Where You'll Find Me by Erin Fletcher: Review

Where You'll Find MeTitle: Where You'll Find Me
Author: Erin Fletcher
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Buy This Book: Amazon  

When Hanley Helton discovers a boy living in her garage, she knows she should kick him out. But Nate is too charming to be dangerous. He just needs a place to get away, which Hanley understands. Her own escape methods (vodka, black hair dye, and pretending the past didn't happen) are more traditional, but who is she to judge?
Nate doesn't tell her why he's in her garage, and she doesn't tell him what she's running from. Soon, Hanley's trading her late-night escapades for all-night conversations and stolen kisses. But when Nate's recognized as the missing teen from the news, Hanley isn't sure which is worse: that she's harboring a fugitive, or that she's in love with one.



Where You'll Find Me was a surprisingly short read. At just over 200 pages it makes for quick and fairly light reading, but it was enjoyable. It also wasn't what I was expecting at all, not that I can quite put my finger on what it was that I originally expected from the book. I think I thought it was going to be a darker, creepier read. But, I think that's the part of me that is freaked out by the idea of some stranger living in your garage without you realising it. It did make me glad that most of the houses near me are attached and I don't have a garage. Although, if the guy was as attractive and sweet as Nate turns out to be then I don't think I would mind half as much.

Where You'll Find Me had aspects that really showed the difference between where I am from and where the book is set. Hanley sneaks out a lot at ridiculous 0'clock in the morning to go to parties and get drunk. That just doesn't happen where I'm from, especially at her age. Not because we are all raised to be well behaved children who don't lie to their parents, but because at sixteen you'd still be living with your parents and there would be nowhere to have a party at 2am. Unless you were lucky, like my friend Scott, who's dad didn't care if he had people over drinking all night  - which is where being a sneaky teenager and lying to your parents had to come into play. Also by age sixteen you kind of have more freedom and can go to parties and just be allowed to crash and spend the night. But, in these kinds of books there always seem to be absent parents who are 'out of town'. I just go with it because from reading books or watching films/TV shows set in the US, this is apparently totally normal and happens all the time. Hopefully strange boys living in your garage without you knowing is not as common.

Hanley and Nate are both great characters because they have their share of secrets. Hanley has no idea why Nate is living in her garage or why he won't tell her about his life. And Hanley is struggling to deal with feelings she has repressed since she lost her best friend years before. Hanley drinks to deal with her problems and Nate, apparently, runs away to get away from his. I was definitely intrigued to find out more about Nate and why he was there.

I didn't expect this to be as unbelievably cute as it was. I expected more secrets and intrigue but the romance was the main part of the story. I kind of got lost in it after a while and couldn't really care less what Nate had done to end up in her garage. These two together were super adorable and they had their fair share of awwww moments. The ending was a little too happy, happy. happy for me; a little too gushy and overly sweet but as a whole I really enjoyed this story.


4/5 Stars

This was a short read but it didn't feel like it missed out on anything. I felt like I really got to know the characters and the story developed well. Nothing felt rushed and this didn't need to be any longer than it was. It was a really enjoyable read, even if a little melodramatic at times. I probably won't reread it but it was a good read and the romance was really sweet.




*I received a copy of this novel from the author/publisher/publicist via Netgalley in exchange for a free and honest review and received no monetary compensation for this review.

15 comments:

  1. I really liked this one too, the romance especially. I loved their interaction and though it was mushy at parts I enjoyed it. It's interesting to see what you thought of the partying stuff - I don't live in the US either, and I guess it is pretty common there. Still seems weird though, right? xD
    Great review!

    Richa @ City of Books

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    1. It does seem weird, I don't know if it's exaggerated in books or movies or if it is actually like that - I really hope not! It was such a gushy romance and I wasn't expecting that at all.

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  2. Ah, yes, the absent or oblivious parent. Those of us who have raised teens know how that happens all the time ;)

    Thanks for the great thoughts.

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    1. Ha, I know. According to fiction parents just leave their kids home alone for weeks at a time for no reason ;)

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  3. I have to agree on the whole 'AWOL' parents aspect in American themed books, I don't understand it all personality; I can't sneeze without my Mum knowing how long I've had the cold for based on the sneeze, let alone sneaking out! However, I felt the same on the book, just a star less I think, or half a star, I also got wrapped up in the sweet romance after a while, but I couldn't look past Hanley's attitudes some of the time. I also liked the aspects covered in it.
    This is a great review hun :D

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    1. I KNOW! There was no way you could sneak out of my house, and if you did there would be nowhere to go at 1am. I wasn't expecting it to be so heavy on the sweet romance but I actually liked that about it. Thanks! :)

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  4. Had I just read the back of the book description I would not have considered this book but your review makes it sound much happier and less traumatic! I generally want happy in contemporary books....I do completely agree with the whole "where are the parents" critique. I just wish authors would be a little more realistic about this aspect of teenage life. ~Sheri

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    1. It's not what I was expecting at all, it's a lot more romance than I was expecting. I know, they make it seem like parents are constantly leaving their teens by themselves - I don't know any parents who would do that.

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  5. I think I really want to read this...though I have to admit, the blurb kind of freaked me out. "Aw, there's a boy in my garage, but that's okay, let's pet him." NO. CALL THE COPS. But if he's adorably sweet, I may just be converted when I read it, right? ;)

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    1. I FELT THE SAME!!! She does freak out a little, but not nearly as much as I would have. I got over it after a while because of how sweet he was, which is totally logical... right? ;)

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  6. Oh, wow only 200 pages? That is short? More like a long novella really :)

    This does sound like one of those really cute, easy romances for a summer day on the beach!

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    1. Definitely! It's short and sweet, and although it covers serious issues they didn't really get to me that much.

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  7. Definitely shows the differences, at sixteen I was studying as much as I could for my GCSE's. But, I just wasn't that person anyway, but I knew people who were, who would come into school with a hangover on an exam day. I didn't get that at all. Ugh, yeah, it's not the way you're brought up, but to some extent , it kind of is too, but you can't just blame it on that, or having an absent parent. I was raised by one parent. I guessed I'd have to read this one to understand why but, you find a stranger in your garage and just basically shrug it off? WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? Oh god, "too charming to be dangerous" you kidding? Yes, that's what everyone says about serial killers. :l I think this one would probably annoy me too much, but glad you enjoyed it. :)

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    1. She does freak out at first and kick him out, but she gets over it pretty quickly and that was really weird to me. I know, there's definitely a difference and I hope that it's not as common as fiction seems to make it out to be - that parents frequently just go off and leave their kids by themselves for no reason. It was actually a really sweet romance, which I wasn't expecting at all :)

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