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 … 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.
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This is a dual timeline novel, but the stories are only 26 years apart (1994 and current day) and focus on the same group of characters. They are so completely formed I feel as though I know them. Through the course of the novel, five individuals who are completely unrelated by blood become a very strong and beautiful family.
If you’ve ever felt you don’t belong in your family/school/workplace/church/friend group, this novel will touch your heart. It’s rich with emotional writing that made me laugh, cry, sigh, and sit in the edge of my chair.
This debut tackles many traumatic experiences but does so in a very organic and realistic manner. TW: Infertility, emotional and physical abuse, trafficking, foster care, homelessness, PTSD.
Amanda Cox just became an “auto read” author for me. Thank you for sharing this powerful story with the world!
Can I give it 6 stars?? So much heart and characters that are beautifully flawed. Loved this book from page 1. Great debut! Highly recommend.
The Edge Of Belonging by Amanda Cox is the most serenely beautiful Christian contemporary debut novel about love and family.
The novel consumed my every waking moment. Amanda Cox drew realistically flawed characters who took up residence in my soul. “It’s okay to stumble… God isn’t looking for pretty, He’s looking for real.”
We all have a past and baggage that weighs us down. We were never meant to journey through life alone. “God puts people in our lives to have and to hold.” There will always be those whom we meet and find we have an instant soul connection. There are the people God places to intersect our lives at just the right time.
The novel shows the effects that early life and traumatic events have on the whole of our lives. Trauma will send us back to a moment in time, no matter how many years have passed.
We are never too old not to need a mother. As mothers our children will always find a safe place in our arms no matter how old we get. The novel explores the emptiness felt in several female arms and the desperate need and longing to fill those empty arms.
Children are a gift from God. “You were fearfully and wonderfully made. And God does not make junk.” No matter what the circumstances of our conception, God planned each and every one of us.
There are some wonderful characters who leak love, care and kindness from every pore. They see the hurt in others and are kindness personified. However in contrast they often view the face in the mirror as undeserving and not worthy. Their eyes need to be opened so they can see themselves as God sees does.
Depression is a terrible illness. It is hard to watch others suffer. Love, kindness, time and health professionals are needed.
There are the themes of infertility, fostering and adoption. These are viewed from various angles and ages throughout the years. All bring people challenges, to hard places and to great rewards.
I absolutely adored The Edge Of Belonging. Amanda Cox is a fabulous new author with a masterful pen – remember her name, I predict she will become a big new voice in Christian fiction.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
This book came out a few months ago and I wasn’t sure I was going to get to it, but ya’ll (that’s a nod to the book’s Tennessee setting), I’m so glad I did.
These characters pulled me in. From homeless Harvey who falls in love with a little baby girl to Ivy Rose who wants to know her adoption story to the pastor’s wife who longs for her own child, this group of people form a family.
There is also a sweet romance that develops throughout this story that increased my enjoyment. If The Edge of Belonging is what we get as a debut from Amanda Cox, I look forward to what comes next.
Disclosure statement: I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.
I had the pleasure of meeting Amanda at the 2019 Art of Writing Conference and it was there she told me the plot for The Edge of Belonging. I. got. CHILLS. I knew right then and there I HAD to read this book. I’m not only giving this 5 stars but I’m also giving it a 5 tissue warning as well because you will NEED tissues by the time you finish it.
It is hard to believe that this is a debut book. I was blown away by the emotions that seeped through the pages and the characters that I began to feel like I knew. Hands down my favorite character has to be Harvey. This sweet homeless man embraces a baby that someone tossed away and protected it as his own. I wondered why the baby was left and why a mother would abandon her baby? His story tugged in my heart so much I wanted to give him a hug. Maybe he thinks there is no hope or reason for his life, but God in His perfect time will reveal the call He has on his life.
I love dual time stories and this one was one I will never forget. The author handles the time slips with ease and allows readers to grasp the intensity the story will take. It was easy to cheer for Harvey because he loved the child with everything he had. His protectiveness was priceless and I loved how people reached out to help him.
When we go to the present we are introduced to Ivy. My very first thought as I got to know her was that she needed to run as fast as she could away from her boyfriend. He is emotionally and physically abusive, rude, arrogant and unpleasant.
The author delivers a story filled with abandonment, PTSD, secrets, pain and the knowledge that we all belong to God. As Ivy uncovers her past, she realizes that her life does matter and soon she comes to accept that God was watching over her. There are other characters in the story that bring wisdom, hope, longing for family and forgiveness. This is a must read for everyone who loves a great story that not only illustrates kindness, hope and family, but twists that will surprise you.
I received a copy of this book from The Librarything Early Reader Program.
As a genealogist, I learned long ago that there is the family into which one is born, and there is the family that one chooses. The novel, The Edge of Belonging, written by Amanda Cox, is all about the family that is chosen.
For the complete review, please go to https://kindredconnection.wordpress.com/2020/11/29/the-edge-of-belonging/.
This was a new author for me and I am so glad for this beautifully written book of a broken boy, old lady, husband, wife, a throw away baby and the journey they took to become a family. Your heart will be broken and then mended along the way. No one knows what our journeys will be but with faith, love, trust and patience it can be so much more then ever hoped for.
I like how the author alternated between past and present timelines seamlessly. Story starts out in 1994, readers meet Harvey a lonely young man who has learned to survive on the things people throw away, ne never begged for anything. He’s made his home in the woods. He’s quite content until someone throws something away that they never should have. Harvey’s not quite sure what to do with this new discovery. He wants to do the right thing.
Then the story switches to current time where readers meet Ivy and her insensitive, controlling betrothed, she’s just received word her grandmother doesn’t have long to live. She wants to be by her side. She will do what it takes to be there.
I liked how the author built up suspense on each timeline to keep you reading. I enjoyed each timeline and Harvey and Ivy learn to make their way through troubled waters.
Ivy searches for the journal her Grandmother left her after reading a letter she wrote, here’s a peek at the note, “I’m sorry. For the things you will learn that will hurt. For the ways we fell short. The ways, I most of all, let you down. With all the love in my heart”….“No matter what you decide know that you were fearfully and wonderfully made. And God does not make junk. Love Always grandma.”
Topic dealt with in this novel, abandonment, PTSD, infertility, homelessness, depression, abuse verbal and physical, suicide covered with a whole lot of love and grace. Readers see God working the impossible through all the characters. “God uses broken pieces to fit so beautifully into the missing spaces of other people’s lives.” Nothing is wasted. In the author’s bio is says that she works with a nonprofit youth organization that has had her interacting with hurting families for over a decade. This compassion and love she has for broken people shines through the hearts of her characters.
I loved this layered story, and the endearing characters that touched my heart. This book would be wonderful for your next book club pick. There is a plethora of things to discuss. The edge of belonging is a book you won’t soon forget. This is the first book I’ve read by this author it won’t be the last.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”
Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins!
The Book Club Network blog http://www.bookfun.org
Thank you Revell for a complimentary copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
The Edge Of Belonging
By: Amanda Cox
REVIEW
The Edge of Belonging is a heartwarming tale of pieces and edges that form the framework of belonging and outline the origins of family. I have always been interested in stories involving people on the fringes of society, the invisible people. In 1994, Harvey is such a person, skirting the edges but not included, until an abandoned baby changes his life. In present time, twenty four year old Ivy Rose is grieving, lost and seeking origins. Her search reveals the circumstances that connected five people, making a family out of seemingly nothing. With healing, faith, a touch of romance and acceptance, The Edge Of Belonging is an inspirational masterpiece.
The Edge of Belonging is one of the best debut novels I’ve read in years. It’s a dual timeline story where the past and present are only twenty-four years apart and feature the same characters.
In the present day, Ivy Rose Lashley is a school counsellor who loves her job and the children she works with, and is engaged to the handsome Seth. But that all unravels after her grandmother’s death, and she returns to her hometown where she finds her grandmother has left her a puzzle to solve—the mystery of her birth and subsequent adoption.
In 1994, Harvey James finds an abandoned newborn, so takes her back to the camp he calls home.
But he doesn’t have baby milk or diapers or anything needed to care for a newborn, and he doesn’t have money to buy any. He finds supplies in an unlocked church, and proceeds to name the baby Ivy Rose, and to care for her as his own.
I know this is supposed to be Ivy’s story, but I thought Harvey was the more interesting and sympathetic character, because his problems were not problems of his own making. Having said hat, nor were Ivy’s. At first, I thought Ivy’s problems with Seth were the result of her own bad judgement, but as the novel progressed it became obvious that their relationship was the result of her own emotional needs weaknesses, many of which stemmed from being adopted.
But Harvey was the character who tugged at my heartstrings. He’s had a rough deal in life but hasn’t let it turn him bitter. In fact, he doesn’t seem to realise how bad it’s been. Instead, all he wants to do is love and protect baby Ivy, and you can’t hold that against him. At the same time, the present story gave an idea of the direction the past story would take, and that tugged the heartstrings even more.
There were lots of twists in the story, most of which only became obvious towards the end so I won’t give spoilers. Let’s just say that I started by saying this is one of the best debut novels I’ve read in years, and I stand by that opinion.
Edge of Belonging has a great dual-timeline plot, wonderful characters, a strong underlying Christian message, and writing that is good enough to make the strongest person weep. Recommended.
Thanks to Revell and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
“If the story of my life could say one thing, I’d hope it would show the importance of venturing into the highways and the hedges to let invisible people know they’re seen and loved. To invite them in.”
A breathtaking tour de force, Amanda Cox’s “The Edge of Belonging” tugs at the heartstrings and reminds readers that belonging goes beyond having a place to live to encompass the people who love us and, by so doing, help us to truly belong. Cox employs a split-time structure to tell Ivy and Harvey’s story, and what I love about this format is the short time lapse; the two main storylines take place in 1994 and the present day, creating a small generational gap that allows readers to follow the same characters from one period of time to another. For a debut novel, “The Edge of Belonging” hits the perfect notes, drawing all of the characters together in a symphony both heartwarming and bittersweet.
With this intricately nuanced cast of characters, Cox demonstrates her keen understanding of and insight into the human psyche. In the present: a broken 24-year-old young woman who does not know who she is anymore and wonders if she ever did. Twenty-four years prior: a homeless man with a sorrowful past who finally has solitude and routine until he finds a newborn baby. An older woman heartbroken from recent losses but with much love still to give. A couple aggrieved by their inability to have children. And the thread of hope and faith that binds them all together.
My favorite aspect of the characters is how they exemplify Jesus amidst their mistakes and brokenness and humanness. Pearl is a prime example of this, and she is my favorite character, despite my incorrect characterization of her when she is first introduced. As a result of this and of several scenarios in the narrative, I find “The Edge of Belonging” to be convicting. How often do we judge someone based on their behavior or appearance without making any effort to reach out to them or know them on a personal level? Pearl is one of the foremost characters who demonstrates openhearted compassion, which she sums up in a simple and beautiful way: “Nurturing is nurturing. It doesn’t take a blood relative. We’re all adopted into God’s family through Jesus. And I decided long ago that if it was good enough for God, it was good enough for me. So I set in my heart that I would love and mother anyone who crossed my path who needed that kind of love.”
By far one of the best debut novels I’ve had the pleasure of reading, “The Edge of Belonging” gently speaks to many current issues, including PTSD, fostering and adoption, domestic violence, abuse, grief, and both platonic and romantic love. Most of all, it guides us toward the unconditional love of the One Who gave His life for us, and in Whose arms we will always find our place of belonging.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All opinions are my own.
What an incredible debut novel! Amanda Cox will be one to watch in the future, there is no doubt about that. It’s so well executed, right down to the title which perfectly suits the book and Ivy’s adoption story. It also covers a painful serial fostering and the loss of an adult child. These topics may be a trigger point for someone, but I feel that they are handled very gracefully and are well thought out.
My favorite character was Harvey because he had so much that had gone terribly wrong in his life, yet more than one person changes him forever and for the better. I also loved Ivy Rose because she was searching so hard for herself that she really couldn’t see the forest for the trees. I admired Pearl because she had had tremendous losses of her own, yet she chose to be a pillar of strength for others.
I think the author’s previous experience with counseling has leant a distinct warmth and celebration of the beautifully broken spirit to the novel. She also does an amazing job with the time split aspect of the novel. It flows beautifully with a continuous flow between the two eras, like the smooth flow of a river. I definitely look forward to her next novel coming in the fall of 2021.
I received a copy of this book as a blog giveaway and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Oh, this was such an amazing read!! I started yesterday and just finished (being an adult requires doing chores and sleep ). The story of Ivy and Harvey wound a beautiful tale around my heart and completely stole it! Each and every part of the story was beautifully crafted and told–I know a story has truly gripped me when I find myself crying. These characters and this story are unforgettable–it will leave an indelible mark on you. I am so looking forward to more stories from this author! Would highly recommend!!
I voluntarily received a complimentary copy from Revell. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
The Edge of Belonging by Amanda Cox is an excellent, heartwarming, tug-at-your heartstrings novel that weaves together a story of how a young woman named Ivy was found discarded on the side of the road, and how through her and a divine will, a family of lost and lonely strangers were made a family.
Ms. Cox truly has a gift. I enjoyed every moment of the multiple timeline story taking place in rural Tennessee (1990s-present) of Harvey, Thomas, Miriam, Pearl, Reese, and Ivy and how through divine intervention, they that were lost in a multitude of ways, were found again with renewed hope, love, and purpose in life. In this story, we find that family is created by relationships, love, acceptance, and forgiveness and not from just “blood” and genetics.
There were several times that I honestly teared up at the true happiness and warmth that the characters found despite the obstacles and experiences they faced. There is some heavy material in this book, but it is needed, appropriate, and respectfully written. Ms. Cox has a real talent, and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.
5/5 stars
Thank you NetGalley and Revell for this wonderful ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR, Bookbub, Amazon, B&N, and Instagram accounts immediately.
Full of rich characterization and deep themes, this story will grab you right from the first chapter. Amanda Cox has burst onto the writing scene with a brilliant tale of family and hope.
The Edge of Belonging is a Christian contemporary novel about finding family and belonging.
The Edge of Belonging was a good book. It’s about a young woman who struggles with knowing that she is adopted and who finds out the circumstances of her adoption. Part of the story is told in the present time, as Ivy Rose deals with a breakup and with her grandmother’s death and with learning more and more details about her past as a foundling. The other half of the story is told in flashbacks of what happened years before that ended with her adoption and the formation of her non-biologically-related family.
The story was sweet and inspirational. I wish all adoptees could have such a happy ending. I liked how the author split the story into past and present. I didn’t find it confusing at all, and even with the flashbacks, the story was revealed piece-by-piece, heightening the anticipation. There was also a little bit of clean romance. And I liked the way the story ended, with God meeting everyone’s needs the perfect, though unexpected, way.
I received a complementary copy of this book. All opinions are entirely my own.
The Edge of Belonging by Amanda Cox is a heart-touching debut novel. I will certainly be looking to read more books by this author.
When The Edge of Belonging begins, Ivy Rose is engaged to a controlling, abusive man–and then her grandma passes away. She ends up returning to her hometown to oversee her grandma’s estate sale–and to find out more information about her adoption.
Twenty-four years earlier, we read about Harvey James who found a newborn baby that gave him a sense of purpose and human connection for the first time in many years. Despite the odds being stacked against him, Harvey tries to help this little girl–and ultimately she helps him.
In this dual-timeline story, both Ivy and Harvey are struggling with love and loss and how to go on in life. I truly loved all of these characters except Seth. I struggled to read this part and get in to the book initially because I was at one time in an abusive relationship so it was a trigger for me. However, I am so glad I continued on and she does handle everything quite well. This book touched me deeply and I had to have tissues by my side as I read it. I truly felt for Harvey and Pearl as well as Ivy, her parents and her best friend Reese. These characters and this small town drew me in and once I got past the initial hard part, I also could not put it down. Cox deal with some difficult issues throughout the book but she does it so well. I feel like my words are inadequate in this review to share just how much I appreciated these character’s stories. I also liked how Cox wove in her themes of God’s love and redemption so skillfully. The Edge of Belonging was not preachy at all but it was heart and soul touching.
One of my favorite quotes:
Pearl shook her head. “Its not about my pain versus your pain. It’s about sharing in the human experience and knowing what it is to hurt. It takes courage–stepping forward and healing when it’s so tempting, so safe, to stay and worship the alters we’ve built to our pain. . .” (Page 297)
I received a copy of this book through the Revell Reads Blogger Program. All opinions within this review are my own.
Such a tender novel that brought me to tears throughout the whole book! I was moved by the rawness of humanity and the satisfactory ending. What does an abandoned baby in the woods have in common with the homeless man that found her? A story about belonging.
Bravo Amanda Cox for bringing the topics of foster care, adoption, and emotional abuse in such a unique fashion. I’m glad Ivy and Harvey found their way to what truly matters. One of my favorite quotes was from Ivy’s grandmother. “….Always know that you were fearfully and wonderfully made. And God does not make junk.”
I really enjoyed reading this book of a young woman learning who her real parents were and why her adoptive parents took her. This also showed how a family can be found not born into. I loved Ivy and Henry James. I love how the story was told. I did not want to put this book down. I received a copy of this book from Revell for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.