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There You’ll Find Me by Jenny B Jones
Series: Standalone
Published: October 3rd, 2011
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Publishers
307 pages (paperback)
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult/Christian Fiction
Acquired this book: Bought
Warning: May contain spoilers
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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?
Confession: I normally avoid Christian fiction. The themes tend to either make me mad or make me roll my eyes throughout the book. Despite the mention of God in the synopsis, I didn’t realize There You’ll Find Me was Christian fiction. The mention of ‘Ireland’ drew me in, since I’m obsessed with all things Irish and there are so few books actually set there. I was wary when I realized this book dealt with religion, but ended up really appreciating how that aspect of the book was handled, and the fact the story dealt with a lot of issues besides just Finley feeling like God had abandoned her since her brother’s death.
Finley has been through a lot in the last two years. Her brother died in a horrible accident, leaving her wondering where God was and why he took her brother. She kind of spiraled out after that, partying, disappointing and upsetting her parents, and getting her name splashed across headlines since she comes from a famous family. When she meets Beckett - super hot, charming, and famous - she doesn’t swoon the way most girls do around him. In fact, she wants nothing to do with him because she’s determined to turn her life around, focus on school and her music, and find God in Ireland, the way her brother did before he died.
Having dealt with the depression, anger, sadness, and countless other emotions that come with grief, I connected with and understood Finley in many ways. I'll admit I didn’t always like her, but I appreciated that she was realistically flawed, and I admired her persistence, her intelligence, her strength, and her ambition. This book went into heavy territory at times, dealing with serious, painful issues, but it was handled well. It had plenty of sweet, cute, funny moments mixed in with the serious ones, and it struck a good balance between heavy and light, as well as heartbreaking and hopeful.
This book was full of great secondary characters. I liked Finley’s Irish host family, the nun she grew close to at school, and her crotchety adopted school project grandmother, Mrs. Sweeney. Finley’s interactions with Mrs. Sweeney were actually some of my favourite parts in the book. I liked how such a miserable old woman taught Finley so much and helped with her growth. Then, of course there was Beckett. His and Finley’s interactions ranged from funny to sweet to romantic and everything in between. He had surprising depth, and I enjoyed seeing them go from hostility on Finley’s part to tentative friendship to something more.
There You’ll Find Me is an emotional story about love, loss, moving on after tragedy, and finding yourself and your faith. It had a great cast of characters and an engaging plot. I particularly loved seeing Ireland through Finley’s eyes, and I have a feeling that when I finally do make it to Ireland someday, I’ll think of her and her search for God.
Have
you read There You'll Find Me? What did you think? If you
haven't read it, do you plan to? Do you have a favourite book set in Ireland? Do you enjoy books with religious themes? Let's chat!
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