My thoughts: The Orchard is Ms Lewis's newest release, available for preorder. It is a bit of a historical, set around the Vietnam War, I didn't enjoy it as much as I usually do her books. It was telling, mostly, and I couldn't get into the story. Fans of Ms. Lewis will probably love it... This story was a miss for me but check it out for yourself. I was given a copy free and all opinions are my own.

The amish family Hostetler owns in Bird-in-Hand an orchard, full of fruits, that sells at the market and to the restaurants.
Ellie and Evan are twins, both loves work and walk around the orchard. But their lives will go through different way.
Vietnam war starts and amish men sign as CO status (to be avoid bein' drafted), except some young boys..
they'll soon realize war is a dangerous, awful thing, causes a lot of pain. Nice and interesting book.
Thank you to let me read this book to: author, editor, Interview&Review

"The Orchard" by Beverly Lewis
Bethany House Publishers
September 6, 2022
10-0764237535

Ellie Hosteller resides in a large Amish community in Lancaster County with her parents and her twin brother Evan. The family owns a huge orchard supplying apples and peaches to restaurants and which they sell at their farm stand along with homemade pies, jams, and preserves made from their produce. Ellie believes where she lives is the best place in the world and though she wishes it could one day be hers, the tradition is that property/businesses go to the son when the father retires.

It is 1970 and the war in Vietnam is raging. The Amish are peace lovers and can be exempt from joining the service. Evan had been very close to Jack, an English friend during his "rumspringa" enticed by the "Englischer" novelties of technology and the things he is not accustomed to.

When Jack gets killed in battle, Evan feels unjustly guilty and becomes more obsessed with joining the service without applying for the exemption his faith allows. All family members and those in the community are upset by his attitude and behavior and try everything in their power to make him perceive how he was raised.

Ellie discusses her concerns about Evan with Sol Bontrager, listed as a conscientious objector and a close friend to Evan. She hopes maybe he can talk some sense into Evan, but her brother is stubborn and bullheaded.

It seems not only is Evan attracted to the English way of life, but Jack's sister has caught his eye. With love at stake and empathy for Jack's death, Evan pushes ahead to accept his duty. Seeing his number in the draft is low, he is quickly inducted into the Army much to the family's distress.

Ellie faces a lot of changes and does not know how to deal with them. First, the biggest change is in Evan, then her best friend Leah decides to take a job as a nanny for a single English mom in another city. What will Ellie do? Evan and Leah are both her closest confidants, and now she considers she is completely alone. Though friends with her cousin Ruthanne, they are not as intimate as she is with Leah and Evan.

Trying not to let her feelings get the better of her and hoping to take her mind off of things, Ellie plunges herself into her work of harvesting and baking. She becomes fond of Menno
Bontrager, a cousin to Sol, who is the most handsome and available single guy around, and she wonders if he will ever notice her. Meanwhile, Ruthanne is besotted by Sol Bontrager, Leah's sister. Before long the four go out on double dates that Ellie finds enjoyable.

Ellie writes to Leah constantly, disclosing her thoughts and feelings, and when Leah reports she'll be home soon, Ellie is happy. Still, the tension in Ellie's household is thick with worry about Evan. They are excited to get letters from him, but when he's shipped to Vietnam, the correspondence ceases and the anxiety at home becomes more intense.

Several members of the community start to ignore the Hostellers because of Evan's going against their ways. After a few dates with Menno, just when Ellie thinks there could be a relationship between them, he voices his negative opinion of Evan, which angers her and makes her decide she no longer wants to see him. Though she believes Evan was misguided when he left the "way" he is still her brother and she loves him deeply.

One day, the family is visited by government officials reporting Evan is missing in action. The only thing getting them through this nerve-wracking ordeal is their faith in God, and their prayers never cease. Then Sol is battered by several English young men who are angry because the Amish do not believe in fighting and are spared from entering the service. Ellie realizes violence is all over, and not only with the ongoing war. She ministers to Sol's wounds, and though they've been friends forever, a romance kindles.

All the while, the worry over Evan's missing status has them realizing how fragile life is, and all they can do is trust in their beliefs to find Evan alive. Ellie wonders if she'll ever be truly happy not knowing what happened to her twin. This novel demonstrates how the Amish also face problems and obstacles like others, yet their strong belief in family and the Lord sees them through and has them realize God is in control.

Readers will love this thoughtful story of a tumultuous time in our history. Through the eyes of Ellie, experience her heartbreak when her twin, Levi decides not to join the Amish church during the Vietnam War era. Through Lyle's eyes, readers will see the anguish a father endured as Levi's number comes up and he's called to war. I enjoyed the courtship of the couples and was glad that the author did not make everything perfect but more realistic. I did find at times the story progressing a little too slowly. The characters were all personable and the story enjoyable. Recommended!

The Orchard by Beverly Lewis is a heartwarming look at what happens when our children go astray.

Set in the world of the Amish, the author introduces us to the Hostetler family. Ellie and Evan Hostetler are twins that couldn't be more different. While Ellie is looking forward to her baptism and officially joining the church, her brother Evan is fully involved in Rumschpringe. He is refusing to get baptized and is dating an English girl. When Evan decides to enlist and fight in Vietnam, his entire family and Amish neighbours are devastated as it goes against the church's pacifist teachings.

Mostly, I found this book to be rather dull and plodding. The love life of Ellie, her letters to Leah, and the work in the orchard all seemed like filler to me until the situation with Evan was resolved. The lack of action until halfway through the book made it hard for me to keep reading.

However, once things did start happening, the author had my attention. The characters' faith and resolve to trust in God during difficult times also added to my enjoyment of this book.

If you love reading about the Amish, you will undoubtedly enjoy this book.

I received a review copy from Revell through NetGalley for my honest opinion.

I really liked this Amish romance. The characters were believable, and I was able to get into the story.

This was a very hard book to put down! You can get so caught up in the characters here that you constantly want to know what is coming up next…even though I would have to put it up for the night. You have the twins, Ellie and Evan. As being Amish, there are certain rules to live by, but Evan has been trying out the world. His English friend dies in the Vietnam War. When the draft comes up for Evan, instead of following the Amish of being a CO (conscientious observer), he follows through and ends up in Vietnam. Meanwhile, the family is dealing with the repercussions of his decision.
On another note, the family owns a big orchard, which was supposed to go to Evan. None of his other siblings want it except his twin sister, Ellie. But she is a girl. Will this go well with the bishop? Also, there is love in the air concerning Ellie and a best friend and even a cousin. What will come of this? Will Evan make it back home? Will he come back and renounce all he did? Will he stay away from the Amish or come back to the belief? All this will be answered when you read this book.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from NetGalley for my honest review.

The Orchard will be released September 6, 2022.

Beverly Lewis, who launched the Amish Fiction genre in 1997 with The Shunning, has added The Orchard to her list of 80+ published books. Coming out in September, The Orchard features Ellie Hostetler and her family. For generations, the Hostetler family has tended an orchard, and Ellie expects that her twin brother Evan will be the next one to take over the orchard, as is the habit of leaving the business to the youngest offspring.

Evan has other plans, beginning with serving in the military during the Vietnam War; he did not seek conscientious objector status as many Amish young men did in that era. He was motivated by his English friend Jack who died fighting in the war. Worse, Evan has decided to not be baptized yet in the Amish order and will continue his experience as a regular teenager in what the Amish call Rumspringa. He even has a girlfriend who is outside the order.

If Evan leaves the church or worse, dies in Vietnam, what will happen to the orchard when their mother and father are ready to retire? Ellie has always loved the orchard and does her part in tending the plants, picking fruit, and working in the family’s fruit store. Living in an apple and peach orchard is the only life she has known, although she has ideas of her own about adding cherry and plum trees.

Ellie has a boyfriend, and fortunately, he is not only an Amish man, but also he works for her family in the orchard. Best of all, Solomon is the brother of her dear friend Leah. When he is attacked by bullies who dislike young Amish men who are not likely to serve their country, Solomon fears making a future with Ellie because of his injuries.

The central question is will Evan survive Vietnam? If he does, will he leave the Amish order and strike out on his own with his English girlfriend? Who will run the orchard if that happens?

Beverly Lewis started writing short stories and poetry at the age of 9. Raised in Pennsylvania Amish country, she started writing Amish fiction with the trilogy, The Heritage of Lancaster County, a story loosely based on her maternal grandmother, an Old Order Mennonite. She and her husband, David, live in Colorado. Three of her novels have been made into Hallmark movies.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting June 27, 2022.

I would like to thank Bethany House and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I absolutely loved this book and devoured it. Sweet Amish story!

I have read every book by Beverly Lewis and jumped at the chance to review her latest book, The Orchard, on NetGalley. It did not disappoint! Lewis has a way of capturing Amish life and situations like no other author. How does she come up with such great plot lines?

The Orchard is set during the Vietnam war when young men were being drafted into the military. Amish men could file a conscientious objector for religious reasons. The Amish believe very strongly in non violence of any kind. Many people outside of their community took offense to this exemption and called them cowards.

The main character, Ellie Hostetler, was born and raised on her family's orchard. She loves the orchard so much and fears the day she must marry and leave it behind. What she fears even more, is the constant news of the war in far off Vietnam and the men of the community that will never come home. She feels relieved that all the men of her Amish church have received their conscientious objector status. Imagine her shock when her own twin brother, Evan, is drafted. He felt that if God wanted to call him to fight, he would go, and didn't file for the exemption. Despite his family's pleas, Evan leaves the safety of the Amish and goes to basic training.

After a failed relationship, Ellie finds herself drawn to Evan's best friend, Sol. He is handsome, hard working, and has had his eye on Ellie for some time. Plus with Evan gone, someone needs to take the reins of the orchard. After some youths rough up Sol and call him a coward, Ellie realizes she loves him. They decide to marry and Ellie will never have to leave her beloved orchard. When news reaches Ellie's family that Evan is missing in action, Ellie must rely on God to get her though these scary and uncertain times.

I loved the book! It has great characters and a great plot! My 15-year-old wants to read it!

LEllie and her family live on an apple orchard that has been in their families for years. Ellie lives with her Mamm, Daed, her twin brother Evan, and her Dawdi (grandfather). This story takes place during the Vietnam War, and most Amish men are not worried about the draft because they listed themselves as “COs” or conscientious objectors. Enter Evan, on his rumspringa, or the time when an Amish person is allowed to mingle with the English world to decide if they want to continue into Baptism with their community or not. He had made very good friends with an English young man who he just found out had been killed in the war. Evan is now more determined than ever to go against the peaceful life he’s always known to do this for his friend, help defend our country in his honor. It doesn’t help that he’s also fallen in love and has started a relationship with his friends sister - an English girl.

This is a story of how one decision shapes and effects a family that doesn’t believe in war. It’s about love and strength and hope, heartbreak, and worry, and still more hope.

What will both Ellie and Evan learn from this experience? How will the shame of their son choosing the military effect the entire orchard and the livelihood that their family relies on? Will anyone ever even consider Ellie for courtship knowing about Evan’s choices? Will Evan make it back home to his family the same way he left, stubborn and unsure of his plain ways?

I absolutely loved this story and how realistic the events that took place were. There were real and hard conversations, imperfect moments, heartache, tears of joy and everything in between.

Beverly Lewis is an absolute blessing to the Christian literature community.

#beverlylewis #theorchard #netgalley #amishcountry #amishfiction

Wow! This book almost leaves me at a loss for words…it was that good. Beverly Lewis knocked it out of the park with this one. I was captivated from page one and was sad to see it end. I have not read any books regarding the Amish joining the military, so I was excited to see how the family and community would react to this. In some ways, I compared it to the story of the prodigal son, which made it even more enjoyable. I would highly recommend this book and would give it 10 stars if I could. I was given a complimentary copy from NetGalley and the publisher for my honest opinion and review.

I always enjoy books written by Beverly Lewis. She has such a good understanding of the Amish community.
I did like "The Orchard" but it wasn't one of my favorites. I had a hard time connecting with the characters. I will be looking forward to the next novel by Ms. Lewis.

Two worlds collide in the midst of the VietNam War--Amish and English.



Ellie and her twin, Levi, have been raised as Pacificists but Levi has been spending more time with the English during his Rumspringa. This has challenged his worldview and made him consider enlisting.



This book was an interesting look at standing up for your beliefs even in the midst of hard times.



Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

The year is 1970. Any male of the age 18 is eligible for the draft including the Amish, unless they register as a conscientious objector. Ellie and Evan are as close as any set of twins can be. They haven’t taken their church vows yet and Evan is torn. His close English was just killed in Vietnam. His emotions are raw. So when he must sign up for the draft he doesn’t sign up as a conscientious objector as is expected. His family is at a loss when he is called up. Ellie feels like everything is changing way too fast but holds on to her love of the family orchard and maybe finds love along the way.

The Orchard by award winning author Beverly Lewis is a Christian Amish Romance novel. It is set in the Vietnam War era. This is a much different story than any other Amish one that I have read.

This is the story of Ellie Hostetler and her family. Her family has maintained a family orchard for generations in Lancaster County. Ellie’s twin brother, Evan, will inherit the responsibility. However, he has been called to join the military, and he feels the need to go.

I enjoy author Lewis’ books. She has a deep appreciation and knowledge of the Amish. Her stories are true to life and contain engaging characters. She includes spiritual lessons, scriptures, and many references to God in her book. There are timeless life lessons, too.

This book grabbed my attention immediately and transported to Lancaster County Amish Country. I would recommend this book to anyone who is loves Amish fiction, is curious about Amish lifestyle, or likes a sweet romance with a nice side story. It gets a 5 star rating from me. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley, and all opinions are my own honest ones.

It is so refreshing to read books written by Ms Lewis. Not only are they true to life and full of knowledge about Amish lifestyles, it is very easy to like all the characters. There are Bible quotations and references to God, but this is not overwhelming. I believe this book correctly portrays what any family feels when one of them goes off to fight in a war. Throughout Evan’s time in the Army, his family kept their faith in God, believing He would return their son and brother to them. I would recommend this book to anyone who is curious about Amish lifestyle and likes a good clean romance with a bit of a side story. I received an arc of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.