Despite years on the run, Sophie Neumann is determined to care for two young children. She won’t abandon them the way she thinks her older sisters abandoned her. But times are growing desperate, and when she falls in with the wrong crowd and witnesses a crime, she realizes fleeing 1850s New York is her only option.Disappearing with her two young charges into a group of orphans heading west by … west by train, Sophie hopes to find safety and a happy life. When the train stops in Illinois for the first placement of orphans, Sophie faces the most difficult choice of her life.
Reinhold Weiss has finally purchased his own small farm. With mounting debts, a harvest to bring in, and past scars that haunt him, he’s in no position to give his heart away . . . but can he say no when his long-lost friend shows up on a nearby train pleading for his help?
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Searching for You was more than a story of sisters searching for their lost sister. It was more than a girl searching for a safe haven. It was more than a man searching to escape his past. Searching For You is about our quest to allow GOD into our lives.
We search for answers. We look in the wrong places. We make mistakes. We make a mess of things. But GOD sees through that. He looks beyond our mistakes. He accepts us. He loved us. He has plans for us. He only asks that we open the door to him. Allow him in. Let him heal us. Let him love us…..we are broken but he is the only one that can make us whole.
I loved this book. It was Book 3 of the Orphan Train Series. Sophie had to find her own way. Reinhold was lost. He was convinced that he was destined to be just like his father. Both lives changed when Our Heavenly Father was let in.
I received this free to review as an influencer for Jody Hedlund.
I highly recommend this book as well as everything Ms. Hedlund writes. Great story. Inspirational.
In this 3rd book of the Orphan Train series, Jody Hedlund finishes the series perfectly. If you’ve read the first two books, you will love the way Jody ties the knots in this series. This particular book tells the story of Sophie, the youngest of the Neumann sisters. In the first two books, readers learn that Sophie had run away with two young children whom she cared for. In this book, readers finally discover what she’s been doing all the time she’s been missing. I love that the story also includes Reinhold Weiss, a character from the first two books that I had grown to respect. Not only does Hedlund tell Sophie’s story, but she also brings us up to date on what’s been happening with the first two Neumann sisters since we saw them last. Hedlund does it again: another wonderful book to close out a wonderful series.
*I received this book free but I was not required to write a review.
Searching for You by Jody Hedlund is the third in the Orphan Train series. It is unfortunate that I did not read the first two books in the series as I thoroughly enjoyed Searching for You. While the current release can certainly be read and enjoyed on its own, I personally feel I missed out on something special having not read the previous two; those to books are now on my TBR pile.
Sophie Neumann has been on the run and on her own for a number of years. Along the way, she “rescued” very young children, Olivia and Nicholas who she as grown to love and fiercely protect as any sister or mother’s heart would do. Becoming involved in the wrong crowd, Sophie and Anna witness a horrifying crime, perpetrated by their boyfriends. Frightened for their own lives, and that of the children, the young women determine to find a way out of New York City.
Penniless, a plan is hatched to join up with the next Orphan Train west, but instead of going through the entire trip, the two planned to take the children and sneak off when the train reaches Chicago. Things go a bit awry in Chicago, the plans are thwarted forcing them to continue to the small farming community destination further west.
Upon arrival, the orphans are welcomed by the townspeople at the church where those who were interested could choose an orphan to complete their family. What Sophie has yet to learn is that someone from her past has established a small farm just outside the community. Reinhold Weiss, along with his young brother Jakob, are working hard to harvest the crops for sale in order to pay off the significant debt accrued when Reinhold purchased the farm.
Both are shocked to see each other. And both are shocked to find that their feelings are developing into something beyond friendship, despite their refusal to admit it. Adventure abound in Searching for You.
Orphan Trains were fairly common in the mid 1800’s as a way of providing homes for orphans. Though most truly were looking to add sons and daughters to their families, it is also true that some were looking for not only new family members but also hard workers to help on farms. History fascinates me, Searching for You was instrumental in helping me to learn how it may have been for the people involved. I very highly recommend Searching for You.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and am under no obligation to write a positive review. All thoughts and opinions therein are solely my own.
What an informative story of life in the mid 1800s both in New York City and the Illinois farmlands! Sophie Neumann is a great protagonist who is determined to care for two young children whose father died and the mother abandoned. Sophie’s methods may not have been the best but she truly loved the children. Ashamed of things she has done, Sophie has been hiding from her sisters for two years.
Reinhold Weiss is determined to be a successful farmer in Illinois but also determined to not feel love for anyone. Sophie learns “it’s what we do with our brokenness that counts”. While you will enjoy Searching for You as a stand alone title, you will get the full story if you read all of the Orphan Train series. I recommend Searching for You to others. I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley and from Bethany House Publishers. This is my honest opinion.
I enjoy Jody Hedlund’s novels, and this series has a particular spot in my heart as it deals with the relationships within a family, specifically, sisters. This book is the final one in the Orphan Train series and although it stands alone well, readers who have read the first two novels know one major loose end remains: What happened to Sophie?
Because she is the youngest sister and her journey has not been an easy one, this book was difficult to read in many places. Her stubborn nature had me wanting to knock some sense into her, even as I longed to hold her and shield her from the difficulties she was enduring. The character lived and breathed for me.
Reinhold is another character we have read about since the first installment. He faces his own challenges from within, but rose to hero status for me as he cared for Sophie. His truly selfless attitude was beautiful, even when he went to greater lengths to be self-sacrificing than either the reader or Sophie liked.
Besides the characters, this book has God as its focus, specifically how He can love and forgive and put our lives back together, even when we don’t deserve it, which we never can. He does it because He loves us and knows we can’t successfully navigate life on our own.
And all of this takes place in a well-researched setting of the orphan trains that took children from the New York City tenements and moved them west through the Emigration Plan. I appreciated how the book focused on the positive intentions of the Children’s Aid Society even as it refused to hide the problems that accompanied it. It was not perfect, and the realistic portrayal was moving and powerful.
With its fantastic Christian content, realistic and relatable characters, and well-researched historical setting, this book is a wonderful conclusion to the series. I highly recommend it to those who enjoy historical romance or who have an interest in the Emigration Plan of the Children’s Aid Society.
I received a complimentary copy of this book but was under no obligation to post a positive review. The opinions expressed are both honest and my own.
Searching for You is book three in the Orphan Train series. This book focuses on little sister, Sophia Neumann that is living in New York and trying her best to care for the two small orphans that have been in her care since their mother died when they were infants. When Sophia witnesses a murder, she feels her only option to keep her and the children safe is to leave New York. So Sophia and her friend take the children and to the Children’s Aid Society and they board an orphan train headed to Illinois. She originally plans to take the kids and continue to run with them surviving the best they can on the streets but as Reverend Poole, who is overseeing the adoptions for the orphans, tells of what they can expect from the families they are meeting, Sophia realizes this might be the only chance for them to have a home. As the orphans stand before the community and are up for adoption, Sophia’s only concern it that her children, as she considers them, not be separated. She is pleased when they are adopted together. Sophia is also adopted by the delightful Dunn family.
Reinhold Weiss is making a living on his own farm in Illinois. His brother, Jakob, also lives with him. Reinhold is rebuilding his life after having been rejected by both of Sophia’s sisters. His life is not fancy but he is making due. He is close to the Dunn family and lived with them for a time and returns for occasional family dinners. The Dunn family is a large family with a larger farm that they tend to, but they are kind people, especially Euphemia, the mother of the family.
Reinhold is taken aback when he comes to dinner at the Dunn’s and sees Euphemia has adopted Sophia, who is the sister that has been missing. Reinhold is surprised when he sees that Sophia is not longer the young girl he used to know. She is a strikingly beautiful woman and he is shocked at his physical reaction to her. Sophia is happy to see Reinhold but makes him promise not to contact her sisters and tell them where she is yet. Sophia is overcome with guilt at the life she has lived. She feels like a failure.
In Searching for You, Sophia realizes she is not a failure and her and Reinhold enter into a marriage of convenience so that she can get her two orphans back home with her. But that marriage forces both Sophia and Reinhold to deal with the hurts in their pasts. The advice from Euphemia and Euphemia’s testimony is powerful and changes the way Sophia sees herself. Is it possible that God could forgive her and see past her failures.
Searching for You is powerful and captures you from page one right up to the amazing ending. I received an ARC of this book and this is my honest feedback.
Book Review: Out of a horrifically tragic situation comes not only hope but renewal and redemption.
Searching For You
Book # 3 in The Orphan Train series
By Jody Hedlund
In the final installment of the Orphan Train trilogy, Jody Hedlund creates the perfect ending to tie up the stories of the Neumann sisters. Searching For You handles the topic of this truly tragic part of American history with emotional finesse. Hedlund adapts historical facts, weaving them into story form to bring the stories of these children, the placement society adults and the families adopting the children out of our collective past into present day.
The Neumann sister’s trilogy and prequel novella, share the struggles of 1850’s America as immigrants crossed the oceans to make a better life on these shores. Hedlund has kept the grittiness of New York City life among the poorer immigrant classes as real as if you were stepping into the streets of that day. While Searching For You is a historical romance, Hedlund does not romanticize the past by glossing over the hardships of the people that lived in that time period. The Orphan Trains had many positive outcomes of children being placed in wonderful, loving homes; yet there were negative outcomes as well. Respectfully Hedlund exposes both the dark side and the light of these stories from the past.
In Searching For You, we have the story of the third Neumann sister, 17 year old Sophie. In the previous novels her sisters left her so they could find work to send money back for her and the two children left in Sophie’s charge; however as the New York slums worsen she finds herself out on the street penniless & homeless. She won’t leave the children behind causing her to make desperate decisions to keep the children barely fed and a roof over their heads. A dangerous decision to agree to marry a gang leader leads her to witnessing something that puts her life and the children’s lives in detriment. In order to avoid being abducted by a rival gang, she smuggles herself and the children out of New York by joining The Orphan Trains heading west.
Her sisters have been searching for her for the past few years desperate to reconnect with her and hopeful she has found safety somewhere. Sophie is almost found when her brother-in-law nearly recognizes her before the first train leaves. However, Sophie doesn’t know he is her brother-in-law and she doesn’t know her sister’s connection to the placement society.
Reinhold Weiss is living in the Illinois town where the train stops for its first placement. Sophie realizes Olivia and Nicholas would be better off with a real family that could take better care of them. She begs a family to adopt them both and keep them together. She agrees to be adopted herself to a farm near them to stay close whenever they need her. Euphenia Duff gives Sophie a new home and takes her under her wing teaching her the farm duties. When Reinhold Weiss shows up for dinner at the Duff’s home, Sophie is surprised to find her old friend.
Reinhold is able to fill Sophie in on the whereabouts of her sisters and their new marriages and most importantly their search for her. At this point both of them have to come to grips with actions of their past in order to help each other through crisis situations that arise. It is through each other that they find faith in God again and the hope that everything will be alright.
Searching For You takes on multiple meanings as the Neumann sisters are searching for Sophie, as Reinhold and Sophie are searching for a way back to God, and as they are searching for love in each other. Searching For You is a sweet historical romance emphasizing the important relationships of love, of family and community and of God.
Please visit Jody Hedlund’s author website (http://jodyhedlund.com) to see the novella, An Awakened Heart, the first book in the series With You Always, and the second book Together Forever.
FTC Disclaimer: I was given an ARC of this title by Bethany House publishing and NetGalley for review purposes only; no compensation was awarded me for my review.
A fantastic ending to The Orphan Train series by Jody Hedlund. I don’t want to give any spoilers about Sophie’s journey; I will say I was very happy to see Reinhold in book 3 and we also meet the sweet Euphemia! Everyone needs a Euphemia in their life.
Jody Hedlund’s impeccable research about the Children’s Aid Society and the desperate need to find homes for the orphaned and/or sometimes abandoned children in New York City during the 1850’s- is clearly articulated throughout her story. I hope you will ride the train along with Sophie and the two young orphans she’s cared for as they go from the slums and dangers of New York City to the farmlands of Illinois. This is a wonderful historical fiction series and I highly recommend it!
I voluntarily reviewed a complementary copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own. #SearchingForYou#NetGalley
This was a splendid story to end the series. The beauty of the ideal along with the truth of the idea. Not everything is going to happen as we wish, but God can make good out of these situations.
One of my favorite characters in this series has been Reinhold. I so loved to see him back in the story! He wasn’t perfect, and this book shows the imperfections of those striving to do right. However, sometimes the will of our flesh can be so hard to overcome. This book shows humanity and its weaknesses…and the beauty God can bring.
I really connected with the characters in this story, I loved the plot line and story told, and the faith and hope theme is strong and natural to the tremendous story told. Though it’s always difficult to choose, I really think this is my favorite in this series.
I hear many say they like stories with real people with real problems. If you are one of those, there are great books out there, like this one, where the hero and heroine aren’t perfect. However, God can make something beautiful out of our lives in spite of ourselves.
I received this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
“I thank the good Lord that he never treats us as our sins deserve.”
Could she let go of attempting to make the repairs her own way and finally hand the mess over to the One waiting to forgive her and repair her life in His way?
A perfect ending to a great series! Jody Hedlund created the best ending for this series. It was so good! I loved seeing the characters get their happily ever after. The pages were filled with loveable characters! I was hooked from page one! This is definitely going on my keeper shelf! I highly recommend it!
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
Reinhold Weiss!! Swoon!! He has to be one of the most awesome heroes I have read this year. He was a hard working young man who was so disciplined and dogmatic in his work but he was so gentle and loving too. A man of integrity. And, oh so handsome. I am obviously in love with Reinhold, but I also loved the kind-hearted and devoted Sophie. She was determined to make a good life and help her two charges who were orphans. This was a book with historical details of the orphan train. It gave insights as to how it was for orphans back then. The story was also about a marriage of convenience. Which I happen to love. I highly recommend it. This was the third book in the series, but could be read as a stand alone. I feel it would be best to read them in order though.
*I was given a copy of this book by the publisher. This is my honest opinion.
A tear jerker – in a good way!
Searching for You is the best book of the series! Perhaps this is because it is the one I just read, but I don’t think so. This story gripped my heart and wouldn’t let go. Though I do get emotionally connected to stories, I don’t often actually get teary eyed. I did with this one!
Sophie has lived such a hard life as an orphan on the streets of New York. She carries such a burden of guilt and pain for the way she has had to survive. Yet her heart is so big and she loves so well. I was so touched by her dedication and determination and strength. The author showed her struggle to not live as she had in the past in such an amazing and realistic way.
Reinhold had a burden of guilt as well. His was because of the anger he struggles to hold at bay. Fear of becoming like his father causes him to withdraw and not allow his feeling to grow, yet he never expected Sophie.
As much as I loved those two characters, Euphemia was my very favorite. Her name in the Greek means “well-spoken of” and this name is actually derived from the word that Paul uses in his letter to the Philippians when he tells us to think on things that are “of good report” or “commendable” in Philippians 4:8. She is the woman who takes Sophie into her house and her heart. And she exemplifies that name despite her difficult past.
I am so impressed with the way the author managed to clearly depict the seediness and depravity of the streets of New York and the hopelessness that Sophie was living in, making it very real and yet not dragging things down to a level that makes it depressing. And the way that she showed Sophie’s unsavory past while still showing a very lovable side that made me care about her from the beginning.
As a side note, you may want to look up the Bowery Boys in Wikipedia before you start reading to learn about them and get a picture of how they dressed. I was fascinated and appalled to learn about this gang and the Roach Guards, one of their rivals as they gave new meaning to the term “fire fighters” (as my husband cleverly pointed out when I told him what I had learned).
This is such an amazing story of trust, of grace, and forgiveness that I wholeheartedly recommend! For the best experience, though, make sure to read the other two books in the series first.
Read with a Preview at AmongTheReads.net
I was given a copy of this book for free. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.
Searching for you is a beautiful story of 4 orphans searching for a home, two sisters searching for the third one they have lost, and two young people searching for a God who forgives and heals.
This was a wonderful resolution to both Sophie & Reinhold’s stories! Once again Jody leads the reader on a wild adventure to Happily Ever After. This book contains plenty of external twists and internal struggles along with inspirational moments. I love Euphemia the best. She has so many great words of wisdom in this book that honestly every reader could apply to their lives.
A glimpse into Reinhold: “Reinhold lowered the bucket and pressed his fingers against his trouser pocket, against the hard circular outline of his father’s watch. The broken timepiece was supposed to remind him to be different, but more often than not it taunted him with the similarities.”
A glimpse into Sophie: “Whatever the case, Sophie knew her skillet was much more charred and burned than Euphemia’s had ever been. God might be able to clean up Euphemia and make her into a beautiful person, but her mistakes were too messy.”
If you love a sweet clean romance with plenty of tension, history, and inspiration, you will love this book!
I have been looking forward to this book for so long, and it sure didn’t disappoint. Now it can be read alone, but I would definitely start with the first one and savor each one, they are so good!
This is Sophie Neumann’s story her survival and hopes for a secure home, and you will follow her and the two little ones as she makes another attempt at finding a home.
We are also back with some of the other characters that we have come to know and love, and there are some great up-dates, I know this is the last book in this series, but I would love to continue on in their lives.
Come and get lost in another great read and a conclusion to a great series.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Bethany House, and was not required to give a positive review.
The book fog is real y’all…WOW! I have loved this series right from the very beginning. Jody Hedlund knows how to suck a reader in deep! The heartache, the hope, the faith, the endurance, the ability to rise above from the broken pieces–this is a series that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page. As Jody shares a bit in her Author’s Notes at the end of each piece, her research of the orphan trains and the Children’s Aid Society is impeccable. She takes readers on a journey deep into the trenches of what life was like for orphans running the streets of NYC in the mid 1800’s and how the orphan trains changed their lives–for better or worse.
It didn’t take long in the story to see just how low Sophie’s life had ended up. My heart quickly broke for her. Life had taught her that it was easier to expect the worst in life so that she wouldn’t be disappointed in hoping for better. She had come to a point where even the concept of good things happening for her were unfathomable. Despite her love for little Olivia and Nicholas, her heart no longer believed she could be loved herself. She felt like she was a throw-away. This story didn’t give her a quick and easy happy ending–it slowly provided opportunities for her heart to mend and grow. As a reader your emotions will rise and fall with each bump in the road she hits as well. Sophie is one character you won’t soon forget.
Another character I quickly grew to love was Euphemia. Have you ever happened to run into just the right person to give you just the right wisdom and encouragement at a needed time in your life? This was Euphemia for Sophie. She loved Sophie when she felt unlovable. She spoke truth into her life where Satan had torn her down. She provided her with means to give her a jump start in life instead of complaining over her own losses. She shared her own story to inspire Sophie to hope for more. She was truly a remarkable woman.
A piece that was interesting to me in the story was the fact that Sophie and her friend Anna lied about their ages in order to be able to join the orphan train with Olivia and Nicholas. It wouldn’t happen in today’s world with all of the different forms of identity we carry, but it made me wonder how often things like that would occur. I myself am in my early thirties, but every now and then I still hear people ask if I’m still a teenager. I was 24 (yes, 24!) the last time I was asked if I wanted a kid’s menu. As a young adult I was constantly met with people wondering “who I belonged to.” Would young adults struggling to survive in the city pose as younger children to board the trains and hope for a better life? This thought honestly has me curious.
Although I love Reinhold’s character, I have to admit this book felt a bit like “third time’s the charm” for him. I love his character and his relationship with Sophie, but I wish there wasn’t complicated history with her sisters. I loved that he was able to understand her better because of their childhood history together, and in a way he wrestled with the same feelings of inadequacy as Sophie did. Together they really were perfect for each other. I just wish he wasn’t someone desired for her sisters in the other books.
This was truly an incredible series. I feel as if I’m in mourning over the fact that it has come to an end. I would highly recommend this series to historical fiction fans. Each of the books should be read in order as they are all connected and I wouldn’t consider them stand-alones. I highly suggest you take the time to read them– you won’t be disappointed!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author through NetGalley. Thoughts and opinions expressed are mine alone.
A fantastic ending to The Orphan Train series by Jody Hedlund. I don’t want to give any spoilers about Sophie’s journey; I will say I was very happy to see Reinhold in book 3 and we also meet the sweet Euphemia! Everyone needs a Euphemia in their life.
Jody Hedlund’s impeccable research about the Children’s Aid Society and the desperate need to find homes for the orphaned and/or sometimes abandoned children in New York City during the 1850’s- is clearly articulated throughout her story. I hope you will ride the train along with Sophie and the two young orphans she’s cared for as they go from the slums and dangers of New York City to the farmlands of Illinois. This is a wonderful historical fiction series and I highly recommend it!
I voluntarily reviewed a complementary copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own. #SearchingForYou#NetGalley
Perfect end to the series <3
Reinhold's happy ending has been long coming and well deserved. Not to mention Sophie's and all the mystery surrounding her.
Both need healing, but, most of all, to come to a stand of surrender. To embrace the new life despite any past mistake, rooted in grace and love through which life flourishes.
Something that I have absolutely loved in this series is how Jody Hedlund creates space for growth. Though not uncommon during their time period, the characters have to make some decisions quite young. I loved how the author was able to show the maturity with which they take up these responsibilities while also allowing insecurity and naive mistakes to be shown and worked on.
I was sad to say goodbye to these characters, though very excited to see that Jody has next 🙂