Finding Lizzie

by Karma Kingsley

Lizzie doesn’t know what she wants from life, but she’s sure it’s not the attention of her suffocating boyfriend, RJ. A chance encounter with a group of women on the day of the local Pride parade leads her to meet the wild, free-spirited Kerra. Lizzie begins to realise she’s crazy about Kerra, but how can she come out in a small town where prejudice is rife and even her own mother thinks being a lesbian is wrong? Can Lizzie find herself without losing everything else in the process?

Genres: LGBT, Romance, New Adult, Contemporary, Lesbian, Bisexual, Young Adult

342 pages, ebook

First published December 3, 2016

Reviews

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is told in third person and completely from Elizabeth/Lizzies point-of-view. Given the length of the story it’s a long time to be in one person’s head. I’m not saying that is a bad thing, quite the opposite actually. Two days after finishing this story, I still find myself sitting here idly wondering about her. To me, the ability to bring a fictional character to life takes talent.

When Elizabeth flees from her boyfriend of four years, RJ, and runs out of gas she encounters Kerra and friends. From that point on the way Lizzie views the world, and her life as she knew it, is unequivocally changed. The main characters are likeable as are the supporting cast, well besides Kerra’s god-awful mother.

I don’t want to give away anything about the plot; to do so would probably involve spoilers. I will say the story kept me engaged and I even found it enlightening, to a certain extent. I could’ve done without the final scene with the police. While I don’t doubt that sort of thing occurs, in fact I know it does, it felt out of place. Well, maybe not so much as out of place as a little contrived.

The writing is solid, with very few errors. My one quibble (which didn’t factor into my rating) almost every paragraph starts with a character’s name;
Lizzie…
Kerra….
She…
Lizzie…
Krissy...
something I find distracting to read.

Pet-peeve aside, a lot of issues are touched on throughout this story, giving the reader a very real look into bigotry, racism, corrupt cops, homophobes, unsupportive blood relatives, and finding love and acceptance where you least expect it.

Even though there’s some sexy time in this story, something I love, the majority of sex scenes are fade-to-black.

Verdict – Would I recommend this book? Hell yes. Would I read more by this author? Absolutely.

[Natasha]

dnf @ 15%

I really wanted to enjoy this, I even suspended my disbelief at the fact that Lizzie would so quickly move in with a stranger. But Kerra came across as very predatory lesbian-esque, she kept making flirtatious but inappropriate comments about Lizzie's body and I got tired of it really quickly.

[Gillian Kevern · Rating 5 out of 5]

I confess. I cheated on this one. I had to. Normally I am a methodical sort of person who likes to start at the start and go methodically on from there, but Kingsley had me so invested in her characters that I was forced to skip ahead and read the ending first, to assure myself that things would be all right before I went any further.

This sort of thing does not happen to me very often. Like I said, methodical. But Finding Lizzie’s cast reads so realistically that I was really invested in the characters before I knew what had happened. Kingsley writes with honesty and doesn’t hold her punches. She’s not afraid to confront challenging topics, and she does so with an honesty and compassion that I found compelling. It makes for a really powerful story. 4.5

[Brooke Banks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Rich in Variety tour that was cancelled due to no one signing up *cry* I swear to fucking god ya’ll sign up so I can participate how I plan to! This is just depressing. Anywho, now that I’ve crawled out of my bed days later…

Content Warning: Bigotry, Hate Crimes, Unsupportive Blood Relatives,

The Good:
+Authentic voice and perspective
+Adorkable meet cute.
+Awesome character progression
+They work at their relationship!!
+Chosen family is dynamic together & love this inclusion. SO many people make their own families, and/or cut off their toxic blood relatives, we need to see more of this in fiction!
+INTERSECTIONAL.
+Struggling with picking a major in college, because uh, hello, most people do? Bout damn time we see more relatable characters in contemporary fiction. This is what New Adult is supposed to be about!
+Steamy sex scenes where they communicate. A+
+Tattooed & troubled romance interest that isn’t a controlling, manipulative, alpha-douche? Romance writers TAKE NOTE.
+Body painting artist, lesbian bars, Pride, unrepentant women in control of their sex lives
=Insta-love & quick progression is acceptable because of *this* couple and *these circumstances*. Wouldn’t have if it was a white het couple. Been there, quit that.

The Other:
=Elizabeth’s indecisive awkward beginning is accurate to the point of being painful to read. I was SCREAMING and cringing through it all. If you’ve got problems like mine, it’ll be hard to read but stick it out, it’s worth it.
=Ending is HEA, but tinged with the reality of bigotry so it’s good and right but damn, people are fucked up.

I just…people, y u no read this with me!?!? Sign up with Rich In Variety and join me already, damn it!

I really don’t know what else to say. If you want F/F interracial couple that deals with the issues well, doesn’t sugar coat but keeps it positive, includes communication, character progression, and consent and comes with none of the standard problematic bullshit…what are you waiting for?

And really, if this doesn’t sound like your kind of thing, I probably just explained it poorly. Read the first 5 chapters on Amazon preview, I’m sure it’ll win you over if I can’t.

4.5 stars on my scale because of me in the beginning. I still feel embarrassed for Elizabeth, like I have scars from it and made it tougher to stay in the story. Everywhere else I’m rounding up because obviously, that’s not right to punish Kingley’s work for kicking my ass.
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Update #1: Reading for the Rich in Variety Tour, full review & post to come shortly! Hint: It's good.

[Aubrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I enjoyed this book, but it wasn’t my favorite. Lizzie was too emotional for me to get attached to her; I get that she was going through an emotional time in her life, but I didn’t really understand why she cried so much. Maybe I’m just heartless because I don’t cry that much and that’s why I didn’t connect, but who knows. I really enjoyed Kerra as a character, but she was so reckless. She got into fights that could have been so easily avoided, and it was so frustrating to read about her getting hurt when she could have avoided it. Kerra was a body painter, so that was cool to see the arts represented. I’ve always wanted to try body painting or get painted myself, so I liked it...
Read more here!
https://pointextaken.wordpress.com/20...
Aubrey Joy

[Tokies · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those sleeper books. I didn't see it coming until I realize how invested I was into the characters. The author writes mean. You never know what is going to happen until the last page. Everything is up in the air and you can't trust the author to give you what you want. She does give the truth of the character though which is what is most important here. I love this dang book. You should read it.

ps. I hate everyone who read this book before me.

[mina reads™️]

I literally cannot stand to finish this book. Lizzie is just so......annoying to me. Her character is grating, she seems boring, no personality, no goals, zero self awareness and it’s just annoying. Also she’s too easily persuaded and everything moves too fast. She met kerra a day ago and suddenly they’re living together. Wtf? Also I don’t like this writing style and it’s lacking descriptiveness. I have no idea what lizzie is even suppose to look like besides the fact that she has braids. And another thing: why and how is she so sheltered it just....didn’t feel realistic. Ugh I’m so disappointed with this: it’s lacking dimension, lacking likable well developed characters, lacking romantic chemistry between the love interests, lacking in the writing, lacking in realism, just overall lacking. I’m so sad I couldn’t enjoy this one

[Samantha]

I have a good feeling about this one!

EDIT
Congrats, Karma, for being a Lambda finalist!

[M. Hollis · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Real love is not following someone down the rabbit hole. It's giving them a reason to want to climb out of the darkness. That's what you do for me. Every day, you give me a reason."

Finding Lizzie is a story about a woman who leaves her boyfriend and old life behind to find a new path with a rebellious new roommate. This is mainly about Lizzie figuring out her attraction to women, falling in love with Kerra, and finding her place in the world. There were some nice found family moments and I appreciate how supportive Krissy is to Lizzie and how Lola later on accept her in the family too. And this cover is still one of my favorites out there.

I did have some problems with it, mainly with pacing and how much Kerra and Lizzie went back and forth in the same discussions in their relationship. I think these problems would have been fixed if this was a novella instead of a full novel because it gave me a feeling that things were dragging on for too long. Plus, the romance went just a little bit too fast, especially in the end.

Another thing I was confused about was that I thought Lizzie was bi but this isn't mentioned at all in the novel.

Finding Lizzie an interracial romance with a black mc and a book that tries to bring a lot of the hard parts of life in a place still far from acceptance.

[J.C. Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first FF book and it was gorgeously done. The characters are vivid and real, the plot is satisfying. I have a hard time believing this is Karma Kingsley's first book. Kingsley is fearless in her writing and that's what I loved most. She tackled difficult topics with strength and grace, and you can't help but come to care deeply for the characters she's created in this book. She is taking a spot on my one-click auto-buy list, without question.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book a lot more than I actually did. However, there was no over-arching plot to this book at all (like Lizzie meets Kerra, bam insta-love, they're happy, a bad thing happens, they're happy, a bad thing happens, &c) and at the end nothing really feels resolved. Most of the characters are pretty interesting and vibrant but Lizzie herself is a bit of a doormat and like I know she was supposed to be from a small town but a lot of the time she felt like an alien instead.

[The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's bad enough that the M/M romance genre is overwhelmingly whitewashed, but try finding a F/F romance with PoC characters. It's even more of a desert. So when I saw Finding Lizzie appear on my Amazon recommendations, I snagged it right away. Black lesbian heroine? I'm so there!

Then I started reading.

As most of those who follow my reviews know, I have a hard and fast rule: thou shall love the heroine as much as I do the hero/heroine. This is a non-negotiable rule, and it's one that some authors seem dead set upon violating these days. I insist that my heroines be smart, kick-ass, able to make decisions for themselves, accept the consequences of those decisions, and if there's a love interest, they don't lose their autonomy.

Lizzie blew it for me big time.

I really expected a lot more from her as a young Black woman, not just coming out, but one who wasn't so unnecessarily weak. No, I didn't want or need sass and neck-rolling, but at least a heroine who wasn't so pity party pathetic. I really kept feeling an ugly vibe of white saviorism in the story (though her love interest Kerra, was part Latina I think).

Another star deducted: no real description of Lizzie or Kerra. The author kept mentioning Lizzie's braids but that told me nothing.

I had a really difficult time picturing Lizzie as a college-aged adult. She behaved like a juvenile in ways that were unrealistic even for juveniles. She's a college student who never heard or seen LGBTQ folks, even in her small town? In fact, it's never specified where she went to school. All I knew was she did everything to please her hard-to-please and very religious mother.

She runs out of gas after leaving her suffocating boyfriend only to call him to come save her from her own idiocy (which he does, by the way). But by then she's hitched a ride with a jeep full of happy lesbians off to Pride. One of those is Kerra, a free-spirited, cute and very butch lesbian. And it's insta-something that Lizzie (also Elizabeth, which got a little confusing at times) can't quite explain.

Before she can say "Rubyfruit Jungle", she's moved in with Kerra and has a job at a cafe in "the city". And she's jealous that her new crush has been with lots of women before her. Oh, and Lizzie's so emotional that she drops lots of cups or scalds herself making coffee drinks.

Just. Stop!!!

Not just that she was constantly crying at the drop of a hat (that was bad enough) but at 24 years old Lizzie didn't behave like someone who was an adult. The "small town girl living in a lonely world" angle seemed to be the default excuse as to why she came off so deer in the headlights, but she was a college student. How on earth was her knowledge of the world so limited? It's like she'd never heard of the damn internet before.

Even though Lizzie failed me in many ways as a character, she did have her redeeming moments, like when she finally came out to her mother and getting into her ex-boyfriend's face. Of course, right after she stood up for herself, she engaged in yet another tiresome crying spell.

I liked Kerra, a tough survivor living out and proud. She had her scars but they didn't stop her from her dreams and she earned her right to happiness. I also liked her family - the one she created: Krissy, Lola, Angela and Azul. They were interesting, fully fleshed out and everything Lizzie needed to be.

Of course, what would a coming out story be without the homophobic parent(s) and strangers? Lizzie's mom seemed to me less homophobic and more upset that her daughter was actually no longer seeking her approval.

In the end, I could only give this book three stars (and I struggled with that because Lizzie annoyed me so much) but the only saving grace were the strong female friendships.

[E.M. Hamill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet yet edgy coming-out romance that was a thoroughly enjoyable read. Lizzie's discovery of herself after leaving her overbearing fiance is a lovely, positive thing, especially for those of us who suppressed this side of ourselves for far too long. I loved seeing her embrace her feelings for Kerra without endless wailing and gnashing of teeth- a bit quickly , but this is above all a romance novel, and these things do happen, lol! I'm a sucker for good love at first sight stories. What can I say?

There is harsh reality as well- the disapproval and bigotry of Lizzie's mother, the redneck locals and some crooked law enforcement figures. The message I adored was that you can choose your family from the people who love you and treat you with the respect you deserve.

I'm hit and miss with romance, but this one kept me reading and rooting for Lizzie and Kerra's relationship. Nicely done.

[C.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay so I liked this book but something kept me from loving it and I think I finally figured out what it was which is why I waited to write the review.

While I loved the premise, formerly straight girl figures out she's not straight and falls for a bad girl who's trying to be good, I didn't really connect with Lizzie who's the main character. Since the entire book is told from her POV, I didn't get the opportunity to get to know Kerra, the other main, as well but I think I'd have preferred her over Lizzie or if they'd have shared the narrative.

Overall, I thought the book was solid with lively and well fleshed out side characters living in a world really brought to life by the author.

[Elisa Rolle · Rating 5 out of 5]

2017 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Finding Lizzie Karma Kingsley
1) This story is good. It was interesting enough to keep my interest and different enough in setting to capture my attention. Some parts seemed not totally necessary plot wise but it never become a real problem. I really enjoyed it.

[Heather Henkel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story

I thought this was a well written story and I liked the characters. I think it is well worth downloading.

[Mistress OP · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you can find this book it's underrated. Ahead of its time. Tracking it down might be a bitch sorry.

[Leyna]

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