Reviews

How to Find What You're Not Looking for by Veera Hiranandani

kristport20's review

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

nadjatiktinsky's review against another edition

Historical fiction set in the 1960s, immediately following the Loving v. Virginia court case that made interracial marriage legal. Twelve-year-old Ariel's beloved older sister, Leah, elopes with an Indian man, and is subsequently disowned by their parents. As Ariel frantically tries to find Leah, her parents' Jewish bakery, which has never had it easy in their majority-Christian town, begins to struggle financially. Hiranandani is incredibly good at dissecting prejudices between marginalized communities, as she did with the Hindu and Muslim populations of India in her Newbery-honor debut, The Night Diary, and this book is further proof of that: she gives great depth and complexity to her characters' bigotry, where a lesser author might take it at face value. I was a bit hung up by Hiranandani's choice to write in present tense and second person, but overall really enjoyed this read.

missjenthelibrarian's review against another edition

hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

astitchedspine's review

emotional hopeful medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

thomasdsmalls's review

4.0

Holy, this was great. I really wasn’t sure about it in the first half, as there were so many plot threads going and I didn’t know if the author would be able to tie them all together, but she did a fantastic job wrapping everything up and making it feel like one cohesive narrative. I loved the main character, Ariel, and how dynamic and empathetic she was. I also enjoyed the second person perspective more than I thought I would. I would say my only complaint was that it felt long at points, and I feel like some chapters could’ve been nixed for pacing.

veiledmountainfury's review

5.0

I honestly did not think I would like this book as much as I have. I have stayed up late in the night to finish it which is something I have not done in a long time. So many issues are packed into this middle grade book, racism, learning disabilities, family, financial struggle, growing up. However the author weaves all of the issues together without being forced. The result is that the reader feels exactly what you felt growing up. We all deal with so many complex situations at once and emotions. It truly felt like the story was alive. All of the issues discussed in the book are historical fiction however they are the same issues that we face today and especially in the past year and a half. I think that readers of all ages can relate to our main heroine in different ways. The little pieces of poetry were sprinkled throughout the novel and just added to its beauty. I was amazed at how many feelings the author could pack into a small poem and I normally do not enjoy poetry that much! If you are on the fence about reading, take the jump, you will not regret it!

raven18's review against another edition

5.0

i didn't know what to expect when I first started this one. Probably because i was still getting used to it being written in second person. i really liked the fact that the author put us in Ariel's shoes, while also it was still Ariel's point of view (if that makes sense). I learned so much from this book. it wasn't what I expected it to be, to be honest, it shocked me in a good way.

i also loved the historical events included in this story (Martin Luther King's protests, the Loving v Virginia case, etc)

this whole book was a joy to read and I loved every part.

emilyvp's review against another edition

It just wasn't my thing, I got pretty bored, but I might of liked it if I were younger.

librarianaaryn's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.0