Scan barcode
A review by melissayabookshelf
Where I Found You by Heidi R. Kling
I first read this book about seven years ago after I saw tons of buzz about it on Twitter and through contests. There was a lot of hype, and as often happens to me, hype sometimes can ruin a book. Re-reading this now re-edited version with a new ending was a very different experience. A lot of it was familiar, but with the seven year gap, I didn't know what was going to happen next at any point. And that was a great thing.
I appreciated this novel so much more this time around. Whether that's because of the changes to the novel or something else is unclear. Maybe it's just because I was more ready for the kind of book that it was, a story about an unimaginable disaster and how it helps Sienna not only connect with her long lost mother and heal from her loss, but also to learn so much more about the world around her. It's also great that the Indonesian kids and teens were able to slowly or feel slightly better due to the the strategies that Team Hope gave them, and the reader is left feeling hopeful that those improvements will continue going forward.
Like Sienna, I've become more aware of Islam and Muslim culture than I was back when I first read this book, and the cultural information that Heidi R. Kling disseminates about that and Indonesian customs never felt forced or heavy handed. Just real.
This is a beautiful and heartbreaking novel about the love that can develop between people of different cultures and a whole lot more. I can't wait to read the sequel to see what happens with Sienna and Deni.
I appreciated this novel so much more this time around. Whether that's because of the changes to the novel or something else is unclear. Maybe it's just because I was more ready for the kind of book that it was, a story about an unimaginable disaster and how it helps Sienna not only connect with her long lost mother and heal from her loss, but also to learn so much more about the world around her. It's also great that the Indonesian kids and teens were able to slowly or feel slightly better due to the the strategies that Team Hope gave them, and the reader is left feeling hopeful that those improvements will continue going forward.
Like Sienna, I've become more aware of Islam and Muslim culture than I was back when I first read this book, and the cultural information that Heidi R. Kling disseminates about that and Indonesian customs never felt forced or heavy handed. Just real.
This is a beautiful and heartbreaking novel about the love that can develop between people of different cultures and a whole lot more. I can't wait to read the sequel to see what happens with Sienna and Deni.