Review: "Everyone is hiding something" and finding out what Low is hiding is an amazing journey!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 2, 2014
Low Parker, in S.K. Hartley’s Finding Us, epitomizes the idea that looks can be deceiving. On the outside, Low is a confident, outgoing young woman who is perfectly put together. But Low Parker isn’t real; she’s a faade created to conceal a past filled with scars and imperfections. For the past six years, Low has been running from a life she never wanted but couldn’t escape. Even after leaving her own personal hell, she knows it’s not over; no one walks away from the life she led, and it’s only a matter of time before it catches up with her. Low is playing a dangerous game of hide and seek, and unfortunately for her, she’s about to be found.Run away or fight back? That’s the position that Low finds herself in after she’s told “they’re coming.” After all of the lies and the constant battle between her head and her heart, her past and her present are about to collide and the collateral damage that could be caused by it is something she’s unwilling to face. But what she doesn’t factor in is the fact that even though she hasn’t allowed herself to truly “feel” for the time she’s been on the run, Tate has, and he won’t let her fight this battle alone.As Willow, she had no control of her life; everything that she witnessed and even participated in were forced upon her; as Low, she understands that choices have consequences and that despite a perfect mask, secrets and lies have a way of being revealed, so if she wants to take the control back, she needs to let herself feel every emotion and fight to protect her family – the one she chooses not the one that she was born into.S.K. Hartley has created one hell of a roller coaster ride in Finding Us. S.K. builds the suspense by slowly revealing Low’s past and everything that she’s running from. By creating an alter ego for Willow, S.K. clearly illustrates the contrasts between her life six years ago and her life now. The life that was once dark, dangerous, and dramatic is now light and full of happiness and love, but until the past is dealt with, Low will always have one foot in both lives, and she will never be able to truly move forward, which is demonstrated amazingly well in the mask that Low chooses to wear.Low is a kickbutt heroine who is so much stronger that she thinks she is. She has done what’s she needed to do to survive and now she’s doing what needs to be done to perhaps have a chance at a normal life. Low deserves a life filled with love; she deserves to feel, and she deserves Tate, and Tate deserves the girl who has stolen his heart.Finding Us is the third book in the Bad Boys series, but it’s actually by first book by S.K. Hartley, and it’s phenomenal. Low is an extremely well developed character whose complex personality shines through as she tells her story. The supporting characters are an awesome group of friends who have already been through a lot with Logan and Neva, but they continue to stand by each other despite the complications. The complexity of the storyline is so well delivered that I never questioned what was happening; all pieces of the puzzle are put together by the end of the story, which is all a reader can ask for in a text.Now that I’ve read Low’s story, I’m going to go back and see what happened with Logan and Neva, which I already know is going to be a crazy journey just by some of the information given in this book, and I’m going to love every minute of it.A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.5 poison apples (The Fairest of All Book Reviews)