For thirteen-year-old Rachel Gartner, figuring out where her
heart belongs is a tough thing. If home
is where the heart is, why do her parents argue over bills and money? If her heart is supposed to be with her best
friend Micah, why doesn’t she feel the same way about him as he does for her
(or any boy for that matter)? Rachel is
very unsure about where her heart belongs and author Jo Knowles does a
wonderful job of telling Rachel’s story in her newest book, Where the Heart Is.
Although not everyone goes through life in poverty, Rachel’s
family is one that walks that path. Rachel’s
mom lost her job as a librarian and her dad works as a real estate agent. Rachel realizes that a family of 4 living on
one income is tough to survive on. Rachel
takes a job taking care of their neighbor’s farm in hopes of helping out with
the family’s bills. Because she is
worried about her family’s financial situation, Rachel is somewhat forced to
grow up a little faster than her peers.
The author does an excellent job of touching on the subject
of Rachel’s sexuality. Since Rachel and
Micah have been best friends since they were little children, Rachel’s friends
and family automatically assume that some day they will get married. But deep down Rachel knows that she can’t
change the way she feels about Micah.
She loves him, but is not in love with him. It isn’t until Rachel gets to know an old
classmate, that she develops feelings for another girl.
The main thing I enjoyed about this book is that Rachel’s
character is very relatable. Her humor,
confusion, and angst is something just about every tween/teen goes
through. Where the Heart Is is a genuine coming of age book that I
thoroughly enjoyed reading. The book is
full of family, friendship, and learning to appreciate who you are, even if who
you are may be different from everyone else.
Thank you to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for providing me
with this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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