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In-Between Girl
Her faith taught her to be silent. The truth may cost her everything.
On the brink of choosing between her Amish upbringing and a life beyond it, Hannah’s world is violently upended when she becomes entangled in a brutal crime. Hannah is accused of a murder she didn’t commit.
Bound by Amish traditions of silence yet facing prison and disgrace for her family, she must decide whether to protect her community’s values or break every rule she was raised with to help catch a killer and clear her name—before she loses both her freedom and the people she loves.
A gripping Amish crime thriller about loyalty, identity, and how far one woman will go when silence is no longer an option.
Fans of Amish suspense won’t want to miss The In-Between Girl. Kelly Irvin, two-time winner of Selah Awards and Readers Choice Awards.
"A rich and multi-layered novel, evocative, powerful, and beautifully written." Terri Nixon, author of The Penhaligon Saga
"Full of emotion, danger, and heart. It shows how courage can help us stand strong, even when the path is hard." Joe Keim, author of My People, the Amish.
On the brink of choosing between her Amish upbringing and a life beyond it, Hannah’s world is violently upended when she becomes entangled in a brutal crime. Hannah is accused of a murder she didn’t commit.
Bound by Amish traditions of silence yet facing prison and disgrace for her family, she must decide whether to protect her community’s values or break every rule she was raised with to help catch a killer and clear her name—before she loses both her freedom and the people she loves.
A gripping Amish crime thriller about loyalty, identity, and how far one woman will go when silence is no longer an option.
Fans of Amish suspense won’t want to miss The In-Between Girl. Kelly Irvin, two-time winner of Selah Awards and Readers Choice Awards.
"A rich and multi-layered novel, evocative, powerful, and beautifully written." Terri Nixon, author of The Penhaligon Saga
"Full of emotion, danger, and heart. It shows how courage can help us stand strong, even when the path is hard." Joe Keim, author of My People, the Amish.
334 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 29, 2025
1 person is currently reading
20 people want to read
About the author
Sheelagh Aston
2 books6 followersSheelagh is a visually impaired writer based in the UK.
She has been writing since she could hold a pen. Her novels weave together suspenseful plots exploring how people find their inner worth and place in the world. She freelances for radio, magazines, and anthologies for a wide range of genres. She is a member of the UK Association of Christian Writers and Society of Authors GB.
She regularly contributes to Wild Ink Publishing writers' blog and ACW award winning More Than Writers blog. Her work has been published in anthologies and magazines online and print.
When not writing, she can be found walking with her black Labrador in the beautiful northeast countryside or quilting.
In-Between Girl, Resolute Books is published by Resolute Books and is the first book in The Birchwood Series.
She has been writing since she could hold a pen. Her novels weave together suspenseful plots exploring how people find their inner worth and place in the world. She freelances for radio, magazines, and anthologies for a wide range of genres. She is a member of the UK Association of Christian Writers and Society of Authors GB.
She regularly contributes to Wild Ink Publishing writers' blog and ACW award winning More Than Writers blog. Her work has been published in anthologies and magazines online and print.
When not writing, she can be found walking with her black Labrador in the beautiful northeast countryside or quilting.
In-Between Girl, Resolute Books is published by Resolute Books and is the first book in The Birchwood Series.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 9, 2025
There's a lot of interest, even fascination, with the Amish. They exist alongside mainstream western culture, but remain resolutely different and apart - quite visibly so, with their dress and customs on display wherever the two worlds come into contact. But this contact can create tensions, and even stresses, especially for young people growing up on this invisible borderland.
And it is that borderland and these tensions that not only make the fascinating background for Aston's novel, but also drive the plot.
Hannah is an Amish struggling to make choices for her future, watching her friends asking the same questions as her but coming up with different answers. Her decisions are made vastly more difficult when the 'English' world intrudes violently and tragically into her Amish life.
Aston does a masterful job of showing how culture clash, crime and family secrets all combine to force Hannah into making very difficult choices. Well paced, and with strongly developed (and developing) characters, this is not just an exciting story (though it has plenty of tension and mystery along the way) but also a deep and thoughtful consideration of the challenges that arise when different ways of thinking come into close contact: and of the ways in which those challenges can be faced and resolved.
I found the Author's Notes at the end of the book quite interesting as well. In this she recounts her own experience of how different faith communities can work together for the common good. Hannah's story may be fiction, but it is grounded in fact, and the dilemmas she faces are real for many people.
And it is that borderland and these tensions that not only make the fascinating background for Aston's novel, but also drive the plot.
Hannah is an Amish struggling to make choices for her future, watching her friends asking the same questions as her but coming up with different answers. Her decisions are made vastly more difficult when the 'English' world intrudes violently and tragically into her Amish life.
Aston does a masterful job of showing how culture clash, crime and family secrets all combine to force Hannah into making very difficult choices. Well paced, and with strongly developed (and developing) characters, this is not just an exciting story (though it has plenty of tension and mystery along the way) but also a deep and thoughtful consideration of the challenges that arise when different ways of thinking come into close contact: and of the ways in which those challenges can be faced and resolved.
I found the Author's Notes at the end of the book quite interesting as well. In this she recounts her own experience of how different faith communities can work together for the common good. Hannah's story may be fiction, but it is grounded in fact, and the dilemmas she faces are real for many people.
January 22, 2026
Thanks to Sheelagh for sending me a copy of her book for review.
From the synopsis alone, this wouldn't be a book I'd normally pick up for myself, but I'm glad Sheelagh sent it to me because it was eye opening.
I've read Sheelagh's bio on her website and there's nothing about being Amish on there so I'm not sure what her background is in terms of that, but I'm impressed by the detail she's gone into.
The Amish are not a group of people I tend to think about. Not in an ignoring kind of way, but they're just people, and so apart from what I've seen on telly, I don't have much knowledge of them so this was really informative.
She's focussed a lot on the tensions between the Amish communities and everyone else. And sadly that's still true because they're a people who are misunderstood to most - including me.
It's not all twists and turns but there are enough surprises and cliffhangers to keep you on your toes.
It's a mixture of a contemporary, literary story and a thriller; it's very thoughtful, it's got such depth to it and layered, interesting characters.
It's a thriller, but it's about faith, commmunity, love, identity, self-worth, gender, relationships, friendships, priorities, choices - what would you do for your freedom?
It is a very heavy book emotionally, so be aware it may not be for the quiet, calming, relaxed reader. You will need to invest your time in it and it is a lot.
Would I have preferred it to either be a thriller or a contemporary story? At times yes. But I think overall she's got the balance spot on.
From the synopsis alone, this wouldn't be a book I'd normally pick up for myself, but I'm glad Sheelagh sent it to me because it was eye opening.
I've read Sheelagh's bio on her website and there's nothing about being Amish on there so I'm not sure what her background is in terms of that, but I'm impressed by the detail she's gone into.
The Amish are not a group of people I tend to think about. Not in an ignoring kind of way, but they're just people, and so apart from what I've seen on telly, I don't have much knowledge of them so this was really informative.
She's focussed a lot on the tensions between the Amish communities and everyone else. And sadly that's still true because they're a people who are misunderstood to most - including me.
It's not all twists and turns but there are enough surprises and cliffhangers to keep you on your toes.
It's a mixture of a contemporary, literary story and a thriller; it's very thoughtful, it's got such depth to it and layered, interesting characters.
It's a thriller, but it's about faith, commmunity, love, identity, self-worth, gender, relationships, friendships, priorities, choices - what would you do for your freedom?
It is a very heavy book emotionally, so be aware it may not be for the quiet, calming, relaxed reader. You will need to invest your time in it and it is a lot.
Would I have preferred it to either be a thriller or a contemporary story? At times yes. But I think overall she's got the balance spot on.
September 7, 2025
IN–BETWEEN GIRL
I found Sheelagh Aston’s "In-Between Girl" to be very interesting and well-written. Each chapter ends with a cliffhanger spurring readers on in eagerness. The book explores thought-provoking themes, including cultural conflict, self-identity, unevenly yoked relationships, gender, Amish traditions, marriage pressure, and faith. The book primarily focuses on Hannah and what motivates her to choose the option she ultimately takes to resolve the cultural conflict she faces. This spoke to me about being courageous to choose freedom and happiness for the benefit of my well-being. The characters are very realistic and relatable. We are all faced with choices and the consequences of the choices we make in life. Like in real life, the characters experience the ups and downs of life. If you like tension, suspense, and surprises, then this is the book for you. It is worth its five stars.
I found Sheelagh Aston’s "In-Between Girl" to be very interesting and well-written. Each chapter ends with a cliffhanger spurring readers on in eagerness. The book explores thought-provoking themes, including cultural conflict, self-identity, unevenly yoked relationships, gender, Amish traditions, marriage pressure, and faith. The book primarily focuses on Hannah and what motivates her to choose the option she ultimately takes to resolve the cultural conflict she faces. This spoke to me about being courageous to choose freedom and happiness for the benefit of my well-being. The characters are very realistic and relatable. We are all faced with choices and the consequences of the choices we make in life. Like in real life, the characters experience the ups and downs of life. If you like tension, suspense, and surprises, then this is the book for you. It is worth its five stars.
August 29, 2025
The brilliantly-titled In-Between Girl is a rich and multi-layered novel, evocative and powerful, and is beautifully written.
The story follows nineteen-year-old Hannah as she navigates, not only some of the biggest key moments in her life, but some unforseeable and dangerous events as well. Friends she has known all her life are changing around her, and the shape of Hannah’s own future is uncertain; she has to evaluate everyone differently now, and the danger in which she finds herself shows her that not everyone’s story can have a happy ending.
The author has found that perfect balance point of action and emotion, and woven it into an often tense story, which provides fascinating insight into a lesser-explored community life and is told with respect, and great care for tradition. I very much look forward to reading further volumes in this series.
The story follows nineteen-year-old Hannah as she navigates, not only some of the biggest key moments in her life, but some unforseeable and dangerous events as well. Friends she has known all her life are changing around her, and the shape of Hannah’s own future is uncertain; she has to evaluate everyone differently now, and the danger in which she finds herself shows her that not everyone’s story can have a happy ending.
The author has found that perfect balance point of action and emotion, and woven it into an often tense story, which provides fascinating insight into a lesser-explored community life and is told with respect, and great care for tradition. I very much look forward to reading further volumes in this series.
September 1, 2025
This book drew me into the world of Hannah, an Amish girl on the cusp of womanhood. Faced with a choice that will decide the rest of her life she is swayed one way and then another, as she lives in two worlds; her upbringing as a simple Amish girl and the life she could lead if she decided to live out in the world. Sheelagh’s knowledge of the Amish community is comprehensive, and so she writes with confidence about her subject. Her exploration of forgiveness and the nature of community is beautiful, even when set amongst the horror of drugs. She has brought this community to life, and has introduced us to characters with depth and heart. This book is worth reading, and left me questioning some of my own beliefs on forgiveness and love. I do not think it will leave you unchanged. Looking forward to the next part of the story.
September 21, 2025
This is the story of Hannah, a nineteen year old Amish girl who is exploring life beyond the borders of her community. She must decide whether to be baptised and remain in her faith or to leave and join the way of the English. Others that she knows (childhood friends) are also enjoying this time of freedom and some have already made the decision and have left there Amish roots behind. Hannah is torn between the two worlds and unwittingly, at first, is drawn into something that will spiral beyond her control.
She can't save everyone. The question is, can she even save herself.
This is a fascinating look at Amish tradition and the conflicts of two different communities living side-by-side. For Hannah, there is appeal on both sides but she can't live in both worlds. Choice comes with sacrifice.
She can't save everyone. The question is, can she even save herself.
This is a fascinating look at Amish tradition and the conflicts of two different communities living side-by-side. For Hannah, there is appeal on both sides but she can't live in both worlds. Choice comes with sacrifice.
December 21, 2025
Not knowing much about the Amish, I was intrigued by the premise of Aston’s novel.
Hannah, the protagonist, faces a choice between two ways of life - the Amish way she’s grown up in, or a more worldly way. What’s already a difficult and life changing decision becomes even harder and more complex when the “English” world collides violently with hers. Suddenly, her choices affect more than just her own future.
Aston brilliantly captures the tensions and challenges Hannah faces, torn between two very different cultures.
Additionally, Aston does a great job of exploring what life is like in these communities, where two very different ways of life co-exist.
I’m very much looking forward to reading more of Hannah’s story in future books.
Hannah, the protagonist, faces a choice between two ways of life - the Amish way she’s grown up in, or a more worldly way. What’s already a difficult and life changing decision becomes even harder and more complex when the “English” world collides violently with hers. Suddenly, her choices affect more than just her own future.
Aston brilliantly captures the tensions and challenges Hannah faces, torn between two very different cultures.
Additionally, Aston does a great job of exploring what life is like in these communities, where two very different ways of life co-exist.
I’m very much looking forward to reading more of Hannah’s story in future books.
August 29, 2025
Fans of Amish suspense won’t want to miss The In-Between Girl, the first book in Sheelagh Aston’s The Birchwood Inheritance series. Hannah must choose between her life in a tight-knit Amish community or striking out on her own to live a more worldly life. The two choices are made all the more stark when a severed hand lands at her feet on a bitter cold morning. The chilling event leads Hannah down a dark path that includes drug dealing, murder, and being accused of a crime she didn’t commit. Who can she trust? Aston deftly weaves together a tale of danger, friendships lost and gained, love, and faith in this moving story of finding oneself despite overwhelming circumstances.
August 9, 2025
In-Between Girl is a riveting, emotionally charged novel exploring identity within the Amish community. Sheelagh Aston's meticulous storytelling captivates readers, while protagonist Hannah's struggles engage and move us. A powerful, unforgettable read that I highly recommend to fans of suspenseful and character-driven stories.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews