway, what a fabulous book. Fiction, but with real roots. I usually read books in one fell swoop, but with this kind of story I like to read over 4 or 5 sessions, savouring the words and events, and there is so much going on its really for me the best way to get the most out of it. I mull over whats been happening, over how events are going and really enjoyed living John and Naomi's lives with them.
The descriptions of the scenery, the way the john and Naomi met, the others on the wagon train, the harshness of the journey. Amy doesn't shy away from the hard side of this life, the way people could be alive one moment and then a short illness, and injury, an encounter with Indians and they'd be gone. Although it charts Naomi and Johns journey it encompasses so many more families, the mix of whites and their incursions onto the land, and the lifestyle of the Indian tribes who lived off the land and could see their way of life declining.
I was heartbroken when some events happened, sometimes the loss of life seemed so sudden, so tragic after all the hard work they'd done. I loved reading the events from the day to day minutiae, that always appeals to me and I felt there with the wagon train as they made their harsh journey, and with the Indians, seeing how they lived their transient lives. It was fascinating reading about not just the physical side of Indian life, but the spiritual side, how much emphasis that had on what they did, how they chose to run their lives.

Stars: Five, a wonderful read.

Arc via Netgalley and publishers

This was a hard book to read.

At first, I could feel a connection to the main characters or to the setting. That historical period is not one of my favorites, but Amy Harmon does it justice.

Written in first person POV from both characters' views, and in present tense, the narration is at times gritty. In addition, the pivotal moment opens the story, which created a tension in me, knowing it was coming up, but not knowing when or why.

I liked the interaction between John and Naomi, her family and the natives. The sense of family is so strong on both sides and it doesn't make either one wrong. And there's also lots of grief.

There are scenes that might trigger some readers.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

Where the Lost Wander is about the journey to the West on Oregon Trail in the mid-1800s and the hardships people faced. We meet Naomi May who is traveling with her family and John Lowry, a man who is half white and half Pawnee. John's story especially touched me. He is a man straddling both worlds, but not belonging to either one. Naomi and John take turns narrating the story. I especially enjoyed reading about the different Native American tribes; the author did a good job writing about them. At the end of the book, we learn that there really was a John Lowry in Amy Harmon's husband's family which made the story even more interesting. My only complaint was the violence. I have a hard time reading about it, so I skipped the sections where there was graphic violence to the best of my ability. I understand that the author is trying to give us an accurate portrayal of the times back then, but for me, it was too much.

Where the Lost Wander is an emotional gut wrenching read. From the horrific prologue your heart is in your mouth as the reader knows what is to befall the May Family and John Lowry as you start this journey with them.
Naomi May is travelling on a wagon train to California with her family for a new start. John Lowry a half Pawnee Native American and mule breeder decides to travel with them being attracted to Naomi and she to him.
They face continual trials with danger and hardship, passing through land that is hostile and often back breaking.
This is a hard hitting book made all the more so with the actual historical accuracy and this authors personal family knowledge and history.
Whilst on holiday in the USA I have visited Fort Laramie, seen the actual size of these wagons and the remains of wheel ruts formed during their journey. I can’t imagine travelling a 10O yards let alone a thousand miles and more in a wagon train.
So descriptive, with a cast of characters that hold you in awe of their resilience this is a story not to be missed, heartbreaking, thrilling, romantic and one that pulls on all your emotions.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

Where the Lost Wander is one of those rare jewels a reader comes across once in a while that leaves you craving more! I absolutely loved this book, the characters are so beautifully done. The relationship between John and Naomi is so moving, I found myself cheering them on during the good and weeping for them during the bad, This book has all the elements of a really good read. There are strong, unique characters, there is a love story, there is humor and raw emotion, adventure and triumph and also the sacrifices that a person sometimes has to make for the one they love. The family ties that bond members of a family together are intricately woven together. I love the adventure of this book. The way the author brings into this story native american cultures and shows the difference between different groups is well balanced and very well done. The friendships, hardships, love and hate are equally balanced. I hope there will be a sequel, these character are too wonderful to not continue their story!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was such a heart-breaking, yet lovely romantic tale of the difficulties on the trail to California during the mid-1800s. Naomi’s character was such a strong and brave woman, I absolutely loved her. And John, wow! His character was so genuine, guarded, but so gentle all at the same time. His and Naomi’s journey to love was absolutely beautiful.

I really enjoyed so many aspects of this book, even though at times, it was incredibly sad, but reflected the times very truthfully.