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Ways to Find Yourself
Win a free kindle copy of this book!
21 days and 06:07:55
100 copies available
U.S. only
A woman adrift finds a unique path forward in a charming and heartfelt novel about memories, identity, and the wonderful mysteries of life by the author of
Olivia Strauss Is Running Out of Time
.
Grace Whittaker’s life is coming apart.
In the wake of her mother’s death, a stalled writing career, and a slow-motion separation from her husband, Grace is more directionless than ever. But when she returns to Sea Drift, the beach town where she and her mother summered for years, Grace’s life comes together in the most unexpected ways.
Soon after arriving on the picturesque coastline that meant so much to her, Grace discovers more than she remembers, and for reasons she can’t possibly fathom. Amid the weathered surf shops, pastel motels, and sloping beaches, Grace begins to encounter younger versions of herself. Each one is vivid, alive, and breathtakingly real.
As she navigates this most surreal week—reconnecting with old friends, trying to solve a quiet mystery about her mother, and revisiting a love she left behind—Grace is forced to remember who she used to be. It’s the only way she can figure out who she can still become.
Grace Whittaker’s life is coming apart.
In the wake of her mother’s death, a stalled writing career, and a slow-motion separation from her husband, Grace is more directionless than ever. But when she returns to Sea Drift, the beach town where she and her mother summered for years, Grace’s life comes together in the most unexpected ways.
Soon after arriving on the picturesque coastline that meant so much to her, Grace discovers more than she remembers, and for reasons she can’t possibly fathom. Amid the weathered surf shops, pastel motels, and sloping beaches, Grace begins to encounter younger versions of herself. Each one is vivid, alive, and breathtakingly real.
As she navigates this most surreal week—reconnecting with old friends, trying to solve a quiet mystery about her mother, and revisiting a love she left behind—Grace is forced to remember who she used to be. It’s the only way she can figure out who she can still become.
315 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2026
1258 people are currently reading
2454 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
February 14, 2026
Ways to Find Yourself by Angela Brown is a must read for those who love stories of deep thinking. What does your past mean, can it follow you into your present? Grace has found herself grieving her beloved mother, reeling from her pending divorce and lost as to how to write her next book who's deadline looms. An unexpected call for a rental that opened up at her family vacation spot of years past has her trying to find closure for the future in tying up the ghosts of her past. The Jersey Shore is done to sweet perfection as Brown writes of the sandy dunes, peaceful beach mornings and dive bars with island vibes. I personally love Brown and you should most certainly pick up a copy of Ways to Find Yourself on May 1, 2026.
Thank you to the publisher Little A for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to the publisher Little A for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.
April 6, 2026
Had to skim a LOT
So much was initially appealing to me as a Pennsylvania resident who more than summered at the Jersey shore but these visions or encounters with Grace's past selves were distracting and led me to skim to finish. Felt forced and inauthentic. Not the book for me who typically loves character- driven stories
So much was initially appealing to me as a Pennsylvania resident who more than summered at the Jersey shore but these visions or encounters with Grace's past selves were distracting and led me to skim to finish. Felt forced and inauthentic. Not the book for me who typically loves character- driven stories
April 23, 2026
Ways to Find Yourself follows Grace, who returns to a New Jersey beach town after her mother’s death and a difficult period in her life, only to begin encountering younger versions of herself as she reflects on who she was and who she wants to become.
I really liked the concept here, the mix of self discovery and magical realism was unique and thoughtfully done. The NJ beach town setting was naturally a highlight for me.
I didn’t fully connect with Grace in the way I wanted to, which made some of the emotional moments feel a bit more distant than I expected. I think this is a story that would work especially well on audio, and I would have loved to experience it that way.
Overall a read that will likely appeal to readers who enjoy reflective stories with a touch of magical realism. It is currently available through Amazon First Reads and will likely be accessible on Kindle Unlimited as well.
I really liked the concept here, the mix of self discovery and magical realism was unique and thoughtfully done. The NJ beach town setting was naturally a highlight for me.
I didn’t fully connect with Grace in the way I wanted to, which made some of the emotional moments feel a bit more distant than I expected. I think this is a story that would work especially well on audio, and I would have loved to experience it that way.
Overall a read that will likely appeal to readers who enjoy reflective stories with a touch of magical realism. It is currently available through Amazon First Reads and will likely be accessible on Kindle Unlimited as well.
April 12, 2026
The plot = intriguing.
The execution = save it, Jesus
Quite frankly, I found Grace to be a boring overall. The amount of stuttering she did was absolutely phenomenal for one that was never described as having a stutter. I kept reading for the ending, which was thoroughly disappointing and just as boring as every other part of the book.
P.S. WHY did she never get her necklace back?! Huge missed opportunity by the author.
The execution = save it, Jesus
Quite frankly, I found Grace to be a boring overall. The amount of stuttering she did was absolutely phenomenal for one that was never described as having a stutter. I kept reading for the ending, which was thoroughly disappointing and just as boring as every other part of the book.
P.S. WHY did she never get her necklace back?! Huge missed opportunity by the author.
May 5, 2026
Lovely read, set mostly on Long Beach Island, "down the shore," as we say (i.e. those if us who live or have lived in Philadelphia and its surrounding suburbs).
The MC Grace (aka Cece) spent many years with her Mother, Birdie, staying one week every summer in Sea Drft, New Jersey, a fictional town at the south end of Long Beach Island. When her mother dies, her marriage disintegrates and she can't finish writing her third novel, Grace has an opportunity to return to the same beach house. It is a great story about Grace finding herself, by experiencing clear memories of herself at all stages of her life, including with her teenage romance in order to get her life back together. Having spent countless weeks down the shore I could feel the sand beaches, walk the boardwalk, taste the salt water taffy, essentially putting myself in the novel (many great memories), and feeling myself change through those years as Grace experiences. I recommend this book for many reasons but mostly because it will take you back to your summer getaways. I really loved it.
The MC Grace (aka Cece) spent many years with her Mother, Birdie, staying one week every summer in Sea Drft, New Jersey, a fictional town at the south end of Long Beach Island. When her mother dies, her marriage disintegrates and she can't finish writing her third novel, Grace has an opportunity to return to the same beach house. It is a great story about Grace finding herself, by experiencing clear memories of herself at all stages of her life, including with her teenage romance in order to get her life back together. Having spent countless weeks down the shore I could feel the sand beaches, walk the boardwalk, taste the salt water taffy, essentially putting myself in the novel (many great memories), and feeling myself change through those years as Grace experiences. I recommend this book for many reasons but mostly because it will take you back to your summer getaways. I really loved it.
April 16, 2026
Romance is not my favorite genre, but the description of this book intrigued me. Unfortunately, it was not for me.
The MC is feeling depressed after the death of her mother, a marriage that is ending, and writer's block for her third novel. She is struggling to figure out who she is and how she wants her life to go. Sadly, I did not connect with her and found her to be a bit unlikable. I had a hard time picturing 3 love possibilities with her personality. I didn't enjoy her younger alter egos popping into her life.
The book is an easy, quick read.
The MC is feeling depressed after the death of her mother, a marriage that is ending, and writer's block for her third novel. She is struggling to figure out who she is and how she wants her life to go. Sadly, I did not connect with her and found her to be a bit unlikable. I had a hard time picturing 3 love possibilities with her personality. I didn't enjoy her younger alter egos popping into her life.
The book is an easy, quick read.
May 5, 2026
4.5
How do you know if the person you were when you were young was the person you were meant to be? (Sea Drift, fictional beach town on the New Jersey Shore, contemporary): Universally relatable, Angela Brown’s new novel will bring you to tears. At what point, depends on you.
About-to-turn thirty-eight, Grace Whittaker’s dreams may be or were some of yours too. Life had other plans for her, maybe you too. Ways to Find Yourself works its ways into your heart, be it the intensive losses, wistfulness, pleasures, or astonishment at things you didn’t see coming.
There’s many ways to characterize this emotionally heart-heavy and heart-stirring awakening story. A self-help book in disguise. Literary trope of familiar themes distinguished from clichés by using magical realism effectively to visualize our past, on-the-cusp, and future possibilities of ourselves. A life-lesson manual of sorts.
The novel feels as if Brown took to heart the existential philosophy of Carl Jung, pioneering psychiatrist/psychoanalyst Carl Jung for finding a clearer picture of ourselves. In 1916, in one of his legendary letters to a client he wrote:
“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Without, everything seems discordant; only within does it coalesce into unity. Who looks outside dreams; who looks inside awakes.”
Brown makes women poignantly understood. In 2024 and 2025, she wrote two other novels exploring other ways of re-evaluating the choices we make in life. The life-changing ones like career, marriage, motherhood, purpose. (See: Olivia Strauss is Running Out of Time, reviewed here, and Some Other Time, enjoying now.)
Staying true to yourself and making choices that make you happy, not what you think you should do, is at the heart of this sad, nostalgic, conflicted, sensual, and joyful tale.
Sometimes no matter how hard you try, you cannot see a path forward. You may even be like Grace, seeking therapy. What’s befallen on Grace is bigger than any one person can help fix, certainly not as swiftly as Grace is in desperate need of.
Tellingly and realistically, she’s a writer who has lost her mojo. Her debut, The Tides, a hit. Her sophomore novel, a flop. At the worst time in her life, she’s fast-approaching her last chance deadline to come up with a manuscript for her increasingly checking-in literary agent Molly. Writer’s block seen as far more than about writing.
“What advice would you give your younger self?” was the perpetual question she used to be asked at book events now haunting her.
Birdie, Grace’s devoted, cheering-on mom, would have had the answer on the tip of her tongue. An early widow, she “loved her so fiercely she couldn’t bear to throw any part of her – not a single memory – away.” Birdie knew her only child better than she knew herself. Birdie, the spirited former English teacher Grace thought would always be there for her. Until one night at sixty-eight six months ago she never woke up.
Boxes of all those saved memories are being hauled into Grace’s home as her story begins. The home that also holds memories of her five-year marriage to Adam, whom Birdie wasn’t gung-ho about. What did she see that Cece – her nickname for her inquisitive young daughter who saw everything – didn’t?
The home where Adam has recently announced he’s no longer happy, leaving Grace bereft in the depths of raw heartache since it’s only been months since Birdie’s been gone. He gives off unlikeable vibes, fueling our anger at his aloofness and selfishness at a particularly sensitive time when the #MeToo Movement is shaking like Grace.
Grace isn’t entirely alone thanks to one very special person she hasn’t lost: Jenny, her best friend forever, who may now be married with three children under six, but will always be there for her when she needs her most.
Not being overly dramatic about Grace’s sorrows. For four of the five years of her marriage she miscarried seven times. Who wouldn’t feel emptied out trying to become pregnant, knowing there wasn’t any biological/medical reason found for either partner? The final outrage, Adam telling Grace he’s not sure he even wants a child.
Grace needs an intervention. Enlisting magical realism enables Grace to bump into her former selves at different ages and stages of her life, every year from the time she was nine to twenty-five. When she thought the world was all in front of her, before her world falls apart.
Birdie and Grace paid attention to a “sign,” a foreshadowing. So when Grace needs to find a way to get unstuck and an out-of-the-blue chance to spend a week at the summer place she and Birdie returned to all those happy growing-up years, at a funky beach town in the same no-frills rental house that’s become available at the last minute, she must decide quickly if this is a sign. In her frazzled, down-on-everything state of mind, she wonders if it might be another “mistake.”
Hemming and hawing, she impulsively packs a bag, hops into Birdie’s Jeep, sits in the traffic on the bridge to Sea Drift, New Jersey (the state Brown lives in). A composite of beach towns you may have fond memories of too. Where “the sky softens into muted pastels, the world quiets, and everything seems like a dream.” The ocean and waves, “a burst of refreshment.” The “sensory exploration” of the arcade. Walking the boardwalk. Salt-water taffy. The greasy diner. The lighthouse. Beach cruisers. Feeling “carefree.”
Brown doesn’t bring unsteady Grace back here to make her life simple. Before she can catch her breath, Grace begins seeing, talking to, and running into a young girl named Cece who grows up right before her eyes. Thinking she’s hallucinating, losing her mind, they’re both drawn to mirroring their old and future selves, allowing the wisdom you’ll find.
Not complex enough for our complex lives. So Grace crosses paths with her “summer crush” Ray, and his sister, her friend, Meg. Last time they all saw each other was when Grace was twenty-five. In this heady mix is Caleb, sensitive and handsome manager of the rental home who keeps rescuing Grace.
Stirring a lot of memories and raising questions. Like why did she and Birdie stop coming to this happy place? Can you really go back to a place that once filled you up? How do you know if your first love was your forever love? How to be “Present”? How do you mentally recharge? Can a marriage be saved after so many losses? Will the break inspire words on those panicky blank pages?
As for what’s inside Grace’s heart, the more she wises up, the more she finds the courage to soul-search. Ray is the one in this swoony romantic picture who’s been seeing things clearly for ages. With Caleb and Adam not that afar, what will Grace do?
We miss the signs.
How do you know if the person you were when you were young was the person you were meant to be? (Sea Drift, fictional beach town on the New Jersey Shore, contemporary): Universally relatable, Angela Brown’s new novel will bring you to tears. At what point, depends on you.
About-to-turn thirty-eight, Grace Whittaker’s dreams may be or were some of yours too. Life had other plans for her, maybe you too. Ways to Find Yourself works its ways into your heart, be it the intensive losses, wistfulness, pleasures, or astonishment at things you didn’t see coming.
There’s many ways to characterize this emotionally heart-heavy and heart-stirring awakening story. A self-help book in disguise. Literary trope of familiar themes distinguished from clichés by using magical realism effectively to visualize our past, on-the-cusp, and future possibilities of ourselves. A life-lesson manual of sorts.
The novel feels as if Brown took to heart the existential philosophy of Carl Jung, pioneering psychiatrist/psychoanalyst Carl Jung for finding a clearer picture of ourselves. In 1916, in one of his legendary letters to a client he wrote:
“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Without, everything seems discordant; only within does it coalesce into unity. Who looks outside dreams; who looks inside awakes.”
Brown makes women poignantly understood. In 2024 and 2025, she wrote two other novels exploring other ways of re-evaluating the choices we make in life. The life-changing ones like career, marriage, motherhood, purpose. (See: Olivia Strauss is Running Out of Time, reviewed here, and Some Other Time, enjoying now.)
Staying true to yourself and making choices that make you happy, not what you think you should do, is at the heart of this sad, nostalgic, conflicted, sensual, and joyful tale.
Sometimes no matter how hard you try, you cannot see a path forward. You may even be like Grace, seeking therapy. What’s befallen on Grace is bigger than any one person can help fix, certainly not as swiftly as Grace is in desperate need of.
Tellingly and realistically, she’s a writer who has lost her mojo. Her debut, The Tides, a hit. Her sophomore novel, a flop. At the worst time in her life, she’s fast-approaching her last chance deadline to come up with a manuscript for her increasingly checking-in literary agent Molly. Writer’s block seen as far more than about writing.
“What advice would you give your younger self?” was the perpetual question she used to be asked at book events now haunting her.
Birdie, Grace’s devoted, cheering-on mom, would have had the answer on the tip of her tongue. An early widow, she “loved her so fiercely she couldn’t bear to throw any part of her – not a single memory – away.” Birdie knew her only child better than she knew herself. Birdie, the spirited former English teacher Grace thought would always be there for her. Until one night at sixty-eight six months ago she never woke up.
Boxes of all those saved memories are being hauled into Grace’s home as her story begins. The home that also holds memories of her five-year marriage to Adam, whom Birdie wasn’t gung-ho about. What did she see that Cece – her nickname for her inquisitive young daughter who saw everything – didn’t?
The home where Adam has recently announced he’s no longer happy, leaving Grace bereft in the depths of raw heartache since it’s only been months since Birdie’s been gone. He gives off unlikeable vibes, fueling our anger at his aloofness and selfishness at a particularly sensitive time when the #MeToo Movement is shaking like Grace.
Grace isn’t entirely alone thanks to one very special person she hasn’t lost: Jenny, her best friend forever, who may now be married with three children under six, but will always be there for her when she needs her most.
Not being overly dramatic about Grace’s sorrows. For four of the five years of her marriage she miscarried seven times. Who wouldn’t feel emptied out trying to become pregnant, knowing there wasn’t any biological/medical reason found for either partner? The final outrage, Adam telling Grace he’s not sure he even wants a child.
Grace needs an intervention. Enlisting magical realism enables Grace to bump into her former selves at different ages and stages of her life, every year from the time she was nine to twenty-five. When she thought the world was all in front of her, before her world falls apart.
Birdie and Grace paid attention to a “sign,” a foreshadowing. So when Grace needs to find a way to get unstuck and an out-of-the-blue chance to spend a week at the summer place she and Birdie returned to all those happy growing-up years, at a funky beach town in the same no-frills rental house that’s become available at the last minute, she must decide quickly if this is a sign. In her frazzled, down-on-everything state of mind, she wonders if it might be another “mistake.”
Hemming and hawing, she impulsively packs a bag, hops into Birdie’s Jeep, sits in the traffic on the bridge to Sea Drift, New Jersey (the state Brown lives in). A composite of beach towns you may have fond memories of too. Where “the sky softens into muted pastels, the world quiets, and everything seems like a dream.” The ocean and waves, “a burst of refreshment.” The “sensory exploration” of the arcade. Walking the boardwalk. Salt-water taffy. The greasy diner. The lighthouse. Beach cruisers. Feeling “carefree.”
Brown doesn’t bring unsteady Grace back here to make her life simple. Before she can catch her breath, Grace begins seeing, talking to, and running into a young girl named Cece who grows up right before her eyes. Thinking she’s hallucinating, losing her mind, they’re both drawn to mirroring their old and future selves, allowing the wisdom you’ll find.
Not complex enough for our complex lives. So Grace crosses paths with her “summer crush” Ray, and his sister, her friend, Meg. Last time they all saw each other was when Grace was twenty-five. In this heady mix is Caleb, sensitive and handsome manager of the rental home who keeps rescuing Grace.
Stirring a lot of memories and raising questions. Like why did she and Birdie stop coming to this happy place? Can you really go back to a place that once filled you up? How do you know if your first love was your forever love? How to be “Present”? How do you mentally recharge? Can a marriage be saved after so many losses? Will the break inspire words on those panicky blank pages?
As for what’s inside Grace’s heart, the more she wises up, the more she finds the courage to soul-search. Ray is the one in this swoony romantic picture who’s been seeing things clearly for ages. With Caleb and Adam not that afar, what will Grace do?
We miss the signs.
October 21, 2025
4.5⭐️
this book is a beautiful glimpse into grief and searching for your identity as you grow up. As someone who wants to plan out her life and doesn’t want to leave much to chance, I can relate to Grace navigating her past decision making and overthinking what a life she could be living if she didn’t make the choices that she did. This book touches on a very sweet mother/daughter relationship while also touching on friendship and love. You get to see Grace reminisce on pivotal years in her life and how at her current age she looks back at the person she was. The title is a perfect representation of what you’ll see from the main character and how the way to find yourself changes as you grow and experience life. This book is so universal to so many people in different parts of their lives whether you’re 18 trying to figure out what you want to be when you grow up. Or 32 wondering where you want the rest of your life to end up. There’s something in here for everyone.
triggers: pregnancy loss and discussions of death
this book is a beautiful glimpse into grief and searching for your identity as you grow up. As someone who wants to plan out her life and doesn’t want to leave much to chance, I can relate to Grace navigating her past decision making and overthinking what a life she could be living if she didn’t make the choices that she did. This book touches on a very sweet mother/daughter relationship while also touching on friendship and love. You get to see Grace reminisce on pivotal years in her life and how at her current age she looks back at the person she was. The title is a perfect representation of what you’ll see from the main character and how the way to find yourself changes as you grow and experience life. This book is so universal to so many people in different parts of their lives whether you’re 18 trying to figure out what you want to be when you grow up. Or 32 wondering where you want the rest of your life to end up. There’s something in here for everyone.
triggers: pregnancy loss and discussions of death
Review of advance copy
I enjoy the concept of a woman confronting former versions of herself, so I thought I might like this book. I did not.
I couldn’t stand the main character, Grace. She came off immature and whiny. Of course, it’s hard losing your mother as she did. And beyond emotionally devastating to continually miscarry when you want a child so badly. I’ve read many books where characters are experiencing such difficulties and I’ve felt for them. Yet, Grace seemed to expect life to go perfectly and had no clue what to do when things went wrong. She kept looking for miraculous signs from the universe to guide her - lucky pennies, messages from her deceased mother, etc…)
I’ve read my share of romance novels, I know how they work. There’s a certain suspension of disbelief. But having three guys interested in Grace while she’s hiding in the beloved summer resort town of her youth? Adam, her soon to be ex-husband who comes down to see her, Caleb – the hot landlord, and Ray, the lost love from her past (who she only sees one week a year while on vacation.) I’m not sure what Adam did wrong other than not like her mother’s precious beach rental house. My bet, he got tired of Grace’s obsessive behavior with constantly monitoring her pregnancy diet. To be fair, infertility is hard on couples but that was not explored here.
And the sainthood of Birdie, Grace’s deceased mother, might’ve driven Adam nuts. She was always there when Grace miscarried. She took Grace to that beloved beach rental every year after her own husband’s tragic death. Grace talked to her three times a day about everything. At the age of forty? Can we say a bit co-dependent?
And although Grace has reason to be overwhelmed, she completely misses that a friend, Meg, lost her husband, and that Caleb and Ray have issues of their own. Even when her friend, Jenni, comes down to ‘help’, for the most part, Grace just does her own thing.
Grace’s encounters with earlier versions of herself were pointless. I just wanted to scream, ‘Life is not perfect! Make a decision and move on! Stop all this dithering around.’
That brings us to the ending. You might think, now that she realizes life is not meant to be perfect that she might try to work things out with her marriage. Afterall, we learn she is finally pregnant. But that’s not what she decides. And Adam seems fine with co-parenting, even though he tried to reconcile with her. Grace also couldn’t get her third novel going so she bought out of her writing contract, returning the advance and effectively losing her agent. You wonder where this money is coming from. She’s about to be a single mother. And writing was how she earned her living. But it’s a romance novel, so we can allow for some leeway here.
Of course, we end with her and Ray seeing each other at the beach rental, implying a future relationship. Because her first successful novel was based on their romance. And one week a year is all we really need to truly know someone.
Don’t waste your time on this one.
I couldn’t stand the main character, Grace. She came off immature and whiny. Of course, it’s hard losing your mother as she did. And beyond emotionally devastating to continually miscarry when you want a child so badly. I’ve read many books where characters are experiencing such difficulties and I’ve felt for them. Yet, Grace seemed to expect life to go perfectly and had no clue what to do when things went wrong. She kept looking for miraculous signs from the universe to guide her - lucky pennies, messages from her deceased mother, etc…)
I’ve read my share of romance novels, I know how they work. There’s a certain suspension of disbelief. But having three guys interested in Grace while she’s hiding in the beloved summer resort town of her youth? Adam, her soon to be ex-husband who comes down to see her, Caleb – the hot landlord, and Ray, the lost love from her past (who she only sees one week a year while on vacation.) I’m not sure what Adam did wrong other than not like her mother’s precious beach rental house. My bet, he got tired of Grace’s obsessive behavior with constantly monitoring her pregnancy diet. To be fair, infertility is hard on couples but that was not explored here.
And the sainthood of Birdie, Grace’s deceased mother, might’ve driven Adam nuts. She was always there when Grace miscarried. She took Grace to that beloved beach rental every year after her own husband’s tragic death. Grace talked to her three times a day about everything. At the age of forty? Can we say a bit co-dependent?
And although Grace has reason to be overwhelmed, she completely misses that a friend, Meg, lost her husband, and that Caleb and Ray have issues of their own. Even when her friend, Jenni, comes down to ‘help’, for the most part, Grace just does her own thing.
Grace’s encounters with earlier versions of herself were pointless. I just wanted to scream, ‘Life is not perfect! Make a decision and move on! Stop all this dithering around.’
That brings us to the ending. You might think, now that she realizes life is not meant to be perfect that she might try to work things out with her marriage. Afterall, we learn she is finally pregnant. But that’s not what she decides. And Adam seems fine with co-parenting, even though he tried to reconcile with her. Grace also couldn’t get her third novel going so she bought out of her writing contract, returning the advance and effectively losing her agent. You wonder where this money is coming from. She’s about to be a single mother. And writing was how she earned her living. But it’s a romance novel, so we can allow for some leeway here.
Of course, we end with her and Ray seeing each other at the beach rental, implying a future relationship. Because her first successful novel was based on their romance. And one week a year is all we really need to truly know someone.
Don’t waste your time on this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Book of the Month
Rewriting Your Future
I went into this thinking I was getting one kind of story, and it very quietly turned into something else entirely. This is not a book about going back and fixing your past. It’s about what happens when you finally stop rewriting it.
What really worked for me was how intentional everything felt. The structure, the different versions of her, the objects she carried through those moments. None of it felt random, even when I couldn’t fully explain it, and I appreciated that the book trusted the reader to sit with that instead of over-explaining.
Grace made sense to me. Not in a way where I was obsessed with her, but in a way where I understood her. Her choices, her avoidance, and the way she told herself a cleaner version of her own story felt real. Ray worked in a very specific way too. He wasn’t there to be the endgame. He was there as a reminder of who she was in a version of her life that never had to face reality, and that distinction mattered.
The writing was strong and thoughtful without trying too hard. There were a few moments where I could feel the writing more than I wanted to, but overall it flowed easily and kept me reading way later than I planned.
The intrigue here isn’t dramatic or twisty. It’s more of a steady pull. I needed to understand what was happening, how it worked, and where it was going, and even when the logic wasn’t perfectly clean, it never took me out of the story.
The ending is where this really landed for me. It didn’t go big, and it didn’t force a romantic resolution. It stayed true to what it had been building the entire time, and it felt earned.
This is one of those books that’s a little harder to define. It’s not loud, it’s not dramatic, and it doesn’t hand you everything neatly. It’s reflective, a little different, and it asks you to sit with it. And honestly, that’s probably why it stuck with me.
Who this is for:
• Readers who like reflective, character-driven stories over plot-heavy ones
• Readers who don’t need everything explained and are okay sitting in a little ambiguity
• Readers who enjoy themes around identity, growth, and different versions of yourself
• Readers who prefer a softer, more introspective ending over a big dramatic payoff
I went into this thinking I was getting one kind of story, and it very quietly turned into something else entirely. This is not a book about going back and fixing your past. It’s about what happens when you finally stop rewriting it.
What really worked for me was how intentional everything felt. The structure, the different versions of her, the objects she carried through those moments. None of it felt random, even when I couldn’t fully explain it, and I appreciated that the book trusted the reader to sit with that instead of over-explaining.
Grace made sense to me. Not in a way where I was obsessed with her, but in a way where I understood her. Her choices, her avoidance, and the way she told herself a cleaner version of her own story felt real. Ray worked in a very specific way too. He wasn’t there to be the endgame. He was there as a reminder of who she was in a version of her life that never had to face reality, and that distinction mattered.
The writing was strong and thoughtful without trying too hard. There were a few moments where I could feel the writing more than I wanted to, but overall it flowed easily and kept me reading way later than I planned.
The intrigue here isn’t dramatic or twisty. It’s more of a steady pull. I needed to understand what was happening, how it worked, and where it was going, and even when the logic wasn’t perfectly clean, it never took me out of the story.
The ending is where this really landed for me. It didn’t go big, and it didn’t force a romantic resolution. It stayed true to what it had been building the entire time, and it felt earned.
This is one of those books that’s a little harder to define. It’s not loud, it’s not dramatic, and it doesn’t hand you everything neatly. It’s reflective, a little different, and it asks you to sit with it. And honestly, that’s probably why it stuck with me.
Who this is for:
• Readers who like reflective, character-driven stories over plot-heavy ones
• Readers who don’t need everything explained and are okay sitting in a little ambiguity
• Readers who enjoy themes around identity, growth, and different versions of yourself
• Readers who prefer a softer, more introspective ending over a big dramatic payoff
Review of advance copy
Grace has a deadline to finish the book she is under contract for. The only problem is that the world around her is falling apart and she doesn’t feel like writing anymore. Her mother, Birdie, her inspiration and mainstay passed away suddenly, and her marriage is falling apart because her husband is now leaving her. By chance a place her mom and her would go to for a week every summer, a beautiful beachside house is available. The property manager is offering it to her and while everything is saying no, her heart is telling her she needs to go back there for a reason. Maybe it will help her write again, maybe it will help her heal and maybe she will find out where she needs to go next. Going there is one of the hardest things she does and after less than 24 hours she wants to leave. But something is holding her there. Could it be the incredible memories she made there? Could it be the old friends she keeps running into? Or is it the fact that she keeps running into “herself” at different stages of growing up, from teenage years to just a few years ago. All these run ins are making her heal but not the way she imagined it should be happening.
This is the free book I got to read from Amazon First Reads, honestly I was disappointed in a lot of ways and wished I had picked a different one. While it is good in that it is realistic in many ways because it is dealing with the tragic loss of a parent and a marriage falling apart. There are times it is as frustrating as hell. Losing a parent is a very difficult thing to go through because in our minds they are suppose to live forever. I know because I lost both of mine several years ago and it still hurts like hell. Maybe you need to have the right mind to read it because it is one of those where you will either love it or hate it. Personally it was just alright, there were parts I loved and parts that were frustrating as hell.
This is the free book I got to read from Amazon First Reads, honestly I was disappointed in a lot of ways and wished I had picked a different one. While it is good in that it is realistic in many ways because it is dealing with the tragic loss of a parent and a marriage falling apart. There are times it is as frustrating as hell. Losing a parent is a very difficult thing to go through because in our minds they are suppose to live forever. I know because I lost both of mine several years ago and it still hurts like hell. Maybe you need to have the right mind to read it because it is one of those where you will either love it or hate it. Personally it was just alright, there were parts I loved and parts that were frustrating as hell.
December 3, 2025
If you need a quiet book that sits with you, gently, like salt air on skin, this is it. Cozy, tender, and threaded with the kind of nostalgia that hits when you’re not ready for it. Ways to Find Yourself follows a mid-thirties writer whose life has unraveled. She’s grieving her mother, struggling with infertility, and watching her relationship fade. Searching for clarity, she returns to the beachside town she visited every summer with her mom. The novel asks one question: when everything falls apart at the same time, what pieces are left to rebuild from?
Angela Brown’s prose is steady and approachable. The book explores grief, transition, and the slow work of finding one’s identity again after loss. Just like the title suggests, it’s about searching for yourself when you feel lost. It captures the human impulse to revisit the past, to sift through old memories and choices, and to weigh them against the life we’re living now. That feeling is deeply relatable. I appreciated that romance isn’t framed as the solution. The ending centers on the protagonist finding herself, not someone else. Even with its emotional weight, this feels like a book that needs the right reader at the right moment. For me, it was simple, not transformative, but honest. It isn’t a novel about extremes. It’s about the slow reshaping of a person after loss.
A good fit for readers who love introspective stories, coastal settings, and character-driven healing arcs. It may land more deeply for those navigating grief or transition. If you’re looking for a calm, emotionally gentle read, this one is worth picking up. If you prefer something more intense or surprising, it may feel muted.
Publication Date: May 1, 2025
Angela Brown’s prose is steady and approachable. The book explores grief, transition, and the slow work of finding one’s identity again after loss. Just like the title suggests, it’s about searching for yourself when you feel lost. It captures the human impulse to revisit the past, to sift through old memories and choices, and to weigh them against the life we’re living now. That feeling is deeply relatable. I appreciated that romance isn’t framed as the solution. The ending centers on the protagonist finding herself, not someone else. Even with its emotional weight, this feels like a book that needs the right reader at the right moment. For me, it was simple, not transformative, but honest. It isn’t a novel about extremes. It’s about the slow reshaping of a person after loss.
A good fit for readers who love introspective stories, coastal settings, and character-driven healing arcs. It may land more deeply for those navigating grief or transition. If you’re looking for a calm, emotionally gentle read, this one is worth picking up. If you prefer something more intense or surprising, it may feel muted.
Publication Date: May 1, 2025
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy
this book was not for me. i wasn't aware of the intense magical realism that was going to take place throughout this entire book. the plot took me no where. the main character, grace, couldn't make a decision for the life of her and the ending brought me zero real closure. the only parts of the book i did enjoy were the glimpses of grace's mother, birdie. she seemed like a sweet character. but the plot was so all over the place and i swear i read the same scene of grace spotting ray on the beach by accident and stumbling over her words to him several times. the random love triangle (if you could even call it that?) was ... just .... so random and out of place. for whatever reason, it was made known that caleb, her LANDLORD, was interested in her (after getting to know her a few times) and then that never went anywhere. the ending gave us zero closure on ray, the guy she was chasing throughout the entire book. i know it was heavily implied, but it just seems like so much buildup for nothing. took me much longer to get through this book than normal, was just too slow, repetitive, and the magical realism really turned me off.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
What a beautifully poignant story and written with such sweetness. I couldn’t stop reading. This is a story of rediscovery, of looking into the past, of putting pieces together and moving ahead.
Grace Porter Whittaker is crumbling. She’s not where she thought she’d be five years ago. She’s in the midst of grieving her mother, having a writer’s block and a slow moving divorce. She’s directionless when she receives a call from the manager of a summer rental she and her mother used to rent over many summers. Making a spur of the moment decision, Grace returns to Sea Drift, the coastal town where many good memories of Grace as a young girl and Birdie, her mom, to reconnect with her old self in the hope of discovering a new self.
I enjoyed the quiet magical realism in this story as Grace’s memories of her joyful self and she reconnects with an old love. While this isn’t a romance, it’s a love story about Grace coming to love herself. This is a perfect summer read or a read when the doldrums seem heavy - escapism into hope is always good.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Little A for allowing me to read this ARC.
Grace Porter Whittaker is crumbling. She’s not where she thought she’d be five years ago. She’s in the midst of grieving her mother, having a writer’s block and a slow moving divorce. She’s directionless when she receives a call from the manager of a summer rental she and her mother used to rent over many summers. Making a spur of the moment decision, Grace returns to Sea Drift, the coastal town where many good memories of Grace as a young girl and Birdie, her mom, to reconnect with her old self in the hope of discovering a new self.
I enjoyed the quiet magical realism in this story as Grace’s memories of her joyful self and she reconnects with an old love. While this isn’t a romance, it’s a love story about Grace coming to love herself. This is a perfect summer read or a read when the doldrums seem heavy - escapism into hope is always good.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Little A for allowing me to read this ARC.
May 5, 2026
Ways to Find Yourself is a charming, emotionally layered, and quietly magical novel that announces Angela Brown as a distinctive and assured voice in contemporary women's fiction. The premise of a grieving, directionless woman encountering younger versions of herself along the shoreline of a beloved childhood summer town is both whimsical and deeply felt, and Brown handles the surreal elements with a lightness of touch that keeps the story grounded in genuine emotional truth rather than narrative gimmick.
Grace Whittaker is a beautifully drawn protagonist whose losses feel real and whose gradual reconnection with her former selves is moving in the most understated and satisfying way. The beach town setting is rendered with warmth and specificity that makes Sea Drift feel like a place readers will not want to leave. A heartfelt and thoroughly engaging novel about grief, identity, and the profound act of remembering who you were in order to discover who you can still become.
Grace Whittaker is a beautifully drawn protagonist whose losses feel real and whose gradual reconnection with her former selves is moving in the most understated and satisfying way. The beach town setting is rendered with warmth and specificity that makes Sea Drift feel like a place readers will not want to leave. A heartfelt and thoroughly engaging novel about grief, identity, and the profound act of remembering who you were in order to discover who you can still become.
October 23, 2025
3.5 rounded up
I was drawn in right away by the writing style and pleasantly surprised by the touch of magical realism—it gave the story that cozy, once-a-year family tradition vibe I love. The book focuses deeply on grief and processing the loss of the female main character’s mother, with romance serving more as a subplot. It’s really a story about finding yourself, revisiting the past, and reflecting on choices, regrets, and ambitions. There are multiple male characters, and as a romance reader, I was hoping for more love story moments, but this leans more toward literary fiction. Overall, it’s a quick and heartfelt read, though the grief element is significant and could be triggering if you’ve experienced loss. It definitely made me pause and think about my own mom.
Thank you NetGalley and Little A for the ARC!
I was drawn in right away by the writing style and pleasantly surprised by the touch of magical realism—it gave the story that cozy, once-a-year family tradition vibe I love. The book focuses deeply on grief and processing the loss of the female main character’s mother, with romance serving more as a subplot. It’s really a story about finding yourself, revisiting the past, and reflecting on choices, regrets, and ambitions. There are multiple male characters, and as a romance reader, I was hoping for more love story moments, but this leans more toward literary fiction. Overall, it’s a quick and heartfelt read, though the grief element is significant and could be triggering if you’ve experienced loss. It definitely made me pause and think about my own mom.
Thank you NetGalley and Little A for the ARC!
December 6, 2025
Grace is completely lost when her mom dies unexpectedly. Even though she’s grown, she and her mom have been incredibly close throughout her entire life. Not only that, her marriage is also crumbling. And to top it off, she has a serious case of writer’s block with a a deadline looming just weeks away. With all this going on in her life, taking a beach vacation is the last thing on her mind. But one phone call changes everything. She finds herself back at the same beach house she and her mother escaped to every summer. Surely this is a chance to clear her head and finally get some writing done. Until she starts seeing glimpses of her past all around her. And she begins to second guess many of the life choices she’s made. This is a really good story. There’s a bit of a romance feel to it but it’s actually more about dealing with grief and making peace with your past.
April 9, 2026
There were things I really liked about this book and things that were just ok.
The things I liked: I liked Cece/Grace. I understood her feelings about growing up and just wanting to know the future and that you’d be ok. I liked her journey and I always love a supernatural/magical realism element to my books. I felt her emotions keenly, and the author did a great job of making her a well-rounded character. The book was enjoyable enough, kept my attention, and was a quick and easy read.
The things that were just ok: the book was predictable. I knew the “twists” before they happened. Although it had an epilogue, the story needed a more clearly wrapped up ending. There were still a few “what next” questions left.
All in all, a 3.5 not rounded up for me. But, I would still recommend this if you’re looking for a quick, easy, engaging enough read.
The things I liked: I liked Cece/Grace. I understood her feelings about growing up and just wanting to know the future and that you’d be ok. I liked her journey and I always love a supernatural/magical realism element to my books. I felt her emotions keenly, and the author did a great job of making her a well-rounded character. The book was enjoyable enough, kept my attention, and was a quick and easy read.
The things that were just ok: the book was predictable. I knew the “twists” before they happened. Although it had an epilogue, the story needed a more clearly wrapped up ending. There were still a few “what next” questions left.
All in all, a 3.5 not rounded up for me. But, I would still recommend this if you’re looking for a quick, easy, engaging enough read.
Review of advance copy
It’s good to have a spring break with plenty of time for reading. Read this in one day. Delightful story of a woman who goes to this New Jersey beach every summer since she was a child. She gets married and is a writer. She keeps having miscarriages and her marriage fails. She was in love with this Jersey boy but left him for her better life. Her Mom’s sudden death has her in a tizzy. She returns to the beach to stay in the same place she has always stayed with her Mom. I like that it doesn’t end in an expected way. And it doesn’t really end neatly.
April 7, 2026
Wow! Inspiring!
This was a book I didn’t know I needed to read. It is a coming of age book, but for all the ages we continue to become. And, when you reach the last 1/3 of the book, you better be comfortable, because you won’t be able to tear yourself away. Grace recently lost her, mom; for years has not had a successful pregnancy and her husband left her. She is feeling lost and can’t make her publication deadlines, so when the opportunity comes to visit her favorite vacation spot, she succumbs.
This was a book I didn’t know I needed to read. It is a coming of age book, but for all the ages we continue to become. And, when you reach the last 1/3 of the book, you better be comfortable, because you won’t be able to tear yourself away. Grace recently lost her, mom; for years has not had a successful pregnancy and her husband left her. She is feeling lost and can’t make her publication deadlines, so when the opportunity comes to visit her favorite vacation spot, she succumbs.
Review of advance copy
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Ways to Find Yourself. I always keep my expectations low with Amazon First Reads, but the description of this one sounded good and it had rave reviews, so I jumped in.
I loved the beach atmosphere, and I cared about these characters. Yes the book is at times a bit cheesy, and I'm not always a fan of magical realism, but here it really helped Grace to understand herself and her life more deeply. Her emotional journey was relatable, and the breezy writing kept me turning pages.
I loved the beach atmosphere, and I cared about these characters. Yes the book is at times a bit cheesy, and I'm not always a fan of magical realism, but here it really helped Grace to understand herself and her life more deeply. Her emotional journey was relatable, and the breezy writing kept me turning pages.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
another free Amazon Prime First Reads book. I liked this one, the premise is a woman going through hard times and revisiting a sentimental beach vacation spot that brings back memories of her past selves. I connected to the setting, I grew up going to a Cape Cod beach cottage on family vacations, so reading about a story with a similar setting felt nostalgic. a heartwarming book with an ending I didn’t fully predict. a good reminder to enjoy the moment and be okay with not having everything figured out all the time.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I loved this book. Author Grace Whittaker returns spur of the moment to the Jersey shore house she and her mother rented for years. She's got a lot to reflect on--a novel that's due to her publisher, a separation from her husband, and her mother's recent death. Grace finds herself, quite literally, as she revisits old haunts and encounters earlier versions of herself. A beautifully written and tender novel about grief, fate, identity, and, ultimately, hope.
Review of advance copy
This was part of the “Amazon First Reads” program for April. Normally, the books offered on that list are usually a solid three stars or less for me. However, this book took me by surprise and completely captured my attention. It was heart warming, endearing, but also made me stop and look at different versions of myself throughout the years. I very much connected with Grace, and I loved this story. 4 well deserved stars. And now I want nothing more than to go to the beach.
April 12, 2026
I changed my mind about the score from yesterday to today. I can't stop thinking about this book. It really spoke to me. I even highlighted a lot of parts in it.
It's about love and loss (both in many forms) and knowing oneself (self-identity). It's about growth and change and stagnation along a person's life journey. By the way, it's fiction and an interesting story, too.
I believe I will read it again in about a year.
It's about love and loss (both in many forms) and knowing oneself (self-identity). It's about growth and change and stagnation along a person's life journey. By the way, it's fiction and an interesting story, too.
I believe I will read it again in about a year.
Review of advance copy
I got this book from Amazon first reads. I loved how Grace (Cece), I guessed the reason for the nickname btw, yes!, takes a journey of self discovery. She seemed to have gotten lost in what was expected instead of just evolving and changing as she grew. What I didn’t like was how open ended the book became at the end. She had at least two potential suitors with a possibility of maybe three. We need another book of what happens once she has found herself and walk that out.
April 22, 2026
A good story about a woman trying to find her way after so much loss. I appreciate the way the author captures the main characters introspect on the past, it added to the story and gave a bit of entertainment to the read. I wish there was a bit more soul searching aspect and the end was not as satisfying as I would have liked. I wanted to connect to the character more but there was something missing.
May 1, 2026
Clever and Entertaining
I didn’t know what to expect with this book, but the plot sounded interesting. I was pleasantly surprised by the writing and character development. The main character, Grace, is flawed and relatable. I also grew up with a week each summer at the beach with my family, so it was also easy to fall into the setting. I will recommend this to friends as a beach read with heart.
I didn’t know what to expect with this book, but the plot sounded interesting. I was pleasantly surprised by the writing and character development. The main character, Grace, is flawed and relatable. I also grew up with a week each summer at the beach with my family, so it was also easy to fall into the setting. I will recommend this to friends as a beach read with heart.
May 4, 2026
I thoroughly enjoyed this beach read book. If you need an easy sweet book, I recommend.
A song I kept thinking about:
Piece of my Heart - Keri Noble
https://open.spotify.com/track/3CdTS1...
And then when I finished the book I heard this one “maybe it’s a sign” 😉
Younger You - Miley Cyrus
https://open.spotify.com/track/3Gk6bI...
A song I kept thinking about:
Piece of my Heart - Keri Noble
https://open.spotify.com/track/3CdTS1...
And then when I finished the book I heard this one “maybe it’s a sign” 😉
Younger You - Miley Cyrus
https://open.spotify.com/track/3Gk6bI...
Review of advance copy
This book was available as one of Amazon’s first reads for the month of April and I’m so glad I picked it! Having lost my mom a year ago, I still struggle to navigate life without her. I look for signs from her every day. This book was like a breath of fresh air on missing her and grieving despite the world still moving.
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