Review: Finding Him by Rachel Van Dyken
SYNOPSIS:
A novel about a shattered family, broken hearts, and healing love by Rachel Van Dyken, the number one New York Times bestselling author of Stealing Her.
Coming out of a coma was one hell of a wake-up call. While I was in the dark, my estranged twin brother, Bridge, had replaced me in the company I owned and swept up my fiancée in the takeover. With my ruthless reputation, can I blame them for falling in love? I have to look long and hard at where I’ve been and where I’m headed. Alone time? The universe has other plans.
Our family’s secluded Vermont cabin comes with a gorgeous—if at first, unwelcoming—surprise. She’s renter Keaton Westbrook, a social media superstar struggling with her own private grief. As a winter storm bears down, we’ve found something to keep us warm—an intimacy neither of us expected and both of us need.
After we say goodbye, what happens then? Keaton and I are longing to reconcile with our painful pasts. I can’t bear to do it without her. Is it too much to ask of fate to give us a second chance at life and love?
REVIEW:
*Book Received in Exchange for Honest Opinion/Review*
Y’all I know better than to go into a Rachel Van Dyken book with a terminally ill character and expect to come out on the other side unscathed. Truly, why did I expect not to be emotionally gutted…not once, not twice, but THREE times I found myself a sobbing mess. After the third time, I prayed that no more flashbacks happened because I can’t handle anymore of these feels! D*mnit Rachel…every stinkin’ time!
Okay, moving along from the ripping out of my heart…these characters are so artfully broken. Julian and Keaton are two halves of very torn wholes. Their struggles, while each different and challenging had my chest aching. I wanted a friendship to bud and I wanted them to find solace in each other but the road to moving on from grief is rough. The pain is palpable and their torment is real. Julian is so deep in his self-loathing that I just wanted to wrap him in a hug and reassure him. And while I adored Keaton, at times I found her to ooze self-centered-ness.
While their love is quick, it didn’t feel rushed. It was easy, their compatibility and the way they lift each other up instead of dragging each other down was beautiful. Julian paving his path to healing his own heart, mending his relationships, and finding forgiveness was a touching journey to witness. And the story just had me feeling all the feels.
The romance may have been a center focus but I think this also reaches into how to deal with grief, how to navigate an online world, and how to have defined boundaries between real life and life on the internet. It was just a tragically beautiful story that left my heart so very hopeful.
LINKS:
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
