A Place to Belong was a difficult book to get in to for me. I struggled with the length of the book, especially. It seems like it could have been 100 pages shorter and a bit more enjoyable for me. I think a lot of that is because so much background information was provided on other characters from Shore Leave. I also struggled with the age gap for the first portion of the book.

I was invested enough in Wy and Millie to finish the book, but I didn't really connect with the characters the way I would have liked to.

Wyatt and Millie have loved each other for as long as they can remember but they've kept their feelings inside. One summer they finally confess their feelings and live a powerful, albeit short, perfect love story until a shocking turn of events tear them apart. The story unfolds over the next several years as they learn to live and love without each other.

This is a sweet love story although I was taken aback by the ages in the beginning (17 and 23). There were also many characters, and I struggled to keep track of them all. This book is one of several in the Shore Leave series, so perhaps it would have been easier if I read those. Outside of the numerous characters, you don't need to have read any of the other books to follow along.

This book is a great reminder that we'd be a whole lot happier if we chose love above all else. Love matters most.

I will definitely go back and read the other books in the series.

Thanks to Central Avenue Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a awhile to really get into this book. I don't know if it was because of the age gap, though it wasn't a huge gap, I found that her being 17 when it all began threw me. Maybe it was because of all the various characters the author had to catch us up on since there were so many stories in the Shore Leave world. Either way, it was definitely a slow start for me.

Though I know Millie was young, I found her immaturity very frustrating at times. It did eventually pick up for me about half way through and I found myself more invested in how Wy and Millie's story would end.

Arc via Netgalley

Some couples are just meant to be. Or are they?

Millie Jo Gordon has been in love with Wyatt Rawley for as long as she can remember. At age 17, with maturity beyond her age, she feels that she must tell him about her feelings. Little does she know that Wyatt feels the same way about her, until one special night, they are finally able to share their feelings with one another. Wyatt and Millie Jo share a few magical weeks together until some unthinkable news tears them apart. A Place to Belong tells the story of their searching for one another, and how love can endure in the most impossible of circumstances.

This book is a steamy tale of star crossed lovers. I'd recommend it to fans of The Idea of You who are searching for a similar story of sexy, forbidden love and complex characters. Because it is part of a series, I'd encourage readers to have patience during Part One with all of the characters. I learned that all of the names in the book are characters from other books in the series, but not all are central to this story. After coming to this realization I easily relaxed into the story of Millie and Wyatt and let myself get lost in their romance and frustrations.

I give this book four stars, because the first part can be hard to settle into. The age difference between Millie and Wyatt is shocking at first, and all of the characters can be confusing. After the first part though, the book is impossible to put down, and I'd recommend it to fans of romance, especially fans of The Idea of You.

A very good novel about lovers who find each other after years of longing and who must face life changing situations before finally getting together at the end. Wyatt has loved Millie since she was a child visiting his family’s ranch and likewise Millie declared at the age of 5 that she was going to marry Wyatt. Both have been waiting until Millie turns 18 because of the 6 year age difference. But the summer of Millie’s 17 th year they discover their love is mutual. Millie wants Wyatt to be her first lover and doesn’t want to wait until she is 18. They plot a night together, but get caught by his brother. On their way home Wyatt finds out that his sometimes girlfriend is pregnant. Returning home to do the right thing both are shattered by this occurrence. Both of them are devastated longing for each other. After 4 years of an unsatisfactory marriage Wyatt finally decides to divorce Hannah and try to return to Millie. At this point there is a twist to the story which eventually turns out okay. This is a graphic novel about unrequited love, relationships, family, emotions and forecasting the future. A powerful novel.

~ ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~

I was tempted to DNF this book due to so many characters. However, pushing through, I have come to adore Wy and Millie, sooo in love with each other.
They were very realistic characters – at some point I was seeing myself in Millie’s place, how I used to overthink every little gesture form the side of my adolescent love interest. Is weird to see that I was not the only one thinking that way.

All in all, if you look for angst this is the heartbreaking story for you.

Millie is from Minnesota and is a waitress. Millie waits on a group of flirty out of town frat boys she only has eyes on her crush wy though. Wy is her younger cousins uncle. Wy is six years older. Millie has a younger brother Henry. Aunt Jilly and cousin are have a high level of insight and flash's of future . Millie wants wy to be her first although the age difference.Millie also has brothers James,Brantley and sister Lorie.Millie is not close to her bio dad. I have mixed feelings about the fact that wy is related to Millie in extended way .wy is studying to be a vet which is career choice I love in books. I loved the shared interest in books.

A Place to Belong by Abbie Williams held a lot of promise prior to reading. It is a genre I tend to love to read, a romance that has been on the burner for a while. I have to say I did enjoy A Place to Belong, however, there was something fundamentally wrong that I just couldn't shake. The main love interests are related, not by blood but are family. Wy is Millie's aunt's brother in law, to me, that is a major no go. It's way too close for comfort. For me not to DNF this book, I had to imagine that Wy was a family friend instead. I think if the author had written him as a friend of the family I may have enjoyed the book more?

The premise of the story is good, a pining love story. So if the whole extended family romance doesn't bother you, you will probably enjoy this book.

I'm giving this 2 1/2 stars but am rounding it up to 3.

A Place to Belong, Abbie Williams

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Women's Fiction, Romance

* sigh * women's fiction, I seem to have been moaning about this genre for ages now. Its 2020, men write romance, men read romance, lets stop with the sexism.

Anyway, while reading this it had the feel of one in a series of connected books. The way the characters were intertwined, the places, and I checked – yes, Shore Leave Cafe series has many of these characters. It didn't matter that I hadn't read any of the books, this story was perfect and complete. I have downloaded the first book though, its on KU and I love Abbie's writing style.
I adored Wy and Millie. They were so clearly in love with each other though neither were open about it until finally, they told each other how they felt. They had a few short days of happiness before the axe falls. I cold see that one coming, but it was so well done that I didn't mind.
I so felt for Wy, he was trapped, stuck, didn't want to disappoint his family, wanted to do what was right, but it brought him heartache all round. He finishes his studies, lives his life as best he can, but never forgets Millie, always wishes it was her in his life. Still, he tries, he tries so hard, but he doesn't have a happy life. Hannah was a great character, sadly there are people just like her and I do love to see them crop up in a story,. Her actions were so very real, and show how easily lives can be spoiled by a thoughtless action. She wasn't happy either, even though she had what she wanted.
Millie, she's devastated when Wy leaves, understands why, but it leaves a hole in her heart. She tries to get past him but he's always there in her head, won't leave her.
Its heart breaking, you can feel how much they love each other, how good they would be together, and yet they're stuck, hundreds of miles apart, and no hope of a future. Millie too tries to move forward but can't.
Much of the book is about them being apart, always loving each other but with no contact for years, and yet the love in their hearts is so strong no-one else stands a chance. I was heartbroken for them both, this scene gets played out in real life too often, and its not happy for anyone. I so wanted something to happen for them to be together, was almost holding my breath at times, and gutted when they were still apart. I don't usually like romances where the main characters spend much of the novel apart, but it works here, and I loved this story.
I loved the equine parts too, I've also studied Parelli and adore horses, so I understood Millie so well.

Stars: 5 A fabulous romance, with realistic characters and a heartbreaking story line.

Arc via Netgalley