Right Where I Belong - by Krista McGee

Right Where I Belong, by Krista McGee, follows Natalia Lopez as she makes the decision to leave Spain and follow her ex-stepmother, Maureen, to Tampa, Florida, after her father's divorce.  Maureen has led Natalia to a faith in Jesus, and Natalia has no other Christian support system remaining in Spain.  Both her father and her mother support the idea of her departure, saying it will look good on her college applications to attend a high school in the States.  Once Natalia arrives, however, her new friends and the education she's receiving at a small Christian high school may lead her to find a calling that her parents would have never expected.  Natalia herself comes face-to-face with unexpected developments as she has vowed to herself to remain single, and yet can't stop thinking about a certain tall, red-headed, pastor's son.

This book was a loose follow-up to First Date and Starring Me, with some of the characters from the previous two stories making an appearance.  However, the book would function fine as a stand-alone, and I actually found myself disappointed that Addy and Kara didn't feature more prominently in this installment.  In fact, I found most of the supporting characters in this story much flatter than the previous two novels.  Natalia was sort of a one-woman-show for this book, and while her story was interesting, I would have liked to have seen a stronger supporting cast.  Natalia's hunger for knowledge of God was admirable, and I liked seeing her character and behavior change as she learned more of who God was and what He wanted for her and from her.  She wasn't the only character to change in the book, and although I wanted more from the other characters, it was good to see them change as well, and to catch glimpses of strong Christians who had had their own struggles with the faith.

I give this book 3 stars.  If I hadn't been hoping for more to Addy and Kara's stories, I think I would have had fewer reservations about it.
I reviewed First Date HERE.
I reviewed Starring Me HERE.
You can find Krista's website HERE.  It looks like she has the start of a new trilogy coming out this year, and I can't wait to find out more about it!

I received a copy of this book from Thomas Nelson, as part of their BookSneeze program, in exchange for my honest review.