Book Review

Another lovely book provided by the publishers in exchange for an honest review, so here we go:

In Search of Us by Ava Dellaira

The author of the beloved Love Letters to the Dead returns with a parallel story of a mother and daughter each at age seventeen. Marilyn’s tale recounts the summer she fell in love and set out on her own path. Angie’s story is about her search for her unknown father.

This sweeping multi-generational love story introduces readers to mother-and-daughter pair Marilyn and Angie. To seventeen-year-old Angie, who is mixed-race, Marilyn is her hardworking, devoted white single mother. But Marilyn was once young, too. When Marilyn was seventeen, she fell in love with Angie’s father, James, who was African-American. But Angie’s never met him, and Marilyn has always told her he died before she was born. When Angie discovers evidence of an uncle she’s never met she starts to wonder: What if her dad is still alive, too? So she sets off on a journey to find him, hitching a ride to LA from her home in New Mexico with her ex-boyfriend, Sam. Along the way, she uncovers some hard truths about herself, her mother, and what truly happened to her father.

Rating:

I started this book without many expectations mostly because I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. I admit I wasn’t Angie’s biggest fan all through this, but I did love Marilyn and kept rooting for her.

The story spans through two generations, both of them at 17 and trying to figure out what to do next. Marilyn is trying to go to college while her mother keeps trying to get her to become a model and a wonderful Hollywood success (something that Marilyn isn’t too fussed about). After moving with her uncle, she ends up falling in love and you follow her story alongisde her daughter’s story (Angie).

It was interesting to see the generational change despite them being the same age while they tell their story. And I loved the little quirks of each character that made them their very own. I wasn’t too happy with Marilyn’s decision to move on and hide the truth from Angie, but otherwise, it was a lovely read.

Moon recommends

I’d say if you’re into family tales, try The Dissapearances or The Memory Trees, but In Search of Us is also a good choice (obviously).

This book is the “follow up” of Letters to the Lost, though it isn’t exactly and “after” but rather a “alongside”. And of course, it left me all emotional after I finished.

More Than We Can Tell by Brigid Kemmerer

Rev Fletcher is battling the demons of his past. But with loving adoptive parents by his side, he’s managed to keep them at bay…until he gets a letter from his abusive father and the trauma of his childhood comes hurtling back.

Emma Blue spends her time perfecting the computer game she built from scratch, rather than facing her parents’ crumbling marriage. She can solve any problem with the right code, but when an online troll’s harassment escalates, she’s truly afraid.

When Rev and Emma meet, they both long to lift the burden of their secrets and bond instantly over their shared turmoil. But when their situations turn dangerous, their trust in each other will be tested in ways they never expected. This must-read story will once again have readers falling for Brigid Kemmerer’s emotional storytelling.

Rating:

I fell in love with Brigid’s writing thanks to Letters to the Lost and when I found out that there was a story about Rev coming out, I had to have it. (And now that I know there is a new retelling one coming out next year, I want that one too, but that, is another story).

In More Than We Can Tell we meet Emma Blue, who wants to code and has her own videogame live on a server. And a player that bullies her massively because she is a girl and you know girls can’t game/code. (Of course we can, I’ve been coding since I was 11, and one of my first games was Carmen San Diego -if you do not know what that is, please don’t even dare to tell me I know nothing of games-). She also has a complicated relationship with her parents. And I get her, I understood Emma and the choices she made.

But you also have Rev, who we met in Letters to the Lost, and there are his own inner “demons” he has to fight. And since he was brought up in a religious environment, I also identified with him.

This meant that I had to take several pauses to breathe and let my mind rest. It triggered memories and tears, but it was good and it was therapeutic. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I just have to say Brigid is a master at emotions and being inside someone’s head, and I love that. Her characters are so alive because you can understand what they are feeling and thinking and it is amazing.

Moon Recommends

You read this book, and if you haven’t read it, Letters to the Lost too. And if you want books that punch you in the gut, then also I recommend After The Fire by Will Hill and A Ring Of Endless Light by Madeleine L’Engle. You will not regret this, but have tissues close by.