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jkneebone's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The Search for Us is told in the alternating perspectives of half-siblings Samira Murphy and Henry Owen, both of whom are seniors in high school. Samira is an "over-functioner" who lives with her grandmother and older brother Kamron. Her grandfather recently passed away, and her mother lives in a different state; since her grandfather's death, Samira has taken on the responsibility of helping her grandmother pay the bills and trying to keep Kamron, who is an alcoholic, on the path to recovery. Henry is an ice hockey player who plays a balancing game with the adults in the life - he lives with his aunt and uncle, who are his adoptive parents, but his bio-mom is still in the picture, and there is a lot of tension between her and her sister (Henry's adoptive mom).
At the beginning of the story, Samira and Henry have no idea that the other exists, but both feel the loss of not having their father, Mohammed Safavi, in their lives. None of the adults in their lives know (or are willing to share) anything about Mohammed's whereabouts. Samira wants to get in contact with her dad so he can pay the back child support he owes their mother, allowing her to pay for a treatment program for Kamron and her tuition to her dream school. Henry wants to know more about where he comes from, especially as he prepares to play hockey in college, something he isn't sure he wants to do. With the goal of finding their dad, both Samira and Henry are encouraged to take DNA tests (Samira by her best friend Tara, and Henry by his girlfriend Linh). They don't find their father, but they do connect with each other, which is the start of an intense journey to find out what happened to Mohammed Safavi.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I don't want to say too much for fear of spoiling anything, but I thought Henry and Samira were both interesting, well-developed characters. I loved how quickly they fell into closeness upon discovering that they were half-siblings (although as an only child, there may have been some envy involved on my part there). I thought Azim Boyer did a great job of crafting interesting worlds around each of the characters - they dynamics between Henry and his parents, Henry and Linh, as well as Samira and her family (especially Kamron) and Tara. My main complaint, and the reason I gave the book 3.5 stars instead of 4, was that it felt like everything was tied up too neatly in the end, to the point that certain things seemed to have been swept under the rug. I understand that this is a YA book, which probably made the author more inclined to wrap things up neatly instead of leaving the reader hanging, but there was an aspect of the story that to me would have felt more authentic if it had ended a little more messily.
That being said, I thought this was a great read. It kept my attention the whole way through, and I loved that it focused on friendship and familial relationships instead of romance. It dealt with heavy topics in a thoughtful way, and I'm sure it could inspire lots of good discussion. Definitely recommend.
(Thanks to NetGalley for access to the ARC!)
At the beginning of the story, Samira and Henry have no idea that the other exists, but both feel the loss of not having their father, Mohammed Safavi, in their lives. None of the adults in their lives know (or are willing to share) anything about Mohammed's whereabouts. Samira wants to get in contact with her dad so he can pay the back child support he owes their mother, allowing her to pay for a treatment program for Kamron and her tuition to her dream school. Henry wants to know more about where he comes from, especially as he prepares to play hockey in college, something he isn't sure he wants to do. With the goal of finding their dad, both Samira and Henry are encouraged to take DNA tests (Samira by her best friend Tara, and Henry by his girlfriend Linh). They don't find their father, but they do connect with each other, which is the start of an intense journey to find out what happened to Mohammed Safavi.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I don't want to say too much for fear of spoiling anything, but I thought Henry and Samira were both interesting, well-developed characters. I loved how quickly they fell into closeness upon discovering that they were half-siblings (although as an only child, there may have been some envy involved on my part there). I thought Azim Boyer did a great job of crafting interesting worlds around each of the characters - they dynamics between Henry and his parents, Henry and Linh, as well as Samira and her family (especially Kamron) and Tara. My main complaint, and the reason I gave the book 3.5 stars instead of 4, was that it felt like everything was tied up too neatly in the end, to the point that certain things seemed to have been swept under the rug. I understand that this is a YA book, which probably made the author more inclined to wrap things up neatly instead of leaving the reader hanging, but there was an aspect of the story that to me would have felt more authentic if it had ended a little more messily.
That being said, I thought this was a great read. It kept my attention the whole way through, and I loved that it focused on friendship and familial relationships instead of romance. It dealt with heavy topics in a thoughtful way, and I'm sure it could inspire lots of good discussion. Definitely recommend.
(Thanks to NetGalley for access to the ARC!)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Islamophobia
Moderate: Addiction, Chronic illness, Abandonment, and Mental illness
Minor: Death, Sexual content, and Panic attacks/disorders
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