Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers for providing my review copy.
Amy Harmon always writes such completely engrossing stories. I adored this love story and could not put it down!

Where the Lost Wander was such a gem and I just realized I never reviewed it!!
Oh how tragic and adventurous traveling the Oregon trail was. Some of the scenes from this epic novel will stay with me for some time. Harmon brought the trail to life and I felt as if I was on the journey with Naomi May.
My book club chose this book to discuss and one of the girls had recently done some ancestry tracing and found that her great, great grandmother was on the Oregon trail. The book made for great discussion!!

My first time to read a book by Amy Harmon, but I'm sure it won't be my last! I really enjoyed Where the Lost Wander. Harmon has a way of making you feel like you really know the characters. She also makes you feel all the emotions....sadness, fear, happiness, anger, etc. The long harsh journey that these people endured and the way that they came together to care for one another was beautiful. I woud definitley recommend this book that I rated a 4.5 (rounded to 5) stars!

“The more you love, the more it hurts. But it’s worth it. It’s the only thing that is…..That’s what marriage is. It’s shelter. It’s sustenance. It’s warmth. It’s finding rest in each other. It’s telling someone, You matter most.”
Well I struggled with this book and now find myself struggling with this review. First and foremost, I greatly appreciate the author putting a work of historical fiction out there that is unlike any I have read before, and that is not about the world wars. It was very unique in that way, and the author’s note (possible my favorite part of the book) makes me appreciate it even more, reading her reasons why she wrote this story and how she researched each of the characters. I love hearing those parts from authors.

That being said, I expected this to be a little bit more plot. The first half I could barely get through. And I feel like even thought the writing is beautiful, the author missed some beautiful opportunities for drawing the reader in more emotionally. There was a lot of death in this book, and some of the big ones were only talked about, not shown or even talked about in a way that emotionally connected Ted with me as a reader. The happened off the page, out of sight, and that was an odd choice to me.

I did greatly appreciate that the characters were written to only have had sex after they were married. That’s not often shown in books these days, even historical fiction ones when it would have been much more common. And it’s certainly not often that it’s talked about in a good light. I thought it was done very well.

I will say that I do NOT recommend the audiobook. I started it but it was just HORRIBLE. The female reader does one of the worst male impressions I’ve ever heard in my life. It’s actually embarrassing. I just couldn’t do it, so I stuck to the physical book instead.

I’ll finish on a high note, though, with an excerpt from the author’s note that struck me so powerfully:
“Who we are is not who they were, and judging historical people by today’s standards prevents us from learning from them, from their mistakes and their triumphs. These people helped build the framework that we now stand on. We should be careful about burning it down.”

It's 1853 and the prologue starts off with a bang and doesn't let up! I was hooked from the first page!

3.5/5 -- This is the story of Naomi May, traveling west with her family in a wagon train in 1853, and John Lowry, a half-white/half-Pawnee man also traveling in the same wagon train. These two have a sweet romance that develops along the long weeks of travel, even through the extreme difficulty of the trip.

This is my first book by this author and I liked it. I chose to read it because I love stories featuring pioneers and the frontier. The best thing about this story was the romance as it developed slowly and tentatively between two people who were unlikely to have fallen in love under more normal circumstances. John Lowry was the focus of a lot of judgment from both white people, since he is part Pawnee, and from the Pawnees, since he is part white. I've read a lot of romances set during this time, yet this is the first time I've read a romance with characters facing hurdles exactly like these two did, and I really loved the strength of their relationship.

I also loved the relationship that both Naomi and John had with Naomi's family: her parents and her multiple brothers. There are a series of setbacks and difficulties and tragedies that plague this trip for these characters, and while I think these were all supposed to be the dramatic moments and focal points of the story, they just weren't as interesting to me as the actual wagon train ride out west. Not that they were bad, but they just didn't make me excited as a reader like the traveling portions did. Still, the story is a really good one and I'm glad I read it.

One thing I will say: I really wish there had been a map included with this book. I LOVE tracking characters' progress when they're on trips and I also love seeing the distance on the map when two or more characters are separated for any reason. Because there wasn't a map, I stopped reading multiple times to look online for 1850's Trail maps, and I just think it would have been really nice to have a map included in this book. I was reading in both an early digital copy and a physical copy from my library, neither had a map.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Thank you Lake Union Publishing!

Everytime I open an Amy Harmon book, I am anticipating experiencing one of the best books of the year. Every book she has ever written has never failed to disappoint, and each becomes a new favorite. I knew Where the Lost Wander was going to be an epic read, but what I hadn't prepared for was how captivating it was going to be, how it held you in it's grasp with every written word. Taking note of very little touch, glance, word, hug, whisper, and gesture between the characters, and gobbling them up like it was going to be your last. I wasn't expecting to feel breathless, desperate to know what was going to happen to Naomi and John, but also feeling so aganozied and not wanting to continue for a little while, to live with the May family and little longer.

In the very first chapter of the book, we are introduced to the May family. William, Winifred, Will, Warren, Webb, Naomi and little precious Wolfe. It is 1853 and they are searching for a better life, using stagecoaches to cross the overland trail to cross thousands of miles to get to california. Tradgedy strikes the entire, family and Naomi is separated from John. From that point on, the majority of the book takes you back, to the start of their journey, where Naomi meets john, a half white, half Pawnee native who is also known as "Two Feet". You fall in love with Webb, the little shoeless warrior. Winifred is the most endearing woman, and William May, whose love for his family shines throughout the book. Knowing what was going to befall the family was so hard. The more I fell in love with them, the more I didn't want to continue. I wanted the family to strive through the hardships of the trail and come out whole at the end. It was hard. My heart hurt. My stomach felt knotted and my heart oh so heavy.

But Amy Harmon creates such a vivid, beautiful experience. It was like you were living the book, experiencing the trail for yourself, experiencing the fear, and the courage it took to cross that trail for months on end. And while there is romance, this story is SO MUCH MORE. It is about hardships and hope, life and death, perseverance and survival. The love of a family. And it's also about heritage, where you come from, where your home is but also feeling like your in two places at once and don't belong anywhwere. And then finding your place in the love of another.

This is historical fiction unlike anything I have ever read. I am so in love with this book, with these characters and the stories they had to tell. I loved how I felt like I was learning a part of our history I really never knew before. And I especially love that Amy Harmon didn't hold back. She gives it to you, all of it. Life isn't pretty, and it most definitly wasn't back then. But you learn, you grow, you survive. This story was hard, but it was beautiful.

I can't say enough of this book. It was everything I hoped for and never knew I needed. Amy Harmon has outdone herself!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my copy of Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon in exchange for an honest review. It published April 28, 2020.
I have to say, I truly regret not reading this book sooner. I have heard great things about this author, and I've always been interested in anything that had to do with the Oregon Trail. So if you're interested in the Oregon Trail, and love historical fiction, seriously, just read this!
I could not see where things were going, I would make a guess, then something completely different would happen. I love when that happens!
I really appreciated the theme of not hating people due to their culture or skin color, but rather accepting everyone was really well-done. I admired the honesty that the author put in, that the characters likely would hate the "other" and try to generalize, but it was always met with a wise counselor, reminding that person that hate is never the answer. What an important message!

I was unable to finish this book. It did not capture me at all. I found the characters irritating and difficult to connect to. I did not like the glacially slow pace of the writing and the constant elaborate description of everything. I found that I just did not care what happened to anyone in this story. I am normally a big fan of Amy Harmon so not loving this book was very hard for me to admit.

This was my first Amy Harmon and it definitely won’t be my last!

I loved the setting and the story. Expertly crafted, and set in an area and time I’m not familiar with, this is historical fiction at its finest.

I completely and utterly adore Amy Harmon's novels! I've yet to find a bad one. All that is to say, that I may have gone into this novel a tad biased! Fortunately, this did not disappoint! The story, the prose, all fantastic!

Amy Harmon never disappoints. This historical fiction novel is set on the Oregon Trail. It is full of adventure, and emotion. If you are a historical fiction fan you will love this one.

I'm clearly in the minority here, but this one just didn't work for me. I was really looking forward to reading this Oregon Trail historical fiction, a time period I haven't really read much about (and like most of my generation, I'm sure, associate primarily with the computer game). But I just couldn't connect to the characters or the story. It picked up a bit towards the end--just not soon enough to save it for me, unfortunately.

A different period of historical fiction for me but so good. On the Oregon Trail, mid 1800’s, newly widowed Naomi and her family set off for a better life. Danger and tragedies along the way, both natural and human made.

This book did not fail. Amy's writing always wraps itself around your heart. Tears were shed. All around fantastic journey.

Once again Amy Harmon writes a story which is full of adventure, emotion and sadness. We follow John Lowry ‘Two Feet’ white father Pawnee mother and Naomi May a young widow and her family making their way across the US on a wagon train. They encounter love and tragedy along the way. The descriptions of the country and hardships were magnificent. . Most of all it will touch your heart.

Beautiful, immersive, tragic, and inspiring. There are so many adjectives to describe this haunting novel.
Where the Lost Wander was written with so much realness. I can imagine that this was what life was like during the time period of the Oregon trail. Naomi at only 20 is a widow and traveling with her family, the hardships her family faces is heartbreaking. John Lowry, a half-white half-Pawnee man, is the leader of this group of families that are traveling across the unknown terrain. They are dependent upon him to lead them safely. John doesn't fit in with either world of the white man and with the Native Americans.

The writing is beautiful, almost lyrical. Amy Harmon is a gifted storyteller.

Thank you to Netgalley, and the publisher for an ARC of this novel. It did not influence my review.

I normally wouldn’t look at a book based in the 1800’s but I am a fan of Ms. Harmon, so I decided to give it a try. I’m glad I did because I was not disappointed. No matter what century you’re in, a love story is a love story. Family is family and tragedy is tragedy. I don’t think I’ll ever forget Naomi and John’s journey. You get so engrossed in the story you can almost forget your hundreds of years in the past.

Wow! My first Amy Harmon book and it will not be my last. Reading Where the Lost Wander felt like I was stepping right into the pages. The writing was vivid and beautiful, the attention to detail given to each character was outstanding.

It was as if I knew Naomi and John - I could picture them both so clearly and felt their struggles both individually and as a couple. And that first chapter/prologue? I was hooked from the first page and that never wavered.

4.5 stars because I did feel it was a bit too long, and I found myself skimming some of the “filler” paragraphs. Otherwise, an absolutely perfect read and one that I will wholeheartedly recommend to everyone. I cannot wait to dive into What the Wind Knows by Harmon, which is waiting for me on my shelf!

Thank you for the free review copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

WHERE THE LOST WANDER by Amy Harmon conveys the pioneer spirit in an engaging story I enjoyed immensely. The caliber of the storytelling held me captive, and this author continues to intrigue. An engaging recommended read!

I read this book last October (2020) when our home was in the middle of a major remodel due to water damage. Several rooms were boxed and stored while we lived in our camper. It was the closest thing to moving I had experienced in over twenty years. Needless to say, it’s a miracle I found this review I wrote but failed to upload. My apologies to the author and publisher.

I love a wagon train story. WHERE THE LOST WANDER is full of interesting characters, including children, who move the novel forward. It was so easy to love the main characters for their tenacity and heart.

The romance is a slow build, but it has great emotional depth. I enjoyed the style of including each chapter within the heroine or hero’s point-of-view, even though it took some time to adapt my brain to it. This allows a greater intimacy with both characters, creating a bond of support from the reader for not only their survival, but their happiness as a couple.

After I got used to the point-of-view switches, I couldn’t read this fast enough. The Native American detail is exquisite. All I could say as I turned the last page, was Wow. This book convinced me I need to order Amy Harmon’s backlist. What an engaging storyteller!

Usually I describe a novel in more detail, but I don’t want to tell you too much because this story is deep and well-connected throughout. I can say that there are harsh moments that may make some readers uncomfortable. There are valid reasons for those moments and it adds to the wow-factor at the end. This time of history can be a cruel place, but it’s not without healing.

I loved the trail detail, including the hero’s talent for breeding and selling/trading his mules. It brought an authenticity to this story that I haven’t experienced in all the pioneer stories I’ve read. They’re a favorite theme in my historical fiction reading, and I consider this book one of the best frontier theme portrayals I’ve experienced.

Also, another favorite theme, the heroine is an artist. Her abilities to capture the human element play an important role in this story. I found her artistic talent intriguing in the way it enhanced the plot.

If you connect with the frontier spirit, I highly recommend Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon. I loved it!

Review by Dorine, courtesy of TheZestQuest.com.