REVIEW: Finding It by Cora Carmack

In Finding It (Losing It #3) by Cora Carmack, Traveling around Europe after her college graduation sounds like a wonderful idea to Kelsey Summers. It’s not that she’s running from her past or her family. Or so she tells herself. Kelsey just wants to create memories to last her through what she fears will be a lifetime of lies, pain and drudgery.

‘Between the regrets I already had and the ones I was scared of having, life was starting to feel like an obstacle course of remorse.’

Everything changes the moment Kelsey spots Jackson Hunt. His eyes cut through her with an intensity that both makes her squirm and want to get much, much closer to the gorgeous soldier. Jackson seems to recognize what a bad place Kelsey is in emotionally and offers to help her find the adventure she’s been looking for. But as they travel from country to country getting to know each other, Jackson holds back from admitting what is haunting him and from getting physical with her. Kelsey becomes torn with wanting to know what he’s hiding so she can help him, and not wanting to know so they can stay in their cocoon of happiness for just a little while longer.

“I don’t understand how you can kiss me the way you kissed me and feel the way I know you feel, and keep pushing me away. But I’m done trying to figure it out.”

Finding It is a very poignant, funny and sometimes raw look at a young woman coming to terms with her past and searching for her future.

‘If I had learned anything on this trip, it was that running from something didn’t mean it stopped chasing you.’

Book three in the Losing It series by Cora Carmack, I think, is a great addition to the New Adult genre. It has the intensity and emotional depth that I normally look for and it’s written very elegantly with vivid descriptions of the background and the character’s feelings. Although it is part of a series, this can certainly be read as a standalone as its primary focus is on Kelsey and her trip across Europe.

It was easy to connect with Kelsey’s struggle once you see the pain she hides behind her party girl image. Her past proved to her that growing up in a wealthy family doesn’t equal happiness. It does allow her certain liberties. Say, trekking across Europe, all expenses paid by daddy. However, her dysfunctional family is what is driving her away. I thought, even though she was scared underneath the bravado, Kelsey was a brave woman for daring to make a change in her life and eventually confronting the issue holding her back.

Jackson or Soldier Smolder as she first dubs him…wow. He was quite the enigma! Always there to save her yet he held so much back from her even though they had an incredible connection together. The bombshell that drops toward the end of the book, I have to admit, I didn’t really see coming, but it does explain a lot. I loved how tender Jackson was with Kelsey and his sweeping gesture(s) of love for her were so sweet they made me smile.

Cora Carmack has a way of drawing the reader in and not letting go until the very last page. I would highly recommend reading Finding It if you are looking for an intimate and romantic New Adult story.

Book Info:

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Published October 15th 2013 by William Morrow Paperbacks | Series: Losing It #3

Sometimes you have to lose yourself to find where you truly belong…

Most girls would kill to spend months traveling around Europe after college graduation with no responsibility, no parents, and no-limit credit cards. Kelsey Summers is no exception. She’s having the time of her life . . . or that’s what she keeps telling herself.

It’s a lonely business trying to find out who you are, especially when you’re afraid you won’t like what you discover. No amount of drinking or dancing can chase away Kelsey’s loneliness, but maybe Jackson Hunt can. After a few chance meetings, he convinces her to take a journey of adventure instead of alcohol. With each new city and experience, Kelsey’s mind becomes a little clearer and her heart a little less hers. Jackson helps her unravel her own dreams and desires. But the more she learns about herself, the more Kelsey realizes how little she knows about Jackson