This is a truly special book. It’s both captivating and real, and beautifully written.

Sara is such a good mother, but she’s struggling with Ruby. Her mother’s instinct tells her that something is not right, but she doesn’t get the support she needs from others.

I work with children with special needs and I could see the signs that all was not “typical” with Ruby. We often see the struggle that parents have with both recognising the signs, and with coming to terms with the fact that their child is different. I loved that her friend says to her that you have to “paint a different picture”. Your child’s future might not be the one that you envisaged for them, but it can still be a bright one.

Sara goes through a lot personally during the novel, and you can’t help but admire her strength.

A wonderful story, sensitively told, this book will stay with me for some time.

This was an interesting read. It was intriguing to see how Sara and Ruby developed throughout the book and how they dealt with everything that life threw at them. I do feel that perhaps the book could have been a tad longer as it felt rushed almost towards the end. I few extra chapters would have been nice but it didn’t take anything away from the book.

Where I Found You was a beautiful and emotional read. It is about a mother's love and the struggle she will face to provide a full and happy life for her daughter. Sara loves her daughter Ruby with all her heart and only wants the best for her. But that isn't always easy, especially if your husband is irresponsible. So when he walks out on them one day, she will have to do everything on her own. Fortunately, her mother-in-law Barbara is there and wants to help them the best way she can. However, the relationship between Sara and Barbara isn't really good in the beginning. Ruby is unique and does things in a particular way. My heart broke for Sara and her frustration in not being able to fully understand what was going on with her daughter. She wants the best for her, and felt like a failure many times when she couldn't get through to her daughter. However, her determination was beautiful to read and thankfully she had people who supported her.

Where I Found You
by Emma Robinson
Publication date: August 16, 2019
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Publisher: Bookouture
Description:
Ever since Ruby was tiny, she has been unique. Her smiles are magically rare, her building blocks are always colour-coded, and she communicates only in gestures. Sometimes being Ruby’s mother is hard, but the way she sees the world makes it new for Sara every day. And she and her husband work hard to give their daughter the happy family life she deserves. So when Sara’s husband walks out on them without any warning, Sara’s world falls apart. She can’t imagine life without him. He was the only other person who could calm Ruby down, and who Sara could rely on to hold her in his arms and listen after a long, exhausting day of pleading with Ruby to eat, calm down, explain why she’s crying. Without other family of her own, her mother-in-law, Barbara, is the only person Sara can turn to for help. But Barbara thinks Ruby’s problems are all in Sara’s head; that she just doesn’t know how to raise a child right. Alongside dealing with her difficult mother-in-law, Sara is also juggling a new job and the emotional wrench of Ruby starting pre-school, all alone while her heart is breaking. It feels like a struggle to give Ruby the warm, stable home she deserves and Sara just can’t see how she will cope alone. But then Ruby surprises them. Can a little girl who doesn’t speak show both women the way?
🏡MY REVIEW🏡
Where I Found You is a well written,unforgettable, heartbreaking,emotional, beautiful story about a mothers love .
I laughed and I cried in several places. I could not put this book down because I was so drawn into it. I wanted to jump into the book and give Sara and Ruby a hug. It is so hard being the parent of a special needs child. Not only is it hard to get the help a child needs it's also hard to deal with people who don't understand.
This story will forever will stay with me. Emma Robinson had me drawn in from the very first page.The characters were all well drawn . Some I hated others I loved. I felt so connected to some of them like I knew them personally. I especially loved the mom Sarah and her daughter Ruby. By the end of the book my mind changed somewhat about the mother-in-law. I didn't hate her as much but I still didn't like her. And don't even get me started on Ruby's dad gerrrr. This book took me on one heck of an emotional roller coaster. I laughed , smiled ,got mad, and cried. Boy did i cry and get mad . I was at the kids doctor office while reading this and boy did I get some strange looks.
I highly recommend reading this story with a box of tissues nearby. I loved how the author reminds us that life doesn’t always work out how we planned and that's okay. I do hope the author writes another book about these characters because I would love to read more. I was not ready to say good bye !
This author is new to me, but I will look forward to more from her. Many thanks to the Publisher , the Author , and NetGalley for a ARC copy of this interesting book in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. As always if you like the book you read please take the time to leave a review for the author in places like goodreads & Amazon. It does not have to be long. Just a few sentences saying you liked the book will do. Authors really appreciate every review they get !
#WhereIfoundYou #NetGalley

Oh my goodness! I read most of this book with tears in my eyes, and was openly weeping by the end. This is such a beautiful, emotional story.

Sara and husband Mike, together with daughter Ruby, move in with Mike's mother Barbara whilst they save enough for a deposit for their own home. Whilst it is extremely generous of Barbara, it is far from ideal for the young family. For Sara it is especially hard, as Barbara dotes on Michael, criticises Sara's parenting and gushes about the perfect family next door.

Little Ruby is certainly a handful. She's not talking, doesn't mix with other children and plays with the same toys in the same way over and over again. Sara is unwilling to let anyone help because they won't know how to do things right for Ruby, but it's so hard. She is beginning to realise that Ruby isn't like other kids, that maybe there's something wrong, but she gets no family support and doesn't have any friends, until she finally starts to let people in.

I was so keen to read this book. I have a really good friend with a son on the high end of the autistic spectrum. His 'symptoms' are much less severe than Ruby's, and he is fantastic, but he has had some of the same struggles, just to a much lesser degree. And many of my friend's worries and concerns were similar to Sara's. But every mother and father will recognise them. We all want the very best for our children, for them to be happy, feel loved, so well. It's just a harder journey for some than others. And I don't think this is a book just for parents. It's for anyone who has someone they advocate for, encourage or support. I am very privileged to work with disabled adults, and the main part of my job is to help them to be as independent and fulfilled as they can be, and this story resonated for me there too.

For me, this book is about recognising that we are all unique. It's about sometimes reshaping our ideas for the future. It's about celebrating the small things. And it's about family, friends and asking for help.

All of the above is poignantly done in Where I Found You. I adored Sara and cried and cheered with and for her. Her changing and often challenging relationship with Barbara is so interesting, and I think will resonate with many parents of children with additional needs. And we find out there is so much more to both Barbara and perfect next door neighbour Lisa than it seems at first glance. For me though, the stand out character was Leonard, whose quiet acceptance of Ruby and gentle encouragement for Sara was lovely to read.

This was a beautiful read and one that will stay with me. I was deeply moved by it (there was ugly crying) and would urge everyone to read it. It's not soppy, gushy or preachy, but an accessible, relatable tale of love, friendship, acceptance and hope. And I would love to see how Ruby's doing in about 15 years time!

As a Primary Teacher I have faced many students with autism, some diagnose,d some without a diagnoses even on the horizon. I feel like this book portrayed Autism in an honest way and I enjoyed the storyline. it was moving, sad and beautiful. Totally recommend giving this book a try.

What an emotional story !! Before reading this book I knew very little about autism. As well as being an excellent story, it has also given me an understanding of the condition. An amazing book .

Sara loved her daughter. Ruby is beautiful, her smiles light up the room. She can play for hours with her blocks, but why doesn't she speak any more? Why does she get so upset about things? Why does she insist on things being in a certain order? This has been worrying Sara, but when they move in with husband Mike's mother in order to save money things become difficult.

Actor Mike is simply a waste of skin. Lazy, self-centred & spoilt by his mother he avoids having to do much at all. His mother thinks that Ruby shouldn't be indulged in her routines. Trying to find a job means leaving Ruby with Mike & Barbara- not a happy experience! Once Ruby goes to Playschool Sara can no longer pretend all is right with her daughter and has to fight for the best support she can get whilst at the same time becoming more sure of herself.

This was a really well written book. It pulled at the heartstrings whilst not being sentimental. From the start I knew that Ruby was probably on the autistic spectrum. The book did a great job of showing ways how this can affect children & their families. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

I’m not sure I have an adequate vocabulary to explain how much I loved this book! I couldn’t put it down and read it in just a day.

As parents, all we can wish for is for our children to be happy. And Sara is no different, but her little girl Ruby has always been somewhat … unique. Sara can’t quite put her finger on it, but Ruby’s never been like other children. When Sara tries to talk to her husband Mike about hit, he shrugs it off and says it’s nothing to worry about and that Ruby will catch up with others ‘when she’s ready’. But Sara can’t help worrying. Ruby doesn’t talk like other children do, and her temper tantrums have been known to reach epic proportions, about the smallest, most seemingly irrelevant things. She’s Ruby’s mom and she just knows that something’s not right.

When Sara and Mike move in with Mike’s mom Barbara things go from bad to worse. Barbara seems so judgemental. She’s always passing comments about Ruby’s behaviour and Sara feels like an inadequate parent even though she knows she’s doing her best. It doesn’t help when Mike goes AWOL. And then Ruby’s new school call her in to tell her that they have ‘concerns’ about Ruby’s behaviour that they think need to be looked into a bit further. They think there may be deeper reasons as to why she is the way she is.

This beautiful book deals with difficult issues, but does so sensitively and with huge empathy and a whole lot of heart. It looks at the many challenges that one encounters when one’s child doesn’t quite fit into the mainstream. And I’m not even talking about the obstacles faced by the bureaucracy and copious paperwork and appointments when having to make applications for a diagnosis, or medication, or a specific school. I’m talking about the perceptions of other parents (specifically moms!) and children … yes, those looks; those whispers … you know what I mean??!! It sends a very loud message that a little (read: a LOT) more understanding would go a LONG way!

I loved Sara! I loved the group of SEN moms she found (I was so bloody HAPPY for her!!) And eventually, I also warmed to Sara’s mother-in-law Barbara who has her own reasons for why she seems so cool to Sara and so critical of her mothering skills.

This is a touching 5-star read!

This is an emotional story which is very true to life. As a mother of a severely autistic girl I can confirm that this is an authentic portrayal of family life with a child who has special needs. I hope it becomes a best seller and helps to raise awareness of autism and helps to stop the judgmental stares and remarks that we have to put up with daily.
This book reminds us that life doesn’t always work out how we planned or pictured it, but that’s ok, we just need to paint a new picture.

Emma Robinson's Where I Found You really pulls at your heartstrings. The main character, Sara, knows her daughters milestones aren't being met, therefore tries to find out why.

I don't know alot about Autism, so I am so glad I read this book. Its given me more of an understanding.

Great read.

Here is a book that you will love. Where I Found You by Emma Robinson is a beautifully written throughout that will touch your heart. PS you may need some tissues handy when reading it.

Sara and Mike are married they have a beautiful little three year old girl called Ruby. Ruby will not speak and when she smiles its magical as its very rare when she does smile. Ruby likes things done in a very particular way when she is playing. All her toy blocks are always colour coded and all her toy animals are all in regimented straight lines. Ruby has not mixed with other children of her age so far. Ruby is very special and only Sara understands her daughter Ruby.
Sara's husband and his mother Barbara does not understand Ruby but they all only want the best for her. Circumstances force Sara, Mike and Ruby to move in with Barbara Mikes Mum and Sara knows Barbara will want to take over and give her advice on how to raise Ruby.

Ruby start's pre-school and Ruby is still refusing to speak. Is this the first signs of a bigger issue for Sara and Mike?

A week later Mike walks out and leaves Sara to look after Ruby with his mother. Sara's world is about to fall apart!

Facing being a single mum, Sara needs to turn to Barbara for advice and Help.

Barbara is hiding a big secret from Mike her son. When, Sara finds out the secret she has to be supportive to Barbara.

Don't forget Your Tissues.

This book just gripped me and I highly recommend it. Just Beautiful.

Big Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review

A beautiful story of a Mother's love for her special daughter. Add in a loving and caring Mother in Law and they both try to provide for their child. Beautifully written and a very emotional story. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is an emotional story full of mother love and is a delightful read. There are lots of mothers who are key to the story, but the main character is Sara, the mother of Ruby. Her husband convinces her to move with him to stay with his mother to enable them to save up to buy a property rather than keep renting. His mother is Barbara and she obviously loves Ruby but seems unsupportive of Sara though whatever her son does she always seems to enthusiastically endorse. When he follows his dreams and abandons them, Barbara constantly suggests Ruby’s problems are a figment of Sara’s imagination and that Sara doesn’t know how to bring her child up properly. With everyone undermining her, can Ruby help bring these two together?

You just have to feel for Sara in this story, but there are always secrets to be revealed which will explain Barbara’s attitude. It is great to read how other mothers really help Sara and friendships develop which will impact on her knowledge, attitude and what will happen to Ruby in future. It is a moving story with the love of mothers at its heart and a real page turner. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and have no hesitation in highly recommending it to anyone who enjoys reading stories with families, friendship and children.

I requested and was gifted a copy of this book via NetGalley and this is my honest review after choosing to read it.

I have been a fan of Emma’s work for a while now. I read the synopsis for ‘Where I Found You’ and it certainly sounded like the sort of book I would like to read. A book that makes you think and makes you look at things in a different light. Well this book certainly did both of those things for me. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Where I Found You’ but more about that in a bit.
I really felt for Sara and I took to her from the start. She is the mother of a young child called Ruby, who has problems communicating. Ruby doesn’t talk but she communicates by gestures. Sara didn’t have the best of starts or childhoods herself and she wants to ensure that Ruby has the childhood that Sara didn’t have. Life isn’t easy for Ruby but Sara does what she can to protect Ruby and to stick up for Ruby. I don’t blame her as I feel exactly the same way about my goddaughter who has Cerebral Palsy. Sara gets very little help from other people and her husband walks out on her. I wanted to jump inside the pages of the book to give him a good slapping with a wet fish for walking out on his marriage and for walking out on his daughter who needs him more than ever. As for his mother, the delightful (not) Barbara, well she needs a slap or a shake or both. Barbara seems very critical of Sara and accuses her of being a bad mother and not parenting Ruby as she (Barbara) thinks she (Sara) should. Barbara is keeping her own little secret, which isn’t revealed until later on in the book. Barbara got on my nerves and I wanted to jump inside the pages of the book to sort her out. There’s no excuse for being so rude about her daughter-in-law and criticising Sara’s parenting of Ruby. Barbara should be more supportive, considerate and helpful with her granddaughter, not making Sara feel like poop. I kept everything crossed that Sara and Ruby found the happy ever after ending and lives that they so deserved. Does this happen? Well for the answers to this question and so much more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
Oh my, this book was a really emotional read for me. As soon as I began to read, I became totally wrapped up in the story and I just had to keep reading to see how the story panned out and if Ruby and Sara got the happiness that they so deserved. The pages turned increasingly quickly as my desperation to find out how the story concluded steadily grew. I couldn’t get enough of this story and the book travelled everywhere with me. I lost all track of time whilst reading this book and I finished the book quicker than I had intended to.
As with Emma’s other books, ‘Where I Found You’ is another cracking and fantastically written book. She grabs your attention from the start and keeps that attention all the way through the book by keeping the characters real, their problems relatable and by keeping the story fresh. Emma has certainly tapped into the problems that parents of disabled children come up against and how they deal with said problems. She also helps to show just how ignorant certain people can be and that they can be challenged on their views or on their treatment of others. This is a book that illustrates the power of a mother’s love for her child.
In short, I did enjoy this emotional but also heartwarming read. Emma has another hit on her hands with ‘Where I Found You’ and it is bound to go to the top of the bestsellers list, which is nothing less than it deserves. I will definitely be recommending this book to other readers. The score on the Ginger Book Geek is a very well deserved 4* out of 5*.

I really don't know how to begin this review. I'm pretty torn with my thoughts on this book, to be perfectly honest.

Anyone who has children will find the first few chapters this book incredibly difficult to read. I was so overcome with emotion, my body had no idea how to expel it. My heart went out to little Ruby and the fact that she didn't know how to make herself heard. Not only that, my heart went out to her mum, Sara, too. I wanted to shake her husband because he was being an absolute -insert bad word here-. Just because he couldn't see further than his nose, it didn't mean that Sara was wrong and should be ignored. A little support would have gone a long, long way and perhaps the whole situation wouldn't have been as much of an emotional turmoil for Sara if she had had his support in the first place. And then there's Barbara. I took an instant dislike to her because she was an interfering bat. Sara is Ruby's mother, not her! Her constant interfering alongside her sons incapability to think of anyone other than himself, made me so angry. I just wanted to make everything okay for Ruby, you know?

As the storyline progressed, things regarding Barbara start making sense, however whilst I was able to show her more empathy, she seemed to want Sara on side one minute and then go behind her back the next. Which one was it to be? By the end of the book, I didn't dislike Barbara, thankfully, I just didn't trust her as far as I could throw her.

I thought the addition of the art and being able to let Ruby flourish with anyone expecting too much of her, was so touching and filled me with happiness from top to toe. However, this is where I began to feel torn with my opinion. The first three quarters of the story was intense, emotional, and unique to Ruby's personality, so when the story started to fast forward without much of an explanation, I couldn't help but be a bit confused. I was unsure as to why the latter half of the book ended up feeling rushed with several things being unanswered. It just didn't seem to fit with the rest of the book and gave off a different vibe.

That said, I could feel the emotion and the thought behind everything Sara did for Ruby. For me, that little girl was the star of the show and was such an incredible character to read about and get to know. I was also pleased that Sara was listened to, it was just a shame that it took so long. And yeah, I am aware that that is what happens in reality, and it shouldn't at all. 

To all the parents who have a child like Ruby, you are superheroes for having their backs.
To all the children like Ruby, you are legends of your own castle.
To Emma Robinson, thank you for such an honest and emotive read.

Great read. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

Ruby has been quite a handful ever since she was a tiny baby, never content, crying often. Sara loves Ruby, now three, so much yet there are tell-tale signs that something might not be quite right with her daughter and that she might need a professional opinion.

Things become worse for the family when they move in with Barbara, Sara’s husband Mike’s mother, whilst they save up to buy their own home. Barbara is of the generation where children who had difficulties were seen as just plain rude or naughty. She is also quite posh and likes to keep up appearances to her neighbours and friends and Ruby not communicating and not doing as Barbara wants her to don’t go down well with her.

Mike is useless, more concerned with trying to make a career as an actor and sponging off his mother than being a loving husband or father. They are too much effort for him and he will try any trick in the book not to have to spend time with Ruby.

Once Sara gets Ruby into pre-school and she starts a part-time job she notices Ruby’s difficulties more and knows that she must help her daughter the best she can and in trying to do so she realises a lot about herself too.

Where I Found You really touched a nerve with me as I am the mother of an Autistic sixteen-year-old. From him being little I could see something wasn’t right but I not only had to fight to get a diagnosis but also relatives too who either didn’t want to believe or wore blinkers. Being the mother of an Autistic child hardens you to the world as you see how cruel people can be and not only the Joe Bloggs on the street but those who are suppose to be there to help. It can also be the most worthy job when your child reaches milestones or does something you never expect them too.

People believed that Sara was mollycoddling her daughter, making her that way, doing things for her so that she doesn’t get a chance to do them herself, including her husband and mother-in-law. A mother’s instinct is very powerful and I’m glad Sara stuck to what she believed.

This is an emotional book that will resonate with any parent who has a child with a mental health issue. It is touching and truthful too. It will pull at your heart-strings and will open your eyes. A beautiful book that I flew through and didn’t want to put down.

I absolutely loved this book. It was written very sensitively and with great insight. I have a daughter on the autistic spectrum and so many of Ruby’s little quirks resonated with me
Sara finds herself looking after Ruby as a single parent, when her husband walks out just after they’ve moved into his mum’s house. When the new pre-school confirms her suspicions that Ruby could have a condition you can feel the emotions that Sara is going through. It can be a very isolating, tough place to find yourself whilst you take time to regroup , information gather and come out fighting your child’s corner and having to accept a new kind of normal.
It’s lovely to see the strained relationship between Sara and her mother in law, Barbara changing and providing support for each other and Ruby.
I will be keen to read more by Emma Robinson.

Where I Found You, Emma Robinson's latest release, is an ultimately uplifting story of a mother's love for her young daughter. Sara, a young mother, has a feeling that her beautiful 3 year-old daughter Ruby is struggling; while her narcissistic husband is in denial. Desperate to make his mark on the acting world, Mike moves his family into his mother's home so he can take to the stage. Soon, Sara discovers he has bailed on both her and her daughter leaving them alone with his mother who appears judgemental on every move Sara makes. Why did Mike leave? What is Barbara, his mother hiding? What, if anything, is wrong with Ruby? These questions and more are answered in this story about a mother's love and dedication to her daughter. The beginning was a bit slower than the middle and then the last part was a very quick, fast paced read with some unexpected twists. The focus on art was a great metaphor throughout the book and tied in well to the ending.