Finding Annie (Life Imperfect Book #1) by Katherine Turner

Let's meet Author Katherine Turner: 

I am an author of contemporary romantic women's fiction that explores the power of love and human resilience in the wake of trauma and abuse. I grew up in foster care from the age of eight and I am passionate about improving the world through literature, empathy, and understanding. I also use my voice to blog about mental health, trauma, and ways we can be more compassionate as a society on my website, www.kturnerwrites.com.

I live in northern Virginia with my husband, two children, and two playful kittens. When I'm not writing, I'm likely reading or exploring nature with my family.

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Facebook/Twitter/Instagram: @kturnerwrites

Goodreads: Katherine Turner

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Review: https://www.rachaelbrooks.com/blog/the-love-bead

 

"The romantic tension and momentum of Finding Annie is off the charts... I can't wait for the next book in this series." --Lauren Sapala, author of The INFJ Revolution and Between the Shadow and Lo

Heartbreaking and redemptive, Annie's story reveals the strength of her spirit, the healing power of unconditional love, and the potential of unexpected relationships to teach us to accept ourselves.

When Annie returns to the town where she grew up after twelve years, she plans to house-sit for her mother and take a much-needed break from her stressful job and worsening anxiety. But revisiting the past is never straightforward, and she soon discovers that she can no longer run from the things she's tried so hard to leave behind.

Her ex-boyfriend Rob, the once-love of her life, is still living in her hometown, and Annie barely has time to process what seeing him again could mean before another surprising figure appears on her friend and mentor's doorstep. Suddenly, Annie's quiet sabbatical has turned into a whirlwind of traumatic memories and new romance, and the responsibility of navigating her PTSD without burdening anyone else in her life threatens to overwhelm her.

But even flawed love can help us to heal in unexpected ways, if we can only learn to accept it. Annie's journey will keep readers glued to the page, brimming with compassion and rooting for her to find the love and peace she deserves.

"Finding Annie is one of those books that will resonate with you well after it is over, the raw details and emotions expressed creating a deep connection to the characters. I'm now waiting for the next novel in this incredible series!" --Rachael Brooks, author of Beads: A Memoir About Falling Apart and Putting Yourself Back Together Again

"The experience of reading Finding Annie was so much more than I ever expected from a book. Katherine Turner is the debut author of the year; the storyteller our world needs." --Olivia Castetter, author of Smoke & Mirrors

When reading the synopsis for Finding Annie, I was struck by the concept of reading a story where PTSD is highlighted as a part of Annie's journey. I'm always looking for a strong woman portrayal, and I hoped the inclusion of a mentor and the conviction that a "flawed love" can help with healing, would give a fresh and hopeful perspective of living life after trauma. I'm always interested in new reads that take on a holistic approach to growth, and it's human desire to wish for others to find and share their strategies on dealing with tragic circumstances. 

With this in mind, I do respect the author's voice in sharing personal and horrific events which have changed Annie's life. This is not easy subject matter to digest or to rate. The rating is not based solely on the content being exposed, but on how it is being shared. It in no way reflects an easy representation of the depth and heaviness of the content matter. It doesn't fully represent the esteem I hold any author in when dealing with these sensitive subjects either.   

Below is my breakdown on thoughts, feelings, and portions of the story which hit their mark or failed to bring about the change for which I was personally looking. As always, *SPOILERS* for the story might crop up, and you have been warned. ;) 

Numeric Breakdown:

1: didn't like it
2: it was okay
3. liked it
4. really liked it
5. it was amazing


1. Writing Style: 3/5
The narrative format of Finding Annie gave a dual point of view with Turner's two main characters, Annie and Rob. I'm always a fan of the multiple perspectives, and I'm comfortable with the past and present viewpoints as well. I think giving more than one outlook on how the story evolves is an essential way to immerse yourself in the world. This is present in Finding Annie, and I love this twofold, first person experience. 

Mood gives this plot its own forceful character. We are introduced to the nightmares, fear, and anxiety (the PTSD) Annie is feeling as she returns home. Dealing with childhood abuse, rape, and abandonment, Annie has a significant amount of stress and inner conflict being disected throughout the book. Her emotional atmosphere brings us to the core of what we will be facing as we work through Annie's frame of mind. On the opposite hand, we get a sense Rob's frustration, discontent, and longing. The clash of characters' emotions builds an intense suspense for the reader. 

Turner's tone definitely sets the mood with the belief that love will conquer all. She threads this through the story with a continuous look back at Annie's and Rob's past relationship. The author builds the expectation of love through her other characters as well as Annie's relationship with her mentor and her mentor's grandson, Lucas. 

Tragedy is a huge part of the storyline and drives the characters, specifically Annie. The evolution of fear and anxiety develops into slightly happier times for Annie. Soon, though, the happy moments are hindered by devastating memories and the introduction of past and present characters. This disaster setting is brought to a turning point when a crisis in the form of her former attacker comes back into the picture. Unable to prevent the assailant's return, Annie is pulled into another catastrophe and more grave circumstances occur before the resolution begins.

The pattern is easy to follow; the build-up of secrecy around what had happened is well-done; the ending does a great job of reaching its climax and finding its resolution. Overall, the writing style does a wonderful venture of highlighting the pressure points of the plot. 

2. Overall Content: 2/5
Eager to dive into this story and find positive reinforcement for Annie and her situation, I started with enjoying the points of view and curiosity of what Annie was hiding. Hoping to find Annie getting what she needed from this story and hoping for a happier ending, this unraveling of the tale gave me a few glimpses of seeing those hopes realized. There were certain pros and cons to this story that encapsulates the entire content. Let me tell you more. 

I think I had an anxiety attack reading this book. It was a story wrapped in emotions based off the events of the main character, and I felt gutted while reading the experiences of Annie. The unveiling of her tragedy wasn't so much of a surprise as a sorrowful revelation. Her attacker wasn't too much of a surprise either, but it added a layer of tragic drama to the story. 

This leads to my reveal of what I liked most about this book: 

1. The content was handled sensitively, honestly, and with compassion. It was a difficult story to tell, and the author does a remarkable step-by-step undertaking of divulging each portion of Annie's history with consideration. There was a lot of pieces to contend with, and the biggest was the emotion brought out by the tragedy. It's a highly important subject to bring to light, and I certainly promote the #Metoo movement and hearing the voices of women everywhere. I'm impressed with Annie's voice and the courage the author took to express a deeply personal story.

2. I could relate to Annie in several different ways, and I respected her self-preservation. It was one of the most prominent characteristics of Annie that I enjoyed. I also related to her anxiety and how it could control her life. I'm glad she went to counseling, once she felt less restraint and fear talking about what she had been through, and began to get the help she needed and deserved. 

3. I loved Mrs. Renner's character, and I wished she would have been more involved in the recital. She was a kind and thoughtful ally to Annie's narrative. I felt as if she had more to contribute, and I would have loved seeing her in action. 

4. The changes between Rob's character and Annie's character every few chapters was helpful. As I've mentioned before, I love when there are dual or multiple points of view. It gives the story a bit more control, drama, and attitude. Readers get to know the characters more, and we can appreciate their beliefs better. 

5. It's always a great skill to include real-life details, and Turner gives us that with the medical attention given during Annie's revisit to the hospital in Chapter 34. It lends an authentic portrayal to story, which I always can appreciate. There are more points of authenticity, but this is one which stands out.

6. I certainly value stories with an important lesson, support of a prominent cause, or the healing of the main character. Anything which has to do with self-help and a journey of faith makes me sit up and take notice. Therefore, I did appreciate the story's development to transform Annie's life.

On the opposite end of the pro spectrum is the con. Unfortunately, there were some cons to this inspiring story that left me a bit dissatisfied with the whole. 

Those exploits will be broke down below:

1. The language was a bit much. There's a line where originality and contrivance hovers and can be tipped over to one side or the other. Maybe I just don't hang out with or read/watch/listen to a lot of entertainment which utilizes this excessive use of language. However, in my opinion, it was an excessive amount of the f*** word as well as taking the Lord's name in vain quite a bit. This gave me a struggling quality to reading and annoyed me over the length of the 56 chapters. 

2. The love triangle between Annie, Lucas, and Rob wasn't my favorite aspect of this novel. It was a typical romance plot point which fell a little flat for me. Different points added to its lack of innovation, which had been thriving with the core sentiments. This includes the almost rushed features of Lucas and Annie's relationship. She has unresolved feelings for Rob, a secret that involves him and his family, and her own stress-filled trauma -- again, unresolved, and she enters into a new association without the healing she needs. All these parts add up to making the relationship a bad idea and an obvious red-herring, if you will. 

 

Also, the indecision on both Lucas and Rob's part over how they feel about Annie throughout -- they come, they go -- is monotonous. Neither seem to have a concrete idea of what they want. Rob wants Annie, but his anger colors his perspective. Yet, Lucas is hesitant himself to be pulled into a relationship, but all of the sudden, he thinks life without Annie would be unimaginable. The fact that he doesn't know her, her past, or what she's facing in the present lends a false feel to it. 

Annie's indecision about how she feels toward them both and which one she "really" wants isn't helpful. I suppose this plot device could be chalked up to reality and how people are sometimes indecisive and unaware of what they want and how to wade through their personal conflict. However, Annie's inner and outer conflict reflect well with what her storyline is involving, and that's believable, but it's something I wished the author would have deviated from. I really wanted to see a new angle on how a character would deal with their emotional turmoil. 

3. The secrets helped to build the suspense of the story and the desire to know more, but they acted against the storyline as well. Annie needed to be honest with herself before she should have pursued another relationship. It would have been great if she'd confided in one of her friends at some point, before things went too far -- Mrs. Renner perhaps? After she finally said something, it felt as if Annie just began to tell everyone. From a personal perspective, I wouldn't have been able to tell everyone. A select few, maybe, but not so many others and so quickly.

4. Irritation at Lucas's love vs desire to "fix" Annie: he's a bit "too-good-to-be-true/moronic" for my taste, and I knew when the author introduced him that he'd end up being a means to an end, and I didn't like that. On the other side of this is Rob's judgement of Lucas. Although his defense of Annie is admirable, he doesn't get to play judge and juror when he doesn't know the person or the entire situation; it often feels as if no one else is allowed to have emotions or opinions other than the people who are "suffering," and I don't feel that's fair either; everyone handles situations differently, not always well, but we shouldn't always be quick to judge someone when they can't/won't handle something they weren't meant to handle anyway. 

5. Lori - Annie's sister - is a bit 2D but shows her personality quite vibrantly, and I didn't like her. The total lack of care and concern over her sister was too much for me. Perhaps I'm being a bit too harsh over circumstances, and I know there are types of people who are like this, but it was a piece of the puzzle I could have done without. 

6. I would have prefered if the end of chapter 15 had been stretched out over the following chapters in a "show" instead of "tell" manner; ie: going to the counselor and finding out that what Charlie had done wasn't her fault; her volunteering; working at the library part time again. This section of the story and the good it could have showed in her growth and healing was too compartmentalized and thin to me. I wish we could have seen more of how Annie would break free of her demons. I think this was an essential point of the content, and it was rushed. 

There are several great reasons to read this book, but I felt as if there were even more we could have seen to make it a magnificent read. These are all personal opinions which don't reflect on the brave theme it brings to light. I appreciate Annie's character and the cause Turner brings to her readers. In a sense, it's a stand for victims who have faced what Annie went through, and I appreciate it as such. 

3. Hooks/Attention-kept: 3/5
Readers will admire the progression of the story with Annie's secret revelation, the first meeting of Annie and her lost love, Rob, and the desire to find out how Annie will deal with her inner conflict. 

4. Overall enjoyment of the story based on the genre: 3/5

This was a fabulous first step into women's contemporary fiction for Katherine Turner. An insightful and judicious storyline, this novel will give readers a new point of view to a distressing situation. Definitely a realistic twist to give readers an outlet and new life experience.  

5. Overall enjoyment of the story based on the content: 2/5
It brought to readers an important issue that a lot of women have faced. Turner gives us a complex and multifaceted character who shows how her story has shaped her. Her growth is what readers will be most eager to read. It will give Turner's audience a sense of camaraderie and kinship with Annie and her history.  


6. Overall Story Rating: 3/5

Reading this book gave me a disconsolate but hopeful feeling. I wanted to see Annie as a heroine for other women to look up to, and her story was pragmatic and reasonable with a solid ending. She's very much a survivor. However, there was a bit more I wanted from the story of Annie's healing. It would have been therapeutic to watch her grow over the pages, but we didn't quite get that. 

I, also, didn't want to see all of her healing being reliant, to some degree, on a guy. It was nice she had Rob, as the story wraps, but it was more important for us to connect with and understand Annie as we shared her journey with her. In the end, I wasn't sure Rob was the guy for her either. 

I have found out that this is Book 1 in the series, and some of the unresolved issues will be dealt with via a sequel. I'm glad to hear Annie will have more of a voice over the important situation she has shared with us all. I'll keep an eye out for future books. 

Finally, it was a strong and brave story to bring to her audience, and I give kudos to Katherine Turner for her stance on protecting mental health rights and bringing to light those issues women have faced in one way or another. It was an inspiring story, and I think the synopsis sums it up in the use of the word: Redemptive. These are some of the reasons I've rated Finding Annie as a 3/5. 

*Sidenote: I really loved the cover, and it caught my eye immediately! :)

Thanks for joining me, and as always, Happy Reading!!

~Rebecca Reddell