I had never heard of Susan Azim Boyer before I received an email about receiving an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this Book, and I have to say I am now a huge fan! I will be checking out her other book, Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win. 

The Search for Us follows two teenagers, Henry and Samira, who live in opposite ends of California and both know very little about their birth father. Both teens decide to take a DNA test and end up getting matched as relatives. As it turns out, they share both a father  and a desire to find out more about him. 

This book follows the complicated and emotional journey of looking for (and finding) long lost family members, and the powers of love and forgiveness. Boyer captures the grief and heartache of this story so beautifully, while also balancing it with joy and connection. It just hit every mark for me.

I am a firm believer in the value of Young Adult Books, and this is one that I will be recommending for years to come. A lot of adults tend to think that all young adult books are shallow and childish, when actually the young adult subcategory is FILLED with amazing, well balanced stories. 

While this wasn’t a five star read for me, it got pretty darn close! I wasn’t expecting how easy it was going to be to connect to and care about the characters, and I finished the book in one day. This book is incredibly realistic and raw, while also being perfectly catered to its audience. 

I know my birth father, however a lot of my family is estranged and so I don’t have a lot of information on my family history, so this hit home for me personally.The book also handles alcohol and drug use, which is something my family has personal experience in.  I teared up several times throughout, which is a sign of a good read for me personally!

Samira has been given a caregiver role in her family, which was also a huge piece that I related to a little too hard. As someone who grew up having to be the emotionally mature child who anticipated everyone’s needs and neglecting my own, Boyer captures this experience with startling accuracy. I was compelled to keep reading to see Samira start setting boundaries and do things for herself. 

Please consider picking this up at your local bookstore when it comes out on October 24th. Even if you are a full grown adult like myself, you can absolutely enjoy this read. 

Find the Book: Goodreads | StoryGraph | Bookshop

I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC) of this book from SparkPoint Studio in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Rylee at SparkPoint Studio for this opportunity!