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srivalli's review
hopeful
medium-paced
3.75
3.7 Stars
One Liner: Heartwarming with a few issues (suitable for the target age group)
Samira Murphy is stretching herself thin to keep her family together. At seventeen, she has an autoimmune disorder, low attendance, a Gran in mourning, an alcoholic brother, a mother working the job of her dreams in another state, and a low bank balance. When Samira’s college and future become uncertain, she decides to hunt down her estranged father through a DNA search. Imagine her surprise when it matches with a sibling she didn’t even know about!
Henry Owen has two moms – a bio-mom who loves him (and may not always be reliable) and a not-adopted-but-adopted mom and dad/ uncle who want him to achieve the sky and more. Henry longs for a connection to call his own. His DNA search leads him to Samira, a half-sibling.
Can two people struggling with personal demons find comfort in this new bond? What is it to have a brother or sister you didn’t know about?
The story comes in the third-person POV of Samira and Henry in alternative chapters.
My Thoughts:
My only reason to grab this book was the premise. A YA read that centers on half-siblings finding each other is not common (at least as far as I know). It’s refreshing to read how two people get to know each other’s existence when they are in a most vulnerable age group.
Samira and Henry are well-etched. They are your average teens but also different. Samira is half-adult, no thanks to the responsibilities dumped on her head. Henry has anger management issues (which somehow get resolved off-page) but is a sweet guy.
Tara and Linh ensure there are enough lighthearted and sweet moments in the book. People do need friends like them (even if Tara can be overwhelming at times).
The dual POV (both in the third-person) works well. We see their current situation and get the necessary backstories. Once they start interacting, the dual POV helps maintain the balance between the happenings and the characters’ perceived ideas about the events.
The interactions between Samira and Henry feel organic. They go through a range of emotions, learn to bond, fight like all siblings do, and support each other.
Since this is a YA novel, it doesn’t deal with the triggers in depth. Much of it is surface level but expected. Still, I wish Kamron’s alcoholism got a bit more space. While we see how it affects Samira’s life, the resolution feels a little too neatly tied up.
The same goes for Henry’s personal issues with his uncle and aunt, who are also his dad and mom. The change seems to come out of nowhere. While this can be due to the POV restrictions, it also makes everything seem too easy.
However, I do like that Gran’s arc is consistent. It makes more sense since people are indeed like that in real life. Change doesn’t happen so easily, and people who make selfish decisions are more likely to continue making them. I don’t mind the happy ending, though I do wish it wasn’t made easy for certain characters.
I also wouldn’t mind if Samira and Henry spent more time together. The siblings sure have a lot to talk about!
Family is another theme of the book. Some of it is handled well and provides a hopeful outlook. The other part may be too optimistic even for YA readers.
There are a few cuss words commonly used by teens (even if we want to pretend otherwise). There’s a bit of adult-ish content, too.
To summarize, The Search for Us deals with quite a few complex issues at the surface level. It is a steady-paced read with a different premise and delivers a neatly wrapped-up ending.
Oh, don’t miss the author’s note at the end.
Thank you, NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press (Wednesday Books), for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#NetGalley
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism and Xenophobia
Minor: Religious bigotry
bookishmillennial's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial or tiktok: @bookishmillennial
Premise: Henry Owen (British and Russian on his mom Nancy Vlasek's side, Iranian on his dad's side) is a high school hockey player from SoCal who was adopted by his maternal aunt and uncle, but his biological mom is still in the picture. She just could not take care of him after his biological father left them, so her sister Jeannie and her brother-in-law Robert stepped up. He has never had any connection to the Iranian side of his family or his heritage, and he has felt unseen by his father's racist microaggressions and clear bias against Henry's Iranian biological father. He is also set to go to college (U of D, I forget what this stands for lol), but he longs for a gap year, which is not currently supported by his adoptive parents. His girlfriend Linh encourages him to take a DNA test to see if he could find his biological father. So he does, he finds Samira, and sends the first two messages to her!
Samira, on the other hand, is desperately trying to fulfill her granddad's dying wish for her to take care of their family. She lives with her Irish gran and her brother Kamron, and takes on a maternal role in the household, since their mother lives in Ashland, Oregon, which is 5.5 hours north from them in Santa Rosa, California. Kamron has struggled with addiction and he gets a DUI, which means he could end up in prison. Samira pleads to the judge to let him participate in a rehabilitation program instead, and this wish is granted, so Kamron goes to Sunrise Acres, but it costs Samira the money she had been saving for the first two years of her undergraduate years Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. She decides to take the DNA test to find her father, to see if he could help them financially, and she ends up receiving a message from Henry!
Thoughts: This was an incredible young adult coming of age story about family and where you come from. Azim Boyer illustrated so many intricate facets of generational trauma and ultimately, a journey towards clarity and healing. I appreciated how much both siblings grew through this experience, and how different the kids were. Samira was headstrong, confident, and exhausted, while Henry was curious and felt a bit out of his element. When they went to Samira's best friend Tara's massive home with Tara's Iranian family, Henry was both enamored by the sense of community and the incredible food that he was trying for the first time, and he felt a bit of shame for not exploring this side of his heritage earlier. I am not adopted, so I can't speak to this from an ownvoices perspective. I did really appreciate that subtle commentary on what adopted kids may lose out on though, and I was glad to see it represented here.
Samira started out this journey with a very sanctimonious perspective. She of course had to grow up quickly to look out for her older brother Kamron, and with her mom's absence, she pretty much took up the mantle of "mom" in their household, which had a massive impact on her. She learns eventually that Kamron's sobriety is not her responsibility, and on a more macro-level, she learns about what she does own and what she is responsible for, and it's just herself! She was also a baby when her father left, so she has no memories of him except a video she watches often of him reading to her. She internalizes the abandonment of both parents, and puts up a tough front to protect herself. My heart hurt for Samira, because she carried so much and inevitably set that expectation for herself and others. Once she became the mother figure, others began relying on her as that too. It's a lot of pressure for anyone, let alone a 17-year-old.
Henry struggled with finding his voice and yearning for autonomy, since his adoptive parents were quite strict and seemingly acted a bit like helicopter parents, who refused to ever let him just be a kid. Kamron was also a baby when their father left, and he just wants answers: answers to why his uncle & aunt adopted him, why no one speaks about his father, and where his father is! I appreciated how hopeful Henry was, even if it came across as naive to others. He stayed curious, when he easily could have been bitter, but I also think this attitude of gratitude and positivity was instilled in him a bit insidiously by his adoptive parents too. "Be grateful for what you have, it could have been so much worse!" was the messaging I felt from his adoptive parents most of the time. They're not bad people, but they have their own work to do too. It was also fascinating to see the dynamic between Henry's biological mom Nancy, and her sister Jeannie, because they seemed to compete to see who was Henry's "real mom." I don't know that I ever see a resolution to that subplot, but it was certainly intriguing to follow.
I loved that much of the book was Samira and Henry's journey to find their father, rather than focusing too much on the meeting itself. I am glad that we got a bit of a happy ending for these folks, because they all endured so much. They deserve it! Overall, I appreciated the nuance that Azim Boyer brought to these conversations surrounding war, trauma, PTSD, addiction, parenting, and more. Azim Boyer notes that some of the premise is taken from her husband's life, which is so beautiful. I loved reading about this blended family, and I'm so glad I requested this off NetGalley. I can't wait for everyone else to read it on October 24th when it comes out <3
I will absolutely be reading more from Susan Azim Boyer in the future.
cw: alcoholism, addiction, car accident (DUI), abandonment, emotional/financial abuse, toxic relationship, war/combat trauma, PTSD/panic attacks/struggles with mental health, grief, blood/body gore, bullying (racist and xenophobic motivations), death
Premise: Henry Owen (British and Russian on his mom Nancy Vlasek's side, Iranian on his dad's side) is a high school hockey player from SoCal who was adopted by his maternal aunt and uncle, but his biological mom is still in the picture. She just could not take care of him after his biological father left them, so her sister Jeannie and her brother-in-law Robert stepped up. He has never had any connection to the Iranian side of his family or his heritage, and he has felt unseen by his father's racist microaggressions and clear bias against Henry's Iranian biological father. He is also set to go to college (U of D, I forget what this stands for lol), but he longs for a gap year, which is not currently supported by his adoptive parents. His girlfriend Linh encourages him to take a DNA test to see if he could find his biological father. So he does, he finds Samira, and sends the first two messages to her!
Samira, on the other hand, is desperately trying to fulfill her granddad's dying wish for her to take care of their family. She lives with her Irish gran and her brother Kamron, and takes on a maternal role in the household, since their mother lives in Ashland, Oregon, which is 5.5 hours north from them in Santa Rosa, California. Kamron has struggled with addiction and he gets a DUI, which means he could end up in prison. Samira pleads to the judge to let him participate in a rehabilitation program instead, and this wish is granted, so Kamron goes to Sunrise Acres, but it costs Samira the money she had been saving for the first two years of her undergraduate years Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. She decides to take the DNA test to find her father, to see if he could help them financially, and she ends up receiving a message from Henry!
Thoughts: This was an incredible young adult coming of age story about family and where you come from. Azim Boyer illustrated so many intricate facets of generational trauma and ultimately, a journey towards clarity and healing. I appreciated how much both siblings grew through this experience, and how different the kids were. Samira was headstrong, confident, and exhausted, while Henry was curious and felt a bit out of his element. When they went to Samira's best friend Tara's massive home with Tara's Iranian family, Henry was both enamored by the sense of community and the incredible food that he was trying for the first time, and he felt a bit of shame for not exploring this side of his heritage earlier. I am not adopted, so I can't speak to this from an ownvoices perspective. I did really appreciate that subtle commentary on what adopted kids may lose out on though, and I was glad to see it represented here.
Samira started out this journey with a very sanctimonious perspective. She of course had to grow up quickly to look out for her older brother Kamron, and with her mom's absence, she pretty much took up the mantle of "mom" in their household, which had a massive impact on her. She learns eventually that Kamron's sobriety is not her responsibility, and on a more macro-level, she learns about what she does own and what she is responsible for, and it's just herself! She was also a baby when her father left, so she has no memories of him except a video she watches often of him reading to her. She internalizes the abandonment of both parents, and puts up a tough front to protect herself. My heart hurt for Samira, because she carried so much and inevitably set that expectation for herself and others. Once she became the mother figure, others began relying on her as that too. It's a lot of pressure for anyone, let alone a 17-year-old.
Henry struggled with finding his voice and yearning for autonomy, since his adoptive parents were quite strict and seemingly acted a bit like helicopter parents, who refused to ever let him just be a kid. Kamron was also a baby when their father left, and he just wants answers: answers to why his uncle & aunt adopted him, why no one speaks about his father, and where his father is! I appreciated how hopeful Henry was, even if it came across as naive to others. He stayed curious, when he easily could have been bitter, but I also think this attitude of gratitude and positivity was instilled in him a bit insidiously by his adoptive parents too. "Be grateful for what you have, it could have been so much worse!" was the messaging I felt from his adoptive parents most of the time. They're not bad people, but they have their own work to do too. It was also fascinating to see the dynamic between Henry's biological mom Nancy, and her sister Jeannie, because they seemed to compete to see who was Henry's "real mom." I don't know that I ever see a resolution to that subplot, but it was certainly intriguing to follow.
I loved that much of the book was Samira and Henry's journey to find their father, rather than focusing too much on the meeting itself. I am glad that we got a bit of a happy ending for these folks, because they all endured so much. They deserve it! Overall, I appreciated the nuance that Azim Boyer brought to these conversations surrounding war, trauma, PTSD, addiction, parenting, and more. Azim Boyer notes that some of the premise is taken from her husband's life, which is so beautiful. I loved reading about this blended family, and I'm so glad I requested this off NetGalley. I can't wait for everyone else to read it on October 24th when it comes out <3
I will absolutely be reading more from Susan Azim Boyer in the future.
cw: alcoholism, addiction, car accident (DUI), abandonment, emotional/financial abuse, toxic relationship, war/combat trauma, PTSD/panic attacks/struggles with mental health, grief, blood/body gore, bullying (racist and xenophobic motivations), death
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Blood, Bullying, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Medical trauma, and Mental illness
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