Series Review: Finding by Megan Smith

Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

Synopsis for Finding Us (from Goodreads):
Jasmine Jennings is running from her past, something she never wants to deal with again. Starting out fresh in a new city, life is finally looking up.

That is until she meets him — Knox Mitchell. She tries to elude him, but he’s everywhere. When she finally gives in, he begins to avoid her.

One tragic night, Knox’s future was ripped away. His body and soul crave revenge from the man who took everything away from him, but when Jasmine crashes into Knox’s muddled life, he’s torn. What is he supposed to do about falling for the girl who was to be part of his plan for retaliation?

When all secrets are revealed can they move forward without the past destroying any hopes of having a future?

Series: Finding
Author: Megan Smith
# of Books: 3 (Finding Us, Finding Ours, Finding Happiness)

Finding Ours is technically a novella

Book Order: Connected
Complete?: No, Finding Happiness, is to be published
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Heat Rating: really warm
Point of View: First Person, Alternating
Publication Dates: April 2014 – ongoing
Source & Format: Own–eBook

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

I’m not sure how I found (pun not intended) Finding Us. I noticed that I had purchased it in March 2016 but have had it on my Goodreads TBR since January 2015. I thought that is was perhaps a recommended novel on Goodreads for Ten Tiny Breaths by K A Tucker–but I can see that I read that particular novel after I added Finding Us so who knows.

But, when I got around to reading this series (which was first selected for my Make Me Read It Readathon and later read for my Rock my TBR challenge), I was very excited to read it. I love stories with secrets. I love stories with revenge. And like they do here, they often go hand in hand. So I was eager to uncover what Knox’s plans were for Jasmine and why they should never be together.

The Plot:

Finding Us started strong for me. Despite the cliched life of rich-girl-turned-rebel Jasmine, I did enjoy the start of this novel a lot. Knox was a bad boy who appeared out of thin air and I liked the feelings of suspense those scenes brought about. Who was Knox and what did he want with Jasmine? That anticipation is amped up with the brief and secretive Knox POVs included at the end of most chapters.

But somewhere in the middle, it just lost it for me. Sure, the secret is great–very unexpected and worthwhile–but it was the romance that completely fizzled for me.

The Romance:

There was this disconnect for me between Jasmine’s “I hate him; he gives me the creeps” and her “I want to jump his bones”. The same goes for Knox. What did Jasmine possess that made him want to give up his plans? I still don’t know the answer.

Romances can be based on some unseen connection; it’s not my favourite but it’s fiction. However, in a story like this where one character has been targeting the other for some seriously heavy revenge, I need more substance in the relationship–besides “the best sex of my life”–in order to say I’m on board.

The Characters:

Jasmine was pretty cliche I thought. Knox had his cliche moments as well but I was intrigued by the mystery he presented himself with.

What I really liked about Finding Us was the introduction of Knox’s friends. Their stories were much more interesting to me and they provided some bright spots; especially near the end.

The Novella — Finding Ours:

This novella focuses on two characters you meet in Finding Us. It was exactly what I wanted the story to be; cute and heartfelt and romantic. The only bummer part was parts of it were recycled from Finding Us. Which makes sense because the later half overlaps with Finding Us but I didn’t really want a regurgitation word-for-word of what I had just read.

My Expectations for the Rest of the Series:

If you had asked me at the 50% mark if I would have continued on with this series, I would have said no. But I’m really intrigued by the character who is the star of Finding Happiness. There was a great setup for that and I can’t wait to see what story we get.

Series Rating: 3/5

Finding Us 3/5 | [Finding Ours] 3.5/5 | Finding Happiness TBP

I had a bit of a disconnect with the leads in Finding Us but the rest of the characters have me interested to see what is next. I’m not sure when Finding Happiness will be released, but I’m going to keep an eye on it for the time being.

Read if You Like: revenge stories, family secrets
Avoid if You: want stronger romance connections