Well written and absorbing. We all have our demons which tend to shape our future. Sometimes we need to deal with them.
Many thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Note: clearing old books from before 2019

Did not have time to read this book - still on my TBR. Thank you for the opportunity and my apologies for not getting to it.

My first National Park love, Yosemite, is the real star of this book for me! Nothing beats the romance of the wild back country of the Sierra Nevada range.
Our main character Liz is fighting with her internal compass even as she plans a massive 220 mile backpacking route into the deep back country, but last minute, her boyfriend decided to tag along, sensing that this trip has more than one goal.

Despite a lack of knowledge and an insistence on doing things the hard way, Dante eventually concedes that Liz has the right of things but she still struggles intensely with her urge to tell all her secrets out in the woods where no one will hear them.

Like many of us Liz uses the physical exhaustion to help cope with the mental load she carries. Through difficult self-exploration we discover a deeper truth about ourselves.

Liz and Dante, her boyfriend, take off to hire the John Muir Trail in the Yosemite Valley and what happens is a lot of soul searching with secrets coming out, all while two mysterious brothers are hot on their trail. The Middle of Somewhere by Sonja Yoerg is the soul-seeking journey of Liz, who is about to turn 30, and her boyfriend Dante, who unexpectedly ends up coming on the journey with her, to hike the John Muir Trail. There are some revelations to be unearthed, but will Liz be able to put her trust in Dante or is this the turning point for their relationship?

I don't want to give too much away, but this was an enjoyable book, well-written with beautiful and descriptive verbiage that makes the reader feel that they are right there on the trail hiking with Liz and Dante. The addition of the brothers to the story adds a sense of urgency and helps move the story along perfectly.

THE MIDDLE OF SOMEWHERE

SLOW START, GOOD FINISH - 3.5 stars

Plot - 3.5 stars - Liz has had a dream of taking a long thru-hike, and now she's begun. Unfortunately, her boyfriend has come along, which creates some friction for her since part of her wanted to get away and get inside her own head. So there are some adjustments to be made, on both their parts.

Writing - 3 stars - I read that Yoerg wanted to create a detailed and accurate description of the trail and the walk. However, that was a problem for me since every time she mentioned a specific mountain or stream or brook, I felt it was a toestub that stopped the action and caused me to have to stop and think about where she was rather than what was happening. On the other hand, Yoerg did a great job of building the suspense throughout the second half of the book, adding suspicion and menace little by little to create an excellent foreboding setting.

Characters - 3.5 stars - Liz is a complicated character. She wants to get inside her own head, so she's looking for a solitary walk. But when Dante comes along, she feels conflicted and then guilty about that. I had mixed feelings about Liz because she can be entertaining and amusing, but mostly she just lets life happen to her. She's passive-aggressive about her own life, pretty much sabotaging anything that goes well. Rather than make her a stronger person, her independent upbringing turned her into a lonely person who doesn't quite know how to interact in a close relationship. Dante, on the other hand, is almost too good to be true. He's understanding and easy-going with people, so he can see Liz's depths and appreciate her idiosyncrasies. I was glad that Yoerg included his confession since that made him much more down-to-earth and real. I particularly enjoyed their camaraderie when both were being light-hearted and silly.

Title - 3 stars - I'm not quite sure what this title means. A couple of times they mentioned that they felt they were in the middle of nowhere. So I suppose that the title implies that they are always somewhere (both physically and in their heads), so they should keep going.

Cover - 4.5 stars - This is a beautiful cover, with clouds as the main focus. It means to me that the main character, Liz, is desirous of getting inside her own head, moving through the clouds (in her head) to find some answers about herself. The only detriment is that there's very little color or anything to draw the eye.

Overall - 3.5 stars - Having finished it, I can now look back and feel good about this book. However, it took me forever to read because I felt there was a very slow start, making it very put-downable. And I didn't feel compelled to pick it up again. But once we got past the preliminaries and got to Liz's back story and her relationship with Dante, I got much more invested in their relationship. I also enjoyed watching Liz grow, helped both by her introspection as well as Dante's support. Then the story of the Root brothers became more menacing, and the book moved forward much more quickly. I enjoyed the interactions with other hikers and wished that there were more of them. I appreciate Yoerg setting the scene appropriately and accurately, but I was much more interested in the relationships and the reasons for the characters' actions and would have liked more of that instead. All in all, I enjoyed reading this new-to-me author and will look for more from her

The entire story takes place on an 18 day backpacking trip on the John Muir Trail in the western United States. It is the story of Liz who is a 29 year old engineer with a tough history and is wondering if the path she is currently on is the right path for her. Liz is looking for some time alone with find herself and discover if she is truly happy.

Both Liz and her boyfriend, Dante, are complex characters. Liz is struggling with the things she has done wrong in her past and trying to come to terms with them. Dante is hanging on to Liz tightly, almost as if he is afraid of losing her. The layers to the characters and their relationship are shown slowly. Not so slowly that is drags, but slowly as if solving a mystery and giving clues as the story is told. While Liz has done worse things in her past, I did not feel like it pulled her character down. I still like her, I was cheering for a happy ending for her, and I wanted most of all for her to be comfortable and accepting of herself. Dante was tougher for me. I felt like he was smothering Liz at the beginning and that he could have been more understanding of her feelings. Yet, he took what Liz told him (you have to read the book) and processed it, then accepted what could not be changed. By the end of the book I adored Dante, I respected him, and I was cheering for him also.


This novel has everything. Adventure, reflection, love, mystery, and thrills. Sonja Yoerg wrote a great women’s fiction book that has something for every reader. This is the second book by her I have read and she is definitely on my must read list.

I really liked the descriptions of the setting and how it resonated with the character's emotional turmoil. The plot also gave me anxiety!

A woman and the mountains. How will the journey change you?

Liz's mind is set to hike the John Muir Trail - to cope with her past, her mistakes, her decisions and (maybe) her future. She is unsure if she should continue her relationship with her boyfriend Dante, yet still longing for security, trust and love - but to do that, she need to forgive and obtain forgiveness.
Wilderness has a way to get into your skin and to get you in being the person you are intended to be, and maybe Liz can find herself there.

I myself did the camino to Santiago de Compostella in Spain some years ago (deeply recommended!) so I very much understand how the journey can influence you and change you, how it can put you into perspective of the bigger picture, and most omportantly - how it can gift you with inner peace and calmness.
So I understand why Liz went there. And she was right to do so, as there is a lot of what is she dealing with. Her cold upbringing, her unhappy marriage ending in infidelity and death. And the secret she is keeping from Dante.
I understand her, even if I particularly don't like her. Her story is very human and real. And I am all in for her healing.
But what is upsetting me more is that the story is very much centered on her, like everybody else was just a part of universe ganging to help her - and this is a context which I particularly don't like. Dante is here just to be a bigger person and to offer unconditional love to her, even if he must face things what are the opposite of all his ideals. He feels just like a prop - to be here for her, to offer her safety, to understand her mistakes, to forgive her. And while this is very benefitting for her, it just feel unjust towards him. I also think that in reality their relationship would not continue (even if I would wish for them to stay friends).
The Root brothers represent the similar prop - their use is solely to bring danger and thus to prone Dante and Liz to stick together and to re-evaluate their relationship. Sorry, not buying.

All in all - I wish to put on my hiking boots immediately! I could use some time to go deeper. And for reminding me of this, I am thankful.
But I want this to be not just about myself.

Sonya's books area always so rich. Her characters are vivid and compelling, flawed i ways that make them even more real, and her plots are always gripping. This novel was no exception. I especially love the way Sonya writes relationships between women, whether they're friends or mother and daughter or any other kind of relationship..