Find Me in California: the many sides of love and family, secrets and destiny

Find Me in California by Kerry Lonsdale is a novel about chance meetings, buried secrets and the many sides of love and family. Julie Hope has never been without love as she was raised by her passionate and free-spirited grandmother, Ruby Rose. Now her grandmother suffers from dementia and lives in an assisted living center as she is in her final days. Julia struggles with the idea of being alone. A thousand miles away in New Mexico, Matt Gatlin has successfully avoided his coldhearted grandmother, Liza Holloway. However, she needs him now. Still filled with resentments, Matt heads to California. Over six days, Julia and Matt’s fates intertwine as they discover an old diary exposes a long-lost love tragedy and long buried secrets come to light. Julia and Matt soon realize that sometimes life can be both heartbreaking and heartwarming, mysterious and beautiful as destiny brings people together. 

Kerry Lonsdale is an author who delves into the darker stories of life, love and family. When I got the opportunity to read Find Me in California, I jumped at the chance. While the story started off interesting; however, it quickly fell into confusion. I had a hard time connecting with the characters especially Ruby Rose and Liza and their stories. The pacing was choppy with weird moments that had me confused and took me out of the story. Ms. Lonsdale is known for stories with elements of magical realism and usually it is a great addition to the story. However, in Find Me in California, the magical realism didn’t work for me. Overall, I did not enjoy this story. However, if you are a fan of Kerry Lonsdale, I recommend reading Find Me in California. It may speak to you in ways it did not speak to me.  

Find Me in California is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

The Last House on the Street: sometimes the secrets of the past won't stay in the past

The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain is the story of two women, a generation apart, find themselves bound by a small town and a decades old mystery. In 1965, Eleanor “Ellie” Hockley grew up in the well-to-do town of Round Hill, North Carolina. Raised to be a proper Southern lady, she enrolled in college and is practically engaged to her bank manager boyfriend. Inspired by her late aunt, Ellie decides to spend her summer break as a volunteer with the SCOPE  project helping register black voters. Forty five years later, Kayla Carter prepares to move into the dream home she and her husband designed in the new Shadow Ridge Estates development. As she moves in, a mysterious woman warns her against living there as the woods and lake behind the house are rumored to be haunted. Soon she’ll learn the dark history of the land and a long buried secret that someone will do anything to protect. 

Diane Chamberlain is known for her intense dual timeline stories. She often features the dark and difficult racial history of the South and The Last House on the Street does not disappoint in that realm. Ms. Chamberlain does not shy away from the horrific, evil and vile acts done against the black community. It is a story that slowly builds to the climatic last chapters as the events seem to build and unravel at a fast pace. As I began to read, I was drawn more to Kayla and her story than Ellie. While I admire Ellie’s commitment to helping the black community gain their civil rights, I felt she was very naïve and even selfish. She was so determined in her desire to help that she plays down the potential violence and even the actual violence doesn’t open her eyes that she’s walking a dangerous line. Overall, I enjoyed the story. If you are a fan of Diane Chamberlain, you may enjoy The Last House on the Street. 

The Last House on the Street is available in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook