Coming off of a breakup, I was looking for a book that would suck me out of a funk and commandeer my brain. I wanted something that I could read quickly and wouldn’t be disappointed with. I think Lisa Jewell is the perfect author for that, and I Found You did not disappoint.

The Story

In the windswept British seaside town of Ridinghouse Bay, single mom Alice Lake finds a man sitting on a beach outside her house. He has no name, no jacket, and no idea how he got there. Against her better judgment, she invites him inside.

Meanwhile, in a suburb of London, newlywed Lily Monrose grows anxious when her husband fails to return home from work one night. Soon, she receives even worse news: according to the police, the man she married never even existed.

Twenty-three years earlier, Gray and Kirsty Ross are teenagers on a summer holiday with their parents. The annual trip to Ridinghouse Bay is uneventful, until an enigmatic young man starts paying extra attention to Kirsty. Something about him makes Gray uncomfortable—and it’s not just because he’s a protective older brother.

Who is the man on the beach? Where is Lily’s missing husband? And what ever happened to the man who made such a lasting and disturbing impression on Gray?

My Thoughts

I gave I Found You three stars on Goodreads. We joked at book club recently that 3 stars generally means, “I read it and enjoyed it, but I probably won’t remember too much about it a couple weeks down the road.”

Do I remember this book? In pieces, definitely. I’m actively working on trying to do my reviews more efficiently so as to provide accurate feedback on the books I read.

With all of that being said, I felt this one was a bit predictable! It was set up in a way where the twist or climax or whatever you want to call it could really only go one of two ways. That can detract from my overall enjoyment of a book.

I don’t know if this would qualify as a trigger warning, but just know that the “young man” who is paying extra attention to Kirsty is definitely predatory. I believe he’s 19 and she’s 14 or 15 maybe? As adults, that isn’t that large of a difference, but her character was portrayed as very uncomfortable in the situation. It’s very obvious that it’s predatory, but I would recommend proceeding with caution.

There was a lot going on in I Found You, but it did work in the end. The storylines aligned nicely (almost too nicely?), which helped. Sometimes you get into books with different stories that are forced to come together, and that’s just not good.

If you’re looking for a quick read that you won’t be mad you finished, I’d definitely recommend I Found You!

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