Name: Running Barefoot
ISBN: 9781475043747

Amy Harmon

Running Barefoot

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review. Also my tags may have spoilers in them so be forewarned before checking out full review.

Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️

Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒💒

Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂😂

Running Barefoot is a story that will dig deep into the heart. This is not a quick romance, this is a slow building friends to lovers romance where we see our pair involved build a slow friendship as teens and then reconnect as adult and connect with one another through faith, pain, loss and love and hope being the healing. Amy Harmon writes such brilliantly and this book just didn't read like a debut novel. I can't believe this is her first book, because it definitely had so many hidden layers I gravitated towards.

I've lived all my life in a small town in Utah called Levan.

When Josie Jensen and Samuel Yazzie met....they were both teenagers in need of friendship. Through a course of events they became the best of friends, quietly understanding each other in various facets. They connect over books and classical music and find kindred spirits in one another. Josie is full of brightness and love and hope. Samuel is cynical and bitter. But before he leaves for the military, he learns the value in the goodness of life. Now its been years and he has returned to Josie, a Josie who is struggling with life in a way where she needs a message of hope and love that only Samuel can give to her. But will Josie embrace the hope for the future she can find with Samuel?

There were so many aspects to this story that I truly loved in so many different ways. You see the moments between this couple that just make you yearn for this level of friendship. I loved how it starts when they are young. I was able to read this in the audiobook format, and I am very glad I did. They are all part of the KU subscription, which I am so grateful for. I wish more KU authors actually would do this for their readers. I love how well the narration just captures the essence of their friendship, the way they banter and interact and the charm that just comes off the page. You can sense their deep connection to each other and how much they are willing to fight for one another. But of course my favorite aspect of the story is when they are reunited. I connected with Josie and not going to lie some aspects of the story were really hard for me because I went through a similar experience as Josie did and I resonated with her grief and sorrow. But seeing Josie find healing through her faith, through her friendship that turns into a deeper romantic connection with Samuel was beyond brilliant and had such a healing vibe to the story that cuts deep into your heart. Amy Harmon didn't pull any punches with this one and like always she had me feeling all the deep layers of the heart that she portrayed within "Running Barefooot". She also implemented the culture of Utah very well especially in regards to the Latter Day Saint faith and the culture of the Navajo. Its rich and vibrant in so many ways. Its not heavy on religion or preachy in any way which I respected, but softly implemented that felt natural to these characters and their growth together.

Some aspects of the story were just hard for me to get through because of what I have gone through in my persona life, so it was definitely a "me" issue.

Brilliant!!! Amy Harmon always has the best narration for her stories and Running Barefoot was powerful in its portrayal.

Running Barefoot is a powerfully emotionally evoking story that is layered and will resonate deeply with its reader. Its an emotional spiritual journey into love and friendship that will soar into your soul!

Sub Genre: Contemporary Romance, Inspirational Romance

Character Types: Bi Racial, Tortured Hero

Themes: Small Town, Tear Jerker, Heart/Touching, All The Feels

If you like these authors, I recommend This Book

Lover of Romance 

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review. Also my tags may have spoilers in them so be forewarned before checking out full review.

Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒💒
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞💞💞
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖📖
Narration:🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨.5


First Impressions
Running Barefoot is a story that will dig deep into the heart. This is not a quick romance, this is a slow building friends to lovers romance where we see our pair involved build a slow friendship as teens and then reconnect as adult and connect with one another through faith, pain, loss and love and hope being the healing. Amy Harmon writes such brilliantly and this book just didn't read like a debut novel. I can't believe this is her first book, because it definitely had so many hidden layers I gravitated towards.

First Line
I've lived all my life in a small town in Utah called Levan.

The Main Protagonists
The Hero: Samuel
The Heroine: Josie

Summary
When Josie Jensen and Samuel Yazzie met....they were both teenagers in need of friendship. Through a course of events they became the best of friends, quietly understanding each other in various facets. They connect over books and classical music and find kindred spirits in one another. Josie is full of brightness and love and hope. Samuel is cynical and bitter. But before he leaves for the military, he learns the value in the goodness of life. Now its been years and he has returned to Josie, a Josie who is struggling with life in a way where she needs a message of hope and love that only Samuel can give to her. But will Josie embrace the hope for the future she can find with Samuel?

What I Loved
There were so many aspects to this story that I truly loved in so many different ways. You see the moments between this couple that just make you yearn for this level of friendship. I loved how it starts when they are young. I was able to read this in the audiobook format, and I am very glad I did. They are all part of the KU subscription, which I am so grateful for. I wish more KU authors actually would do this for their readers. I love how well the narration just captures the essence of their friendship, the way they banter and interact and the charm that just comes off the page. You can sense their deep connection to each other and how much they are willing to fight for one another. But of course my favorite aspect of the story is when they are reunited. I connected with Josie and not going to lie some aspects of the story were really hard for me because I went through a similar experience as Josie did and I resonated with her grief and sorrow. But seeing Josie find healing through her faith, through her friendship that turns into a deeper romantic connection with Samuel was beyond brilliant and had such a healing vibe to the story that cuts deep into your heart. Amy Harmon didn't pull any punches with this one and like always she had me feeling all the deep layers of the heart that she portrayed within "Running Barefooot". She also implemented the culture of Utah very well especially in regards to the Latter Day Saint faith and the culture of the Navajo. Its rich and vibrant in so many ways. Its not heavy on religion or preachy in any way which I respected, but softly implemented that felt natural to these characters and their growth together.

What I Struggled With
Some aspects of the story were just hard for me to get through because of what I have gone through in my persona life, so it was definitely a "me" issue.

Narration
Brilliant!!! Amy Harmon always has the best narration for her stories and Running Barefoot was powerful in its portrayal.

Overall View
Running Barefoot is a powerfully emotionally evoking story that is layered and will resonate deeply with its reader. Its an emotional spiritual journey into love and friendship that will soar into your soul!

Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Contemporary Romance, Inspirational Romance
Character Types: Bi Racial, Tortured Hero
Themes: Small Town, Tear Jerker, Heart/Touching, All The Feels
Tropes: Friends To Lovers, Slow Burn

Book Perspective
3rd POV

Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
Relationship-Minimal

If you like these authors, I recommend This Book
Karen Witemeyer
Anita Stansfield
Josi Kilpack

Steam/Spice Explanations

Simmering cup of tea---soft warm touches and light intimacy
Warmin' by the fire- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.
Steamin' up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.
Blazing fire to the building-The prime focus is the sex scenes, scorching hot, and could burn one. Less focus on the emotional intimacy to the relationship.

Narrators:
Tavia Gilbert


Izzy O

This reminds me of 'Dear John'...

I loved it that there's classical music in it.