Finding Us by Tracie Peterson

Finding Us
by Tracie Peterson

ISBN-13: 9780764237416
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Bethany House
Released: July 25, 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
While taking photographs at an exposition in Seattle in 1909, Camera Girl Eleanor Bennett snaps an image of a woman in widow's clothes with deep sorrow etched in her expression and a young infant in her arms.

Eleanor longs to study botany at the University of Washington and soon becomes fast friends with botanist Bill Reed, but she can't stop thinking about the widow in the photograph. She is stunned to learn Bill recognizes the woman as the sister-in-law he believed lost in a shipwreck.

As Eleanor and Bill hunt for Amelia Reed to reunite her with her grief-stricken husband, they must stand together to face the danger that follows and learn to trust that God will direct their paths.


My Review:
Finding Us is a Christian romance set in 1909 in Seattle, Washington. It's the second in a series, but it can be read as a stand-alone and didn't spoil events in the previous book. This was primarily a sweet romance between Eleanor and Bill as they worked to re-type his ruined botany book in time to get it to the publisher. They got to know each other's character and shared many interests. They worked well together as a team. They not only fell in love but prayed and felt God was confirming that they should get married even though they hadn't known each other long. This was one "quick romance" where I felt like they really did know the important aspects of the other's character rather than having only a superficial attraction.

The side story was about Bill's preacher brother and his wife. After being separated during a shipwreck, an increasingly insane man managed to convince Wallace and his wife, Amelia, that the other was dead. Wallace turned his back on God in anger and grief but Bill kept trying to help him find faith again. They learned fairly quickly that Amelia was alive, safe, and intending to return home to Alaska, so they didn't try too hard to reconnect with her before then. They just rushed to return to Alaska.

The main characters were likable and generally behaved realistically. Interesting historical details about the Expo and life in Alaska were woven into the story. Wallace questioned why God allowed bad things to happen. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable historical romance.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.