A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Set in 1846 during the potato famine in Ireland and told through the eyes of a young girl. Ellen Quinn/Nell experiences starvation, friendship, violence, kindness, injustice, and first love. This novel is written in verse and very poetic. I originally thought it was written for middle grade kids but realized later the intended audience is teens and YA. Even so, the amount of language is excessive, there is some sexual content, and there is a lot of suffering and death due to the topic. Because of this I wouldn’t recommend it for kids but gave it 4 stars for adults.

Nell is young girl growing up in Ireland in 1846. At sixteen, it's a time in her life when she should be focused on school and self-discovery, but many of her friends and family are starving as a blight destroys their crops and food source. Nell has been forced to leave her studies and take a job in a wealthy home as a servant in order for her family to survive. There, she meets a mysterious young man and soon finds herself developing feelings for him. There's one big problem though--he's British.
This story of forbidden love in a time of political unrest and survival quickly unravels through verse as Nell learns to find her voice and fight for what she believes in.
I enjoyed the historical aspects of this book and how quick it was to get through, even though some of the passages fell flat for me and left me wanting more. I will admit, I found it hard to understand why Nell was so drawn to her love interest in the beginning. Overall, this was an emotional, heartfelt, and gripping tale I feel many different age groups and audiences could enjoy.

*rated a 3.75 but rounded up to 4 stars.

Where the Heart Should Be, set in 1846 Ireland, is a novel-in-verse that chronicles the beginning of the potato famine. When her family’s potato crop fails, Nell Quinn takes a job working in the kitchen at the “Big House” to help supplement their loss of income. As she witnesses the class injustices, she feels helpless to do anything about it. While the community members are dying of starvation, the wealthy landlord Wicken's dogs are eating fresh meat. When she meets John Browning, Wicken's nephew who has just arrived from England and will ultimately inherit the land, the two share a mutual attraction and love of poetry. Although he sympathizes with those suffering from the famine, he realizes he cannot jeopardize his relationship with his uncle without hurting his five sisters back home. Juxtaposed to those who live in the "Big House" are Nell’s family and best friend Rose, whose trauma from trying to survive unconscionable suffering is heartbreaking. The hopeful, yet ambiguous, ending makes this challenging story worth the reader’s time.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 3.5/5 stars.

I'm a sucker for a novel in verse, and I was rather intrigued on how it would work with a novel about the Irish potato famine. While I enjoyed this, this is much more a story of a forbidden romance and the strife between the poor Irish and the landowning British. Yes, the cause of this is the potato famine, but most of the story is the romance. Then, a lot happens at the end that was just ?????????? and then the romance lowkey gave me the ick.

But I mean...it was a quick read?

This book was amazing…I actually sobbed after finishing this because my heart hurt so much for these characters. The only thing is I wish there was more…what happens next?? Where do they end up?? I need to know

In pithy, raw verse, Nell observes the horrific effects of starvation and the terrifying spiral toward revolution prompted by the grotesque imbalance of wealth and power. Crossan conveys the humanity of each character, including Nell's family and the prickly Mrs. Kennedy and of course Nell's beloved, Johnny, allowing readers to fall in love with each of them and their hearts to break along with Nell's as the brutal conditions lead to irrevocable consequences. A must-read for YA fans of historical fiction and/or novels-in-verse.

This was a heavy read for sure, but it was a great book. Loved the writing style. I felt every emotion on those pages. Highly recommend!

This story teaches readers about the Irish Potato Famine in 1847. It was cleverly written in poetry form which made it a quick read. The characters endured many hardships of different kinds and were easy to relate with. I was delighted the story ended on a good note so I didn’t walk away from the story with a heavy heart.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins Children's Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I absolutely love this book in verse about the Irish potato famine. I know it's geared towards YA, I think adults would enjoy it just as much especially if you love historical fiction.

2.5 stars. To be honest, I struggled to settle on a rating for this book. Here’s why.
The book is set in 1800s’ Ireland during the Potato Famine, a period I knew little to nothing about. This aspect of the book is heartbreaking as you read about the hunger, despair and desolation of the poor Irish population. It is honestly why I kept reading the book. I also learned the relationship between the rich and the poor of Ireland during this time.

That said, my reasons for a lower rating are as follows:
While the book was set during an earlier time period in history, the romance, language, and relationships between men and women felt very modern. The conduct and language would not be regarded as okay now even in the decreasing standards of our modern society and I think during that time it would have been looked on as even scandalous. For example, there were three instances of inappropriate behavior between a man and woman. While it was not described in detail(always very briefly and within one sentence) and even was not said outright what they had done or were doing, it was inappropriate conduct and should not have been included. There was a good bit of cussing as well.

Overall, I would not recommend this book to other readers. The author had the opportunity to teach her readers about an event in history through the wonderful writing style of verse. But frankly, she failed by adding inappropriate conduct and modernizing the narrative.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book before its publication date.

4. Every time I read a Sarah Crossan book I wonder how an author can be talented at so many things! This is excellent historical fiction with strong characters and a lovely romance running through it. I have many students who will adore Nell and Johnny. The well crafted supporting cast melted my heart. Also, the Irish Potato Famine has strong ties to multiple content areas-social studies and science. Great discussions could be had in class about economic disparities, natural disasters, disease, etc. From the ELA teacher’s stand point, poetry, historical fiction, Irish folktales, differing points of view, and argumentative writing could all be anchored to this text. I could definitely write a strong unit around this book. Now, will I have the funding to buy copies for my freshmen? No. But, still, a girl can dream, just like Nell.

Would have really enjoyed this if it wasn’t following the poetry/prose constantly. Characters were like able and the story had great promise, just couldn’t get past the writing style

Reviewed for Booklist. Amazing novel in verse. I finished it one sitting, If you want a book to break your heart but also give you hope, this will be your new favorite read.

Nell Quinn has gotten a job as a scullery maid in her British landlord's house in the village of Ballinkeel in 1846. The potato blight had not impacted the village the year before, but now the villages crops have the blight and Nell ends up being the only employed member of the Quinn family. When she meets the landlord's nephew and heir, Johnny, and their friendship turns into a romance, Nell doesn't see how this could be a problem at first. When the famine becomes worse and the wealthy British landlords do not care about the suffering of the Irish villagers, Nell starts having to make decisions that will effect all of her relationships and the rest of her life. A beautiful novel-in-verse and a heart-wrenching story of the Irish potato famine.

Enjoyed this verse novel! Quick pace, easy to get into story. Enjoyed Nell’s story line and her development as she navigated family life during Ireland’s famine as well as her developing love story. Wish the ending had given a bit more.. but who knows, maybe there will be a part two to Nell’s story!

An emotional and eloquent read that highlights the hardship, horror, and injustice of the Irish potato famine. The love story could have used a little more time to grow (or perhaps insight into its growing/overcoming its inherent conflict), but the sparseness of detail and subtly of the verse also worked very well and was fitting for the overall tone of the story. A beautiful, though heartbreaking, book.

This was ABSOLUTELY stunning. Anyone who knows me is fully aware that I am a deep deep sucker for both historical fiction and a novel in verse and this one just checked all my boxes. Heartbreaking, powerful, beautiful, I loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!

In Where the Heart Should Be, Sarah Crossan tells a rich and powerful story in verse with a strong and resilient heroine and supporting characters who show kindness, generosity, and courage.
When the story opens, Nell has left school and the poems she loves in order to work at “the big house,” where the English landowner lives. Her wages are critical because the potato crop has begun to fail, and her family must pay their rent and find food enough to survive the winter. While her family and the other Irish residents struggle to find food, Nell meets Johnny, the nephew of the English landowner and they develop a friendship that turns into a deep love.
When Nell’s father joins a raiding party to steal back the oats they paid in rent, the landowner is injured, and Nell’s father is arrested, tried, and sentenced to death. Torn between her love for her father and her love for Johnny, Nell faces difficult choices that will chart her future.
In Nell and Johnny, Crossan has given readers heroes to emulate. They see people, rather than nationality or class, and they will risk their own safety and comfort for those they love. When hard times arrive, they become stronger in the face of opposition, and everyone benefits from their courage and resilience.
I will use this novel in verse in my classes as a companion to our study of the Potato Famine. It is beautifully paced and provides a human connection to a historical tragedy.

This historical-fiction novel in verse is an excellent pick for students in grades 7 - 10. While I'm familiar with Irish history, Crossan brings the potato blight and resulting famine into stark clarity, revealing the impossible choices, grief, and cruelty that the Irish farmers had to face. The stakes are high and all too real for the protagonist Nell and her family and friends throughout the novel as the tension between the farmers and their English landlord escalate. A deeply engaging and quick read, I would especially recommend it to students with a keen sense of justice, those interested in historical romance, and students in a reading slump.