A Road Unknown: 
by Barbara Cameron
Series: Amish Roads (Book 1)
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Abingdon Press (February 4, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 142674059X

Description:

Elizabeth is at a crossroad. She's been given the chance to experience life outside of her community, away from the responsibility to care for her eight younger siblings, but Elizabeth Bontrager can't decide which road to take. Goshen has its charms and pressures, but Paradise, Pennsylvania, sounds . . . well, like paradise. And it's also home to her Englisch friend, Paula. Decision made. Elizabeth is Paradise bound. 

But will the small town live up to its name? When Elizabeth meets Paula's friend, Bruce, she quickly learns he wants more than a friendship. And the same might be true of Saul Miller, her new boss at the country story that sells Amish products to the Englisch community. As the two compete for her attention, Elizabeth is surprised to realize she misses her family and becomes even more uncertain about where she belongs. She has a choice to make: return home or embrace this new life and possibly a new love?

Review:

A Road Unknown is part of the Amish Road Series. Elizabeth Bontranger is the oldest of nine siblings, and has fallen into the role of caretaker for her younger brothers and sisters, to the point that she has no life outside of her home, except for the few hours she works in a local fabric store. She gains a good friend in Paula, an Englischer whom Elizabeth met earlier in the year when her family vacationed in Elizabeth's hometown of Paradise. They became pen-pals, and developed a strong friendship. Elizabeth decides she's in need of a change and moves to Goschen to live with Paula and try to figure out which direction she wants to take for her life. On the bus ride there, she meets a young Amish man named Saul Miller. They keep bumping into each other, and eventually, Elizabeth starts to work at Saul's country store. They're relationship develops as they spend time with each other, but Elizabeth still needs to sort out what she wants to do, and whether she needs to return home or make a new life for herself in Goschen.

I enjoyed this book very much. I felt for Elizabeth's character. How hard it must have been to leave the family you love, yet feel smothered by. And I can't imagine how scary it would be, especially as a young Amish woman, to up and leave your family to live in an English world. She was fortunate to have found such a good friend in Paula and such a wonderful man in Saul. This was a fun read.

Reviewed by: Sarah Meyers