Finding It (Losing It, #3)

by Cora Carmack

[kimbacaffeinate]

Caffeinated Aspects:

• Kelsey Summers has finished college and is losing herself traveling through Europe and it’s all funded by Daddy. From the start, we know she has issues. She came off as spoiled and shallow, but then Carmack peeled back her layers revealing the damage. As she did, I began to understand her, and like watching her emerge and grow into a confident woman.

• Jackson Hunt is yummy,! He is ex-military and sees his former self in Kelsey. Despite his secrets and the air of mystery surrounding him and his past, I connected with and liked him. In the beginning, we are unsure of his motives, and to some he might appear like a stalker. Carmack reveals things that help us understand and admire him.

• Europe! Hello I loved all the little cities, the hidden beaches, the bars.

• Carmack touches on some dark subjects and she captured the emotions one would expect for the most part. (I will touch on one in Decaffeinated aspects)

• We see growth in the characters both independently and as a couple. The romance developed slowly out of friendship and attaction. It wasn’t all sexual and when it was…the pages curled. Carmack can write the most romantic and tender moments with or without the heat, and I enjoyed connecting and feeling the character’s emotions.

• I loved that Carmack allowed Kelsey to find herself, to pull back and grow rather than diving in head first.

• Despite the darker tones in Finding It, there was humor and snark that had me laughing aloud.

Decaffeinated Aspects:

• Kelsey is slipped a roofie and thankfully Hunt is there and gets her back to her hostel safely. The whole thing was kind of dismissed by Kelsey, and maybe it was her unstable mind but it upsets me. I mean I have girls, why didn’t they report it?

• While I understand that Hunt was mysterious and had a secret, I wanted to know more about him, from his thoughts to his feelings. I really would have liked a dual pov here.

• Kelsey’s parents were asshats. While I am glad Kelsey was given sound advice and told them how she felt, how they failed..I still think she needed help. I realize this is fiction, but would have liked the other characters to at least suggest she talk to someone. (her best friend, Hunt, parents)

While these characters didn’t completely wow me, I enjoyed Finding It and moments were powerful and moving. The tale was well paced, and I enjoyed the settings.