The Edge of Belonging

Author: Amanda Cox

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: September 8, 2020

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

A fantastic coming of age story about finding yourself in the darkest of times and learning that no matter what, everyone deserves happiness!

Ivy Rose has been returned to her hometown to sort out the affairs of her recently deceased grandmother. It is the only place she feels she can go after the relationship with her fiancé ends badly. She is hurt and wants to know about her past, the one thing no one has ever been willing to share with her. Her Grandmother left her clues to the mystery of her adoption, but a key piece to the puzzle has gone missing.

Over two decades earlier, Harvey James found a newborn baby abandoned on the side of the road. Harvey is homeless and has lacked someone to love and have a real connection with until he finds this baby that needs him. He knows he needs supplies to take care of a baby and goes to the church for help and ends up intertwined with two people trying to help him and the young baby he has found. But Harvey has spent years staying away from others after a lifetime of being abandoned. What matters most is the safety of the innocent child and keeping her safe. Harvey is willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen.

In this beautifully written dual-time story, readers will have no choice but to fall in love with Ivy, Harvey and all those they touch. I must admit, I put off starting this book, just didn’t seem like one that would touch me, but was I wrong. I tackled each page of this novel with rabid enthusiasm to follow the stories of Harvey and Ivy. The dual-time story gave a great dynamic to what was happening to the characters and why they would react the way they did in the present timeline.  The romance aspect of the story was one of the best written I have read in a long time. Each relationship played out in step as I felt it naturally would have. Nothing was forced and each character resonated with me on a deep level. The gem of the whole story would probably be Grandma Pearl in the flashback timelines of the story; she was so spunky and loved everyone with a kind of love we all should strive to show. After reading this, I sat and just thought about the way these characters truly found themselves.  They may have had to go through some hardships, but they came out the other side stronger and better for it. I think if we would all focus on the hard times we go through and find the happiness at the end, like Ivy and Harvey were able to do, we would see our lives in a much better way. I recommend this book to readers that enjoy a story full of mystery, intrigue, drama, hope, and so much more!

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher.  The views and opinions expressed within are my own.