Review: "You Belong with Me" by Tari Faris

I hadn't heard of Tari Faris before one of my bookstagram friends started raving about her novella P.S. Goodbye (which you can get free by signing up for Faris's newsletter). After I read the novella, I understood why my friend was raving, and I immediately added You Belong with Me to my TBR. Once it arrived in my mailbox, it jumped over a few other books in the queue because I just couldn't wait to read it!

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Realtor Hannah Thornton has many talents. Unfortunately, selling houses in the town where her family name is practically poison isn't one of them. When a business tycoon determines to raze historic homes in the small town of Heritage, Michigan, and replace them with a strip mall, Hannah resolves to stop him. She sets about helping Heritage win a restoration grant that will put the town back on the map--and hopefully finally repay the financial debt Hannah's mother caused the town. But at first no one supports her efforts--not even her best friend, Luke.

Luke Johnson may have grown up in Heritage, but as a foster kid he never truly felt as if he belonged. Now he has a chance to score a job as assistant fire chief and earn his place in the town. But when the interview process and Hannah's restoration project start unearthing things from his past, Luke must decide if belonging is worth the pain of being honest about who he is--and who he was.

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Oh my goodness! What a fun book! Sometimes when I'm eagerly anticipating a novel, it doesn't quite live up to my expectations, but that wasn't a problem with You Belong with Me. From the instant I started reading, I was swept into the town of Heritage and the lives of its residents.

While this book is longtime best friends Hannah and Luke's story, there's also a secondary love story involving Hannah's brother Thomas and her friend Janie. I loved both stories equally! I was never itching to get back to the other story, as I enjoyed each story so much. I also loved getting to see more of Pastor Nate (he was introduced in P.S. Goodbye)—I can't wait to get more of his story!

While I can't say that I loved everything about the novel—the secrets and lies between Hannah and Luke quickly wore thin, and things between both couples were resolved a little too conveniently—I did fully enjoy the experience of reading it. With themes of belonging, forgiveness, and finding contentment amid disappointment, You Belong with Me is a toe-curling romance with depth. Faris is definitely an author for fans of contemporary romance to watch! 4-1/2 stars.

Note: You do not need to read P.S. Goodbye before reading this novel. But it's free, and it's great, so why wouldn't you?

Buy the book.
Read my review of Faris's P.S. Goodbye (4-1/2 stars).

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Tari Faris has been writing fiction for more than 10 years. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers and My Book Therapy, she works for My Book Therapy, manages learnhowtowriteanovel.com, and is a 2017 Genesis Award winner. She has an MDiv from Asbury Theological Seminary and lives in the Phoenix, Arizona, area with her husband and their three children. Although she lives in the Southwest now, she lived in a small town in Michigan for 25 years.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell through the Revell Reads program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, I will receive an affiliate commission.I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."