Finding Emma

I get asked to review a lot of self-published work and, honestly, I'm very picky about these books. I don't accept as many as I'm offered and they often disappoint. Finding Emma is not one of these books. I'm not entirely sure why this book doesn't have a major publisher because it certainly deserves one. I'm very glad I accepted this book and got the opportunity to read and review it.

Imagine what it must be like to have a child taken from you. Imagine never knowing, the ache that must cause, the disruption to your marriage and to your other children, the inability to let go, and the sight of this child everywhere you turn. Imagine feeling like everyone in your life wants you to just get over it and let it go. Imagine you're about to show more lose everything, but you know deep in your heart, in your guts that your child is out there waiting for you to find him or her and you just can't let go. Finding Emma is a story with all of those elements.

Megan is a character on a mission to find her child. No matter what anyone says, no matter what happens around her, she can't and won't let go and the consequences of this choice are monumental and felt by everyone around her. And then, one day, after years of crying wolf, she really does see her daughter and has to try to get someone to listen to her. All of this while trying to manage everyday life, her relationship with her husband, her relationship with her remaining children, and the ghost of Emma hanging all around her.

Imagine what it must be like to know your child is dead from years on the street and a drug overdose. Imagine wanting to do something, anything, to correct the mistakes you made. Imagine mental illness driving you to take someone's child and hide the fact from everyone around you, disguising the child as family. All of these elements are in Finding Emma.

So many books on this subject are maudlin or one-sided and very rarely are the motives that drive someone who takes a child addressed, unless (of course) the taker is a sexual predator and then it's all about the gory detail. Ms. Holmes takes a complex and difficult subject and tells a complex and wonderful story and she tells it from multiple points of view, forcing the reader to get inside all the bits and pieces and inhabit them until the whole thing reveals itself as what it is - a deep tragedy.

This is a book worth reading and worth purchasing, not only because all of the proceeds from the book are being donated to the Missing Children's Society of Canada - an organization that focuses on reuniting families. What a great way to make a difference. show less

This is my first Steena Holmes title to read, and it was a page turner (or screen swiper)! It was difficult to put down.

Megan is the mother of three girls, and her youngest Emma is a bit of a wanderer. When a seemingly innocent moment passes, and she realizes her daughter has slipped out of the house, a two-year nightmare begins. Emma disappeared, and Megan is left shattered, present but not present for her husband, Peter and daughters Alexis and Hannah.

With her marriage barely holding together, Megan agrees to put her focus on the "here and now" and let go of Emma. Except, she is convinced that Emma is in the background of the photo she took at the fair. Can she trust Peter to believe her...or is she once again deceiving herself?

An emotionally charged story of a little girl who goes missing for two years and the devastating effects it had on her family, The pain and anguish the mother experienced was almost palpable, a parent's worst nightmare. Through it all, Peter tried to console and keep his marriage to Megan together as he attempts to provide closure to care for their other two daughters. Even after 2 years Megan couldn't help but see Emma's face in every child she encountered. How does one put closure on a missing child when there is no body to bury, no funeral to attend? Although Megan decides it is time to move on for the sake of her family, she still holds onto to the hope that her daughter is still alive waiting for her.

From Lilac Wolf and Stuff

I knew I'd enjoy this book, but really I loved it. My heart broke for Peter and Megan, whose marriage is being held together by a thread. It's not a surprise that many relationships don't survive this kind of tragedy. Your heart breaks over and over again, it would be hard to not take out some frustration on the person nearest you. And the other problem is devoting so much energy to finding your missing child that you completely ignore your family that is still there.

The story also goes into the elderly couple. It's so sad because Jack still loves Dottie so very much, that he doesn't see the woman she has become, or he doesn't want to. Honestly, the characters are so rich that you don't really dislike anyone, show more not even Emma's kidnapper.

The story is well told, and well written. I had a hard time putting this one down. show less

Good, even though you knew the outcome from the title. Emma disappears from the front yard when she was three years old. The story bounces back and forth between her birth family trying to find her, and the older woman with memory problems, who took her, believing that she was her daughter's child.

This was a fantastic book about what happens to a family when a child is kidnapped. Emma has been missing for two years, her mother Megan is obsessed with finding her, her husband feels estranged from his wife because he is handing his grief differently and their other two daughters feel like they have been abandoned. Across town, Emmie is living with her grandparents but has memories of another family. There were some things that were confusing at the end of the story but the author plans to write a sequel and hopefully that will clear up those issues. This is a book that will make you cry!

I was profoundly moved by this book, the story of a child who goes missing, and how it deeply devastates her mother and family. It is skillful storytelling at its best, and it simply draws you in.

Megan didn’t know how to live her life without her daughter, Emma. It was like her life was on pause. In her quest to find her missing daughter, she’d forgotten that she still had two daughters by her side waiting to be noticed, and a husband who was dealing with Emma’s disappearance in his own way.

The author manages to weave many elements into the storyline and the relationships between the characters are superb. Jack and Emmie’s relationship especially touched me. Deep feelings are portrayed in many scenes, with writing that is show more poignant and filled with emotion.

Finding Emma has a well-constructed plot, compelling characters, and a satisfying conclusion – a beautifully written story that will warm your heart. Most definitely a 5 star novel by and incredible author. show less