He appears completely selfish throughout–his only thought revolves around getting Rose accepted into the church so that they can get married and start sleeping together, and unfortunately, this is his main drive for the entire book. It’s all about how Rose needs to change, needs to be perfect, and fit into the Amish way, and meanwhile, Noah sacrifices nothing.

However, while TEMPTATION had all the compelling moments of first love, BELONGING doesn’t seem to go anywhere for most of the book. Hopkins brings the Amish culture to life, and Rose’s struggle to change who she is to be Amish not only on the outside but on the inside as well, are extremely well done. In BELONGING, Rose is living the Amish lifestyle, trying hard to fit in and adhere to all their strict rules because she firmly believes that making the drastic change will allow her and Noah to be together for good. At the end, I was invested enough in Noah and Rose’s romance to look forward to BELONGING. I felt the premise brought a fresh perspective to young adult romance, one that was rife with conflict - both internal and external - and the book didn’t disappoint. I’ve never been particularly interested in the Amish culture, but when Karen Ann Hopkins’ first book, TEMPTATION, was released last year, I was intrigued by the story of an ordinary, outspoken teen girl falling for a quiet, Amish boy. If I can find a way to make it work, we’ll be NOAH & ROSEīut not everybody believes this is where I belong. Worst of all, Noah and I aren’t even allowed to see each other. There are a lot more rules and a lot less freedom, and I miss my family and the life I once had. No one thought an ordinary girl like me would last two minutes living with the Amish, not even me.

Belonging by karen ann hopkins