Shelley Shepard Gray has been one of my favorite authors for awhile, so I was excited that I finally got to read the first book in the A Season in Pinecraft series.

I honestly can’t remember ever reading an Amish fiction that is in a beach setting, which gave this novel such a fresh feel. I felt myself aching to visit Pinecraft, Florida! The sound of the sandy beaches, the cool waters and clear blue skies had my imagination running wild with possibilities.

The fast friendships that develop between Mary Margaret, Betty, and Lilly are goals! The trio find kindred spirits in one another as they are all wallflowers in their own communities. With one another they have strength in numbers, and each girl gives the others the courage to do things that they never thought possible. These three women are hard not to fall in love with, and I enjoyed reading about their adventures.

Jayson was another character that I bonded with. I definitely empathize with Jayson and his overprotectiveness over his diabetic sister. I have a teenage son that is type 1 diabetic and I don’t think I’ll ever not worry about him, though I will say Jayson’s sister, Joy, seems a lot more mature and capable of taking care of herself than my son does!

This is a great start to a charming series that I loved so much that I immediately picked up the second book and am currently reading it. Shelley does a masterful job of weaving such captivating tales with relatable characters and picturesque settings. It’s hard not to be enchanted.

Mary Margaret, Lilly, and Betsy are young Amish women traveling to Pinecraft, Florida for a vacation. Though strangers on the bus, they become fast friends as they spend the night together in Georgia during an ice storm. They are all "wallflowers" and look forward to spending time together during their vacation.

All is well until Mary finds out the Esther, who bullied her through their school years, will also be at the inn with them. That which she was seeking to escape from has followed her to Pinecraft.

While in Pinecraft, the girls meet Jayson, Danny, and Michael - interesting young men, each with struggles of their own.



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Throughout the book we see these relationships unfold, friendships strengthen, and forgiveness and restoration occur. In some ways it is your typical Amish coming-of-age story, though it was not entirely predictable. It shows less of Amish life, and more of these characters as real people, with the same struggles and feelings as the rest of us.

It starts off a bit slow, yet through that the characters grow and we begin to see the depth of emotion in them. It is a bit choppy in places, but overall it was a nice story.


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I do need to mention that I received a complimentary e-book version for review purposes.

What a beautiful story showing how we can overcome just about anything.

If I had a teenager I would definitely be sharing this with her. It shows how others can be cruel but we can overcome how that cruelty makes us feel. We are all stronger than we think.

If you’re looking for a sweet story set in a place that you’d like to visit, watching strong friendships develop & romance to warm your heart, then I think this is the book for you. You can’t go wrong with Shelly Shepard Gray for your Amish fiction fix!

When it comes to Amish fiction, Shelley Shepard Gray is one author I turn to for a great story. I think one of my favorite things about her as a writer is she makes you feel like her characters are part of your world! I love characters I can connect with & a story to not only entertain, but learn valuable life lessons from.

Mary Margaret Miller is tired of being stuck in a rut, so she decides to venture out on her own to visit Pinecraft, Florida. What she finds here is fast friendships with two other Amish women she meets aboard the bus. I love how they bonded through similar life circumstances & created an instant connection. What a joy it was to see the friendship grow between Mary, Betsy & Lilly! I also love the character growth in each one as the story unfolded. Plus, romance that brews for them all. This whole story is charming, heart-warming, and all around fun. I’d love to visit Pinecraft for real someday because of the vivid descriptions of the area!

If you’re looking for a sweet story set in a place that you’d like to visit, watching strong friendships develop & romance to warm your heart, then I think this is the book for you. You can’t go wrong with Shelly Shepard Gray for your Amish fiction fix! A wunderbar coming-of-age story to delight even the older generation.

*My thanks to Netgalley and Revell for a digital copy. I wasn’t obligated to leave a review, all opinions are mine alone. *

Mary Margaret has always been an Amish wallflower. However, her life takes an unexpected turn when she takes a trip to Pinecraft, Florida and meets up with two other Amish girls. They decide to make changes in themselves and become different young women when they are in Pinecraft. When Mary's childhood nemesis Esther shows up, Mary wonders what her motive might be. Determined to enjoy their vacations, the four young women find out surprising things about themselves and where they might be headed in the future!

This is a clean and sweet, realistic novel with a clear Christian message. The young women experience struggles and heartaches as most people do, and they learn how to deal with them as adults. There is a lot of character development leading to a satisfactory ending. While this is the first in a series, it can be enjoyed as a standalone novel.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an advance copy of this book in return for my honest opinions.
Just love Shelley Shepherd Gray. Her books are just a blessing.
The characters, setting, and wholesome romance are done to perfection.
You will love the one!
As always, five stars for Shelley!
Highly recommend.

Great book! The love her books! I highly recommend this! If you like her books then you will love this one!

"Mary Margaret Miller needs an escape from her small Amish community. She boards a bus, all alone, for a vacation in Pinecraft, Florida. Meeting Betsy and Lilly on the way, she's amazed to find two kindred spirits. They become fast friends and determine to have the best two weeks of their lives. For Mary, it starts when she meets Jayson Raber. The handsome and charming carpenter is taken by Mary from the get-go, but he has responsibilities back home in Kentucky--including a girl he's supposed to marry.

When someone from Mary's past shows up in Pinecraft, it seems like her perfect vacation is ruined. But that's nothing compared to what's coming when she realizes what Jayson has been hiding."

I enjoyed reading this book as I have all of Shelley Shepard Gray's books. I love reading about the Amish in particular. Most Amish novels are based in Pennsylvania or Ohio it seems so this was a nice change of pace.

This plot was simple, and the characters were driven by a conflict that seemed too juvenile, in my opinion. I looked up Pinecraft, Florida and learned that it is largely an Amish community, but the novel itself was confusing on that point. I couldn't figure out why the young ladies had left their homes for a vacation only to end up in a place quite like home. It's a sweet story, but it is simple and is better suited to teen readers.

If Shelley Shepard Gray writes it I will definitely be reading it. This was a short Amish fiction romance story that I got wrapped up in from the beginning. I thought the story was entertaining and I always enjoy a good Amish book. I would definitely recommend this book.


Thank you NetGalley and Revell for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion .

Beautifully written, heartwarming, with a variety of interesting characters is the short version.

I was hesitant to try an Amish love story, as I've been told that some are basically bodice rippers about people wearing Amish clothes. Not interested. But this seemed to me to be written by someone who knows the life from the inside, and shares their faith. So much more interesting, to find out how the reticent Amish, who eschew most of modern society, go about finding mates.

From this lovely romance I learned that at least some Amish communities are a lot more practical than one might assume. Including about permitting their young people to venture into the world, so that when they come back, it's by choice, and not force.

The romances were sweet, contrasted nicely, and upheld the virtues that give one hope about the future of human nature.

This was a sweet Amish romance and a quick read! I enjoyed the girl friendship aspect of the book as well.

Mary Margaret is taking a vacation to escape the difficulties of her day to day Amish life. She isn’t expecting to make friends with several other Amish women travelers. But as the ladies get to know each other, they realize that their separate lives are more similar than then realize. This friendship helps Mary Margaret when she must face her life long bully who travels down to the same location.

Mary also meets Jayson. He is enjoying time in Pineview on vacation before he goes home to his tough life. Sparks fly between the young folks and they spend much of their vacation together. But is their young love enough? Can the feelings survive what Jayson hasn’t shared?

I enjoyed the copy of the book from NetGalley as the next book in the series is coming out!

Her Heart’s Desire is filled with a common thread of grace, love, and forgiveness. The primary characters in the book experience various trials, heartbreak, new adventures, and friendships. Through their experiences, they learn the true meaning of steadfastness of friendship, commitment, loyalty, and community. The author writes with an element of hope and faith throughout the journeys in life of the characters in the book! Thank you NetGalley and Baker Publishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Her Heart’s Desire by Shelley Shepard Gray is book one in her A Season in Pinecraft series.

Mary Margaret Miller takes her first vacation to Pinecraft, FL and meets two other young Amish women on the bus and forms a friendship. Jayson Raber has visited Pinecraft many times and knows his way around. This visit is a little different because of the way he left things at home. Circumstances will align and romance will sprout, but will it grow to potential?

Shelley Shepard Gray shows her prowess for writing excellent Amish fiction. Her knowledge of Amish culture and customs is apparent The characters and dialogue are vibrant. The plot is interesting. Every aspect of this novel is top notch. Her Heart’s Desire is a 5 star read that I highly recommend to all fan of chaste romance, especially Amish romance. ,

My thanks to Revell and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. However, the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and mine alone.

Her hearts Desire by Shelly Shepard Gray,
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this one early.
I enjoyed this book. It was a heartwarming story about 4 girls who spend time together on vacation from their home towns. While two of the girls already knew each other the others just met. This story follows future endeavors, past histories, mending fences, and just enjoying life. This is a first for me from this author. Great book, fast read and I’ll be looking for more for her.

This novel follows four young women who are anxious to take steps toward owning their futures and breaking out of the restraints of the poor self images formed during their adolescent years. During a vacation trip to Florida they forge supportive friendships with one another and enjoy acceptance, understanding and encouragement to break out of the restrictive bonds of insecurity and wallflower self images. There are important lessons learned such as forgiveness, judging individuals for inner qualities as opposed to social status and learning to be honest with oneself. The story is clean and appropriate reading for young adults.

Her Heart’s Desire is a lovely “coming of age” type story. I have not read many Amish books that took place outside of their usual town and family cultures, so the change of perspective was refreshing. It was nice to read of Amish young adults and see how they might be thinking and feeling during these much more modern times in our country’s culture. I enjoyed the great character development in this book. Mary
Margaret, Lilly, Betsy, Jayson, Esther, and Michael all had challenges in their lives and this story wove those challenges together. The young people, with a little outside advice occasionally from others, all made some great growth personally and I appreciated reading about it. What a good story with some great takeaway thoughts, too. This is a great book to curl up and escape with for a bit.

I requested and received a copy of this book for review. The thoughts and words expressed here are wholly my own.

I enjoyed the story and the fact that the young ladies within found their footing and moved past their previous boundaries while on vacation! I really appreciated the clean, God based lifestyle reflected in the pages as well. However, I felt like the story would have been more believable if the characters were not Amish. Do mean girl groups thrive in Amish colonies as well? Maybe they do, but I just hope that they have a less vindictive nature than people living outside of the Amish life. I received an e-copy of this book from NetGalley. That in no way influenced my review. All opinions of the book are my own.

Her Heart's Desire has such interesting main characters - Amish young ladies who have had difficult childhood situations. Three of them meet on a bus traveling to Pinehurst, Florida where they are escaping their normal routines for a two week vacation. It was interesting to watch their friendship grow and see how that helped each girl come into her own.

A beautiful book about friendship, forgiveness, with a healthy dose of romance sprinkled in.

I felt like the book couldn’t have fleshed out Mary’s and Esther’s story a bit more…I’m craving more details of how they both overcame their problems.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.