In Search of Us by Ava Dellaira

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 389 

Publisher: Hot Key Books 

Released: 6th of March 2018 

Marilyn is in search of freedom. She grew up as a child actor, her mother's meal ticket out of mediocrity. But it's been a long time since she booked a job, and she and her mother have no choice but to move in with her volatile uncle. Marilyn is counting down the days until she can escape to college, and the promise of her own future. That is, until she falls in love with James, the boy downstairs, who shows her that her life is worth living in the present. At 17, Marilyn is about to learn that everything can change in an instant.

Angie is in search of answers. She is mixed race and has never met her father, but she knows she looks and thinks a lot like him. Though Angie grew up with her devoted mother, Marilyn, she's always felt the absence of the man she never knew. But after discovering that her mother has been lying to her, Angie sets off on a road trip to Los Angeles, in search of an unknown uncle - and maybe even her dad. At 17, she hopes to finally find out the truth about where she came from so she can discover who she truly is.

What I Have to Say 

This was a fascinating story about the longing for identity and the secrets of the past. The only thing was that every time I got into a thread of the story, it switched back to the other thread. Though I liked both of the threads and Marilyn and Angie were both great characters, it just jarred me every time it switched. 

I got into it more as I got further into the book though and it felt less jarring. The best thing about it was the romance. Marilyn's relationship with James felt so very real, which is something that I don't find often with book romance. And Marilyn as a character was so great and vivid. She felt like someone I just wanted to know more and more about. 

Angie felt less detailed, but what I liked about her story was the sense of loss she felt at never knowing her father, never knowing anything about her father. Throughout the book she was searching for an identity that was so lacking throughout her childhood and was emphasised to her every time someone pointed out she didn't look like her mother. 

I look forward to reading more of Dellaira's books. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Hot Key Books for providing me with this copy for review.