FIND ME IN CALIFORNIA
Kerry Lonsdale

On most days you can FIND ME IN CALIFORNIA with a coffee mug in my hand, my eyes between the pages of a book, and my heart in the hands of the current author I’m reading.

In Kerry Lonsdale’s latest release FIND ME IN CALIFORNIA we’re following Matt. Matt is on a one-man odyssey in a car across state lines. Headed to California in search of an experience and one very important thing to do. He has only a few hours and a shaky argument for getting it all done, but he needs to resolve this problem so that he can move on with his life, as it is.

A few miles into his trip, he picks up a passenger and his entire life takes a sudden detour. Suddenly his problem doesn’t seem that troublesome and instead of focusing on getting to where he needs to go, he is drawn to the mystery of his mysterious passenger.

Will he make it to his destination? And does he even really want to?

This was pretty messy. It’s imaginative and endearing but it’s also a mess. There is a freedom that successful and proven authors have that a debut author doesn’t have the luxury of having. This storyline could only have been pitched by an author who has published a few times and has a successful track record. A solid fan base doesn’t hurt either.

It's not that it meanders, it never chooses a focus. It’s a bit of a scattershot. I often asked myself “What are we doing here?” “What is this book even about?” and “What genre is this?”

This was not the best first-time reading experience with Kerry Lonsdale. I hope the next one is better.

Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the advanced copy!

FIND ME IN CALIFORNIA...⭐⭐⭐

I received a digital ARC from Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I enjoyed this novel. I like how it told the love stories of multiple generations. I connected with each character, and wanted good outcomes for al of them. I love how everything unfolded as I was reading. This novel is about what family secrets can lead to.

You can run from grief but eventually it catches up to you. Both Matt and Julia had to grow up without their mother and both were raised by their grandmother, this was a loving relationship for Julia but not at all for Matt. They both come together at the nursing home where their grandmother’s have been residing, each revealing their struggles with guilt and regret. This is very much a character driven story and I think the author did a great job. This story will stay with you long after the final page.

What a great summer book!! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It had a couple twists that I didn’t see coming. I love Kerry’s writing style and how she draws her audience in with each book. I was really rooting for each character to find their happily ever after! I highly recommend any of her other books after you finish this one, you won’t be disappointed!

Julia was raised by her grandmother and always felt love around her but when her grandmother is living out her final days, Julia must face her fear of being alone.

Matt's grandmother is also living out her final days but he does not have a relationship with her. Now that she needs him, he is not sure how he feels about it all but packs up and goes to California to face his past.

By chance Julia and Matt will find their lives intertwined over the week they are helping their grandmothers. During this time they discover an old diary that reveals family secrets, including a long-lost love.

Was it a chance meeting that Julia and Matt were brought together, or was this meant to be? There are some triggers in this book (drugs, alcohol) and I wasn't the biggest fan of the ending, I would give it 4.5 stars but rounded up to 5.

This was a very enjoyable read. It has so many levels, so much depth, while also being a fun book to read. Julia and Matt are both dealing with the declining health of their grandmothers. Julia was raised by her grandmother, while Matt has immense bitterness towards his. Their stories may be different, but their paths cross, and long lost family secrets are revealed. This story has grief and healing, passion, love, and intrigue. It was a great book with a little touch of everything. I would highly recommend it!

Well written, fully developed characters and an interesting plot all come together to create an enjoyable read.

This was a page turner!
Told through multiple POVs, this book takes place in the present, while giving the reader glimpses of the past through flashbacks, diary entries and letters. The characters are well crafted with strengths and flaws alike. Julia and Matt have never met but they are connected through their grandmothers. The secrets that are revealed as the tale unfolds will change life for both Julia and Matt. This is not a sweet lighthearted read, instead it is a moving tale that examines grief, depression, adultery, substance abuse, Alzheimer’s, family, love, loss and more. Highly recommend this book for fans of family drama.

This would be the perfect read for someone who wants a little bit of everything because this has romance, some mystery, family drama, secrets and a dash of magic. Both Julia and Matt are complex characters with complicated pasts and the author did an excellent job at weaving their narratives together. The story itself is quite intricate as besides Julia and Matt both of their grandmothers stories are told over the course of the book. The familial relationships here are so heartbreaking and there are so many subjects explored here from dementia to drug abuse to abandonment issues and many more. It’s also about second chances and forgiveness and it’s highly emotional for both Julia and Matt. I always say the authors books are a perfect summer escape and this was no exception, it’s fresh and unique. The audio version is narrated solely by Amanda Leigh Cobb and she’s delightful. I’ve listened to her before but it’s been awhile and she has a very engaging style.

When there's a new book by Kerry Lonsdale, I know I'm going to read it as I am a big fan of her books and writing style. While Find Me in California was a bit different from her other books, it was one that was entertaining. I have to say that Matt was my least favorite character. I found him a bit rude and selfish when it came to helping his grandmother who was living in an assisted living facility, though I really do get why he was uncaring and resentful given how she treated him when he lived with her as a young boy. Still, I wasn't a big Matt fan and the hallucinations he went through while on his road trip to California were a bit confusing at first and a little weird. I did like Julia's character and her grandmother, Ruby Rose, and I liked how it was told in the past and present so we get the perspective of different characters.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read about family secrets, the ability to forgive, and ultimately about love.

I received a digital review copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

It was a fantastic, emotional story that took us on a journey of healing, forgiveness, and love as two people's stories come together in the most incredible way. Told from a few different perspectives, as well as past and present, we navigate the painful way a neurological disease tears away pieces of a person until there is nothing left, the way it affects their loved ones, and the way we cling to the lucid moments. Julia struggles to keep her promise to her grandmother to keep her in the facility she chose as money becomes tighter. While Matt finds himself having to deal with his grandmother, who is also at the facility, that he has not seen in years. He had a traumatic upbringing, and his grandmother treated him like he did not even exist. A diary full of secrets is discovered that will change everything Matt and Julia thought about themselves, pasts hurts may just be healed and something even better may just grow from the pieces that are left over from the fallout.
I thoroughly enjoyed going on this journey with Matt, Julia, Rose, and Liza!

Engaging and very hard to put down. Different from Kerry's usual style, but still very enjoyable throughout.

This is a novel that touches your heart in so many ways and brings on thoughts of how you would or have cared for your own family members. Julia and Matt had different experiences growing up, but their lives are joined together by the events of the past, a chemistry that builds between them, and a little magic. I loved both of these characters and the flaws that made them so relatable. I enjoyed the way the past was revealed with the help of magical realism and the interesting twist in the plot. Amanda Lee Cobb provides the narration for the audiobook and I thought she did an amazing job bringing the story to life.

Kerry Lonsdale will take you on many journey's with her books. With this book you will feel many emotions, disgust (at so much drug use by one person), a grandmother who ignores her grandson for the mistakes made with/by his parents. It was an emotional roller coaster and I did not want to get off. Her books make you look at life different, they will make you laugh, cry and put down for a few days then you will want to dive right back in. There are very few authors that make me feel this way about the books I read. So pick up this book, read this book, and enjoy it. It will be a bumpy ride but it will be great!!

Find Me in California does a good job of setting the reader up with a great story, but then it falls short. I was very confused by the flashbacks with Matthew - what the purpose was and how it related to the overall story. When we did find out what happened I audibly sighed in disappointment. I wasn't expecting a level of magical realism through weed and alcohol, especially without any warning. I wasn't sure how the "dream" would incorporated with the overall story. I find that without this, I would have liked the story a lot more.

Matt and Julia have similar stories and I enjoyed their conversations, but I feel that Julia was cheated on what her relationship with Matt actually meant. I appreciated that both extended families were very welcoming and what it means how the positive development of Matt and Julia.

An okay ready, but I was a little disappointed.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

4* Forgiveness Stars

I look forward to reading the latest release from Kerry Lonsdale as her books promise some mystery, suspense and family drama and Find Me in California had all these elements.

This story centers around four main characters, Ruby Rose and Liza who are the grandmothers to Julia and Matt. The story alternates between the past and the present where we get the back story of Ruby Rose and Liza, how their friendship was formed and their great falling out and the present where Julia and Matt meet because of circumstances involving their grandmothers.

This story was teeming with buried secrets from the past and for Matt and Julia to move forward they must confront these secrets and learn to forgive the cards that were dealt to them and give life a second chance.

I listened to the audio version which was brilliantly narrated by Amanda Leigh Cobb. She did a wonderful job voicing each character. I highly recommend the audiobook.

It would have been a 5* Star read for me had it not been for Matts Road trip which I did not particularly enjoy and to me had no relevance to the story, it could have done without it.

I thought the premise was pretty good and unique and had many good parts, I just didn't find the usual Lonsdale amazing storytelling & drama.
Overall it was 3-4 stars.

This was a great book. I connected with the characters. I felt engrossed with the plot. I would read another book by this author.

I’ve just finished listening to the audio version of this book and am feeling all sorts of emotions right now. It was very well written, great descriptions of events and the narrator has done a fantastic job of telling all sides of this story.

Kerry is a brilliant writer, who really gets to the heart of her characters. Highly recommend. I am looking forward to finishing the written version too

I am blown away by the depth of these characters, how these two souls not only needed, but found each other.
How they were connected before they were connected.
Julia and Matt were destined to meet, two people needed each other, were perfect for each other, and their lives were intercepted long before they were born.
The story of Magnolia and Elizabeth was such a powerful story of the strength of friendship, forgiveness, long, buried, secrets, and love.

This book was an amazing read, and I will not forget Julia or Matt anytime soon.
This author wrote this book with her entire soul.