In Search of Us by Ava Dellaira

Genre: young-adult, contemporary, realistic fiction

Published: March 6th 2018

Pages: 384

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Synopsis

This sweeping multi-generational love story introduces readers to mother-and-daughter pair Marilyn and Angie. To seventeen-year-old Angie, who is mixed-race, Marilyn is her hardworking, devoted white single mother. But Marilyn was once young, too. When Marilyn was seventeen, she fell in love with Angie’s father, James, who was African-American. But Angie’s never met him, and Marilyn has always told her he died before she was born. When Angie discovers evidence of an uncle she’s never met she starts to wonder: What if her dad is still alive, too? So she sets off on a journey to find him, hitching a ride to LA from her home in New Mexico with her ex-boyfriend, Sam. Along the way, she uncovers some hard truths about herself, her mother, and what truly happened to her father. (source)

Thoughts

If you guys are looking to read a fluffy, lighthearted book, then this is not the one for you.  And that’s because this book truly broke my heart. I actually had to put the book down for a while because it was quite the heavy read and I wasn’t in the mood for something so heartbreaking. Eventually, I knew it was time to finish it as I have been reading it for almost two months and I was more than halfway done by that point.

I’ve previously read Love Letters to The Dead by this author and I thought it was okay. It was slow-paced and I was quite bored reading the majority of it. And the same happened with In Search of Us. With this particular book, I couldn’t connect with any of the characters and it felt like nothing was happening. I will say however, the last 100 pages were some of the most heartbreaking pages I’ve ever read in a YA contemporary; so I will give it that.

As for the characters, I had a pretty difficult time connecting with them throughout, until the last half. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Angie’s character as she was very cynical and (almost) harsh to read about. Yet, I understand her reasoning for being the way she was (because being lied to by your mother throughout your whole childhood is not going to make you a nice person). Meanwhile, Marilyn was a little more likeable, but even then I had a hard time connecting with her. I will admit however, that I did enjoy reading about her and James’ romance. It was adorable and it felt realistic considering the time period (which was the late 90s).

Besides what I’ve mentioned, I don’t have too many thoughts on this book. The majority of it was pretty mediocre, with nothing happening until the last 100 pages. Honestly, if the book was like those last 100 pages, then I would’ve enjoyed this book a lot more. Nonetheless, the story was heartbreaking and the writing style emphasized that well.

Rate

3.75/5