If You Believe

You gotta be a born romantic to love this book. I am, so I had no problem with it. While some of the details don't jive, overall, this is a story about overcoming emotional stress.

Mariah is devastated by her past and resolves her issues by going back home and hiding from life. “Mad Dog” Stone runs as far as he can from home and avoids his issues by moving often enough that they can't catch up. How these two connect in Washington state in 1894 and what happens after they do, takes the reader on a relationship roller coaster. Add in an orphan and a dying father's last wish, and you have all the ingredients for a heart-wrenching story.

I did occasionally wonder how a women who never went to town had groceries or how a professor could run an apple farm, but those weren't details that kept me from believing the interplay between a women and a man who both denied they were lonely. Or how their past mistakes could come back to haunt them. For one, it makes falling in love a solution. For the other, falling in love is the “heart” of the problem.

Visit the old west and enjoy this story.

I mean it was alright, I guess?

I prefer a “he falls first” romance over a “she falls first”. Even after the third act “break up” there was no groveling. She took him back after a couple of minutes. This just didn't work for me.

I'm glad that I have read more from Kristin Hannah so I know this isn't what her work is typically like. This was a miss. Glad to have it off my TBR though.

I once again got hit with the dying dad trope unexpectedly. I did tear up during that bit. Mariah needed that character growth though, but still hurt.

Overall, I'd say skip this one. Kristin Hannah has much better books than this one.

Final rating: 2.5 stars ✨