Find Layla: A Novel

Excellent narrative voice. I felt like I was really in Layla’s head. Slightly unrealistic (not the abuse or parental neglect, but some of the other story elements. But I didn’t regret reading this.

at the end, I think the author was hinting that Layla was maybe biracial or at least had kinky or overly curly hair. If she’s so resourceful, surely, she’d know how to find YouTube videos a social worker wouldn’t have to tell her. She was evading CPS like a champ. Come on, she’s smart.

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book that I got through Amazon First Reads for my Kindle.

Story (5/5): This is the story of Layla. She’s super smart and wants to be a scientist one day. But, for now she is struggling to make it day by day in her moldering apartment that has no power or heat, with her absent mother, and her five year old brother. She is struggling with bullying at school but more concerned about trying to get her clothes clean and find food for her and her brother on a day to day basis. Then a recording of her apartment goes viral and Child Protective Services comes calling. It was an engaging, darkly funny, and heartbreaking story that I really enjoyed.

Characters (5/5): I absolutely loved Layla and her little show more brother; the conditions they were living in broke my heart. Layla is such a tough character, she does her best and takes her challenges in stride. She cares about her brother the best she can, but realizes when things are getting beyond her ability to fix (or least keep up with) them. Her brother is also an interesting case, he is young and knows when he is unhappy but he doesn’t realize how bad the situation he is in actually is. It was so sad to see Layla be so smart about science and school but struggle with things like how to make a bed or deal with personal hygiene just because she hadn’t had any exposure to basic normal life things.

Setting (5/5): A lot of this story takes place in either Layla’s apartment or her school. Layla’s apartment was fascinating in a really sad way, I truly hope there aren’t a ton of kids out there living in those types of conditions. The scary part is that her and her brother have learned to get used to that way of living; it’s kind of a lesson of how adaptable humans are and how much they can endure.

Writing Style (5/5): This was a short read but packed in a lot of story and was really engaging. I liked the scientific slant Layla puts on a lot of things; it was an intriguing way to make the story a bit different and show how Layla was using science to distance herself a bit from her circumstances. There’s a lot of heart here and a lot of heartbreak. The story ends in a very realistic way and I enjoyed how social media added to both good and bad aspects of Layla’s life.

My Summary (5/5): Overall this is the best Amazon First Reads book I have ever read and is a very good book just in general. I loved the look into this strange (and sad from my viewpoint as a parent) life that Layla is living. This is a brief story that looks into so many different topics: mental illness, child neglect, social media, poverty, science and coming of age. It’s a lot to pack into this story but it works really well and makes for an engaging and entertaining story that has a lot of emotional impact. show less

"Find Layla" was not an easy read. It was raw, heart-breaking and extremely moving. Layla's life was truly horrible but I admired her strength and resilience. Not only was she living in squalor, she was also mothering her six-year-old brother because their own mother was usually absent. Her voice was unique and powerful.

Tackling difficult issues including poverty, mental illness, abuse, neglect and bullying, this short novel was a sad, but beautifully written, story and I was rooting for Layla from the first page.

Woah!!

This is an outstanding work! As an adoptive mom, I so appreciate the author’s handling of “charity” without excessive (harmful) romanticism. Loved the ending. Life is not a fairytale, and for some it is truly a nightmare. Without being depressing, this book challenges the stereotype “hardship” social cases.

Wow

This story packed a punch. I need a few days to compute. I’ll write more when I can. Powerful, gut-wrenching.

A unique first person viewpoint of life within a home of neglect teetering on homelessness. Layla is smart and resilient and a survivor.