Where the Lost Wander tells the story of Naomi May and John Lowry as they travel west in search of better fortunes. Naomi May is a young widow with a fiery temper and a passion for painting, while John Lowry is a half-Pawnee man traveling west to make a trade selling mules. Naomi and John fall hard for each other despite their differences, but when a group of Indians attacks their wagon trains, they are separated and the dual-perspective novel tells the story of their separation, pain, grief, and eventual reunification.

I love the way Amy Harmon can weave a deep, heartfelt story out of anything. She has become a favorite author of mine and this book continues in that trend! Naomi and John are both wonderful, fully-rounded characters and I loved learning the story of Naomi's family as well. This story is not a happy story for the most part. There is horrific tragedy and I definitely felt the deep emotional loss that they were experiencing. This isn't a time period in which I have a lot of interest which is why it's not five stars, but I absolutely loved it. I also enjoyed the perspective into Native American culture that was well-researched and insightful.

Overall this was a great book that I would definitely recommend! Amy Harmon did it again!

A breathtakingly gorgeous trip down the Oregon Trail.

I am a humongous fan of Amy Harmon. Where the Lost Wander might have become one of my new favorites. It is decadently romantic and lush, with descriptions that give the historical background all of its depths.

LOVED.
Thank you for allowing me to read an early copy.

It's 1853 and the May family is nervous but excited to join 49 other covered wagons to travel from Missouri to California. Like most pioneers following the Oregon trail west, they are naive of what lay ahead.

The story is told from alternating points of view of the oldest May child Naomi, and John Lowry, the half breed mule skinner signed on to help the families through the journey.

Despite being widowed for a year,  Naomi's in-laws, also traveling in the party, feel she still belongs to them. This causes anger and hurt feelings when she chooses to travel in her family's wagon and refers to herself as Naomi May instead of Mrs. Caldwell or Widow Caldwell. The bad feelings only increase when it becomes apparent that feelings are growing between Naomi and John, hate and anger finally acted out against John. Fortunately this only strengthens their relationship and draws John closer to the May family.

The further the wagon train moves along the trail, the more important the love and support of family became. Between deaths, cholera, hunger, exhaustion, accidents along the way, and Indians, it's all many have left.

When Naomi and her new baby brother are captured by a particularly blood thirsty Indian chief, John will go to the ends of the earth, give his life, to get her back while honoring his commitment to take care of her family.

I was a little turned off at first, afraid this was a Romance novel rather than Historical Fiction. But realized as I read on that while they did fall in love, John's love and devotion to Naomi and her family become very important to their survival - part of the story of their journey West.

I suggest reading the Author's Notes at the end of the book. Harmon goes into detail of some of the research put into writing this story, which characters were real and how they fit into history, and which ones were created to tell the story. In this case the Author has some distant family relation, which always adds extra depth to a story.

I always enjoy stories of wagon trains along the Oregon Trail and have looked forward to reading Where The Lost Wander. I was not disappointed. I recommend reading for anyone interested in the history of how our country was settled, the daily life struggles for families moving west in the mid 1850's.

Where The Lost Wander by Amy Harmon
Lake Union Publishing
Available April 28, 2020

It's not the writer's fault but the Old West is not appealing to me. I chose the book because I have read other titles by Amy Harmon and enjoyed them.

The prologue was disturbing and I wish it wasn't there telling me what was going to happen. Instead I would have preferred to just enjoy the story and not try to figure out when the catastrophe was going to happen.

I liked the characters of John and Naomi but I didn't quite understand John. I wish his character had been fleshed out a bit more. Her mother, Winifred, was wise and loved her children. Naomi's brothers were interesting but having names that all started with W I was confused as to who was who most of the time. Same with the Indian names, there were a lot of them but the characters weren't developed much.

All in all I did enjoy the book and would recommend it.

I've recently gotten into historical fiction, mostly in the past few years. Before that, I wanted modern, futuristic, and/or dystopian. Even as I've gotten into historical fiction, it's been within certain confines: WWII, Russia, or Victorian England. I thought I would reach beyond my usual historical genres and give Where the Lost Wander a try, and I'm so glad I did.

I loved Naomi. The desire to move through grief by getting far away is something most of us can relate to, either literally or on a mental level. She was a strong character throughout the book, and no matter how hard she fell for John, she didn't depend on him. She depended on herself. John was a well-developed character as well, depicting the hardship of trying to be two things when you really just want to be yourself.

What I liked best was that this book was gritty, raw, and real. Harmon didn't try to gloss over the harsh realities of this era, which I appreciated. The accuracy, no matter how painful, made it that much better.

This historical western romance provided plenty of jaw dropping and emotional moments throughout the entire book. it is clear that Amy Harmon did plenty of research into the Oregon Trail prior to the novel, and I found it fast paced and a real pleasure to read. I found the chemistry between John and Naomi to be very believable, and I was rooting for them form the beginning to the end. I highly recommend this novel if you are looking for an emotional journey!

I’m really not a big fan of historical fiction but this book was just simply amazing. I’ve heard that the author’s books are very good and very recommended and I just needed to know why. I wasn’t disappointed at all in any moment and I got more than I expected.
The description of the places, the moments and the love story overall is just like a fairy tale story that makes you dream and see it with your eyes open.
Just Brilliant!

I want to start this review with one comment, Amy Harmon’s books are underpriced, all of them, she is by far a better storyteller than most of the higher priced novels, don’t base the quality of the book on the price. That being said, continue on for the highest 5***** review I can give.
The description of this novel is actually correct this time, this is a great epic and haunting love story. I have hit 2 home runs on historical novels lately, back to back even and this one is a stunner. A great western wagon train story with wonderful descriptions that make you feel as if you packed up the wagon in the morning, unloaded it in the evening, felt the sway while riding and was terrified when crossing the rivers. During the entire read, you know something bad is going to happen to someone, just not sure quite when, or how, who or why and I was completely surprised when it did.
This is not my first Amy Harmon book and will certainly not be my last. She has a talent for it and I love my hours I spend with her when she has a tale to tell. This one is based upon her own family which makes it all the better. I came to care so much for Naomi and John and felt so many emotions throughout the whole book, especially when crossing the rivers, it brought out the fear I have of crossing rushing water, I loved it. Nope, I would not be the one to jump in the water and pull the horses, oxen or mules through, this is one of those books that gets better and better as it goes along.
Another one of the best historical fiction books I’ve read. I recommend to any historical fiction junky like me and for this one, a western lover for sure. Well done Amy, well done!!!!
I was allowed the opportunity to receive this book from Lake Union Publishing through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. This one gets the highest 5 stars!!

YES! I love a good western - and this delivered. I started it when I couldn’t sleep and then couldn’t sleep because it was too good to put down. Amy Harmon wrote about life on the Oregon Trail and I was along for all of the rocky, bumpy road that followed.

I received an electronic ARC through NetGalley.

I liked this story. I enjoyed John and Naomi’s story, but I found some of the book repetitive and drawn out.

I think that most people will know by now that I’m a huge fan of Amy Harmon‘s work and I’ve been eagerly anticipating her newest title Where The Lost Wander ever since I first heard about it. I was absolutely stoked when I was given the chance to read this story early, and it was without doubt another excellent story. While not my absolute favorite title to date, this is still a beautifully written story that is most definitely able to provoke strong emotions. Without doubt of the same high quality I’ve come to expect of Amy Harmon‘s books!

There is a lot to love in Where The Lost Wander. First up is the historical setting in 19th century United States. Not only is this historical setting wonderfully and exhaustively described, but these same descriptions really made the setting come alive and made it feel as if you were right back in the 19th century. Both the social conflicts, the Native Americans and their culture as well as the racism and struggles are realistically described and added a lot of dept to the story. I personally loved getting a little more insight in the daily life of Native Americans from that era and John was without doubt the perfect character to show us both ‘worlds’.

The plot itself is simply intriguing. The whole ‘looking for a better life in California’ and braving a 1000+ mile trip to get there with only a wagon and some oxes and mules is most definitely not something we could imagine ourselves doing today… It’s a long road filled with dangers, sickness and hardship, but also hope and the promise of a new life and new possibilities for those who reach their final destination. The journey of this particular cast of characters was again thoroughly and realistically described, without leaving out the blunt and sometimes heartbreaking moments along the way. Likewise, the Native American angle and what happened to Naomi are used to give us more insight in both cultures, with the help of John’s character as a tentative connection between both.

Both the writing and the development of the characters are simply wonderful, but that is what I’ve come to expect of anything Amy Harmon writes to be honest. There is a reason she is one of my absolute favorite authors! There are quite a few characters in Where The Lost Wander, but the main focus is on both Naomi and John. The story is told with the help of a dual POV structure, alternating between Naomi and John to help us show both sides especially when they are not together. It is extremely easy to warm up to and love both characters, root for them and keep fingers and toes crossed for a happy ending… And yes, this includes a lot of both heartwarming and hearbreaking moments along the way.

I think the only thing that nagged me a bit was the slow pace. Where The Lost Wander is considerably slow going and at times it was just too slow for me… Although with a story that is mostly focused on the characters, this slower pace shouldn’t come as a total surprise. In short, while this wasn’t my absolute favorite Amy Harmon, I might just have set my expectations too high to begin with. Where The Lost Wander is still an excellent read and if you love slower and character-driven historical fiction with a wonderful cast of characters, a love story and a social conflict angle, you will find yourself falling hopelessly in love with this story.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for a pre-pub ebook of Where The Lost Wander. Amy Harmon does an excellent job describing the horrors and joys of traveling west along the Oregon Trail with some of the first Pioneers. Naomi is a relatable character regardless of your age, a strong woman whose determined spirit leads her to conquer the trials thrown in her path. Detailed, yet emotional this novel is not only a great story but has wonderful well-researched historical details. Unlike other readers, I would not classify this as a Western, but rather as Historical Fiction. Put this on your TBR list!

Much to my surprise, reading this book confirmed that I have indeed a soft spot for old school Western romances, that I discovered last year with Nancy E. Turner’s These is my words, the Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine. Who knew frontier novels could be such page-turners for European readers? Obviously I had missed out on a fascinating literature niche.

“Where the Lost Wander” is an epic novel set on the Oregon Trail in the 1850s (three decades before the Turner book, that is), where a group of families is setting off for a 2000 miles, 5 months long journey, if they can make it at all. The journey is freight with many dangers and hardships, and the author, armed with a lot of period research, doesn’t flinch from the gritty and heart-breaking realities of what the road meant for those people.

The story focuses on 20-year-old widow Naomi Caldwell, who was only married for a few months before her childhood sweetheart died, and who is travelling with her parents and brothers, and with her inlaws in the wagon train as well, which makes for an added complication in her already tough life. Naomi’s passion is to draw, and she snatches any free moment to sketch people, animals and landscapes she sees on the road. The other main character is John Lowry, who joins the trip to deliver mules to an army fort. Despite his successful enterprise he’s a loner because of his half-Pawnee origins. He always feels like the suspected outsider, despite being sometimes the only one who can make the bridge between the two opposing communities.

Needless to say that Naomi and John meet and that there’s a spark between these two, but nothing comes easy on the Oregon Trail. It’s been a great reading experience. I won’t deny that there was something misty in my eyes on one or more occasions during the whole adventure, but shh…

This book is unlike anything I've read before. With over 1,000 books read it's hard to believe I've never read a Western. This book is a great introduction to the settling of the West and a journey on the Oregon trail. There are scenes of graphic violence including agains women so I caution those readers who might find that especially disturbing.

Naomi May is a twenty-year old widow on the wagon trail west with her mom, dad and siblings seeking a new life and fortune. Her in-laws are also part of the wagon train as are other friends. In addition to the train leader there's John Lowry, a mixed race Caucasian and Pawnee mule breeder. He's quiet, reserved and looked upon skeptically by the travelers. While believing they're prepared for the arduous journey, the long, cold, hungry trail is far more trying than they could've dreamed. Violence and tragedy strikes separating Naomi and her infant brother and beginning a whole new chapter in her life that will draw upon every ounce of faith, courage and strength that she possesses.

This book was totally engrossing, a lesson in the triumph and travails of settling the West. Even more, it gives a stark picture of how poorly the US government has treated the Native Americans and literally pushed them into corners. As a newbie to the genre I highly recommend this for it's well written and researched plot.

What The Wind Knows was one of my top three favorite books I read in 2019. I was incredibly excited to see that the author had a new book coming out. While this was a solid historical fiction novel, and had me crying my eyes out at several points, it didn’t live up to the exceptional quality of What The Wind Knows. But, like I said, still a very solid novel and worth reading for sure.

I felt like the beginning was a little slow. It took me several tries to get deeply invested in the story and the plot. The research was once again strong and added so much to the storyline. The author excels at crafting believable storylines and enriching them with the perfect amount of historical detail.

She’s an author to watch, and I cannot wait to see what she reads next. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my complimentary copy.

This book was well written and a great story. It was just so hard to read. There were so many hardships and sad things that actually happened to the people crossing the plains. I struggled to get through the tough parts but it was worth it. Amy does such an amazing job no matter what she is writing. I have read her paranormal and fantasy and historical fiction and straight up romance books and she hasn’t failed once.
Oh and word to the reader, read her author’s note at the end, that really makes the book you just finished even better. She explains what drove her to write the story and the real people she was writing about. She really is amazing.

This was a story that will stick with me for a VERY long time. It was a gorgeous book. I’m speechless and wordless and I know any review of mine will not live up to what the book deserves.
The story starts out with a horrific event that leaves you crying only a few pages in. It then goes back to the start of the May family’s journey west in 1853 on the Oregon Trail. You fall in love with the entire family and with John Lowry, a half Pawnee half white man, who is helping to lead the wagons along the trail. The May’s widowed daughter, Naomi, and John quickly fall into one of the most beautiful love stories I’ve ever read. All the while in the back of your mind you are remembering this horrific event...
Nothing was easy on this journey and it was so compelling to read - I couldn’t put it down. It was a reminder of the number of people lost from illness or injury while searching for a better life. It was a reminder you that hate and racism go so far back in our heritage. The Native Americans were truly protecting their sacred land, the struggle for peace during this time was so clear.
The range of emotions it draws out in you is unbelievable. Admittedly, I do not know enough about this time period and Native American history. The author’s note at the end is an absolutely essential read and will add so much insight to the story.

**Copied review from Goodreads.com.

Rating: 3.4 / 5

DNF at 78% (approx. 270 pages)

I...um...had to stop at a certain scene, because there are some things that I just can't beat to read, and if the story feels like it's sort of losing me along the journey anyway...eh...I'll stop.

Ahem, so, just based on the summary alone, Where the Lost Wander seems right up my alley for historical fiction. We've got an Old West setting, a journey ahead, a forbidden romance between a white widow and a half-native half-white man--SOLD!

Add to that the fact that we get both John and Naomi's points of view--yay!--and that the description of all the hardships is just beautiful and detailed--double yay!--and you've more or less got a guaranteed thumbs up from me, right? Right?!

Well, as it turns out, this story was actually too typical and rather average from what I've expected in that it's not different from anything I've read before. The entire Oregon Trail adventure reminded me far too much of Oregon Bride with the whole "young widow falls into a forbidden love while her married-life family still considers her their property and objects to this but she's willing to throw it all away anyway". The only difference is that in Oregon Bride, since it's harlequin and all, I could expect a HEA, whereas for this book...I wasn't sure.

Also, another thing that was average--in fact, a bit below average, to be honest--is that the description of Native American culture wasn't as in-depth as I'd like, save for one story told by John near the middle, and then of course small tidbits of culture once Naomi is away from the wagon train. The tension between Native Americans and white settlers wasn't also 100% convincing either, in that even though there are references to your typical "cowboys vs. indians" warfare, it's really toned down.

As for the characters of Naomi and John themselves, the only thing unique about Naomi is her name, her ability to draw, and her "brazenness"--but that's not exactly enough to make a character. And John...well, maybe it's just the romantic in me, but I'd like to see more of a tortured character, torn between two worlds and cultures. John had some of that, but it was very minimal and it seemed to me like he was more of a drifter rather than a half-and-half man who must find himself through a journey of his native land. He's just "a mule man" and about as boring as that title would imply.

So, to sum up, besides the reason I stopped reading at one point and just skimmed the rest because of a certain scene I didn't want to have the angst of reading through, the reason I ranked this lower between the 3-to-4 star scale is because it's simply too average and there was too much of a "seen it before" feel for me to really be impressed by anything. After all, this is a 2020 publication, right? Well, if I've already read something like it from 30 years ago, then that in itself says something, and it's not exactly a good indicator for this story.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for recieving an ARC for me.
Amy Harmon is one of my favourite Authors always and this is the second novel to me by her and also historical Fiction.

I loved it so much that I can't describe. I always want to live on those days when you can wear a puffy gown and taking carriage ride. I know that this life is hard and tough but I loved it.

Coming to John character I don't know what should I say about him, he is man with promises. He told Naomi brothers that he will find them and their sister and he done and the way he loved and protect and want to be fit for her.

Naomi character is so pure, naive and innocent, OMG I loved her so much because she reminded me of myself , when I was young I want to be a boy like she told her mother once because I surrounded with alot of cousins boy's.

I hope that Amy Harmon will write in this department * Historical Fiction* because she is creative.

"The pain. It's worth it. The more you love, the more it hurts.
But it's worth it. It's the only thing that is."

Wow I'm speechless! This was an amazing journey... ❤

This was my 11th book of Ms.Harmon and she always takes me to another places. Her stories always warms my heart and I always feel that amazing connection between the main characters. <3

So long story short I highly recommend this book to you. ❤