Where the Heart Should Be [Hardcover]

KirkusBest Book

Chicago Public Library Best Book

A CCBC Choice

“I hold my breath while reading Sarah Crossan’s books. Every word is filled with so much love, the book is practically throbbing. A beautiful, perfect, moving read.” —Cecelia Ahern, bestselling author ofP. S. I Love You

In 1847, everything in Ireland was falling apart—but sixteen-year-old Nell was falling in love. Carnegie Medal winner Sarah Crossan’s first historical novel-in-verse is a suspenseful and heartbreaking story of love, family, and the forces that can destroy us or bind us forever. For fans of Joy McCullough, Elizabeth Acevedo, Malinda Lo, and Ruta Sepetys.

Ireland is starving, and a poor Irish scullery maid falls in love with the British heir to the land. Can their romance stay hidden during the devastating famine? The potatoes are black, people are dying, and in the midst of it all, Nell must do everything she can to keep her family together and everyone she loves alive.

It is hard to tell a love story

and also the story of a people

being torn apart.

“Where the Heart Should Be grapples with huge themes of colonialism, poverty, privilege, and power imbalance with astonishing intimacy. A love story set within a harrowing historical period, this is a gripping journey of longing and loss, injustice and sacrifice, crafted by a master of the novel in verse.” -Joy McCullough, award-winning author of?Blood Water Paint

“An emotionally taut story of strength and loss, exhibiting how darkness and hope can intertwine. Readers will be left breathless.” -Booklist (starred review)

“[Nell] is indeed hesitant to tell her story initially, her cadence a bit halting, her narration a bit sparse. But as she opens up to John, so too does she to the reader, speaking of her hopes and dreams lÃ(