Review: LOOKING FOR ME by Beth Hoffman

“My little brother was so wonderstruck by the world around him that never once did I hear him cry. He’d sit in that old buggy with his eyes wide and his ears pricked sharp as a deer’s. It seemed to me that nature spoke to him more plainly than any human voice … as if the wind moving through the trees and the subtle change in a blackbird’s song told him the truth of things.”

Each time Teddi Overman leaves her antiques shop in Charleston, South Carolina and visits the Kentucky farm of her youth, she’s drawn to the mysterious beauty of Red River Gorge where her brother Josh went missing. Though his absence remains unimaginable, Teddi builds a life as unexpected and quirky as the customers who frequent her shop. As she comes to terms with the events that shattered her family and finds love in the most surprising way, Teddi must decide what to let go of and what to keep.

In Looking for Me, bestselling author Beth Hoffman brings forth an evocative, multilayered story that moves between the charms of Charleston and Kentucky’s woodlands while exposing the fragile wounds and strengths of a woman who comes to understand the words once written in a simple note and the remarkable boy who penned them.

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ISBN: 9780670025831 Pamela Dorman Books – Viking/Penguin

About the author...

Twelve days after Beth Hoffman’s first novel was published in 2010, she became a New York Times bestselling author with foreign rights selling to prestigious publishers in Italy, Germany, France, Poland, Norway, Hungary, Indonesia, Korea, Israel, and the United Kingdom.

Following an extensive national tour, Beth returned home to Kentucky and the solace of her writing studio. Drawing from vivid memories of childhood on her grandparents’ farm and her love of animals, nature, and antiques, a surprising story quickly took form. When asked about her second novel, which is titled Looking for Me, Beth says: “This book encompasses my deepest passions—it’s the story that woke me in the night and demanded to be told.”

Before beginning her writing career, Beth was the president and co-owner of an interior design studio. An artist as well as an award-winning designer, her paintings are displayed in private and corporate collections in the United States, Canada, and the UK.

Beth lives, along with her husband and two very smart cats, in a restored Queen Anne home in a quaint historic district in Northern Kentucky. Her interests include the rescue of abandoned and abused animals, nature conservancy, birding, historic preservation, and antiquing.

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Review ~ 5 Stars
Beth Hoffman has managed to transport me back in time, reminding me of the farm I lived on as child where things were simple and people were aware of the beauty that surrounded them. A time where "living off the land" was the only option most had. This novel was beautifully written and and the characters were so sweet and endearing.
The relationship that Teddi had with her mother will resonate with so many readers. The fact that sometimes we don't understand our mothers until long after their gone held true in my life as well, which touched me very deeply. The heartbreak that her entire family felt when her brother went missing had me in tears. I don't think most of us can understand that kind of grief without living it. I felt Teddi's agony over not knowing where her brother was or if he was safe. The hopelessness she felt and then the realization that she may never know what happened to him was simply heart wrenching.
Although this novel held some serious emotion, it had a lighter side as well. Teddi was quick witted and often times had a snarky come back that had me laughing out loud. The entire cast of characters brought something different to the story. I found myself wanting to know more about each and every one of them. If you haven't figured it out by now, I loved this novel and will be eagerly waiting to see what comes from this author next.
                                                                                                 ~Christy~