Searching for You by Jody Hedlund

A riveting look at the orphan train from a beloved historical novelist, the Orphan Train series concludes with book 3, Searching for You by Jody Hedlund!

about the book

Searching for You by Jody Hedlund

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 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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my thoughts

Searching for You is a gripping story of love, want, and need. Life’s choices aren’t always one way or another, survival doesn’t always coincide with abuse and the same is true for genuine affection and prosperity. The path is winding and the way difficult to discern without nurturing guidance.

Sophie’s tender mother heart blossomed early and claimed little Olivia and Nicholas when she was still a girl herself yet the bond of love doesn’t have an age limit. Despite her youthful naivete, I admire her gumption and determination to do what (she thinks) is best for them all.

Reinhold is one of the good guys without a doubt. He’s not perfect but he acknowledges that fact and then punishes himself for it, bless his heart. I’m especially fond of Jakob, the quiet younger Weiss brother. He is an old soul and plays an important role in Reinhold’s life beyond working at his side.

Friends, family, and affection take center stage in this thrilling conclusion to the Orphan Train series. Hedlund brings this time period to life from the dark metropolitan alleys to the wide-open Midwestern farmlands. I highly recommend this book and its sisters and they are all at home on my all-time favorites shelf!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and was under no obligation to post a review. The opinions expressed are my own.

about the author

Jody Hedlund is the author of over a dozen novels, including Love Unexpected, Captured by Love, Unending Devotion, The Preacher’s Bride, and A Noble Groom, winner of the 2014 Carol Award for historical romance.

She received a bachelor’s degree from Taylor University and a master’s from the University of Wisconsin, both in social work.

She lives in Michigan with her husband and five children.

She loves hearing from readers on Facebook and on her website!