The Edge of Belonging ~ Review

The Edge of Belonging

By Amanda Cox

Ivy Rose Lashly outwardly seems to have a perfect life - loving parents, attentive fiancee, and a great job. But appearances can be deceiving - and her life is about to start unwinding after her grandmother's death. Ivy Rose needs to know her past; she feels that her worth depends on what she does not know. 

Harvey James exists but doesn't truly live, at least, not until he finds a newborn abandoned near the highway bypass he called home. Finding this baby awakens a feeling in him that forces him to step out of what he knows and into the unknown.

These two stories, set approximately twenty-four years apart, are integral to one another. Told in alternating chapters, the reader is on a journey of discovery. Who are Ivy and Harvey? And how do they fit into each other's stories? 

The Edge of Belonging is a journey of the heart and the mind as two very different people try to discover where they belong in the world. Both are so much more than the events that shaped their lives. But realizing one's worth is harder than it seems. Random comments, rumor, and innuendo have lasting impacts and often not in the way one means. But hurting wounded hearts are easily deceived by the lies they hear. This book is a story about the power of family, friendship, and love. Some stories need to be told, and this is just such a one. If you are looking for a good read, this is one book you do not want to miss. Would make an excellent book club selection.

I was provided a complimentary copy with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.   

About the Book:

When Ivy Rose returns to her hometown to oversee an estate sale, she soon discovers that her grandmother left behind more than trinkets and photo frames--she provided a path to the truth behind Ivy's adoption. Shocked, Ivy seeks clues to her past, but a key piece to the mystery is missing.

Twenty-four years earlier, Harvey James finds an abandoned newborn who gives him a sense of human connection for the first time in his life. His desire to care for the baby runs up against the stark fact that he is homeless. When he becomes entwined with two people seeking to help him find his way, Harvey knows he must keep the baby a secret or risk losing the only person he's ever loved.

In this dual-time story from debut novelist Amanda Cox, the truth--both the search for it and the desire to keep it from others--takes center stage as Ivy and Harvey grapple with love, loss, and letting go.