Where my Heart Belongs

Title: WHERE MY HEART BELONGS
Author: Tracie Peterson
Publisher: Bethany House
October 2007
ISBN: 978-0-7642-0361-9
Genre: Inspirational/women’s fiction

Kathy Halbert is stunned beyond belief when she opens her front door to find her sister, Amy, standing there. Amy had claimed her inheritance twelve years earlier and left home and no one ever heard from her. Kathy believed Amy was dead. Amy’s leaving caused a ripple-effect of bad luck on the Halbert family—their mother died from a broken heart, the father was dying of cancer, and Kathy had to give up all her dreams and her engagement, plus all her savings to pay for her parents’ medical bills and keep the farm running.

Amy’s appearance is an answer to prayer for her father, but Kathy suffers from the return of the prodigal… Jealousy eats at her, and she almost hates her sister for coming back. As the two sisters communicate in broken bits and pieces, they learn that each other’s lives have not been all rosy. Will they be able to heal their severed relationship?

WHERE MY HEART BELONGS is another winner by bestseller Tracie Peterson. I could relate to both Amy and Kathy, and my heart broke by some of their situations. I almost cried in places.

The characters were realistic, the setting true to rural Kansas, and an important part of the story. The faith message is expertly woven in and isn’t preachy. Ms. Peterson addresses some tough issues in this story, but it handles it well. Parts of the story felt a bit contrived to me, and other parts seemed to be beaten to death and I got tired of reading it over and over. But overall, the story was good, and I enjoyed WHERE MY HEART BELONGS. $13.99. 330 pages.