⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5/5)

Veronica has wanted to be a chef since she was little. She is now a food broker. When she receives a DNA kit for Christmas, it confirms what she already knows. Her sister and best friend put together a trip for her to visit all the places highlighted on her DNA results. On this trip, she steps outside of her comfort zone and slowly discovers what she wants and needs.

This was a ‘Just One More Chapter’ book for me, hooked from beginning to end. From the supportive family and people met along the way, all characters were so well written. I loved the vividly sketched details of the food and charming counties. I didn’t expect to enjoy the echoes (visions) as much I did. They added so much to the story and Veronica’s transformation. The ending was perfect for the storyline. There is so much about this book to love…travel, food, great characters, a little romance and magical realism! I look forward to Ms. Runyan’s next book!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Muse Books for this ATC. This is my honest opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Focus | Harper Muse for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book and read it in one sitting. I enjoyed following the characters on their journey and their growth. I also loved the storyline as well. I would definitely recommend this book.

In The Wandering Season, readers accompany Veronica Stratton on a literal journey of self-discovery after her infant adoption is publicly acknowledged. While dealing with a recent breakup and pondering her relationships with her beloved parents and sister, she goes on a month-long European trip to visit the countries of her ethnic origins. Will she find far more than she ever anticipated?

I enjoyed wandering the globe with Aimie K. Runyan as my tour guide while listening to the audiobook narrated by Caroline Hewitt. Several times I thought the plot was headed in a predictable direction, but Ms. Runyan always surprised me, enhancing my connection to the story. I like touches of magical realism in novels, but those in The Wandering Season felt abrupt until I understood that they were components of Veronica’s heritage.

Read this if you enjoy:
- a unique twist on the ‘surprise DNA results’ trope
- descriptions of delicious food and the sources of the ingredients
- traveling from the comfort of your favorite reading chair
- touches of magical realism that provide glimpses of earlier eras

Thank you to Harper Muse and Uplit Reads for the review copies of this novel. All opinions are my own.

What a satisfying and enjoyable book, featuring Veronica, a young woman looking to find her path. As a food broker for gourmet restaurants, Vero is not living up to her dream of having her own restaurant. Behind many of her decisions is the fact that is revealed and confirmed at Christmas when her sister gets DNA kits for the family to discover ancestry, and Vero’s parents reveal she was adopted. Her sister Avery and her best friend Stephanie plan a trip for Veronica, sending her to the locations her ancestry provided. As she travels through Ireland, France, Italy and Copenhagen , stories about her ancestors provide a unique angle to this story. I loved all the characters, their relationships, and the adventures in travel. I highly recommend this lovely story, written by one of my favorite authors. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Veronica Stratton is a specialty food broker, living outside of Denver. Having recently gone through a breakup with her boyfriend, she’s looking for a new direction in her life. Her younger sister gives her a DNA test at Christmas, and the results show that she was adopted as a baby - a fact she suspected but never knew for sure. She is a bit unmoored at this news, and keeps telling everyone “I’m fine” with this knowledge. Following the encouragement from her family, she sets out for several weeks to tour the places mentioned in her DNA report - Ireland, France, Italy and Denmark.

In County Mayo in Ireland, she meets the keeper of the castle Niall, and they form a quick bond. He becomes a fast friend and confidant for her, and it enthralled with food the magic of food as much as she is. As Veronica explores each location, she’s given a glimpse of her past ancestors in visions, but it’s up to her to make sense of it all and chart her new course for life.

Once again, the author dishes up a wonderful novel full of charm and food that you feel you can taste off the page. The Wandering Season will let you wander along Veronica’s journeys to these countries, without leaving your favorite reading chair. Available now - I highly recommend! Thanks to the author, NetGalley, and Harper Muse for an ARC of this book; all opinions are my own.

I was all in from the very first page of this beautiful book about Veronica and her journey to discover her roots. Veronica, a talented chef that runs a food matchmaking business, discovers that she is adopted when her sister gives her a DNA test kit for Christmas and her parents reveal the truth. When the results are returned her parents give her a 4 week trip to the places the DNA test revealed her family is from. The trip is an opportunity to learn about her past and maybe figure out her future. The places she visits provide a beautiful backdrop for the story. The echoes of the past are an intriguing and interesting way for Veronica to learn about her ancestors. I found myself wanting to open history books to learn more about the places mentioned. My mouth was watering with the food descriptions! I adored this book and highly recommend it to readers that enjoy stories of figuring out life and your dreams.

This is my second book from Aimie so I knew I’d be in for a treat and I was correct!

In The Wandering Season, Veronica attempts to find herself by traveling to Europe to visit the places listed on her DNA ancestral report.

This was kind of an Eat, Pray, and Love story but especially the Eat portion as Veronica is involved in the food business. I’m not any kind of a foodie, but I’m telling you… My stomach would start rumbling after reading descriptions of the amazing food in this book. So. Much. Food!

Mixed in with the traveled places and food were visions of the past so you get a true feel of the history of each place Veronica visits. The locales were fascinating and now I want to do a trip recreating each of the places she travels to.

I truly loved each character in this story; Vero, her sister and best friend, her parents, the people she meets on her travels, but especially Niall. I was so very satisfied with the ending.

I can’t wait to see what Aimie writes next!

*Thanks so much to Aimie, Suzy Approved Book Tours, and Harper Muse for the gifted copy and for including me on this booktour!*

The Wondering Season by Aimie K. Runyan

A wonderful adventure, getting to know ourselves.

Veronica Stratton, a specialty food broker with a business on the cusp of brilliant success that would change the trajectory of her life, visits her parents in idyllic Estes Park for Christmas.

She’s fresh from a breakup with her longtime boyfriend, so she’s eager to reconnect with her beloved family in the mountains and forget about her troubles for a few days.

But with the holiday comes a DNA test from her younger sister that confirms her secret suspicions: she's adopted. Having the truth out in the open leaves her unmoored, despite her assurances that her biological parentage doesn’t really matter…

This will be the beginning to the most important adventure of her life. She will travel for four weeks to the four places that appear closer to her heritage. She’ll get to travel and even meet someone quite interesting! And not only that but Veronica will also travel with her little sister and a friend for a week sharing and forming new and exciting memories!

I love her visions and her time in the castle. It was my favorite part! And of course the idea of getting to know someone who actually shared her DNA.
Veronica always understood that her mom and that were hers forever, her sister loved her deeply as well. But let’s be honest, sometimes we all need to know where we really come from and that is completely understandable and I felt I had to respect her deeply.

I loved her journey and every part of Europe I visited with her! Enjoy this journey of self discovery and go get your copy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

For the most part, I loved this book. Great story, felt unique, beautiful settings, great characters. However, I did not vibe with the flashbacks Veronica experienced and really wondered if they were necessary for the story. MAYBE I could see how they helped her learn a few things, but I just could have done without them. Otherwise, it kept me reading and was a very satisfying story. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Veronica finds out one Christmas via a DNA test that she’s adopted and her family gives her a wonderful gift. It’s a trip to the see all the four countries that were listed on her DNA report so that she can get to know her culture. This also gives her the opportunity to scout food markets for her job as a food matcher. She helps restaurants and bakeries locate special items such as truffles or fancy fruits for their delicacies. I personally loved all the food references as I consider myself a foodie, and I really liked this part of the book.

There is a secondary plot where each city she visits, United States Veronica has a vision of her family that came from that area. This was like a dream sequence that she had and I really didn’t connect with this part. I liked the other part of the story of Veronica’s real life so much more than this part.

As an amateur genealogist, I was intrigued by the premise of this book. We go on a journey with the writer to find her genetic heritage. There are heavy themes of food, friendships, romantic relationships, and magical realism. I enjoyed the story, but it was all a little slow without any real spice or conflict.

Overall I enjoyed this book, following Veronica throughout beautifully descriptive areas in Ireland and Italy in search of her roots, enjoying and experimenting with the different foods as a struggling food broker. And the building friendship relationship with Niall was sweet and romantic. The of thing for me was the magical realism of meeting her ancestors. In my opinion, it was too strange and didn't really fit well with the story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

An intriguing story of a young professional woman, on the cusp of business success and a search for her past. Beautiful settings and experiences as she seeks truth. I enjoyed the story.

An unexpected present of a DNA test from her younger sister reconfirmed what Veronica had always known. Her adoption was never spoken of and kept a secret but she’d always known. Her parents were wonderful people and Veronica certainly did not want to open a can of worms. The present of an European trip highlighting places where her ancestry was most dominant led her to an adventure, which was strange and wonderful.

Fate, or coincidence played a part also the “fey” part of Veronica, gave her a bigger insight into her history and people who may have been her ancestors centuries before. The story interspersed with culinary wonders in the regions she visited added another strand to the story.

A coming of age story this was a book I finished in one go. I also learnt of a new profession - a food broker.

The Wandering Season follows Veronica as she navigates who she really is. After receiving a DNA kit for Christmas, Veronica officially learns that she is adopted. The results highlight four different places her heritage may have originated from. Veronica's family plan a once in a lifetime trip to allow her to explore all of these places in the hopes of finding clues to her ancestors.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book and I'm so glad that I did. The narrator did such an amazing job with the many different accents throughout the book. The narration kept me intrigued and what made this book three stars instead of DNF'ing it.

I really enjoyed the descriptions of the places she visited and all the food that she encountered. Definitely don't read this book while hungry. Overall, I felt like some parts of the story just didn't work for me. The first issue was that her sister gifted her the DNA kit. I just think that's such an odd thing to gift a family member who you think might be adopted.

The romantic story line between Liam and Veronica also fell flat for me. When we first met Liam's character, I couldn't tell if he was an older gentleman or a potential love interest. It was a very awkward love story to me. I loved that they connected over food but their romance was missing chemistry.

The paranormal flashbacks to her ancestors took me by surprise. I had to go back and re-listen because I couldn't figure out what was happening. It was so unexpected and I personally didn't think it worked with the story.

Veronica goes to spend Christmas with her parents and sister. her sister surprises her with a DNA test revealing she is adopted. veronica doesn't know how to handle the news. good story

In this heartwarming journey of self-discovery, food broker Veronica Stratton’s world is shaken during a Christmas visit to her family in Estes Park. A surprise DNA test reveals she’s adopted. Craving clarity, and with the support of her family and friends, Veronica sets off on a European adventure to explore the roots listed in her ancestry report—visiting Ireland, France, Denmark, and Italy. Along the way, she uncovers haunting glimpses of her ancestors, unexpected truths about her identity, and a possible new path that includes Irish chef Niall Callaghan—and maybe, a love worth risking everything for.

3 stars

Veronica has such an interesting job. As a food broker, she searches for the best real, whole, and delicious ingredients to elevate dishes and put restaurants on the map. She also helps her family's bake shop benefit from her findings. This love of cuisine and clean, fresh ingredients is a language Veronica and castle minder/tour guide Niall both speak fluently and is an easy way for them to find common ground as they bond on her first stop in Ireland.

I was imagining an Eat Pray Love adventure mixed with a young woman finding out who she is as Veronica traveled through Europe on the hunt for an understanding of where she came from, so I was really surprised by the paranormal visions. I'm not usually one for fantasy so this took me by surprise and a bit out of the story. Though this book didn't quite hit the mark for me, fans of Hallmark movies, travel and food lovers and understanding one's ancestry may really enjoy it!

This was primarily a book focused on a woman coming to terms with a major family revelation in her life, a big breakup, and the pressure of fulfilling potential. There were moments I felt the book was interesting, but unfortunately for me it didn’t hit me emotionally as much as I expected it to. In many ways, Veronica was quite stoic so perhaps that’s why the book came across as pretty cold for as emotional and heartbreaking the story really should have been. I enjoyed the visits of stories past, the interesting locals and the history, and the ease of reading the book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

I absolutely loved The Wandering Season! Veronica works in the restaurant industry and recently found out that she has been adopted. Her family chips in on a month long vacation for Veronica to Ireland, France, Italy and Denmark. Those countries were in her DNA so she went to learn about her ancestors. This was such a beautiful story and inspiring. It was very relatable and a sprinkle of magical realism made it fun! Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

4.25/5
If food, travel, love, self-discovery, and a smidge of magical realism is your vibe, then run (don't walk) to grab The Wandering Season!

Amie K. Runyan's latest novel will have you finagling reservations at the nearest Michelin star restaurant or dreaming of the quintessential European town.

I loved the rich descriptions of decadent meals and watching Veronica while away the days exploring quaint villages. Even the clothes sounded beautiful! The Wandering Season was cozy read I didn't know I needed!

Read this if you like:
• Cozy reads
• The Paris Novel
• Self-discovery stories
• International travel
• Drool-worthy food descriptions

Thanks to Harper Muse for the complimentary digital copy!