Losing Francesca

by J.A. Huss

[Angie]

Wow. Losing Francesca is certainly something different! The description immediately grabbed my attention and I knew I had to read this one! Francesca is taken into custody by the FBI upon arriving to customs at the airport. Her face was recognized as a match to a progressive drawing of a girl who was kidnapped twelve years ago. What was suppose to be a fun summer before college becomes a legal battle before the judge pronounces her Fiona Sullivan and returns to her to the Sullivan farm. Now she's stuck there until Fiona turns 18, unless her father shows up proving otherwise. Francesca is determined to make life hell for her foster family, but she never expected Brody--the boy who looked for Fiona every day for 4 years and isn't about to let her go again.

I was on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading Losing Francesca. It's not an action filled story by any means, but it is suspenseful in its own way. Nothing about Francesca's story added up. She was found with multiple passports, all with different names. She failed several polygraph tests regarding her identity. She has the same unusual silver eyes as the missing Fiona. She refuses to tell anybody her real name, where she's from, who her father is, or what he does. Even the vague memories she does share are reeking with suspicion. Who is Francesca really? During the weeks she spends with the Sullivans, even she starts to doubt what she knows about herself.

While the focus is on Francesca's identity and the mystery of Fiona, there is a romance. It's not a sexed up romance that I'm sure we've all come to expect from New Adult, but it's still a great one! Brody was probably the most devastated when Fiona disappeared. They were just little kids and he believed she was his soulmate. Now that he thinks she's back, he's ready to convince her of this fact. Lucky for him, Francesca is not settling in too well, and he provides the listening ear and escape that she needs. Their relationship slowly builds and I totally believed them. I wanted Francesca to be Fiona for him! She ends up wanting that too, and who's to say that she's not.

Losing Francesca goes out with a bang! I had formed my outrageous theory and was only partially correct. The whole truth was unexpected, but I'm glad it wasn't a complicated mess of shock after shock. It's pretty straight forward, but it's still a great conclusion to the question of where did Fiona Sullivan go and who is Francesca Sabatini. I highly recommend this to YA and NA fans alike, since it definitely has crossover appeal.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.