I struggled with the first few chapters of Finding Kerra. There was a lot of back story which seemed convoluted and unconvincing. However, when I finished the book, I read the advertisements for Rosanne Hawke’s other books. It was only then I realized the book was a part of a series and the reason for the extended back story made sense. Even so, the book doesn’t work well as a stand-alone. I would recommend reading at least one of the previous books in the series before reading this one.
My other struggle was with the behaviour of the young adults. They were acting with Christian morals, but for no apparent reason. Later it turned out that they did have faith, but for a long time, this wasn’t revealed and then seemed overdone, as it hadn’t been mentioned earlier. Perhaps this also would have felt more authentic if I had read the previous books in the series.
Nevertheless, in the end I did enjoy the story. Jamie had met Blake at school and is invited to his property to help out during the semester break. While she is there, she uncovers a painful past, that is not talked about. Ultimately Jamie is able to draw on her own experiences to bring a healing perspective to the situation. The book is a helpful insight into family dynamics, relationships, forgiveness and working through trauma. It’s well-written, with good descriptions which brought the scenes alive.
Overall it was an interesting read.
