Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC for my honest feedback.

I was hooked from page one… a multigenerational, multi POV, timeline hopping story of Matt and Julia and their intersecting lives through their grandmothers and the suspense of what happened in the past and how it’s related to the future…. I LOVED it all.

There is a bit in the story ( without giving any spoilers) that kind of made no sense and the plot could’ve done without…. Even this, did not spoil my enjoyment of my very first ( but definitely not her last for me at least ) Kerry Lonsdale book. A deffo 5 star read for me.

Family secrets, forgiveness and second chances are the primary themes of the latest must read novel by Kerry Lonsdale.

Julia Hope is doing everything she possibly can to take care of her grandmother while Matt Gatlin has done everything possible to avoid his. When both grandmothers face dramatic life changes, the fallout creates a connection between Julia and Matt that unfolds in unexpected ways.

Told over a few days, the two find their lives intertwined as the history between their grandmothers is uncovered and long buried secrets are revealed. A compelling and engaging read.

Find Me in California, another great book by Kerry Lonsdale! This is a multi generational family story that shows us the past and present of the four main characters. I was intrigued from the start when Matt mysteriously received boxes of his grandmother's belongings. I wanted to learn more about his relationship with his grandmother and why he had so much resentment towards her.

Julia Hope, who also has a grandmother at the same care facility as Matt's grandmother, starts communicating with Matt over the phone. They both need to find new care facilities for their grandmothers. As Matt and Julia Hope continue communicating, their friendship grows. They learn more about each other and secrets are revealed when Julia Hope finds her grandmother's journal. I found this story very interesting nd unpredictable, which I loved. This is a book about family relationships, buried secrets, chance encounters and new beginnings.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. This is my honest review of Find Me in California.

I really enjoyed the dynamic between Julia and Matt and I loved their development over the phone. It felt real and authentic because sometimes it's easy to be real and truthful with someone without a face and someone you don't know. The relationship between Ruby Rose and Liza was definitely interesting and I kept wanting to find out what happened between the two of them. It wasn't so clear exactly why they both ended up at Rosemont. I think that should have been expanded on further rather than in just a letter. Also, the "hallucinations" of Magnolia with Matt and their relationship was very odd and confusing and was never really delved into. It was just sort of left that it was strange and was likely a hallucination, even though Ruby Rose recognized Matt. So, I didn't understand that part. Overall, it was an interesting read but I was left with more questions than I would have liked.

I love Kerry Lonsdale. I’ll read whatever she writes. This one missed the mark for me.
I liked the connection between Matt and Julia which translated into a romance. I liked the back story of the grandmothers. I just wanted their “secret past” to be more than who the father of their children were. Also the Mangnolia hallucination stuff was too weird and I didn’t like it.

What would you think if you came home and had 15 boxes of your estranged grandmother’s belongings sitting in your driveway? Matt left her house when he was 18 hoping to never see her again. He arrived when he was 10 after the deaths of his parents. His grandmother was old school Hollywood and had been married to actor Matthew Holloway who died in a car accident before the birth of their daughter Aubrey. Adam the butler was the only person who was nice to Matt.
After receiving the 15 boxes Matt calls the Nursing Home that his grandmother was in and talks to Julia a volunteer who knows

I was 50% through this book when I said I wasn't sure if I liked it, but I am glad I stuck with it. I think Matt as a character was much more developed than Julia who seemed to be just a savior/helper type character in the end. I was not surprised at the family relationships in the end, but I liked how they were revealed in the end and that not everything was tied up in a neat little bow. Overall I would recommend this book.

3.5

Kerry Lonsdale's Everything series was what got me back into reading, so I was super excited for this read. I did like this book, but not nearly as much as the Everything series. My biggest hiccup with the book was the "hallucinations" with Magnolia Blu. It was just.....weird. Mainly because that was her grandmother, yet it was supposed to be her?

The end twist was a bit shocking (in a good way), but overall, I enjoyed this book.


'Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC for my honest feedback.

Wow, what a remarkable story! I love it when a book has all the things--dual and connecting timelines, beautiful writing, complex characters, emotional highs and low, mystery, and romance. The lives of two strangers, Julia and Matt, are intricately connected over six transformative days. Through an old diary's revelations and a series of unexpected events, the novel peels back layers of secrets, unveiling the tragic beauty of lost love and the complex histories of two families. The inclusion of an enigmatic hitchhiker in Matt's journey adds an intriguing twist, further enriching the narrative with mystery and anticipation. Find Me in California is a profoundly moving and beautifully crafted novel that captures the essence of human resilience and the crazy nature of love in all its forms.

𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝘾𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙖 by 𝙆𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙇𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙙𝙖𝙡𝙚
🌟🌟🌟🌟 (4/5)

Thank you so much for the opportunity @netgalley ✨

I asked for this book because of the beautiful cover (yes I judge books by their covers, we all do 😉) and it didn't fail me. Eagles's Hotel California song is what came to mind after I read the book title. 🎶

This book took me on a captivating journey through the sun-soaked landscapes of California, where secrets, dreams, and second chances collide. The story follows Julia and Matt as they navigate the complexities of life, love, and identity against the backdrop of the Golden State.

As the narrative unfolds, I was drawn into a web of intrigue and emotion, where unexpected twists and turns kept me guessing until the very end. What I loved most about this book was how relatable it felt. From navigating relationships to chasing dreams, the themes explored in the book hit close to home and left me feeling inspired. 🥰

With its blend of romance, mystery, and self-discovery, it offers multiple facets of love and family bonds that will resonate with readers who enjoy stories about love, resilience, and the pursuit of happiness. It's a tale that reminds us that sometimes, the most unexpected adventures lead us to exactly where we're meant to be. 💙

If you're looking for a captivating read with chance meetings, buried secrets, and plenty of twists and turns, "Find Me in California" is definitely worth adding to your TBR pile. It's perfect for anyone who enjoys contemporary fiction with a touch of romance and a whole lot of heart. Don't miss out on this gem! 💖📖

Lonsdale's Find Me in California is a touching and evocative exploration of relationships. It criss-crosses the relatinships between two elderly women who were estranged friends, their inter-generational/legal guardian relationships with their respective granddaughter and grandson, and the secrets they all kept from each other. These two families were interwoven on so many levels, that their emotional scars helped to build a support system for each other. Lonsdale masterfully reveals secrets that tempt the reader to keep turning pages until the final, heart-tugging page. Brava!

This was my first Kerry Lonsdale book and it was a winner. I loved the dual grief journey's along with diving into Mama Rose's and Liza's past. I really enjoyed how much time was spent building each of the four characters, though I would have liked to have seen a little more be done with Liza and how she came as closed off as she was. It was an overall heart warming story that I LOVED.

Genre: Family Drama/Suspense
Steamy?: Yes but not too much
Cliffhanger?: No
Format: E-book
Can be read as Standalone?: Yes
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

***THANK YOU TO the author FOR MY COMPLIMENTARY REVIEW COPY. ALL OPINIONS AND THOUGHTS ARE MY OWN***

This was a lovely, well-written story. From the first page to the last, I was thoroughly invested in the journey of the 4 characters. This is a story about family, loss, forgiveness, and restoration. There is even a little supernatural mystery thrown into the mix. I thought this would be a typical road-trip story, which is not my favorite trope, and I was very pleasantly surprised it was not what I was expecting. Highly recommend this book!

Kerry writes about love, passion, sadness and forgiveness. Each character has their own issues yet they all connect together weaving into one of the most amazing stories yet to come from Kerry! I couldn’t put this book down and devoured it in one sitting. . Full of passion, grief, and devastating generational secrets, this perfect story also has the perfect ending. Not to be missed! This book definitely takes you on a "trip" as it alternates between Julia, Matt, and Magnolia Blu aka Julia's grandmother's Ruby Rose point of view. You learn how Ruby and Elizabeth, Matt's grandmother knew each other and watch their friendship grow and what lead to their falling out. There is a lot of emotion in this book as the characters deal with loss and grief, betrayal, questions about the future, and forgiveness.

Kerry Lonsdale does not disappoint in her new book, Find Me in California. There were several major characters that had very interesting stories. I became invested in Julia and Matt's stories from the start and empathized with the broken relationships of their past. I did, however, find Matt's weekend "trip" a bizarre addition to the story. I was pleasantly surprised by the ending!


Thank you Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, follow me here, because I have thoughts, and I need to work them out...

I'm not even sure it's possible for me to write a clear synopsis, so I'll give you some bullet points:
- Two grandmothers - Ruby Rose and Liza - are left to take care of their grandchildren.
- Two grandmothers end up at the same nursing home and are being removed from said home due to lack of funds.
- Enter grandchildren - Julia and Matt - who need to figure it out.
- Road trips, tears, and hallucinations.

There are basically four storylines here that intertwine (beautifully, I might add): Ruby Rose's, Liza's, Matt's, and Julia's.

Matt goes on a road trip to the nursing home, meets a woman, psychedelic drugs, which I thought were weed gummies? ensues.

The descriptions of the drugs were very vague. Were these... were these weed gummies? 😳 Because I've never heard of people straight up hallucinating from weed gummies. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I'm going to be honest and say that the parts with Matt in the hotel and the drugs were my least favorite. I still don't really understand or feel comfortable with things that went on in those parts of the book. (Read it and then hit me up please! Need to chat about this.)

But!

Everything else? What a beautiful story of love, loss, family, betrayal... You name it, this novel has it.

I've never read a stand-alone of Kerry's, and now I feel I need to. ♥️

Kerry Lonsdale is back with another heartfelt, romantic story about love, loss, and second chances. FIND ME IN CALIFORNIA is a wonderful novel that beautifully weaves the past and the present. Full of passion, grief, and devastating generational secrets, this perfect story also has the perfect ending. Not to be missed!

loved, loved this book! Always a fan of Kerry Lonsdale and this book is over the top. Twisty, turning with everyone's lives at the stake, couldn't put it down! Received this as an arc and would definitely buy this again!

There’s a lot going on here, perhaps too much. I appreciate the dual grief storylines but I feel there was more to be explored on Matt’s side. Were introduced to someone with what seems like a severe dependency to weed and it just feels a bit too far fetched his mind hallucinates an entire woman - more so that he’s attracted to her and when we learn the connection, it left me feeling very icky.

I also wish we got more resolution on Julia’s end with her path after the burden was lifted off her. I didn’t buy that the love story was genuine as it felt like a projection of their collective grief. It felt a bit instalove to me.

Overall, I appreciated the suspense weaved throughout and it was a quick read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was SO GOOD. It honestly was so enjoyable to read, and it was not an obvious ending. So great to read and the storyline was so interesting. Highly recommend.