It took me a moment to pick my jaw up off of the floor after finishing this book. I honestly had no clue what was coming in the last 20% and it surprised me in a very good way. Even though everyone seemed to have taken the bus to batshit-crazy town, the final chain of events provided a good dose of suspense which delivered me to a place of wondering what could possibly happen next. 
 Backtracking for a second, I feel compelled to mention a show that I watched not long ago in which a young girl decided she might want to try living life in an Amish community in order to see if it would drive her to a place where she would eventually convert/join up with their church and community. 
 I thought of that show while reading Rose's transition over to living in the Amish community. Imagine being taken from a life of modern convenience and moved over into a life where every task is now 10 times more difficult to complete. You aren't able to use cell phones, drive cars, or even use appliances in order to go about completing your daily duties. Your life is now about getting up before dawn, doing everything by hand, and falling asleep bone tired while the rest of the world is settling in to watch their nightly t.v. 
 This is what Rose signed up for when she decided that her love for Noah was worth more to her than her life of convenience. I appreciated that the author took the time to really delve into the details of day-to-day life in an Amish community and showed in detail how rough the transition was on Rose. 
 Belonging showed more of a balance to this intense and all-consuming love story than the first book did. In other words : if you want to sacrifice all for love, you might actually have to learn the meaning of the word sacrifice. There was a depth to the relationship which wasn't really shown before, because book 1 was all about the fall. 
 Now, it's all about life after the fall. And this is where life gets tricky. 
 As Rose's new friend noted, love is about giving up your life but not your soul. This is something Rose is still struggling with. It's good to see how life's tough decisions are not so easily finalized, even when you think you've already decided your path. 
 Book 1 was a sweet love story but the story was still finding a leg to stand on. Book 2 stood on its own and then took off sprinting from out of nowhere. Bravo, Ms. Hopkins. I am looking forward to what comes next for Noah and Rose after the exciting ending of Belonging. 
 No gripes, except for one brief annoyance. Noah, you said one thing - ONE thing to Constance and you hurt my heart in that moment. Whether it was true or not made no difference. I was disappointed. Sigh. You better be stepping up to the plate and making me fall in love with you again in book 3. 
 This book was provided from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 
 Are you an adult who is still young at heart? Come share your passion for YA fic with us! Rated YA-MA