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.

Hannah is trying everything she can to make up to the town for what her mother did. In the process she is fighting a battle to save the historical district of the town from demolition in the name of progress. Luke has never felt like he has belonged anywhere. He grew up as a foster child. His foster mother wasn't mean, she just wasn't very motherly. His best friend was Hannah and they had each others back. This book is Luke and Hannah's journey to finding out that God cares for them for who they are and not that Hannah's mother was an embezzler or that Luke was a foster child.

I recommend this book.

I was given this book by Revell Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way.

I enjoyed the characters, and the town community. The children in this story are grown-ups now. They didn’t anticipate life would take so many unexpected turns. I enjoyed the banter between friends, and the through-provoking messages about love, relationships and leaning on God. I was pleasantly surprised by moments that encouraged my heart as I watched these twenty somethings seek out their faith walk and what God had for them. It wasn’t on their bucket list, but they were learning to cope. It was very different then they thought it would be.

I enjoyed this small-town drama as they learned to work together to rebuild the heart of this town. It kind of reminded me a little of the movie It’s a Wonderful Life as they worked together to build a caring community. I enjoyed some of these quirky characters and others that were struggling to deal with the past of their parents.

I enjoyed how Hannah loved her town and was determined to rebuild it. She is creative in her endeavors to raise money for this project and wasn’t afraid to stand up and present her ideas at town meetings. I enjoyed hearing about one endeavors she was uncomfortable with but plunges ahead anyway. There is a wonderful feel good moment near the end that pulled at my heart strings, brought happy tears to my eyes and had me smiling from ear to ear. I enjoyed hanging out with these characters and their town. I understand that P.S. Goodbye is Hannah and Luke’s story. This book deals with Grant and Caroline’s story and some of Hannah and Luke too. It’s a good one. This story is fun, entertaining, will make you laugh, cry happy tears and make you feel good at the end. This is the first book I’ve read by this author it won’t be the last. This is an author to watch.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 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”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins! www.bookfun.org
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This was one of my favorite contemporary romance books. I loved that there was a smidge of romance also. I loved Hannah. She knew that her home town was worth saving even though some wanted it saved in different ways than she wanted. She loved to see the history behind something. Luke was trying to find a family for himself even though he had trouble believing he was worth it. This was well written and I am looking forward to the second book in the series. I received a copy of this book from Revell for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

"You belong with Me" by Tara Faris is a Romantic fiction book. Realator Hannah Thornton wants to help Heritage, Michigan. Her Mother created debts for the town. A businessman in the town wants to get rid of some of the houses and put a strip mall in their place. She works towards winning a restoration grant for the town. Luke Johnson is in a relationship with Hannah. They have had a friendship since Junior High. Luke is a foster child and trying to find out who He is. Luke applied to be an assistant fire chief . Will Hannah's goals be accomplished to help save the town from the businessman's projected ideas? Will Luke and Hannah's relationship last ? This book is well written. I was given this book by the publisher to read and review. I appreciate this opportunity. I will post my review on Goodreads, facebook, Amazon, CBD.com,my blog and also the church staff.

I did not want to put You Belong With Me down. It is an easy and super fast read. There were many characters and I kept them all pretty straight and some were wonderful and some I wanted to throttle. I did lose track of what Hannah actually did as a job at one point since it seemed like she didn’t have to work... possibly ever? There was also so many things gone wrong for so manycharacters, that felt unrealistic. So while You Belong With Me isn’t perfect, it was still really satisfying and fun. The writing had an easy flow, the characters either got under my skin or endeared themselves to me, so I was invested and there really was a lot going on for a lot of characters so I always wanted to read more to see what would resolve or happen next. I very much look forward to see what Tari Faris writes next!

I give You Beling With Me 4.5 stars, I really enjoyed it!

“He has a way of making beautiful things out of piles of ash.” That quote from You Belong with Me sums up the journey Hannah and Luke and secondary characters Thomas and Janie, take to discover how God can take their messes and reveal to them a life filled with beauty, hope, and joy found in faith, family, and love. It is a fantastic debut novel from author Tari Faris. I’m so excited to have found a new writer, who writes in my favorite genre- fiction with a purpose and meaning. After reading this book not only will you be looking forward to the next story in this series, but you will see how God leaves his fingerprints in the lives of her realistic characters. My book is filled with highlighted entries. Some of my favorite quotes are:
“Our culture today equates how close two people are with physical intimacy, but a relationship based on that is like an empty pinata.”
“I’m not sure if it’s always the end goal God has in mind as much as our willingness to follow Him on the journey no matter what happens.”
I received a copy from Net Galley. The opinions in this review are my own.

#YouBelongWithMe #NetGalley

A novel about a small town in Heritage, Michigan where everyone knows who you are, along with all the flaws. Hannah comes from a broken family and Luke was a foster child and Hannah's best friend. Hannah is determined to find a way to bring life back into the town and perhaps find love along the way. When disaster strikes will the town come together or fall apart? A book about relationships, both family and friends., about forgiveness and about finding your place when you don't seem to belong.

Hannah Thornton lives in the town of Heritage, which she loves dearly. This makes her job as a realtor difficult, as she doesn't want to sell houses to people who won't cherish them, or who wishes to tear them down and build a strip mall. How can she ever be a part of that?
Her brother, Thomas also lives in Heritage. In their family home. Is he really going to sell it and move away with the fiance' that Hannah doesn't like?
Also, in Heritage is Luke Johnson. He grew up as a foster child living with a lady who never adopted him. Why didn't she want to make him her own? He and Hannah had shared one kiss in high school, and then Luke put distance between them. Why?
They are friends once again, with each hiding their feelings for the other.
Hannah is always trying to fix things. Luke, her beloved town, her brother, to name a few. She feels she lives in the shadow of her mother's crime against the town, and has something to prove.
A sweet story of love, forgiveness, restoration.
The story is a bit predictable as far as who will end up with whom at the end, but a very sweet story, nonetheless. I look forward to reading more from this author.
I received a free ecopy from the publisher, Revell and Netgalley and was not obligated to give a positive review.

4.5 Stars

My favorite genre to read is contemporary romance. My favorite trope is friends to more. And Tari Faris hits it out of the park with both. Then she makes it even better including two well-developed romances in the same book.

The characters in You Belong with Me are flawed and sometimes make poor decisions or react impulsively. They have doubts about their worth, their relationships, and their place in the community. Readers will relate to this group.

The small Michigan town has its share of memorable characters (as any fictional small town should). Throw in a community-wide effort to preserve their home, a mangy dog, a bachelor auction, and a great brother-sister relationship, and there’s a lot to love about this book.

I’m already looking forward to returning to Heritage, MI in the next book.

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

What an incredible, beautiful, touching Christian fiction romance story.
Real people. Luke, Hannah.
I felt like they were my friends. I hurt for the hurts they were going through.
This book faces some hard issues in life--belonging. Forgiveness. Self acceptance. Love. Family.
And, of course, more.
This is a story about a small-town. About finding love, and about second chances.
Hannah loves her town, Heritage. And she feels responsible to make the town succeed.
As she puts herself into it, it feels like it's never enough.
Can she learn to trust God?
The beauty of this story will linger with you long after you read the last page.
Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review, and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

I love reading debut books by an author. It is exciting to see how their writing is and get familiar with their style. In this story we are taken into a small town set in Michigan. The people are friendly and seem to help each other out. Hannah is a nice character that hasn't had the best life growing up. She has always wanted to belong somewhere and to feel the love of a family.

The author has written a story that is emotional and filled with great characters. We all want to belong somewhere and that is at the heart of this book. Luke is another example of overcoming his upbringing in foster care to a man who desires to have a family. There is some background on each character that is just below the surface which the author explores over the course of the story.

I loved the love triangle and thought it was written with realism. I know who I am rooting for and couldn't read fast enough to find out what happens. This is the kind of story you can get lost in and forget everything around you. I became invested in the characters and loved how real they seemed. Get ready for a surprise in the story that will make you say, "Oh my"

I am glad that I have a new author to read and look forward to the next book she writes. This book may be her debut but her writing skills far surpass many authors that have been writing for awhile. Get ready for an adventure filled with family, faith and hard decisions.

I received a copy of this book from the Early Reviewers Program from LibraryThing. The review is my own opinion.

A sweet and delightful story overall with great characters that are reliable and you can easily feel their struggles and wishes for their future.
I enjoyed everything in this story, from the writing which was very good for a debut novel, many different characters that add a lot of layers to the story and how everything unfolds at the end. There are a few things that i felt were a bit overdone or unrealistic like a prom dress but overall it's a book that I'll be recommending to my friends for sure.

This book was a delight to read., The plot was well developed, the characters were engaging and there was nothing faith-'lite' about it. I'd call this top-notch contemporary faith-filled romance. This is my first book by this author, and it seems to be her first full-length one as well. However, the book itself is very polished and.well-written.

The storyline essentially follows two couples. So, it's kind of like getting two romances for the price of one. Interestingly, I usually prefer books that focus on one couple, but here, both arcs are so well-written and intertwined that it never feels forced, disjointed or cramped. Rather, the overall story is rich and superbly balanced. There two things that irked me a bit: 1) the slightly predictable seeing-the-significant-other-with-a-friend/family member-and-jumping-to-conclusions assumption by the heroine toward the end and 2) the catchphrase-y faith lessons (which do work very well in this but are not usually my thing).

I would definitely recommend this title and its author, and I'm looking forward to following the rest in this series (and from the excerpt at the end it looks like it only gets better)! It gets 4.5 stars from me.

Thanks to Revell and Tari Faris for this complimentary copy via NetGalley. All opinions are mine.

Ps: The cover is lovely.

This is the first story I’ve read by Tari. I enjoyed the characters very much and would love to visit the town of Heritage. She did a great job with her descriptions and character development. It’s always frustrating to me when there’s conflict that could be resolved by just talking to each other, but this story was based around secrets and how they can affect those that keep them. Small towns…gotta love em. I will definitely read the next one in the series.

What a beautiful inspirational romance. You Belong With Me is well written with believable characters. The subjects of foster care and adoption were tastefully handled. This is a new author to me and I anticipate reading more books by her in the future. I highly recommend this book. Thanks to the publisher for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

This is Hannah and Luke’s book, Hannah is a realtor selling houses in the town where her family name is practically poison! Luke was a Foster kid that never truly felt like he belonged anywhere! Now he has a chance to score a job as assistant fire chief and earn his place in the town of Heritage but when the interview process and Hannah a local realtors restoration project starts to unearth things from his past Luke must decide if trying to make it in this town is worth the pain of being honest about who he is! This book really isn’t my type of read it’s a little too I don’t wanna say immature but very young adult I like a little more grit to my books LOL thank you Netgalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!

Two romances in one, a story about second chances at a love once thought missed and a compassionate reflection of learning to accept your path in life even when faced with challenges and disappointments. You Belong With Me is the first book in a new series by Tari Faris that explores love, family and belonging, set against the charming backdrop of a small town.

Hannah loves her home town of Heritage. Sure, a lot of businesses have closed down and the building have seen better days, but she believes with the right attention it could be so much more. When an opportunity arises to enter a competition to win prize money for the town’s redevelopment, Hannah jumps at it and volunteers her best friend Luke to help out. But with the return of her best friend, the engagement of her brother to a women who is all wrong for him, simmering unfinished tension between her and Luke and a series of disasters, Hannah despairs of ever being able to make Heritage the town she knows it could be.

I very much enjoyed You Belong With Me. While Hannah initially seems headstrong and a little blind and she certainly has a lot to learn, she undergoes some serious character growth and learns from her mistakes.

Luke’s story of a childhood raised in care and his fears of never belonging overlap with Hannah’s experience of abandonment after her mother left town. Both have a serious fear of being left unwanted and this complicates their relationship. With the help and guidance from close friends, family members (some blood and others by choice), an understanding pastor and God’s gift of grace, they are given a second chance at love - but with the complications of a series of accidents, well-intentioned but mislead actions and a lot of secrets they just might need and third chance to get it right.

While the plot is driven by Hannah’s plans for the town, the story is pretty equally focused on the relationship between Hannah’s brother, Thomas, and her best friend, Janie. Theirs is the second love story captured within these pages. While they too have a lot of past hurts to work through and challenges to overcome, there is no denying their continued connection and depth of feeling. The novel is written in third person and the chapters alternate between focusing on Thomas, Hannah, Luke and Janie.

You Belong With Me is a well-written and sweet romantic Christian contemporary novel. It is sure to please fans of Becky Wade, Courtney Walsh and other similar writers. I look forward to reading the second book in the series which is set to feature a secondary character from this novel.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed my first visit to Heritage. I love books set in small towns like the one I grew up in. There are always a few stereotypical people that you find in every town like the powerful businessman/landowner who thinks he can have whatever he wants or the person who is brimming with ideas for making the town better.
I loved Luke and Hannah’s friendship. It was beautiful reading of how she befriended him when he felt like he didn’t belong and just wouldn’t let go or give up on him.
This is a book about making mistakes and receiving forgiveness and a second chance. There’s loss and restoration. It’s a thoughtful book. I appreciated Janie’s wisdom on giving the broken pieces in our lives to God to see what he can do with them. It was an enjoyable read and I’ll look forward to the next book in the Restoring Heritage series.
Thank you to Revell for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

A book with two love stories!

I'm always thrilled when a book included more than one romance. I actually found myself more drawn to secondary characters in this novel and was glad they were so developed in the story.

What I truly loved most about this book was Pastor Nate and how he offered wisdom and guidance whenever he interacted with someone. He was so casual but also so reverent. I liked how he challenged people to look for God's purpose in all things.

I also loved the town of Heritage. The comparisons to one of my favorite fictional small towns were wonderful.

Another aspect of this book I loved was how family doesn't have to be biological. I thought foster care and adoption topics were handled well. I love books that remind people there is more than one way to make a family.

I'll be honest, Hannah and Luke drove me crazy most of the book. But their growth as characters was important to the story. But I was super thankful for the secondary characters.

I'm looking forward to more from this town. I'm specifically hopefully for Pastor Nate to fall in love next!

I received an advanced copy of this book through the publisher and author. This is my honest opinion.

“I’m not sure if it’s always the end goal God has in mind as much as our willingness to follow Him on the journey no matter what happens.”

Contemporary romance lovers, rejoice! There’s a new kid on the block, and she knows how to deliver a great read! In fact, you get two for the price of one in this story, because while Luke and Hannah are the primary characters, Hannah’s brother, Thomas, has a story of his own to share, and it integrated well into Hannah and Luke’s story.

Despite a couple of elements that thought could have been stronger, on the whole, this story had everything I look for in a contemporary romance. Lifelike characters, vibrant writing, meaningful character growth, spiritual nuggets, and of course, a healthy dose of romance. For those who enjoy small-town settings, we’re also immersed in the world of Heritage through Hannah’s efforts to preserve the history of the town. I particularly enjoyed the twists and turns in this aspect of the plot and that it wasn’t a straight line from A to B, which forced Hannah to confront some things in her personal life that have been holding her back. Likewise for Luke’s journey to discovering where he really belongs.

As to the elements that could have been a little stronger, I felt the two secondary characters who served as antagonists for different aspects of the story were a little one dimensional, the male antagonist in particular. They don’t have a big on-page presence, though, so that wasn’t as big a deal as it could have been.

I was also annoyed at Thomas for the way he handled his situation. I’ve never liked the whole “be a martyr rather than talking about the issue” approach to relationships. I could sympathise, but I was still annoyed. Luke and Hannah suffered from a similar reluctance to communicate on some key personal matters, which was believable to a point, but occasionally felt a bit forced for the sake of tension. That said, I liked the direction the story went as a result, so I kind of forgave that in the end.

Before I wrap up, I have to give a shout-out to Pastor Nate, who I suspect is going to be one of my favourite characters in this series. I’m eagerly awaiting more of his story! Overall, You Belong With Me was a great debut, and I can’t wait for the next in the series.