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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was very excited to finally read a teen (young adult? this is not really the space for genre definitions, is it?) romance with a predominantly black cast.
Kristina Forest's Now That I've Found You does a wonderful job of presenting the world from the perspective of a young, ambitious, slightly insecure rising actress who is trying by all means to leave her mark. Becoming famous is easier than ever, what with social media being right at your fingertips. But for Evie Jones, staying famous could be the worst thing to ever happen to her.
There are the standard "life of a movie star" tropes: jealous friends, an intrepid publicist, a checkered family history and an impossible bar that the star is trying to reach. But the cliches, under Forest's pen, take on a charming tone and the story is entertaining right up to the last page.
Save for a few weak elements, for example Evie being self-centred to the point of destruction (a hazard of her age?) and the "wild goose chase" that takes up the entire middle part of the book, this is a funny, smart novel that I would definitely recommend.
Kristina Forest's Now That I've Found You does a wonderful job of presenting the world from the perspective of a young, ambitious, slightly insecure rising actress who is trying by all means to leave her mark. Becoming famous is easier than ever, what with social media being right at your fingertips. But for Evie Jones, staying famous could be the worst thing to ever happen to her.
There are the standard "life of a movie star" tropes: jealous friends, an intrepid publicist, a checkered family history and an impossible bar that the star is trying to reach. But the cliches, under Forest's pen, take on a charming tone and the story is entertaining right up to the last page.
Save for a few weak elements, for example Evie being self-centred to the point of destruction (a hazard of her age?) and the "wild goose chase" that takes up the entire middle part of the book, this is a funny, smart novel that I would definitely recommend.
lighthearted
medium-paced
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I liked this!
It was uber cute! Evie was hella annoying in the beginning though. She came off as entitled and spoiled and had I known her in person I might have totally dismissed her. Buuuuuuut I had to remember what she was going through at 18 years old and that she was essentially manipulated by 2 people with their own aspirations/intentions that she thought had her best interests. So she gets a pass. Especially because she didn't turn out to be as shallow as I thought she was.
4 stars
It was uber cute! Evie was hella annoying in the beginning though. She came off as entitled and spoiled and had I known her in person I might have totally dismissed her. Buuuuuuut I had to remember what she was going through at 18 years old and that she was essentially manipulated by 2 people with their own aspirations/intentions that she thought had her best interests. So she gets a pass. Especially because she didn't turn out to be as shallow as I thought she was.
4 stars
Thanks to Partner NetGalley for the digital ARC of Kristina Forest’s Now that I’ve Found You in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on Tuesday, August 25, 2020.
Evie Jones thinks she’s figured out her life. She has an amazing best friend; is launching her movie career with a much-praised director; has a sponsorship deal with a Black hair care company that she loves; and is following in the footsteps of her grandma, Gigi, the glamorous Evelyn Conaway, a Hollywood actress whose real life garnered her as much attention as her acting.
Then, Evie makes a mistake--a big mistake. She trusts the wrong person, and a viral social media post leaves her friendless and floundering. Only the hunger of the film industry--and the public--for an appearance by the reclusive Gigi gives Evie hope that she can save her dream.
Three months after Evie’s defeat, she’s in New York, banking on her grandmother to help her recover the potential that Evie had only begun to realize.
Kristina Forest’s YA novel Now that I’ve Found You is fast paced and engaging. I found Evie to be a flawed protagonist who earned my empathy from the beginning. At times, she acts in ways that are unappealing, but Forest makes sure that the reader always understands why she’s doing what she does: there are reasons that she has a hard time trusting people. Watching Evie’s coming of age arc, in which she’s trying to determine who she is, what she wants out of life, AND why she wants it, is compelling. I couldn’t put this book down until I knew what happened with Evie.
There’s romance here, too, with a young man named Milo who Gigi has befriended. Evie, counting on having Gigi all to herself, feels a lot of resentment toward Milo, but she’s also drawn to his passion for his art as she watches him try to move his band from hobby to career.
Forest uses multiple genres to weave in the story of Gigi’s lifelong love story with James Jenkins, her three-time-ex-husband, another actor. The parallels between Evelyn’s life and Evie’s story are beautiful, and the mystery of why Gigi ended her marriage with James and has refused to speak to him for 20 years is an intriguing thread woven through the book, another element that kept me reading. I love stories that feature Old Hollywood, and the beauty of Gigi and James’s first movie together being the first all-Black romantic film brings in a riveting touch of movie history.
Now that I’ve Found You is an excellent book for teenagers (and for adults!), one that balances the lightness of romance with the seriousness of determining one’s path in the world. I will absolutely be reading Forest’s debut, I Wanna Be Where You Are, and looking forward to her next book.
Evie Jones thinks she’s figured out her life. She has an amazing best friend; is launching her movie career with a much-praised director; has a sponsorship deal with a Black hair care company that she loves; and is following in the footsteps of her grandma, Gigi, the glamorous Evelyn Conaway, a Hollywood actress whose real life garnered her as much attention as her acting.
Then, Evie makes a mistake--a big mistake. She trusts the wrong person, and a viral social media post leaves her friendless and floundering. Only the hunger of the film industry--and the public--for an appearance by the reclusive Gigi gives Evie hope that she can save her dream.
Three months after Evie’s defeat, she’s in New York, banking on her grandmother to help her recover the potential that Evie had only begun to realize.
Kristina Forest’s YA novel Now that I’ve Found You is fast paced and engaging. I found Evie to be a flawed protagonist who earned my empathy from the beginning. At times, she acts in ways that are unappealing, but Forest makes sure that the reader always understands why she’s doing what she does: there are reasons that she has a hard time trusting people. Watching Evie’s coming of age arc, in which she’s trying to determine who she is, what she wants out of life, AND why she wants it, is compelling. I couldn’t put this book down until I knew what happened with Evie.
There’s romance here, too, with a young man named Milo who Gigi has befriended. Evie, counting on having Gigi all to herself, feels a lot of resentment toward Milo, but she’s also drawn to his passion for his art as she watches him try to move his band from hobby to career.
Forest uses multiple genres to weave in the story of Gigi’s lifelong love story with James Jenkins, her three-time-ex-husband, another actor. The parallels between Evelyn’s life and Evie’s story are beautiful, and the mystery of why Gigi ended her marriage with James and has refused to speak to him for 20 years is an intriguing thread woven through the book, another element that kept me reading. I love stories that feature Old Hollywood, and the beauty of Gigi and James’s first movie together being the first all-Black romantic film brings in a riveting touch of movie history.
Now that I’ve Found You is an excellent book for teenagers (and for adults!), one that balances the lightness of romance with the seriousness of determining one’s path in the world. I will absolutely be reading Forest’s debut, I Wanna Be Where You Are, and looking forward to her next book.
This was a really cute and fast paced contemporary novel about an aspiring actress trying to follow in the footsteps of her famous grandmother! If you like coming-of-age stories, mixed with some fame, and a sweet romance then this book is for you! Evie’s grandmother gave me Evelyn Hugo vibes so if you enjoyed that book or Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren then I’d highly recommend this YA novel!
I received an ARC of this book from BookishFirst.
Everything seems to be going perfectly for Evie Jones, granddaughter of legendary silver screen star Eveleyn Conaway, until a public shaming and fall from grace cost her an up and coming career. Evie feels surprisingly relatable in spite of her privileged circumstances. In spite of a big focus of the story being Evie's feelings of loneliness and lack of ability to trust in others, the overall feeling of the book is light and sweet. There's no suprise in the romantic plot with Milo, but it never came off as forced or too saccharine sweet. The search for Evelyn gave the book a fun scavenger hunt vibe, although her eventual discovery felt slightly anticlimactic. Overall, this is a sweet and fun read, and if YA romance is your thing I'd definitely say get your hands on a copy.
Everything seems to be going perfectly for Evie Jones, granddaughter of legendary silver screen star Eveleyn Conaway, until a public shaming and fall from grace cost her an up and coming career. Evie feels surprisingly relatable in spite of her privileged circumstances. In spite of a big focus of the story being Evie's feelings of loneliness and lack of ability to trust in others, the overall feeling of the book is light and sweet. There's no suprise in the romantic plot with Milo, but it never came off as forced or too saccharine sweet. The search for Evelyn gave the book a fun scavenger hunt vibe, although her eventual discovery felt slightly anticlimactic. Overall, this is a sweet and fun read, and if YA romance is your thing I'd definitely say get your hands on a copy.
I just read 2 other books by this author and loved them so I went back to see what else they have written and found this one. I was really excited to start reading...only I hated Evie so so much it was hard to read. She is mean and selfish and pretty horrible to Milo. Like when she first gets to her grandmother's place she is just awful, she is so mean to Milo I don't know why he would even want to have anything to do with her. Yeah, I couldn't take her. I get she wants to be an actor and fix the mess her life turned into, but argh! She annoyed me so so much! Like she didn't seem to care about other people at all, at least in the part I read. I decided to dnf cause I couldn't with her.