This is an extraordinary debut novel, touching on dark issues but celebrating the healing power of love... it's a promising and rewarding first book. -- Sally Morris THE DAILY MAIL I rarely rate books as five stars but in all seriousness, this book is a five. The story, the setting, the characters and the pace were just incredible. I thought that the book was going one way and it actually went another, I half guessed where it was going but I was still happy with it, as much as you can be happy with a story that continually punches you in the gut. I had to stop reading during my few sittings with this book because of the things that were revealed but that is just a sign of a brilliantly written book. READERAPTOR I found this book spellbinding and didn't want to put it down. It's one of those wonderful YA crossover books that you feel no shame in reading as an adult... This is a book that makes you appreciate what you have, not in a soppy way, but in a matter of fact one... A lot of the pain in the book is subtle, understated, unemotional, almost because that's the way Carey has had to deal with it. It's not a big deal, except of course it is, it's a huge, massive deal. And yet, because of the low key way she talks about the past, it seems all the more poignant than any woe-is-me misery memoir. This is a book I've been thinking about all weekend, and I finished it some days ago. I suspect I'll be thinking about it for many more days still. THE BOOKBAG As a debut pitched in the young adult market it is faultless. The details and scenes within the story were grittier than I was expecting and definitely darker but the fact Murdoch doesn't shy away from this is what makes If you find me all the better. This book comes highly recommended. THENEXTBIGBOOK ... a powerful read that I have absolutely no qualms recommending. It is (at times) rather emotionally draining, but the unparalleled beauty and feeling in its pages make it wholeheartedly worth it. REALM OF FICTION It's an extremely emotional roller coaster of a book, and I bet more than one point will make you cry, but it's full of hope and free will too, which makes you smile. Definitely recommended for thirteen/fourteen and up, this is a must read which I'm sure will capture the hearts of so many people. The characters and the tear-jerking story will stay with you long after you close the book after reading the last page- I know they did with me. BOOKS AND WRITERS JUNIOR This latest powerful and accomplished adolescent novel from the US is fuelled by a strong, individualistic voice in the tradition of Huck Finn. INIS MAGAZINE Carey is a narrator with a strong voice, as we follow her attempt to control her language and ideas in order to slot back into a world she's been removed from far too long to truly remember. We feel the pain of the secret she carries before it is even revealed, and share her desperation for acceptance and safety. She is frustrating, too, taking a long time to see the truth that becomes sadly obvious to the reader, but in this way she is a more believable voice - heartbreakingly, beautifully real.?? A gorgeous, literary read for teenagers, If You Find Me breaks and soothes your heart in equal measure, with its reminder that home is neither more nor less than the people you love and trust. WE LOVE THIS BOOK ... a powerful debut novel that brought out a range of emotions in me from despair to hope, from love to rage. It's one of my favourite debuts of the year and is guaranteed to hold a special place in the hearts of those who read it. JESS HEARTS BOOKS ... it is singularly one of the best modern books I have read... Throughout the book I was smiling, laughing, crying and sometimes even boiling with anger... Murdoch left no emotion untouched. I have never read a book that is so heartbreaking yet humorous, bewitching yet beautiful, but now thanks to Emily Murdoch I've found that book. Most importantly, the one thing I've learnt from reading this book is that sometimes the things that people don't say are more important. DELIGHTFUL BOOK REVIEWS IF YOU FIND ME is a striking debut novel... -- Geraldine Brennan THE OBSERVER If You Find Me is a rare kind of book... this is not just because of how achingly beautiful it is, but more because of how achingly real it is. It's just so believable and raw I was constantly left wondering whether this did actually happen in real life. I mean, although I had a few tiny problems with it around the middle section, I really recommend this stunning debut... it's just so - and I know I keep saying the R word - real! FEED ME BOOKS NOW I had no idea what to expect from debut novel If You Find Me when I started reading it. I certainly wasn't expecting to be hooked from the start, to empathise with Carey the way I did and to completely fall in love with little Jenessa. It's a beautifully written book that grips you from page one, pulling you into a story of survival, resilience and, ultimately, living... If You Find Me is by no means a happy, go-lucky book, but it's an important, hopeful story of two girls surviving in a desolate wasteland and living to tell the tale. It's about family and the strong bond that forms between human beings, whether they're related or not, and how all is never lost. I can't wait to see what Emily Murdoch tackles next, and I just hope it's as powerful as this. WONDROUS READS Heartbreaking and haunting at times but always beautifully written, If You Find Me is a stunning debut and Emily Murdoch a YA writer to keep an eye on. CHOOSE YA
