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Looking for David: A Novel
A tour guide looking for meaning.
A bullied teen in need of a role model.
An unlikely friendship that will change their lives forever.
Mickey Cohen is almost forty, and his life is going nowhere, fast. Working part-time with his best friend Yoss as a local tour guide, the dysfunctional duo spends the rest of their time drinking and smoking. But after a bad night in the emergency room, Mickey is sent to see a therapist to treat his clinical depression. To get out of the rut he is stuck in, he needs to make some drastic changes.
The opportunity to clean up his act arrives when Nicole—a young woman chaperoning her sick best friend’s son, David—hires Mickey to take them on a bar mitzvah tour of Jerusalem. David, an awkward, scrawny teen constantly bullied at school, is in desperate need of some guidance.
Off to see Jerusalem’s finest sights and cross off David’s bucket list, Mickey and David form an unlikely bond. But while Mickey helps David gain more confidence, Nicole begins to fear that the secret she is keeping for a sick woman will change the course of their trip and their lives forever.
Looking for David is an emotional and captivating coming-of-age story of friendship, redemption, and the power of love, perfect for fans of Catherine Ryan Hyde and Imogen Clark.
A bullied teen in need of a role model.
An unlikely friendship that will change their lives forever.
Mickey Cohen is almost forty, and his life is going nowhere, fast. Working part-time with his best friend Yoss as a local tour guide, the dysfunctional duo spends the rest of their time drinking and smoking. But after a bad night in the emergency room, Mickey is sent to see a therapist to treat his clinical depression. To get out of the rut he is stuck in, he needs to make some drastic changes.
The opportunity to clean up his act arrives when Nicole—a young woman chaperoning her sick best friend’s son, David—hires Mickey to take them on a bar mitzvah tour of Jerusalem. David, an awkward, scrawny teen constantly bullied at school, is in desperate need of some guidance.
Off to see Jerusalem’s finest sights and cross off David’s bucket list, Mickey and David form an unlikely bond. But while Mickey helps David gain more confidence, Nicole begins to fear that the secret she is keeping for a sick woman will change the course of their trip and their lives forever.
Looking for David is an emotional and captivating coming-of-age story of friendship, redemption, and the power of love, perfect for fans of Catherine Ryan Hyde and Imogen Clark.
295 pages, Paperback
Published March 10, 2025
92 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 23, 2025
Moving, Warm, and Wonderfully Human...
Looking for David by Dany Vana is a genuine, heartfelt story about two people who cross paths just when they need each other most. Mickey’s life is stalled until he’s given the job of showing a teenager named David around Jerusalem—and what begins as a routine assignment gradually grows into something much more meaningful. Their unexpected friendship is funny, a bit chaotic, and filled with moments that really resonate.
This book quietly sneaks up on you. One moment you’re laughing, and the next you’re reflecting on your own life and the people who’ve shown up when you needed them most. It’s honest, moving, and easy to lose yourself in. If you enjoy stories about real people trying to find their place in the world, this one’s for you. Highly recommended. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
Looking for David by Dany Vana is a genuine, heartfelt story about two people who cross paths just when they need each other most. Mickey’s life is stalled until he’s given the job of showing a teenager named David around Jerusalem—and what begins as a routine assignment gradually grows into something much more meaningful. Their unexpected friendship is funny, a bit chaotic, and filled with moments that really resonate.
This book quietly sneaks up on you. One moment you’re laughing, and the next you’re reflecting on your own life and the people who’ve shown up when you needed them most. It’s honest, moving, and easy to lose yourself in. If you enjoy stories about real people trying to find their place in the world, this one’s for you. Highly recommended. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
June 1, 2025
This is by far a wonderful book. Nicole—a young woman chaperoning her sick best friend’s son, David—hires Mickey to take them on a bar mitzvah tour of Jerusalem. David, an awkward, scrawny teen constantly bullied at school, is in desperate need of some guidance. And what an ending.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews