Right Where I Belong by Krista McGee

Natalia’s about to discover her place in the world . . . and it’s not following in her father’s footsteps.

After watching her father jump from one marriage to the next, Natalia has completely written off love. And when her father divorces his third wife—the only one who has been a mother to her—Natalia is ready to write him off too.

Needing a change of scenery, Natalia leaves her home in Spain and relocates with her stepmother to sun-soaked Florida. But she didn’t realize just how far a new school, a new culture, and a new lifestyle would push her out of her comfort zone.

One of her biggest surprises comes from Brian, a pastor’s son with an adorable smile, who loves God with a sincerity that astounds Natalia. She doesn’t want to fall for him, but she can’t seem to avoid him long enough to get him out of her mind.

Love is the last thing Natalia wants. Even so, God has her right where she belongs.

Right Where I Belong by Krista McGee is a very interesting and adorable novel that kept me glued to the pages throughout. I finished the book in about one sitting. The plot line was exciting, and it contained elements of romance, humor, and helping others. The intriguing aspect of the storyline of this book is that Krista McGee crafted it after the story of Ruth and Naomi in the Bible. There were of course many differences in the story, but it was interesting to see the parallels between the story of Ruth and this novel. The narrative of the story was accounted mostly from the perspective of Natalia, but also from Brian.

The characters of this novel were my favorite part of this novel. They were realistic, well-developed, and I was able to identify with their struggles. Right Where I Belong is the third novel, following in the footsteps of First Date and Starring Me. While it is not necessary to read the other two novels before this one, I did enjoy seeing characters that I knew and loved in Right Where I belong. Addie from First Date was a mentor of sorts for Natalia, and Kara from Starring Me was also present at times. However, I really enjoyed the new characters of Natalia and Brian. They were so different yet they complemented each other well. I really enjoyed Brian's humor, his kindness, and his patience. It saddened me that he felt like he was an idiot who had no purpose at times. I had less connection to Natalia because many of our characteristics are different. She loves fashion and is too afraid to fall in love. Both Brian and Natalia struggled with what their callings were in life, for both were under pressure to choose differently than what God had called them to do with their lives. It was extremely neat to see how their paths meshed and to see their growth as Christians as they learned to trust in God alone.

Overall, I really enjoyed Right Where I Belong. The plot line was exciting and enjoyable, the characters were realistic and engaging, and the book was crafted after a well-loved story in the Bible. I would highly recommend this book and the two novels that come before it.

I received this novel for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.