Finding Me by Kathryn Cushman

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Title: Finding Me
Author: Kathryn Cushman
To Be Published: April 2015
Published By: Bethany House Publishers
Format Read: ARC, Ebook, Kobo
Genre: Contemporary, Christian Fiction
Read: March 27 2015
Rating: 3.5/5

I was sent an ARC of Finding Me by Kathryn Cushman, by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

After the tragic death of her father and step-mother, Kelli is left with the task of sorting through their family home and preparing it for sale. All her life she was led to believe that her mother and two siblings died in a fire when she was a baby. However while cleaning out her father’s safe she learns the shocking truth that he had been lying to her all along. In fact her family were alive and had been living in Tennessee all along. Her real name wasn’t even Kelli and his wasn’t Don. Finding Me follows the young woman on a journey which leads Kelli to her place of birth in search of answers as to why her father made the terrible decisions he did. 

The mystery of why a man would fake not only his own death but that of his infant daughter as well, drew me in instantly. I couldn’t wait to see how the story unfolded, as there were many different avenues the author could have taken the story. Although this book is full of tragedy and heartache, it is considered Christian fiction so it isn’t overly heavy and it certainly isn’t vulgar or violent. While it is true that I do enjoy edgier stories from time to time, reading this was refreshing and those characteristics would have taken away from the true meaning the author was trying to convey. This was about a young woman trying to find herself at a time in her life when her world was turned upside down. I found the characters to be interesting, especially Kenmore an old friend of Kelli’s father. The pace of the writing made for a quick read. 

My one pet peeve regarding Finding Me was in the formatting. However this is due in part it being an ARC version. Hopefully there will be more of a definition between the narration and journal entries in the finished book. 

Without giving too much away, a romance develops between two of the characters, which I found to be unnecessary to the story. Perhaps I feel this way because it was introduced so late in the book. There were times throughout the story that I went almost too smoothly, which felt unrealistic, but I tried to ignore those instances because I enjoyed the story too much to let myself nitpick. 

In closing I really did enjoy reading Finding Me and I would consider reading more from this author in the future. I would recommend it to those who enjoy contemporary Christian fiction. Although it is an adult book, its content would be suitable for young adult readers to enjoy as well.