Until I Find You by Rea Frey (thoughts)

 

Summary from Goodreads:

"2 floors. 55 steps to go up. 40 more to the crib.

Since Rebecca Gray was diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease, everything in her life consists of numbers. Each day her world grows a little darker and each step becomes a little more dangerous.

Following days of feeling like someone’s watching her, Bec awakes at home to the cries of her son in his nursery. When it’s clear he’s not going to settle, Bec goes to check on him.
She reaches in. Picks him up.
But he’s not her son.
And no one believes her.

One woman’s desperate search for her son . . .

In a world where seeing is believing, Bec must rely on her own conviction and a mother’s instinct to uncover the truth about what happened to her baby and bring him home for good."

My Thoughts:

Until I Find You was one of those tense reads that kept me turning the pages as fast as I could.  The premise of this book is unique as it features Bec who is now considered to be legally blind.  She has had a difficult life with both her husband and then mother recently dying so she is on her own raising her baby boy.  I cannot speak on the portrayal of what it is like to lose your sight or to be blind but I felt like this author really handled it well. She voiced the struggles and fears that Bec faced with raising a young child on her own and not being able to see.  The book felt almost claustrophobic at times especially as the author takes the reader through some of Bec's own experiences with not being able to see.  The idea of not knowing who is behind you, how far you have until you reach something like stairs....it's all a bit terrifying to think about which really added to the suspense that was present throughout this book.  It was sad to see how Bec was treated because of her inability to see by others who had their vision.  I felt like it was a realistic portrayal though because often people with disabilities are listened to less than someone without disabilities.  It made me mad for her though because her friends really weren't there for her like they should have been.  This book was a true page turner and literally had me on the edge of my seat at times.  I NEEDED to know how everything was going to end and if Bec was going to find her baby.  I finished this book reading fast and furiously between pitches at my son's baseball game.  Completely worth it!

Overall, I'm excited to have found this author and am looking forward to reading more by her in the future.  This book really made me think about my own vision and what it would be like to slowly lose that vision.  I also connected with it strongly as there is such a focus on motherhood and being the best mother possible despite the circumstances.  Bec had her doubts and insecurities but that's what it is like being a mother.  I don't think that there is a mother out there that doesn't experience their own insecurities and doubts relating to being a mother and how well they are doing.  I think that readers who enjoy a suspenseful read, those who enjoy page turning books that keep them hooked until the very end, and those readers who want a mystery featuring a main character with a disability should definitely pick this book up.  Highly recommended!

Bottom Line:  A suspenseful read that has moved this author on to my must read list!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher as part of a PICT book tour.  Honest thoughts are my own.

CW:  Kidnapping, death, grief, blindness, mental illness

Book Details: Genre: Domestic Suspense Published by: St. Martin's Press Publication Date: August 11th 2020 Number of Pages: 320 ISBN: 1250241588 (ISBN13: 9781250241580) Series: Until I Find You is not a part of a series. Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Goodreads Author Bio: REA FREY is the multi-published, award-winning bestselling author of three suspense novels and four nonfiction books. She’s been featured in US Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, Glamour, Popsugar, Hello Sunshine, Marie Claire, Parade, Shape, Hello Giggles, CrimeReads, Writer’s Digest, WGN, Fox News, Today in Nashville, Talk of the Town, and more. She is also the CEO and Founder of Writeway, where aspiring writers become published authors. To learn more, visit reafrey.com or writewayco.com. Catch Up With Rea Frey: ReaFrey.com Goodreads BookBub - @ReaFreyAuthor Instagram - @reafrey Twitter - #ReaFrey Facebook - @reafrey