Finding You by Lydia Albano | Book Review

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Taken from home and family, all they have is each other: a young woman learns to rely on her inner strength in this suspenseful debut that celebrates the power of true love and never giving up.

Isla is kidnapped from a train platform in broad daylight and thrust into a nightmare when she is sold to a sadistic aristocrat. Locked in a dungeon with a dozen other girls, Isla's only comfort is a locket and the memory of the boy she loves. But as the days pass and more girls disappear, she realizes that help is not coming... If they're going to survive, they'll have to escape on their own.

Chosen by readers like you for Macmillan's young adult imprint Swoon Reads, Lydia Albano's debut novel Finding You is a powerful story of a teen girl finding strength and hope even in the worst circumstances.

Praise for Finding You, from the Swoon Reads community:

"This is a story that will give you chills and keep you turning pages until the very end. I know it did that for me. The world needs more books like this one." —Samantha Chaffin, reader on SwoonReads.com

"Through this experience, these girls—especially Isla—grow and become stronger...despite never thinking they could be anything but weak. Girls can be smart, strong, and badass." —Chen Yan Chang, reader on SwoonReads.com

"So many times while reading this book I read the same sentences over and again because I loved the word choices and the imagery they crafted. Beautifully and thoughtfully written, suspenseful, engaging, and wonderfully substantive." —Suellen Foreman, reader on SwoonReads.com

Finding You by Lydia Albano is one of those books that is kind of hard to categorize into a genre. Sure, it is easy to say that the audience is young adult. However, the society and world in this book are fictional. There’s no magic though. The technology is not clearly laid out – there’s both carriages and cars. Regardless of genre, this release from Swoon Reads kept me interested from beginning to end.

Essentially Lydia Albano’s Finding You opens up with main character Isla waving off her childhood friend Tam as he goes away to basic camp for the military. Isla realizes that she deeply loves Tam. Unfortunately for her, some hands come up behind her and drag her off, kidnapping her. It is then a journey through Industria and she ends up with a group of other girls at this sadistic aristocrat’s home. Isla finds hope in her locket that Tam gave her, initially believing he will come to save her. Reality comes at you kind of fast and so it is up to her to save the girls from a terrible fate and the worst of violations.

Isla really exhibits a lot of growth in this book. When we first start, she’s kind of naive and timid. She experiences adventure and bravery only through books. Now, thrust into a real and scary situation where others are depending on her, it’s like she sprouts this hidden well of courage. However, I also liked that she continued to have faith and hope in her love for Tam. Then it is like she is a girl on a mission. I am 100% all about that, especially as she gets revenge.

Although Finding You is a book from the Swoon Reads imprint, I felt like romance was not the main drive behind this book. Yes, Tam and Isla have feelings for each other. However, they do not really have a lot of page time together. Actually, most of the scenes with Tam are just flashbacks from Isla’s memory. Then when Tam does show up, it is not totally swoonworthy. Despite all that, I rooted for those two kids.

For the most part, Finding You is a decent read. I think there are scenes with Isla and the girls that are particularly hard to stomach — as they are held captive by Curram. This book does not shy away from the horrors of human trafficking. It’s hard to read about these girls being seen as commodities, property. I am glad though that this book is not unrelenting. We get some relief from the horrors we are presented with, which made it so I could actually finish this book and easily move on to the next one.

Other reviews of Finding You by Lydia Albano:

• Book Lady’s Reviews – “I didn’t manage to connect with the characters completely“
• Lauren’s Crammed Bookshelf – “an incredibly strong debut“
• The Page Unbound – “isn’t for the faint of heart“

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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