Review: Lost & Found by Nicole Williams

Lost and Found

Author: Nicole Williams

Series: Lost & Found

Pages: 358

Publisher: Self

Genre: New Adult

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Synopsis (Goodreads)

There’s complicated. And there’s Rowen Sterling.

After numbing pain for the past five years with boys, alcohol, and all-around apathy, she finds herself on a Greyhound bus to nowhere Montana the summer after she graduates high school. Her mom agreed to front the bill to Rowen’s dream art school only if Rowen proves she can work hard and stay out of trouble at Willow Springs Ranch. Cooking breakfast at the crack of dawn for a couple dozen ranch hands and mucking out horse stalls are the last things in the world Rowen wants to spend her summer doing.

Until Jesse Walker saunters into her life wearing a pair of painted-on jeans, a cowboy hat, and a grin that makes something in her chest she’d thought was frozen go boom-boom. Jesse’s like no one else, and certainly nothing like her. He’s the bright and shiny to her dark and jaded.

Rowen knows there’s no happily-ever-after for the golden boy and the rebel girl—happily-right-now is a stretch—so she tries to forget and ignore the boy who makes her feel things she’s not sure she’s ready to feel. But the more she pushes him away, the closer he seems to get. The more she convinces herself she doesn’t care, the harder she falls.

When her dark secrets refuse to stay locked behind the walls she’s kept up for years, Rowen realizes it’s not just everyone else she needs to be honest with. It’s herself.

Review: 4 ½ out of 5 stars

I haven’t had a lot of luck with the New Adult genre lately, the storylines have all been repetitive and there has been nothing fresh or unique and despite Lost & Found having some of the same qualities as others in the genre, I found myself really enjoying this book and the wonderful characters Nicole Williams has created, the overall feel was a breath of fresh air.

Our main character, Rowen Sterling has been sent to Willow Spring Ranch to work to prove herself worthy of payment at Art School, an ultimatum given by her mother; having spent the past five years of her life on a downward spiral it was a chance for her to start afresh.

Rowen has never had the kind of relationship with her mother that was needed, she was treated more as an obligation rather than a daughter so when she is picked up from the bus station by a smexy cowboy with a permanent happy face, she knows she is in for trouble! Especially when she meets his amazing family who share their positive affirmations constantly it proved she could be a better person and edge away from her self-destructive behaviour.

Quote: “You think you deserve this. You think you deserve to be alone and suffer. You’ve convinced yourself you’re so worthless that you’ve gone to the extreme to punish yourself. You think you deserve a life of misery.”

Jesse {sigh} Walker! Oh. My. Gosh!! I don’t think I have swooned, sighed or gushed over such a character in a long while; what a sweetheart. We don’t have a bad boy here at all, he is pure perfection; thoughtful and caring and such a gentleman who treated Rowen with the kindness and support she needed in order to respect herself. The banter between them was wonderful as was the chemistry.

Quote: “…when I looked into those eyes of his that saw everything, those eyes that saw me, I knew the fight would be worth it. The struggle to let him in when I wanted to barricade the windows and lower the gates would be a battle I’d never regret fighting.” - Rowen

I loved seeing the layers of Rowen slowly revealed and to watch her accept herself for who she was instead of hiding behind what she obviously wasn’t. Her outward appearances pushed people away – her purpose, but when she was shown how worthy she was she became a much better person and it was the Walker’s and their kindness who taught her that. I really enjoyed that in this book we get a bad girl and good guy; and it was done extremely well with a wonderfully detailed underlying message.

Each of the secondary characters were beautifully developed, Jesse’s parents, his mother Rose especially and sisters were amazing; their kindness and compassion left me with a permanent happy face, Josie was a sweetheart but boy did I cringe with Garth, this guy gave me the eeks and Rowen’s mother left me gaping, it was such a sad situation.

Quote: “Every morning we get a chance to be different. A chance to change. A chance to be better. Your past is your past. Leave it there. Get on with the future part, honey.” – Rose Walker

Nicole Williams writing was crisp, witty and entertaining and I adored the overall message of the story. I was mesmerised from the very first page and didn’t want Jesse and Rowen’s story to end so I am pleased to see there will be a sequel, Near & Far to be released on the 30th July.

Overall, a wonderful, touching and true to life story with amazing characters who are entertaining and believable.

About the author (from Goodreads): I'm a wife, a mom, a writer. I started writing because I loved it and I'm still writing because I love it. I write young adult because I still believe in true love, kindred spirits, and happy endings. Here's to staying young at heart *raises champagne glass* . . . care to join me?

Nicole loves hearing from her readers. You can contact her at nwilliamsbooks@gmail.com.

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