What would you do if you discovered you weren’t who you thought you were? Sounds impossible right? In Finding Me by Kathryn Cushman, main character Kelly discovers that her father lied to her her entire life. She has a family she thought had died years before when she was an infant. Inspired by two real life stories, Cushman explores the importance of identity and the repercussions when that is turned on its head. There are a number of issues explored in this contemporary women’s fiction — seeking truth regardless of fears/doubts/loss, the importance of finding personal faith, and the dangers of fitting/changing God’s word to suit our circumstances. My book club had a wonderful discussion of this book. We had several favorite characters, as well as some who annoyed us. 😉 Kelly was a relatable character whose emotions rang true. Plus we all had a rest of the story wish for the novel. Finding Me was a thought-provoking read which earned a unanimous thumbs-up!

Recommended.

Audience: Adults.

(I purchased this book from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) ( )

MY THOUGHTS ON THIS BOOK

Reading the blurb about this story had me wanting to read this book to find out what happened to Kelli. I can’t imagine finding something like this when she is all alone. Author Kathryn Cushman does an amazing job writing this story. There was a lot to tension going on. My heart was hurting for Kelli for just about the entire story. I enjoyed taking the journey with her as she went hunting to find answers about her family. There were lots of characters to meet. All were interesting and for the most part did what they could to help Kelli. This will be a story that will hang with me for a long time. And I will be watching for Kathryn’s books in the future. I also appreciate that Ms. Cushman clearly sends the message that God loves us not matter what, and that he went to the cross and died for our sins. And it wasn’t told in a preachy way, it was more subtle. This book is one anyone would enjoy. And I highly recommend it!

A special thanks to the author/publisher for a copy of this book. I am not required to write a positive review, the opinions here are mine alone. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 25 ( )

Finding Me by Kathryn Cushman is a bittersweet novel that is also quite thought-provoking. This lovely story of faith, love, friendship and family also has a slight element of intrigue. Redemption, atonement and forgiveness are underlying themes as well.

Kelli Huddleston is still deeply grieving the loss of her stepmother and beloved father when she discovers information that casts doubt on her entire past. Led to believe her mother and siblings died in a fire in Louisiana, she is stunned to uncover evidence that her father faked both of their deaths and abandoned the rest of their family. Desperate to understand why her father would make such an inexplicable decision, Kelli returns to her birthplace in search of answers.

Kelli's growing disillusionment with her father quickly turns to anger after she meets her mom, sister and his business partner. Learning more about the circumstances of the time leading up to his disappearance just increases her confusion and when she discovers the financial straits he left them in, she realizes that she really did not her father as well as she thought. Kelli wants to make amends for her dad's misdeeds, but will her involvement cause more pain in the long run? Will admitting the truth about her identity cost her the relationships she is beginning to treasure?

Kelli remains conflicted for much of the story as she tries to reconcile the devoted father she knew with the man who callously deserts the rest of their family to begin a new life. She keeps her true identity hidden but her new friends sense something is not quite right about her reasons for coming to town. Kelli wants to get to know her mother and sister, but she is afraid that revealing the truth will cause more harm than good. As she becomes more and more involved with their lives, she begins to have serious doubts about maintaining a relationship with them once she returns to her regular life. An added complication is an unexpected romance and Kelli decides to run away from her problems instead of facing them head on.

Finding Me is an engrossing novel that has a gentle undercurrent of faith. The storyline is fresh and the conflict feels very real. The characters are three-dimensional and their reactions to the various situations ring true. Kathryn Cushman brings this moving story to a heartfelt conclusion is realistic and emotionally satisfying.
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Finding Me by Kathryn Cushman is a quick read with interesting characters but an unrealistic plot.

After Kelli loses her father and step-mother in an accident, she learns a long kept secret about their past. It drives her to head to the tiny town of Shoal Creek, Tennessee, where she meets people from her past that she didn’t know existed.

I think my favorite part of Finding Me was the cast of supporting characters, especially those from the small town of Shoal Creek. So many of us have a little community that makes up our lives, and within that are a variety of people. So many of them important to us in so many different ways. Cushman captured that feeling in her supporting characters.

I did think that the ease with which Kelli slips into an entirely new life doesn’t hold true to what I know to be the murky, messy reality of life with broken people and broken relationships, especially during a time of grief. In that way, it’s kind of a fairy tale. That may make it pleasant to read, but unrealistic to believe.

Overall, Finding Me is a simple, quick way to pass the time this summer, but for me, it isn’t a keeper.

I received a complimentary copy of Finding Me from Bethany House Publishers, but I was not otherwise compensated for this review. All writing, thoughts, and opinions are solely mine. ( )

Finding Me is a story of courage as Kelli finds the truth about who she is and what has happened to get to this point. She has always heard the story growing up about what happened to the rest of her family, but now that her father is dead, she finds out that things are not what they seem to be.
I would find it hard to have my life turned upside down as Kelli did and applaud her courage in going ahead to find the truth. This book was one that will keep you reading just to find out the next twist.
I received this book free to review. ( )