Book Review and Giveaway (Redux): Looking for Me

Looking for Me, by Beth Hoffman, is now available in paperback. To celebrate, we're sharing our review from last year, along with another giveaway.

Teddi Overman found her life’s passion for furniture in a broken-down chair left on the side of the road in rural Kentucky. She learns to turn other people’s castoffs into beautifully restored antiques, and eventually finds a way to open her own shop in Charleston. There, Teddi builds a life for herself as unexpected and quirky as the customers who visit her shop. Though Teddi is surrounded by remarkable friends and finds love in the most surprising way, nothing can alleviate the haunting uncertainty she’s felt in the years since her brother Josh’s mysterious disappearance. When signs emerge that Josh might still be alive, Teddi is drawn home to Kentucky. It’s a journey that could help her come to terms with her shattered family—and to find herself at last. But first she must decide what to let go of and what to keep. (Summary courtesy of Amazon.com)

Amy Bromberg:
Looking For Me is such a beautifully written novel. It is the story of Teddi Overman, a woman at a very young age who finds her calling for restoring furniture. Even though her mother wants her to be a secretary, a job that would give her stability, she follows her dreams and eventually owns her own antique restoring shop in Charleston. Teddi is able to see beauty in beaten up pieces of furniture; ones that most people would throw away, and she turns them into beautifully restored antiques.

At the heart of the story is how Josh, Teddi’s younger brother, disappears at a very young age. As you can imagine, this tears the family apart. Unlike her parents and many folks in the community, Teddi always felt somewhere that he was still alive. Teddi took care of Josh ever since he was a baby, so of course she developed a strong bond with him. He loved nature and animals, and spent a lot of time in the woods. Josh finds beauty in feathers of endangered birds and in sticks, etc. He looks at these birds as beautiful creatures where most people would not.

The life Beth breathes into her characters and the story’s settings are just breathtaking. I’ve never been to either Kentucky or Charleston, but I can now imagine what they must be like. I’ve really never had a yearning to visit a farm, but I do now after reading about the times Teddi’s time on her family’s farm both as as a young girl and as an adult. Beth uses such stunning words to describe something "small" like a bird feather to something "big" like a sunrise one would see from the top of a ferris wheel. When I read the word "tangerine" to describe this sunrise, the image it conjures up in my head is absolutely beautiful.

Looking For Me would make a fantastic book club pick. This is definitely one to not miss. Run and get a copy NOW!

Melissa Amster:
It's been five years since Billie Letts last produced a new novel and I've been craving something that gives me the same heartwarming, "comfort food" feel that her books have. I first found a novel earlier this year that Billie would be proud of (and if you can remember which one I'm talking about, nice work with paying attention to my reviews). Currently, Beth Hoffman's latest novel, Looking for Me has taken on the the "title," so to speak.

While Amy has mentioned a lack of interest in farms prior to reading this novel, I feel I should mention that reading it gave me an interest in something I could have cared less about before...antique furniture (and the restoration process). Beth's descriptions of how Teddi lovingly restored furniture and gave it a new style made me want to go antique shopping and add something nice to my home. I also loved that through Teddi's passion came her career. I always enjoy reading about women entrepreneurs and seeing their business take shape.

Aside from the one really mean guy mentioned in the novel (no spoilers as to why), I really liked all the characters Beth introduced me to throughout the story. There were eccentric antique thieves and people trying to help Teddi break into the business. Her family was amazing to read about, as well. I felt like they were sitting in my kitchen having a conversation. I so wanted her to find her brother, Josh, again and felt the same ups and downs she did when she thought she had found a new lead to chase. I can't even imagine, nor would I want to, having a family member disappear like that.

Overall, Looking for Me was sweet, heartwarming and difficult to put down. I even found myself reading it during bouts of heavy traffic on my ride home from work. I wish it had gone on longer, but all good stories have to come to an end at some point or they'll be a million pages!

Thanks to Beth Hoffman for the book in exchange for an honest review. And thanks to Tandem Literary, we have TWO copies to give away to some lucky US readers!

How to win:
Tell us about a piece of furniture that you've had the longest.

One entry per person.

Please include your e-mail address or another way to reach you if you win. Entries without contact information will NOT be counted.

US only. Giveaway ends May 5th at midnight EST.

Enter to win at WhoRuBlog, as well. (US only. Ends May 12th.)