Today is a special treat because we have a NEW REVIEWER joining us. Her name is also Kate (confusing, I know), but we’ll find a way to distinguish between our two Kates somehow. As for now, just know that she’s awesome and we’ll hopefully get her into WordPress soon so she can start posting her own reviews.
Enjoy!
I somehow must have glossed over this book’s summary, because it was not exactly the story I had been expecting. That being said, I found Finley’s journey quite lovely, and I was happy to have gone along for the ride.
Grief brought Finley to Ireland. Love will lead her home.
Finley Sinclair is not your typical eighteen-year-old. She’s witty, tough, and driven. With an upcoming interview at the Manhattan music conservatory, Finley needs to compose her audition piece. But her creativity disappeared with the death of her older brother, Will.
She decides to study abroad in Ireland so she can follow Will’s travel journal. It’s the place he felt closest to God, and she’s hopeful being there will help her make peace over losing him. So she agrees to an exchange program and boards the plane.
Beckett Rush, teen heartthrob and Hollywood bad boy, is flying to Ireland to finish filming his latest vampire movie. On the flight, he meets Finley. She’s the one girl who seems immune to his charm. Undeterred, Beckett convinces her to be his assistant in exchange for his help as a tour guide.
Once in Ireland, Finley starts to break down. The loss of her brother and the pressure of school, her audition, and whatever it is that is happening between her and Beckett, leads her to a new and dangerous vice. When is God going to show up for her in this emerald paradise?
Then she experiences something that radically changes her perspective on life. Could it be God convincing her that everything she’s been looking for has been with her all along?
I’ll be completely honest: the main reason I picked up this book was that it was set in IRELAND. I’m a sucker for international tales, particularly those that happen in the United Kingdom. Throw in a love story with that and I’m generally a goner.
As I read There You’ll Find Me, it became clear that while the gorgeous Irish boy was indeed a part of Finley’s overseas experience, he was by far not the most integral part (although the fact that this was one of his intro lines made me swoon:“His voice carried a hint of Ireland.” YES, PLEASE.). Essentially this was her journey to find closure after her brother’s death, and a key element of this was opening her heart and head to God once again and realising that he had not abandoned her despite how she might have felt over the tumultuous last year.
This Christian theme was what I had not expected when I began reading. It took a little bit to get into the groove of how it fit together with the rest of the puzzle pieces, but ultimately I liked how it gelled with everything else. Everybody believes in something, and this was Finley’s particular faith. What I liked was that it helped her grow as a character, which is really all I want from a story sometimes.
Beckett was a charming, seemingly cocky (but of course really not so much when you got to know him) actor. I threw plausibility out the window here and just accepted him in all his Irish glory. I love how he helped Finley, and she in turn gave him some of the confidence he needed to take certain leaps. My one complaint is that he had to be doing a vampire series of movies (there was even a mention of Twilight thrown in at one point). Sometimes cultural references like that work and add to a story, but in this one it just bugged me.
The ending didn’t wrap everything up in a neat little bow, which I appreciated. It gave a more tangible finish to a story which was larger than life in some aspects. While the big questions were answered, I could imagine where other parts of their lives would go from there, which provided a nice balance.
Overall, I don’t think this is a story for everyone, but if you’re in the mood for something a little quieter in pace with some beautiful and lively scenery as a backdrop, I would add it to your pile.