The Secret to Belonging

By Megan E. Freeman

Book Overview

Two starred reviews

A neglected teen travels to Norway for a fresh start in this "lush...aching" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) coming-of-age novel in verse about longing, love, and the courage to create joy from the ashes of despair by award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Megan E. Freeman.

You are invisible in your own family. Your parents spend all their care and attention on your brother, who is addicted to drugs. Your dreams don't matter to anyone but you.

Your only ticket out is a college fund left by your grandfather--until your parents use it to pay for your brother's drug rehab.

Just when your future seems about to collapse, you are offered a lifeline: a scholarship to become an exchange student in a remote part of Norway. It's an invitation to begin a new life in a new place with new people...a place where you might finally feel like you belong.

• Format: Audio CD
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1668184354
• ISBN13: 9781668184356
• Release Date: September 2026
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Length: 1 Pages
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

Truly heartbreaking

With a brother who's an addict, and parents who only gives all the attention to him, being an exchange student in her senior year might be the best decision. Though she doesn't know the language of Norway, she's willing to learn because she wants to escape. This was truly heartbreaking. I mean with a title like that, I'm pretty sure you know where this is going. However, the author definitely made you feel the heart break first. You just cannot deny just how much you want to root for our girl. I am no stranger with books in verse. And I'm also no stranger to spoken word poetry. There were times when I has reading this book as if it was performed as spoken word poetry. And I could just feel that heartache all over again. And not just the heartache, but also the grief. regret, reluctance, anger, and even the hope, wonder, and happiness. This book would just make you feel. And makes you want to root for her and her family. The only thing that I find lacking is Norway. I loved learning about the country and the culture. That glimpse made me wish there was more. But this was also just a good way to learn about it. This was such a good book and I'm happy that I read this. * I received an eARC of this book