There You'll Find Me

Grief is perhaps the most unpredictable of emotions. It changes from situation to situation, from person to person. Finley Sinclair is stuck in a deep black place following the death of her older brother Will. He was a humanitarian and CNN reporter, with a passion for building schools in Afghanistan. Islamic terrorists blew up one of his schools, taking him, a host of kids and parents along with Finley's faith and happiness from this world. She reacted by going wild, then falling into a serious depression. Therapy helped somewhat, but she's still pretty much a wounded bird who feels that God has abandoned her. It used to be that her passion for music, either by playing violin or piano, would make her feel whole, but the piece she's been unable to finish, the one she needs to nail at a college audition, remains without an ending. When the story opens, Finley's on her way to Ireland for a year as an exchange student to be a member of the O'Callaghan family which is comprised of Sean, recently retired from the military, Nora, his wife, pre-teen Liam, obsessed with Legos and girls and Erin, a super smart girl who is Finley's age. They operate a bed and breakfast in Abbeyglen, the town where Will spent a similar exchange year. Finley's hoping that by visiting the places Will described in his journal covering that year, she can find the missing notes and complete her composition. Her life gets complicated and interesting when the stewardess offers her a vacant seat in first class and she wakes with her head nestled on the shoulder of hot teen actor Beckett Rush, on his way to film a new vampire movie at a castle in Abbeyglen. While sparks fly, Finley's extremely wary of having anything to do with him, in part because she's trying to get well past the sensation her acting out caused when she lost it after Will's death, but more so because she can't imagine having anything to do with someone whose picture is in countless tabloids carousing with eager young starlets. Surprises continue in an interesting succession. When she starts as a senior at the all girls high school, she meets Beatrice Plummer, the queen bee whose cousin is starring opposite Beckett. She's a truly nasty person and warns Finley off as soon as she has an inkling there might be anything brewing. If Finley has her way, she'll never see him again, but it turns out he's staying at the B&B and often eats with the O'Callaghans because they make him feel normal. When Finley can't sleep one night, she heads out for some fresh air and finds Beckett reading his lines. He talks her into reading the other parts and realizes that something about their interaction makes him better able to internalize his dialogue. He proposes a deal. If she'll become his assistant, he'll take her to the places mentioned in Will's journal and help her find the mysterious Celtic cross that was in a photo on the last page. Finley hesitates, but she has a strong feeling that if she can find this grave, it will unlock the rest of the piece. School involves a couple other things which will alter her life in amazing ways. Her English teacher assigns a senior citizen residing at a local nursing home to each of them. Finley gets Cathleen Sweeney who is dying from bone cancer and intimidates the heck out of her. It takes a while, but with encouragement from the staff and eventually from Beckett, she starts to realize the woman is hurting as much, if not more than she is, and if she can figure out why and fix it, she might start feeling better herself. Her other encounter is with Sister Maria, her music tutor who is as cool a nun as you could ever ask for. It's her feedback and questions that help Finley start to regain her lost faith in God and begin to look outside herself. What really pulled me in was the way Finley's relationship with Beckett evolved. They're a lot more alike than either is willing to admit and the slow and uneven way their romance grows is great to follow. Finley has a terrible time trying to regain the faith and belief in God that was a huge part of her life before Will was killed. Her way of coping with people getting close to her and discovering the depth of her fears manifests itself in a very scary way near the end of the book, but the ending is just about perfect. I bought this right after reading the author's YA trilogy A Charmed Life because that series was flat-out funny and next to impossible to put down. This book was just as good, but in a feel-good romance way. I thought the main characters were very likable, the spark level just right and the ending satisfying. It's a great book to add to either a young adult or Christian fiction collection and I'm sure plenty of my library patrons will agree.

A MUST READ!!! This book was well written, smooth flowing with characters who are full of real life flaws making them relateable. This is a story about love and loss, forgiveness and grace, healing and recapturing the hope that only God can give. The past two years have been rough for 18 year old Finley Sinclair, beginning with the death of her older brother Will at the hands of terrorists and ending with a series of bad choices that have left her feeling empty inside; unable to hear God's voice. In an effort to fix things in her life, she decides to follow in Will's footsteps and heads Ireland to finish out her Senior Year of High School. Equipped with Will's journal, depicting all the places he visited while staying in Ireland, and a fierce determination she hopes to retrace his steps and get back what's been missing in her own life. Along the way she meets some interesting people who help her to see that sometimes, trusting and releasing control is the only way to be able to truly see and hear God. Like any teenager, Finley has to navigate her way through friendships, boys and mean girls at school but she also has her on going battle with grief to deal with. Her coping skills aren't the best and she finds herself in a serious battle with food and body image issues. She's surrounded by stereotypical "Hollywood" types as well as the Irish girls she encounters at school who she sees as being tiny and beautiful. She fights a daily battle with what she sees in the mirror verses what the world sees when they look at her. Thankfully, she has people who love and care for her and want to help her but she has to be willing to give up control. One of the people she meets who doesn't fit into her well laid plans is 19 year old Beckett Rush. Their first encounter is both awkward and funny and certainly isn't their last. Beckett is a native Irishman who is tall, blonde, gorgeous and just happens to be Hollywood's current "It boy". Finley knows "his type" and she's neither impressed nor interested. Through a series of humorous events and witty banter, Beckett ends up as Finley's tour guide of Ireland and they both discover that things aren't always what they seem from the outside. (You can't always believe everything you see on t.v. or read in the checkout line.) As the line of their friendship begins to blur, they both have to figure out what it means to be who you truly are and to live a life that has meaning. Sister Maria is Finley's music tutor and one funny nun! (I spent 8 years in Catholic school. I can attest to the lack of humor some nuns have.) She is loving and patient with Finley while also imparting wisdom. She helps her to understand that sometimes it's not that God isn't speaking to us but that we weren't listening. She explains to Finley that sometimes we hold onto our anger, our control like an addiction because it's easier then letting go. (I could so relate to this exchange it was scary) "To truly try means to accept God's love, his healing, to accept the world can be ugly, but your heart doesn't have to be. It takes courage, Finley the warrior. You haven't held on to your anger and bitterness in search of healing, but as a banner of your hurt. Because it's real and visible and strong, " she said. "But so is God's love and so are those arms he's holding out for you." This was a clean book which was refreshing, no profanity, no sex yet it had plenty of romantic tension and I enjoyed the Scripture that was woven throughout it. Jones, did a wonderful job of describing the layout of the Emerald Isle, bringing all the important landmarks to life.

Haven’t read in a while and just googled this book! Kept me on my toes and really learning each character. Has a fun romance side to it alongside a faith element with honest answers and questions in a persons life. Loved how it showed all sides and brought real life thoughts into the story to progress your thinking and the characters.

I love this author and I loved this book. Her books are funny, but have depth and deal with important topics. This book was very endearing, with plenty of interesting characters. Loved it!

This is the perfect reading if you’re looking to escape your country and dive into beautiful Ireland. The narrative is well written, and even though it’s light-hearted, it does bring to light some very important, relevant themes. I love this book and most definitely will read it again soon!

I bought this book by accident when messing around with my new Kindle, and I am so glad that I did. I absolutely adored this book. The complex and interesting characters, the setting which was a bit different, and the dark undertones which make the book a bit different to any other typical love story. I read one review that said the religion in it was a bit 'heavy' but I didn't find that to be true at all. It was tastefully handled and was fun to read. Most of all it made the character a bit more interesting rather than the atypical damsel in distressing moaning about every little thing. So, to summarise, a wonderful book. Even as an older reader, I thoroughly enjoyed it and would read it again.

Excellent read couldn't put it down