GORGEOUS TALE OF LOVE, LOSS, & THE PURSUIT OF PASSION — A REVIEW

Wrapped in the comfort of her childhood home in Kentucky, Teddi Overman had dreams. And adventures. Some that she shared with her younger brother Josh, who had a unique affinity for wildlife, especially the broken and damaged ones.

Teddi’s passion for furniture sprang to life when she discovered an old broken-down chair by the side of the road. Studying library books, she repaired and refinished it and finally sold it. To a man named Jackson T. Palmer from Charleston.

Years later, she would go to Charleston to pursue her dream, but she crept away without talking to her parents, leaving only a note. She believed she needed to shape her own destiny.

Of course she would apprentice in Mr. Palmer’s shop, and she would still dream of owning her own. But the journey to her own shop would not be straight and smooth. Journeys never are. But I loved taking the journey with Teddi, walking the pathways with her, visiting the yard sales, and sharing special moments with her best friend Olivia and her Grammy Belle, a ninety-something woman with a zest for life and stories to tell.

I think Grammy Belle was one of my favorite characters. I loved the lessons she shared, like this one she gave to Teddi: “Sometimes it’s not what we hold on to that shapes our lives—it’s what we’re willing to let go of.”

That is a lesson Teddi had to learn over the years, as her younger brother Josh mysteriously disappeared one day in his teens, after a particularly tragic event, his whereabouts still unknown. But Teddi has a feeling…he’s somewhere on the Gorge near the farm, doing what he loves. Saving the wildlife.

What will Teddi do to honor her brother, after her mother’s death? How will the new life given to the old homestead somehow bring resolution to the unanswered questions? And how will moments from her childhood continue to resonate as she struggles to move on?

Reading Looking for Me was like living the story with the characters, experiencing their vision of life through the homey moments in Kentucky, or the gorgeous homes and antiques in Charleston. The author’s visual images drew me in and embraced me, making me feel part of everything. I laughed, I cried, and I wanted desperately for Teddi’s story to continue. I am hoping for a sequel. Or a few rereads. I loved this story! Five stars.