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Searching for Amy
Searching for Amy is a gripping coming-of-age story that tackles the issue of intimate image abuse with compassion and truth.
When Harry asked me to the party, it took less than thirty seconds to say yes.
I’ve spent every waking moment since regretting it.
Meet Amy, part-time barista at Jon’s café – studies English, makes a perfect flat white, doesn’t go out much, no social media presence. Almost like she has something to hide…
Back at school, Harry had seemed like the perfect person to lose her virginity to – good-looking, popular, and her best friend’s cousin. The sex was consensual. The video, however, was not.
Now she’s at uni, and all that is behind her – but she can’t escape the feeling that anytime, anywhere, someone might recognise her.
How can you rebuild your life when there’s no-one left you trust?
'I devoured this book from start to finish. The story was compelling, the characters vivid - I loved Amy - and the moral is very much a modern one. Everyone should read it'.
Alice Smellie, author and journalist
'A compelling and powerful examination of one of the most pressing issues for young people today'.
Tanith Carey, author, 'What's my Teenager Thinking? Practical Child Psychology for Modern Parents.’
‘A clear new voice, and a strong protagonist whom I found very convincing. I was swept along on Amy’s journey from the word go. Her most private moment is made public and once it’s out there, it’s impossible to reel back.’
M J Camilleri, author of Sunset Exiles, Merlin Press
‘Raw, resilient, and ultimately triumphant— Searching for Amy reminds us that sometimes finding yourself means facing what you fear most. A compelling and beautifully written debut.’
Helen Francis, Literary consultant
‘You can’t escape your past until you find yourself. Searching for Amy thoughtfully explores contemporary themes. A triumph.’
Nicky Downes, author of Silent Fall and Her Perfect Girl
When Harry asked me to the party, it took less than thirty seconds to say yes.
I’ve spent every waking moment since regretting it.
Meet Amy, part-time barista at Jon’s café – studies English, makes a perfect flat white, doesn’t go out much, no social media presence. Almost like she has something to hide…
Back at school, Harry had seemed like the perfect person to lose her virginity to – good-looking, popular, and her best friend’s cousin. The sex was consensual. The video, however, was not.
Now she’s at uni, and all that is behind her – but she can’t escape the feeling that anytime, anywhere, someone might recognise her.
How can you rebuild your life when there’s no-one left you trust?
'I devoured this book from start to finish. The story was compelling, the characters vivid - I loved Amy - and the moral is very much a modern one. Everyone should read it'.
Alice Smellie, author and journalist
'A compelling and powerful examination of one of the most pressing issues for young people today'.
Tanith Carey, author, 'What's my Teenager Thinking? Practical Child Psychology for Modern Parents.’
‘A clear new voice, and a strong protagonist whom I found very convincing. I was swept along on Amy’s journey from the word go. Her most private moment is made public and once it’s out there, it’s impossible to reel back.’
M J Camilleri, author of Sunset Exiles, Merlin Press
‘Raw, resilient, and ultimately triumphant— Searching for Amy reminds us that sometimes finding yourself means facing what you fear most. A compelling and beautifully written debut.’
Helen Francis, Literary consultant
‘You can’t escape your past until you find yourself. Searching for Amy thoughtfully explores contemporary themes. A triumph.’
Nicky Downes, author of Silent Fall and Her Perfect Girl
266 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 25, 2025
14 people want to read
About the author
Becky Jones
1 book1 followerBecky Jones was born in the northwest of England and now lives in Oxfordshire. She is a mother of two who can almost remember working in cafés and going to sixth form parties rather than waiting outside to drive her children home. Unearthing her teenage diary in the loft reminded her she'd been dreaming of writing fiction for even longer than the twenty years she'd spent editing English Language textbooks. So, she stopped prevaricating and started writing, and with a little help from a course with Jericho Writers and lots of support from family and friends, she produced Searching for Amy, her debut novel, which she has now self-published.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 6, 2025
I loved this book and have rated it 4.5 stars.
Meet Amy a young girl about to sit her A levels when she does the usual teenage thing and attends a party with her friends along with the boy she likes.
Amy and the boy (Harry) end up sleeping together for the first time and Amy feels like her first time was amazing. The next morning she wakes up to find that a video of her and Harry from the night before has been circulated and shared everywhere. A persons worst nightmare.
This causes Amy’s life to understandably spiral, she doesn’t want to leave her room let alone go back to school for her exams, around all her peers that have seen her most intimate moments.
Even worse is when Amy finds out that Harry knew the camera was set up and her best friend Rosie (Harry’s cousin) could have stopped it but didn’t.
The book flicks between the past (the night of the party and the weeks after) and the present day where Amy has moved away to go to Uni and get herself a job in a cafe. Amy has gone out of her way to avoid making any new friends for fear that people will find out about her past. Essentially Amy has been existing but not living, until one day she breaks down infront of her boss and begins to share her story.
A very easy and very powerful read. Stories of this nature, sexual encounters being shared, intimate photos being posted online are becoming more and more common in real life. Revenge porn is a crime and people have now started to face charges for it. This book is a great resource for people who might have gone through a similar situation, to make them feel less alone and to ensure they know that they are the victim of a crime and it was and is not their fault.
If you haven’t read this yet. Read it.
Meet Amy a young girl about to sit her A levels when she does the usual teenage thing and attends a party with her friends along with the boy she likes.
Amy and the boy (Harry) end up sleeping together for the first time and Amy feels like her first time was amazing. The next morning she wakes up to find that a video of her and Harry from the night before has been circulated and shared everywhere. A persons worst nightmare.
This causes Amy’s life to understandably spiral, she doesn’t want to leave her room let alone go back to school for her exams, around all her peers that have seen her most intimate moments.
Even worse is when Amy finds out that Harry knew the camera was set up and her best friend Rosie (Harry’s cousin) could have stopped it but didn’t.
The book flicks between the past (the night of the party and the weeks after) and the present day where Amy has moved away to go to Uni and get herself a job in a cafe. Amy has gone out of her way to avoid making any new friends for fear that people will find out about her past. Essentially Amy has been existing but not living, until one day she breaks down infront of her boss and begins to share her story.
A very easy and very powerful read. Stories of this nature, sexual encounters being shared, intimate photos being posted online are becoming more and more common in real life. Revenge porn is a crime and people have now started to face charges for it. This book is a great resource for people who might have gone through a similar situation, to make them feel less alone and to ensure they know that they are the victim of a crime and it was and is not their fault.
If you haven’t read this yet. Read it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2025
4.5 stars rounded up!
Thank you to Becky Jones for sending me an advanced copy of Searching for Amy.
Searching for Amy is a really powerful and gripping first novel from Becky Jones - targeted at a YA audience but I would say suitable for any age.
Set between a dual timeline of Then and Now - 1 year apart, the story centres around Amy and her transition from her final year of school to first year of university. At a party shortly before her A Level exams, she can’t believe her luck that Harry, one of the best-looking boys at school, is interested in her. After having what she thinks is the best night of her life, it turns out Harry and his mates filmed everything and have now shared it online.
Amy’s world comes crashing down - and the main part of the story shows us Amy’s experience of how the incident affects everything in her life - from her final days at school to following her to her escape to uni.
Amy’s experience was so brilliantly brought to life - everything she felt and thought were so real that it broke my heart - both imagining going through that myself and imagining my own daughter experiencing it. Everything was so sensitively and authentically detailed.
In the Now timeline, Amy gets a part time job in a cafe, and I loved this setting. Amidst the sadness in her story, Jon and the cosy coffee shop felt like a bit of respite for her and the reader! And it was lovely seeing that relationship with her boss help her to build bridges with her important relationships with her mum and friends.
I also loved how Amy’s voice and language itself developed over the course of the book - from very school girl/teenaged tone at the beginning when things were straightforward for her, to more grown up and complex as time went on. Those early chapters really took me back to being a teenager at school!
A very impactful book with an important theme around cyber bullying and the worrying aspects of social media - I would strongly recommend for teenagers and grown ups alike! I’m even older than Amy’s mum in the book (only just! 🤣) but really enjoyed this all the same, and thought all the helpful resources at the back were great too.
Thank you to Becky Jones for sending me an advanced copy of Searching for Amy.
Searching for Amy is a really powerful and gripping first novel from Becky Jones - targeted at a YA audience but I would say suitable for any age.
Set between a dual timeline of Then and Now - 1 year apart, the story centres around Amy and her transition from her final year of school to first year of university. At a party shortly before her A Level exams, she can’t believe her luck that Harry, one of the best-looking boys at school, is interested in her. After having what she thinks is the best night of her life, it turns out Harry and his mates filmed everything and have now shared it online.
Amy’s world comes crashing down - and the main part of the story shows us Amy’s experience of how the incident affects everything in her life - from her final days at school to following her to her escape to uni.
Amy’s experience was so brilliantly brought to life - everything she felt and thought were so real that it broke my heart - both imagining going through that myself and imagining my own daughter experiencing it. Everything was so sensitively and authentically detailed.
In the Now timeline, Amy gets a part time job in a cafe, and I loved this setting. Amidst the sadness in her story, Jon and the cosy coffee shop felt like a bit of respite for her and the reader! And it was lovely seeing that relationship with her boss help her to build bridges with her important relationships with her mum and friends.
I also loved how Amy’s voice and language itself developed over the course of the book - from very school girl/teenaged tone at the beginning when things were straightforward for her, to more grown up and complex as time went on. Those early chapters really took me back to being a teenager at school!
A very impactful book with an important theme around cyber bullying and the worrying aspects of social media - I would strongly recommend for teenagers and grown ups alike! I’m even older than Amy’s mum in the book (only just! 🤣) but really enjoyed this all the same, and thought all the helpful resources at the back were great too.
May 11, 2025
ARC REVIEW - SEARCHING FOR AMY BY BECKY JONES
Genre - YA
I was approached by Becky to read and review this and I'm so glad I said yes!
The genre is YA but actually, this is a powerful read, sensitively dissecting a topic that everyone has the potential to be exposed to in today's modern world.
Amy, a young girl with the world at her feet. Exams approaching, the best friends a girl could wish for and the boy she has had a crush on forever, finally notices her. At a school party, Amy revels in the moment she loses her virginity to Harry. Reliving and embracing the special moment where she switched from girl to woman for hours afterwards. Then her friend turns up with her phone, and Amy's world crashes down around her. The pivotal moment, one she could never get back, had been filmed....and shared for the world to see. This cloud follows Amy as she attempts to escape to uni. Affecting friendships, relationships, bound by crippling anxiety she can't be free from.
This book is a powerful and compelling reflection of the downside to social media, the internet and the tools so freely given to irresponsible people as they will do anything for popularity, ignoring the detrimental consequences to others.
As a parent myself to teenagers, this was an insightful account from the pov of Amy's mum, how do you make something like this better? In a world you don't necessarily understand from the pov of your daughter. Becky states in the back that she had contact with a revenge porn helpline to ensure she accurately tackled the topic which so many people encounter and I feel this pays homage to her writing.
I will be passing this on to my 16 year old daughter to read, I feel like everyone should read it.
As a side note, I would like to say that everyone needs a Jon in their life, what a gem 💎
Thank you for the opportunity to read this Becky and I wish you every success with it's release on the 25th of May.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ From me
Genre - YA
I was approached by Becky to read and review this and I'm so glad I said yes!
The genre is YA but actually, this is a powerful read, sensitively dissecting a topic that everyone has the potential to be exposed to in today's modern world.
Amy, a young girl with the world at her feet. Exams approaching, the best friends a girl could wish for and the boy she has had a crush on forever, finally notices her. At a school party, Amy revels in the moment she loses her virginity to Harry. Reliving and embracing the special moment where she switched from girl to woman for hours afterwards. Then her friend turns up with her phone, and Amy's world crashes down around her. The pivotal moment, one she could never get back, had been filmed....and shared for the world to see. This cloud follows Amy as she attempts to escape to uni. Affecting friendships, relationships, bound by crippling anxiety she can't be free from.
This book is a powerful and compelling reflection of the downside to social media, the internet and the tools so freely given to irresponsible people as they will do anything for popularity, ignoring the detrimental consequences to others.
As a parent myself to teenagers, this was an insightful account from the pov of Amy's mum, how do you make something like this better? In a world you don't necessarily understand from the pov of your daughter. Becky states in the back that she had contact with a revenge porn helpline to ensure she accurately tackled the topic which so many people encounter and I feel this pays homage to her writing.
I will be passing this on to my 16 year old daughter to read, I feel like everyone should read it.
As a side note, I would like to say that everyone needs a Jon in their life, what a gem 💎
Thank you for the opportunity to read this Becky and I wish you every success with it's release on the 25th of May.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ From me
July 27, 2025
“Searching for Amy” is an extremely important read and Becky has dealt with a really sensitive issue in such a beautiful way.
Unfortunately, Amy’s story of Intimate image abuse is one that affects too many people, especially younger females and is a crime!
Becky’s writing is fantastic and flits between past and present time, following how Amy felt during the time of the non consensual video posting, and how it impacts her life as she tries to move on from the ordeal.
I was hooked from the start, and, as a mum of a young daughter, I found the story to be extremely relevant during this social media crazy world that we live in! Amy’s mum broke my heart as she was so desperate to help her daughter, and strikes the importance of having good communications with your kids. I also had a real soft spot for Jon the barista, he was such a lifeline to Amy!
Congratulations Becky Jones on this absolute triumph. I urge you all to pick up a copy of this book as it really is quite the eye opener!!
July 8, 2025
“Searching for Amy” by Becky Jones immerses readers into the life of a girl who has found herself in a terrible situation. When Amy decides to go to a party with her two best friends and the boy she likes, she hardly expects that everything will turn sour before she has a chance to fully process the past evening. Hanging out with Harry, her best friend Rosie’s cousin, seems perfect. She has had a crush on him, and Rosie says he likes her too. Everything is working in her favor, or so she thinks. When she makes a decision to hang out with Harry at the party, she soon also makes the choice to lose her virginity to him. It seems right to her. Finding someone she likes who likes her back is like two puzzle pieces fitting together. Her whole world is upended, though, when she finds out the next day from her other best friend, Maria, that the whole sexual encounter was not only videotaped, but publicly shared.
Amy’s feelings are catapulted into anger, terror, uncertainty, sadness, and incredulity that something like this has happened. As she learns more pieces of the evening, including who knew what and when, she begins to uncover a new feeling—one of betrayal.
The majority of the book flips between then and now, sharing what happened when everything bad originally occurred and the present day, when Amy is trying, quite often unsuccessfully, to hold together the pieces of her life. She moved far away to attend college, but she feels—and rightfully so—as though she can never escape her past. However, she also learns that there are people who are there for her in ways she didn’t quite expect, allowing her to grow stronger than she’s been in a long time.
Amy discovers that there are people out there in the world who hide behind masks and get away with too much just because of who they are and how they behave in public, but she also learns that she can be strong herself, despite the predicaments she has been thrust into without her knowledge. Becky Jones has written a compelling, sensitive, realistic story about the dangers that technology and social media can pose, and how much mental pain can truly hurt.
**Review originally posted on YABooksCentral.com**
Amy’s feelings are catapulted into anger, terror, uncertainty, sadness, and incredulity that something like this has happened. As she learns more pieces of the evening, including who knew what and when, she begins to uncover a new feeling—one of betrayal.
The majority of the book flips between then and now, sharing what happened when everything bad originally occurred and the present day, when Amy is trying, quite often unsuccessfully, to hold together the pieces of her life. She moved far away to attend college, but she feels—and rightfully so—as though she can never escape her past. However, she also learns that there are people who are there for her in ways she didn’t quite expect, allowing her to grow stronger than she’s been in a long time.
Amy discovers that there are people out there in the world who hide behind masks and get away with too much just because of who they are and how they behave in public, but she also learns that she can be strong herself, despite the predicaments she has been thrust into without her knowledge. Becky Jones has written a compelling, sensitive, realistic story about the dangers that technology and social media can pose, and how much mental pain can truly hurt.
**Review originally posted on YABooksCentral.com**
July 14, 2025
Meet Amy, part-time barista at Jon’s café – studies English, makes a perfect flat white, doesn’t go out much, no social media presence. Almost like she has something to hide…
When I wrote this book, I was missing cafes and I started to write about Common Grounds thinking about Jon, the owner, and the other customers who came in. Then Amy appeared - she started as a part-time barista to get away from her lonely university life, and before I knew it, her story took over. Move over Jon, Amy needs to speak.
I have had so much love from people who have read Amy's story, it blows me away. Great reviews from parents and young adults alike - I'm so happy that what I have written is resonating in today's world. Writing about image abuse and how it affected a young woman the age of my daughter was a challenging experience, but if it helps anyone to deal with a past trauma or something they are currently navigating that is affecting their ability to be happy, then it is all worth it.
Please leave me a review if you read it, and if any of the issues affect you, there are organisations you can contact in the Author's Note at the back of the book.
When I wrote this book, I was missing cafes and I started to write about Common Grounds thinking about Jon, the owner, and the other customers who came in. Then Amy appeared - she started as a part-time barista to get away from her lonely university life, and before I knew it, her story took over. Move over Jon, Amy needs to speak.
I have had so much love from people who have read Amy's story, it blows me away. Great reviews from parents and young adults alike - I'm so happy that what I have written is resonating in today's world. Writing about image abuse and how it affected a young woman the age of my daughter was a challenging experience, but if it helps anyone to deal with a past trauma or something they are currently navigating that is affecting their ability to be happy, then it is all worth it.
Please leave me a review if you read it, and if any of the issues affect you, there are organisations you can contact in the Author's Note at the back of the book.
July 6, 2025
What an addictive read - once I picked it up I couldn’t put it down! As a parent of young adults I think this is an essential read for parents as well as our older children. It’s so well written and confronts an incredibly sensitive issue head on - it had me welling up more than once! Brilliant.
October 3, 2025
This is such a fantastic coming of age story. Such great (feminist) messages throughout. The protagonist is explored in such depth and the turmoil of the teenage mind is really captured. (Im at the same stage in life as Amy.)
Very quick read. Very emotive. Funny. Powerful.
Very quick read. Very emotive. Funny. Powerful.
November 16, 2025
I picked this book up at YALC based purely on vibes, and I am so happy I did!
I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book that handles this issue so well and so glad that this exists as a resource.
I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book that handles this issue so well and so glad that this exists as a resource.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews