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Finding Felicity
Caroline Sands has never been particularly good at making friends. And her parents’ divorce and the move to Arizona three years ago didn’t help. Being the new girl is hard enough without being socially awkward too. So out of desperation and a desire to please her worried mother, Caroline invented a whole life for herself—using characters from Felicity, an old show she discovered online and fell in love with.
But now it’s time for Caroline to go off to college and she wants nothing more than to leave her old “life” behind and build something real. However, when her mother discovers the truth about her manufactured friends, she gives Caroline an ultimatum: Prove in this first semester that she can make friends of the nonfictional variety and thrive in a new environment. Otherwise, it’s back to living at home—and a lot of therapy.
Armed with nothing more than her resolve and a Felicity-inspired plan, Caroline accepts the challenge. But she soon realizes that the real world is rarely as simple as television makes it out to be. And to find a place where she truly belongs, Caroline may have to abandon her script and take the risk of being herself.
But now it’s time for Caroline to go off to college and she wants nothing more than to leave her old “life” behind and build something real. However, when her mother discovers the truth about her manufactured friends, she gives Caroline an ultimatum: Prove in this first semester that she can make friends of the nonfictional variety and thrive in a new environment. Otherwise, it’s back to living at home—and a lot of therapy.
Armed with nothing more than her resolve and a Felicity-inspired plan, Caroline accepts the challenge. But she soon realizes that the real world is rarely as simple as television makes it out to be. And to find a place where she truly belongs, Caroline may have to abandon her script and take the risk of being herself.
305 pages
First published March 20, 2018
About the author
Stacey Kade
16 books1,588 followers**Stacey Kade also writes as S.A. Barnes. Her latest release is DEAD SILENCE, coming from Nightfire Books on 1/25/22.**
The daughter of a minister and a music teacher, Stacey Kade grew up reading Harlequin romances on the sly in the basement. Kade is the author of two young adult series (The Ghost and Goth trilogy and the Project Paper Doll series) and two young adult contemporary standalone novels. 738 DAYS and STARLIGHT NIGHTS, her contemporary romance duo for adults, both received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly.
Kade lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, Greg, and their three dogs.
The daughter of a minister and a music teacher, Stacey Kade grew up reading Harlequin romances on the sly in the basement. Kade is the author of two young adult series (The Ghost and Goth trilogy and the Project Paper Doll series) and two young adult contemporary standalone novels. 738 DAYS and STARLIGHT NIGHTS, her contemporary romance duo for adults, both received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly.
Kade lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, Greg, and their three dogs.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 167 reviews
March 7, 2018
**ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review**
I'll admit that this author is one I have always liked. Her Ghost and the Goth series took me strongly by surprise when, before even giving it a try, I was judging it by the horrid cover (I'm sorry, but some covers just need to not exist-people DO tend to judge a book by it's cover). I absolutely adored it, of course. It was cute, fun, quirky, and a fun play on the hierarchy of high school. This book? It was the opposite. I didn't judge it in the least when I saw who the author was when the blog tour was offered to me. I immediately was all in. And, while it had it's moments where I really connected with the main character and the people surrounding her (these were FAR and FEW between, mostly), there is only one way I could describe this book as a whole: Cringey. This book, with it's out of reality narrator, was beyond cringe-worthy.
I just....it was SO hard for me to connect. The story itself seemed adorable. I've loved these types of stories before, where the main character latches onto a fictional thing (tv show, fanfic, books, drawings, etc.) and then they slowly learn to live in reality. But here? It went a step too far, in my opinion, where even my suspension for disbelief couldn't handle it. I'm sorry...but this girl? She broke my heart with how pathetic she was.
And I'm not trying to be mean, here. The fact is this: She latched onto the show Felicity where the girl meets a guy who is nice to her. Where he makes her believe she can be more. Now, hold up, this doesn't bother me in the least. In fact, I do think people, as a whole, can inspire others to make more of themselves through inspiration and kind words or what have you. But, and this is where I just couldn't with this girl, when she takes the same step that her idol does, following someone to college....I just. WHAT?
I'm sorry, but it made me gag and-actually-made my heart stop. How could that possibly lead to anything good? I won't spoil anything, seeing as that is the opposite of what I like to do in my reviews, but I found myself wondering if we should actually like the male in this story or brace ourselves.
I will admit that I had my bout of stupidity (in HIGH SCHOOL) where I deluded myself into thinking all the hot guys that flirted with me truly wanted to make it into a relationship. A lot of them did, for sure, but did I ever choose the right one??? Ummmm. I'll get back to you on that. lol. I will say-before I get too judged-I did end up choosing the right guy, in the end. In High School, that is. We're married. So...I think I did okay-after too many flirty boys, I found the right flirty boy. HA. Depending on the day, that is. ;)
My point remains, however, that though I did many stupid things...I never ONCE would have considered following a guy I didn't know to a college halfway across the country. I'm not here to judge completely, though.
This story really was a sense of finding yourself, a journey of self-discovery-and she did grow throughout the book-absolutely. Of course, this was after one of the most awkward moments in the history of awkwardness.
I don't think this story truly offered a full look at all the extra characters like it could have, but I still really grew to like her roommate, Lexi. She was actually my favorite character. So, I'll wrap this up because I keep saying 'so' and 'actually' a lot lol. My point is this: This book was not a romance, it was a story of self discovery and learning who you can be if you put yourself out there. I did tear up once, because, ouch. I DO know how some of this feels-many girls do-but not near in the same dumb situation she put herself in. TMI. I KNOW. Whatever. That is all. Read it, don't read it, it was a cute read...albeit, cringey.
I do think this quote was really good, though:
YES.
For more of my reviews, please visit:
I'll admit that this author is one I have always liked. Her Ghost and the Goth series took me strongly by surprise when, before even giving it a try, I was judging it by the horrid cover (I'm sorry, but some covers just need to not exist-people DO tend to judge a book by it's cover). I absolutely adored it, of course. It was cute, fun, quirky, and a fun play on the hierarchy of high school. This book? It was the opposite. I didn't judge it in the least when I saw who the author was when the blog tour was offered to me. I immediately was all in. And, while it had it's moments where I really connected with the main character and the people surrounding her (these were FAR and FEW between, mostly), there is only one way I could describe this book as a whole: Cringey. This book, with it's out of reality narrator, was beyond cringe-worthy.
I just....it was SO hard for me to connect. The story itself seemed adorable. I've loved these types of stories before, where the main character latches onto a fictional thing (tv show, fanfic, books, drawings, etc.) and then they slowly learn to live in reality. But here? It went a step too far, in my opinion, where even my suspension for disbelief couldn't handle it. I'm sorry...but this girl? She broke my heart with how pathetic she was.
And I'm not trying to be mean, here. The fact is this: She latched onto the show Felicity where the girl meets a guy who is nice to her. Where he makes her believe she can be more. Now, hold up, this doesn't bother me in the least. In fact, I do think people, as a whole, can inspire others to make more of themselves through inspiration and kind words or what have you. But, and this is where I just couldn't with this girl, when she takes the same step that her idol does, following someone to college....I just. WHAT?
I'm sorry, but it made me gag and-actually-made my heart stop. How could that possibly lead to anything good? I won't spoil anything, seeing as that is the opposite of what I like to do in my reviews, but I found myself wondering if we should actually like the male in this story or brace ourselves.
I will admit that I had my bout of stupidity (in HIGH SCHOOL) where I deluded myself into thinking all the hot guys that flirted with me truly wanted to make it into a relationship. A lot of them did, for sure, but did I ever choose the right one??? Ummmm. I'll get back to you on that. lol. I will say-before I get too judged-I did end up choosing the right guy, in the end. In High School, that is. We're married. So...I think I did okay-after too many flirty boys, I found the right flirty boy. HA. Depending on the day, that is. ;)
My point remains, however, that though I did many stupid things...I never ONCE would have considered following a guy I didn't know to a college halfway across the country. I'm not here to judge completely, though.
This story really was a sense of finding yourself, a journey of self-discovery-and she did grow throughout the book-absolutely. Of course, this was after one of the most awkward moments in the history of awkwardness.
I don't think this story truly offered a full look at all the extra characters like it could have, but I still really grew to like her roommate, Lexi. She was actually my favorite character. So, I'll wrap this up because I keep saying 'so' and 'actually' a lot lol. My point is this: This book was not a romance, it was a story of self discovery and learning who you can be if you put yourself out there. I did tear up once, because, ouch. I DO know how some of this feels-many girls do-but not near in the same dumb situation she put herself in. TMI. I KNOW. Whatever. That is all. Read it, don't read it, it was a cute read...albeit, cringey.
I do think this quote was really good, though:
"The mistake, I think," she says. "Is believing that once someone else checks the 'yes' box on you, then you'll have what you need. Then you'll be happy, then you'll be okay with yourself. I don't think it works like that."
YES.
For more of my reviews, please visit:
March 31, 2018
Review posted on Fafa's Book Corner!
Beware spoilers ahead!
I have read Kade's series and enjoyed them. Naturally Kade has been on my radar and I constantly keep a look out for her new releases. In 2016 Kade started writing contemporaries. Before reading Finding Felicity I was nervous, as I didn't enjoy her previous contemporaries. I am happy to say that I thoroughly enjoyed Finding Felicity!
Caroline has finally graduated high school. Her mother and her celebrate by going to their favourite restaurant. Once they reach home her mother reveals a surprise party and encourages Caroline to invite her friends. Only Caroline's 'friends' don't exist. Of course Caroline has to confess to her mother. Caroline's mother is in shock and suggests that she see a therapist.
Dr. Wegman doesn't give Caroline a diagnosis but instead suggestions for college. Caroline sees him for the whole summer before school. He also has her make arrangements to communicate while she's at Ashmore University. Caroline has a semester to prove that she can thrive and make real friends. Otherwise it's game over.
I'm really happy that I enjoyed Finding Felicity! I've been on a roll of reading underwhelming books. Finding Felicity ended that record. As per usual the writing style was good! Finding Felicity is narrated in first person focusing on Caroline's point of view. There were chapter numbers.
First off you don't have to watch Felicity to read this book. Caroline explains the general plot, giving readers enough information to understand everything. I liked how there were so many tv show references! And for once I actually understood them all.
I was so happy when I heard that Finding Felicity is a YA college book! Usually book's with college are NA. I really appreciated it. And it remained me off my college days. There was some diversity here and there! Caroline's RA was a Pakistani muslim. And one of the counselors was half-black.
As mentioned in the synopsis Caroline took the characters from Felicity and told her mother she had 'friends'. There is actually a specific reason Caroline chose this particular university to attend. Caroline has a crush on Liam. They went to high school together, but she couldn't really bring herself to talk to him and Liam had a girlfriend.
Like in Felicity Caroline plans to get with Liam whom she believes is her Ben (one of the characters in Felicity). In order to accomplish this plan Caroline reinvents herself. She buys a whole new wardrobe and puts on a bubbly persona. This was obviously omitted from the synopsis because it sounds very cringey. And most people wouldn't read it.
I'm not gonna lie when I heard about this, I was planning on canceling it. I changed my mind as I'm sure there are some girls who would carry it out Caroline's plan in reality. Thanks to media plenty of girls believe that if they have the right wardrobe and persona, people will like them and they'll get the guy. I liked how the author through Dr. Wegman and people in Caroline's life address this.
Caroline doesn't really know Liam. She's just built up this whole image about him based on the few interactions they had in high school. And Liam was not end game. There were subtle hints throughout all their interactions that Liam wasn't who Caroline thinks he is. I appreciated Caroline standing up for herself when it came to Liam.
In so many contemporary novels authors write their heroines with the abusive love interest. There is another romance which was very subtley hinted. I liked Del a lot better and it was cute to think of them as eventually starting a relationship.
Caroline's growth was so well done! She actually made some friends and was happy to be at Ashmore. She made a change in herself, without Liam. Liam was certainly a part of Caroline's growth but not in the same magnitude as she initially thought. And minus the whole stalking Liam to college, Caroline was a pretty smart and mature girl.
I related to Caroline quite a bit. When I was growing up I didn't have any real friends. And because of that school life sucked. I definitely had it easier because I have siblings and we're close. I honestly don't know what I would've done if I was an only child like Caroline. Lying about 'friends' certainly wasn't smart but I understand why she did it. And honestly who doesn't do stupid things from time to time?
I loved the relationship that Caroline had with her mother! Her mother cared so much about Caroline and blames a lot of Caroline's problems on herself. Caroline previously lived in New York. Then her parents divorced and the two of them moved to Arizona. I enjoyed reading about her mother's advice! Her mother was actually a huge part of the story and Caroline's life. Which is another rarity in YA. Their make-up at the end was written beautifully!
I was actually quite surprised by Caroline's roommate Lexi. Lexi was not exactly appealing in the beginning. But her character was a huge part of Caroline's development. I enjoyed getting Lexi's back story and reading their interactions. And through some of Caroline's influence Lexi's character also grew. They made such great friends!
Dr. Wegman played a huge role in Finding Felicity. Caroline refers to their therapy sessions throughout the book. And she started realizing how wrong she was, Dr. Wegman was mentioned. I really liked how their was a positive therapy rep throughout the book.
Overall I really enjoyed Finding Felicity! I recommend it for everyone as I'm sure you'll all find something to relate to.
Beware spoilers ahead!
I have read Kade's series and enjoyed them. Naturally Kade has been on my radar and I constantly keep a look out for her new releases. In 2016 Kade started writing contemporaries. Before reading Finding Felicity I was nervous, as I didn't enjoy her previous contemporaries. I am happy to say that I thoroughly enjoyed Finding Felicity!
Caroline has finally graduated high school. Her mother and her celebrate by going to their favourite restaurant. Once they reach home her mother reveals a surprise party and encourages Caroline to invite her friends. Only Caroline's 'friends' don't exist. Of course Caroline has to confess to her mother. Caroline's mother is in shock and suggests that she see a therapist.
Dr. Wegman doesn't give Caroline a diagnosis but instead suggestions for college. Caroline sees him for the whole summer before school. He also has her make arrangements to communicate while she's at Ashmore University. Caroline has a semester to prove that she can thrive and make real friends. Otherwise it's game over.
I'm really happy that I enjoyed Finding Felicity! I've been on a roll of reading underwhelming books. Finding Felicity ended that record. As per usual the writing style was good! Finding Felicity is narrated in first person focusing on Caroline's point of view. There were chapter numbers.
First off you don't have to watch Felicity to read this book. Caroline explains the general plot, giving readers enough information to understand everything. I liked how there were so many tv show references! And for once I actually understood them all.
I was so happy when I heard that Finding Felicity is a YA college book! Usually book's with college are NA. I really appreciated it. And it remained me off my college days. There was some diversity here and there! Caroline's RA was a Pakistani muslim. And one of the counselors was half-black.
As mentioned in the synopsis Caroline took the characters from Felicity and told her mother she had 'friends'. There is actually a specific reason Caroline chose this particular university to attend. Caroline has a crush on Liam. They went to high school together, but she couldn't really bring herself to talk to him and Liam had a girlfriend.
Like in Felicity Caroline plans to get with Liam whom she believes is her Ben (one of the characters in Felicity). In order to accomplish this plan Caroline reinvents herself. She buys a whole new wardrobe and puts on a bubbly persona. This was obviously omitted from the synopsis because it sounds very cringey. And most people wouldn't read it.
I'm not gonna lie when I heard about this, I was planning on canceling it. I changed my mind as I'm sure there are some girls who would carry it out Caroline's plan in reality. Thanks to media plenty of girls believe that if they have the right wardrobe and persona, people will like them and they'll get the guy. I liked how the author through Dr. Wegman and people in Caroline's life address this.
Caroline doesn't really know Liam. She's just built up this whole image about him based on the few interactions they had in high school. And Liam was not end game. There were subtle hints throughout all their interactions that Liam wasn't who Caroline thinks he is. I appreciated Caroline standing up for herself when it came to Liam.
In so many contemporary novels authors write their heroines with the abusive love interest. There is another romance which was very subtley hinted. I liked Del a lot better and it was cute to think of them as eventually starting a relationship.
Caroline's growth was so well done! She actually made some friends and was happy to be at Ashmore. She made a change in herself, without Liam. Liam was certainly a part of Caroline's growth but not in the same magnitude as she initially thought. And minus the whole stalking Liam to college, Caroline was a pretty smart and mature girl.
I related to Caroline quite a bit. When I was growing up I didn't have any real friends. And because of that school life sucked. I definitely had it easier because I have siblings and we're close. I honestly don't know what I would've done if I was an only child like Caroline. Lying about 'friends' certainly wasn't smart but I understand why she did it. And honestly who doesn't do stupid things from time to time?
I loved the relationship that Caroline had with her mother! Her mother cared so much about Caroline and blames a lot of Caroline's problems on herself. Caroline previously lived in New York. Then her parents divorced and the two of them moved to Arizona. I enjoyed reading about her mother's advice! Her mother was actually a huge part of the story and Caroline's life. Which is another rarity in YA. Their make-up at the end was written beautifully!
I was actually quite surprised by Caroline's roommate Lexi. Lexi was not exactly appealing in the beginning. But her character was a huge part of Caroline's development. I enjoyed getting Lexi's back story and reading their interactions. And through some of Caroline's influence Lexi's character also grew. They made such great friends!
Dr. Wegman played a huge role in Finding Felicity. Caroline refers to their therapy sessions throughout the book. And she started realizing how wrong she was, Dr. Wegman was mentioned. I really liked how their was a positive therapy rep throughout the book.
Overall I really enjoyed Finding Felicity! I recommend it for everyone as I'm sure you'll all find something to relate to.
Read
October 4, 201710/4/17 Update:
FINDING FELICITY is up on Edelweiss and available for review! It should be on Netgalley soon, too, if it's not there already. Please go forth and request! <3 <3 <3
Also, if you're a blogger/librarian/bookseller and you want to review Finding Felicity but you can't get through on Netgalley/Edelweiss, message me and I'll pass your info on to my publicist!
9/10/17 UPDATE:
Pass pages are done! I've heard rumor that ARCs should be coming in shortly. :D Stay tuned for more information on giveaways! I'll be running an exclusive giveaway for my newsletter subscribers first. You can sign up here. I promise I won't bombard you with emails.
ETA: Updated summary posted above! And isn't the cover gorgeous? I love it. Shades of Felicity all over the place. :) In terms of a status update, I just finished copy edits last month. Next step should be galley pages (where the text is laid out in book format). After that, I hope we'll have ARCs and e-ARCs up on Edelweiss or Netgalley. Will keep you posted! :)
--
This isn't a review, obviously. :) Just a quick note to say the release date has been pushed to 2018. But I've seen the cover (gorgeous!) and I hope to be able to share it with you soon. I'm actually finishing up a final round of edits on this book now. More to come soon!
FINDING FELICITY is up on Edelweiss and available for review! It should be on Netgalley soon, too, if it's not there already. Please go forth and request! <3 <3 <3
Also, if you're a blogger/librarian/bookseller and you want to review Finding Felicity but you can't get through on Netgalley/Edelweiss, message me and I'll pass your info on to my publicist!
9/10/17 UPDATE:
Pass pages are done! I've heard rumor that ARCs should be coming in shortly. :D Stay tuned for more information on giveaways! I'll be running an exclusive giveaway for my newsletter subscribers first. You can sign up here. I promise I won't bombard you with emails.
ETA: Updated summary posted above! And isn't the cover gorgeous? I love it. Shades of Felicity all over the place. :) In terms of a status update, I just finished copy edits last month. Next step should be galley pages (where the text is laid out in book format). After that, I hope we'll have ARCs and e-ARCs up on Edelweiss or Netgalley. Will keep you posted! :)
--
This isn't a review, obviously. :) Just a quick note to say the release date has been pushed to 2018. But I've seen the cover (gorgeous!) and I hope to be able to share it with you soon. I'm actually finishing up a final round of edits on this book now. More to come soon!
April 1, 2018
It's YA in COLLEGE!!! Can we please rejoice and throw a party now??
Do you guys even know what this book is??? It's a Young Adult book set in college!!! I was ready to sing from the mountaintops at just the idea of it, and then I held it in my hands and felt the proof that it was real-- and now I'm basically still over here throwing confetti. But seriously, we need more books about going to college. It's such an untapped topic about such an important and confusing time in a lot of people's lives.
This book combines so many of my YES things that if you know me you'd be all-- Oh Michelle, this is so you!! I mean, you've got 90's Felicity, starting college (which has a running spot on my PLEASE AUTHORS WRITE THIS List), and Stacey Kade (who I am mildly obsessed with). You could say going into this, I had high expectations.
So, you've got Caroline who just doesn't fit in but desperately wants to. In order to cope with her dad leaving & exiting her life, moving across the country in the middle of her high school years, and the pressure she feels from her mom to succeed socially, she makes up a fake life with fake friends inspired by the TV show, Felicity. Felicity is her favorite binge-watch show, and even though it's almost 20 years old, Caroline relates to the awkwardness of Felicity and dreams of having her own Felicity experience once she goes to college.
As much as I loved reading about what Caroline was going through, I realized that she's not someone I relate to as a person. Yeah, she's shy, and second-guesses herself, and also kind of dislikes herself/wants to be somebody else-- and all that is completely me, but girl takes it to a whole new level of weirdness that I'm never going to be down with. She's just a tad too odd and embarrasses herself in that please-don't-make-me-look-directly-at-it way. In spite of that, I (and I think most people will) hard-core relate to the fact that she didn't know where her place was when it came to social situations. I think most of us have been put in scenarios where we don't feel comfortable and don't feel like we can be our true selves-- or wish we magically had different personalities. I adored (and cringed) reading about those struggles.
The best part for me was when Caroline and Liam "meet" (because yes Caroline pulls a Felicity and follows her "Ben" to college), and we get to see that Liam, who was Mr. Popular in high school, is also having a tough time figuring out where he belongs in the college landscape.
The only thing I wished was different was how the ending just sort of rushed up on me. Maybe this is my fault because I was so immersed in Caroline's drama, but I felt sort of surprised when I realized I was almost at the end. I think I just wanted to see more of her journey, but also I think it was smart for this book to stick to a very narrow view of the college experience.
Honestly, I could talk about this book all day. The "feel" of it captured the first days of college experience perfectly, and it made me super nostalgic for when I was the girl whose parents were helping her carry a TV and mini-fridge up to the 5th floor of Lawrence Hall. This is going to be one of those books I recommend to EVERYBODY.
PS-- You don't have to have watched Felicity to enjoy the book, but I would suggest at least reading over the Wikipedia plot outline for the first season.
OVERALL: Confetti and cake for everyone because we have a YA book set in COLLEGE!!!! Not only that but seriously-- it's SO good!!! It's about this super-awkward girl w/ a Felicity (the TV show) obsession who needs to find herself-- and where better than college??? Totally 100% recommend and wish that you would pass it along to everyone you know!!
My Blog:
Pink Polka Dot Books
Do you guys even know what this book is??? It's a Young Adult book set in college!!! I was ready to sing from the mountaintops at just the idea of it, and then I held it in my hands and felt the proof that it was real-- and now I'm basically still over here throwing confetti. But seriously, we need more books about going to college. It's such an untapped topic about such an important and confusing time in a lot of people's lives.
This book combines so many of my YES things that if you know me you'd be all-- Oh Michelle, this is so you!! I mean, you've got 90's Felicity, starting college (which has a running spot on my PLEASE AUTHORS WRITE THIS List), and Stacey Kade (who I am mildly obsessed with). You could say going into this, I had high expectations.
So, you've got Caroline who just doesn't fit in but desperately wants to. In order to cope with her dad leaving & exiting her life, moving across the country in the middle of her high school years, and the pressure she feels from her mom to succeed socially, she makes up a fake life with fake friends inspired by the TV show, Felicity. Felicity is her favorite binge-watch show, and even though it's almost 20 years old, Caroline relates to the awkwardness of Felicity and dreams of having her own Felicity experience once she goes to college.
As much as I loved reading about what Caroline was going through, I realized that she's not someone I relate to as a person. Yeah, she's shy, and second-guesses herself, and also kind of dislikes herself/wants to be somebody else-- and all that is completely me, but girl takes it to a whole new level of weirdness that I'm never going to be down with. She's just a tad too odd and embarrasses herself in that please-don't-make-me-look-directly-at-it way. In spite of that, I (and I think most people will) hard-core relate to the fact that she didn't know where her place was when it came to social situations. I think most of us have been put in scenarios where we don't feel comfortable and don't feel like we can be our true selves-- or wish we magically had different personalities. I adored (and cringed) reading about those struggles.
The best part for me was when Caroline and Liam "meet" (because yes Caroline pulls a Felicity and follows her "Ben" to college), and we get to see that Liam, who was Mr. Popular in high school, is also having a tough time figuring out where he belongs in the college landscape.
The only thing I wished was different was how the ending just sort of rushed up on me. Maybe this is my fault because I was so immersed in Caroline's drama, but I felt sort of surprised when I realized I was almost at the end. I think I just wanted to see more of her journey, but also I think it was smart for this book to stick to a very narrow view of the college experience.
Honestly, I could talk about this book all day. The "feel" of it captured the first days of college experience perfectly, and it made me super nostalgic for when I was the girl whose parents were helping her carry a TV and mini-fridge up to the 5th floor of Lawrence Hall. This is going to be one of those books I recommend to EVERYBODY.
PS-- You don't have to have watched Felicity to enjoy the book, but I would suggest at least reading over the Wikipedia plot outline for the first season.
OVERALL: Confetti and cake for everyone because we have a YA book set in COLLEGE!!!! Not only that but seriously-- it's SO good!!! It's about this super-awkward girl w/ a Felicity (the TV show) obsession who needs to find herself-- and where better than college??? Totally 100% recommend and wish that you would pass it along to everyone you know!!
My Blog:
Pink Polka Dot Books
December 29, 2018
Ehh, now re-reading it, a lot of the magic is gone for me. The ending was still sweet, but the only real likeable character was Lexi.
----Original review:
What a sweet book! I related to Caroline so much, she kind of reminded me of Cath from Fangirl, or perhaps it's because they both have social anxiety.
I enjoyed this very much, it was such a cozy read.
Content warnings:
-Some partying (she's in college and trying to fit in at first).
-Some making out and she wakes up in a guy's bed, but not even the kissing was described you were just told they did kiss.
----Original review:
What a sweet book! I related to Caroline so much, she kind of reminded me of Cath from Fangirl, or perhaps it's because they both have social anxiety.
I enjoyed this very much, it was such a cozy read.
Content warnings:
-Some partying (she's in college and trying to fit in at first).
-Some making out and she wakes up in a guy's bed, but not even the kissing was described you were just told they did kiss.
March 23, 2018
Felicity was one of my favorite shows growing up. It was on around the time I was preparing to graduate and go to college, so it was kind of serendipitous. I adored the heavy Felicity influence in this book. If you loved that show, too, I think you'll enjoy this novel because the characters and stories are similar, with the cringe-worthy situations, the awkward attempts at making new friends in a new place, and just the overall being away from home for the first time scenario. (And if you haven't seen Felicity, I highly, highly recommend.) Stacey Kade perfectly portrays how difficult that transition from high school to college is for everyone, not just us awkward kids but even those who always seemed like they had it all together. High school was hard, but I think setting off on your own at college is even harder, and I'm glad to see more YA books geared toward that time period.
March 12, 2018
It's a simple book, and yet I enjoyed it so very much!
Caroline is in trouble. After years pretending to have friends—most of them fictional and based on her favorite TV show—her mother finally discovered every lie. But one, the reason she chose an university so far away from home. It's her last hope, reinventing herself as an extroverted girl who'll say yes to fun and finally making Liam fall in love with her.
While the theme and the development are rather familiar, I like how some points were distinct from other YA books. First, this takes place mostly in college. Caroline is a freshman and we go through her move, her first days, her first party, all of those rite of passages we've also been through and many reader will as well.
And as I was saying, the theme. This is about self-esteem, about fearing social contact. Caroline's situation and thoughts are very easy to relate to. First, she just wanted to satisfy her mother's curiosity, then she starts enjoying the new world she's built for herself, where she is in control. So she sees college as a second chance to make it right—by pretending. It's such a familiar story, though taken to another level. I also remember thinking college would be different, I would act differently. When, in fact, you're the only one whom you can change.
I think the story brings an important lesson without forcing it on the reader. Also, a college environment is something lacking in YA's. I could count on my fingers the ones that did it and weren't just calling college a place that looked more like some high school. Adding tot he fact Caroline is just starting, you can't deny younger readers will be interested in checking what they can expect to deal with in a few months/years.
With all that as a pro, the story is also great. I love romances but it was refreshing having a book not so focused on that. "Didn't you say she followed a boy to college?" Yes, but it's definitely not about her love interest but about overcoming herself, her fears, her mistakes. Caroline's challenges aren't about a boy, as in real life our problems aren't usually about boys. They come, break your heart and go, the problems however, tend to stay.
"So why is it not a five-star?" Because it was still a simple book. I think it's also a merit that it accomplished this much but I don't see it intending to go the distance. I'm stingy with my stars, and that's the reason I don't give it the maximum rating. Still, I recommend it to anyone who enjoys lighthearted, coming-of-age stories. It's also a great pick for an YA book club, I would love discussing what each reader thinks about Caroline's past actions and how her mother dealt with them.
Honest review based on an ARC provided by Edelweiss. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.
Caroline is in trouble. After years pretending to have friends—most of them fictional and based on her favorite TV show—her mother finally discovered every lie. But one, the reason she chose an university so far away from home. It's her last hope, reinventing herself as an extroverted girl who'll say yes to fun and finally making Liam fall in love with her.
While the theme and the development are rather familiar, I like how some points were distinct from other YA books. First, this takes place mostly in college. Caroline is a freshman and we go through her move, her first days, her first party, all of those rite of passages we've also been through and many reader will as well.
And as I was saying, the theme. This is about self-esteem, about fearing social contact. Caroline's situation and thoughts are very easy to relate to. First, she just wanted to satisfy her mother's curiosity, then she starts enjoying the new world she's built for herself, where she is in control. So she sees college as a second chance to make it right—by pretending. It's such a familiar story, though taken to another level. I also remember thinking college would be different, I would act differently. When, in fact, you're the only one whom you can change.
I think the story brings an important lesson without forcing it on the reader. Also, a college environment is something lacking in YA's. I could count on my fingers the ones that did it and weren't just calling college a place that looked more like some high school. Adding tot he fact Caroline is just starting, you can't deny younger readers will be interested in checking what they can expect to deal with in a few months/years.
With all that as a pro, the story is also great. I love romances but it was refreshing having a book not so focused on that. "Didn't you say she followed a boy to college?" Yes, but it's definitely not about her love interest but about overcoming herself, her fears, her mistakes. Caroline's challenges aren't about a boy, as in real life our problems aren't usually about boys. They come, break your heart and go, the problems however, tend to stay.
"So why is it not a five-star?" Because it was still a simple book. I think it's also a merit that it accomplished this much but I don't see it intending to go the distance. I'm stingy with my stars, and that's the reason I don't give it the maximum rating. Still, I recommend it to anyone who enjoys lighthearted, coming-of-age stories. It's also a great pick for an YA book club, I would love discussing what each reader thinks about Caroline's past actions and how her mother dealt with them.
Honest review based on an ARC provided by Edelweiss. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.
February 5, 2018
3.5 stars
This was a super fun, super quick read. I love that we’re seeing so many more college YA books this year and I thought Finding Felicity was an excellent addition. I thought Caroline was a relatable MC and it’s was so easy to follow her just trying to live her life - goingo college, crushing on a guy, dealing with awkwardness and insecurities. I also really liked the seeing Caroline in therapy and talking about her social anxiety and introvert personality, I felt like it was very respectful to her feelings. I liked that we get to know so many characters (Lexi, Liam, Del, Jordan, Tory)- we don’t just see them in passing, we spend time with them and grow to care about them like Caroline does. Caroline’s intense fandom love of Felicity was also really fun to read about. One thing that did annoy me, was I felt like Caroline’s mom really made the whole situation about her instead of Caroline’s feelings. Overall this was an enjoyable contemporary.
I received a copy of the book from Simon & Schuster BFYR via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
“What’s wring with reality?”
“Nothing,” I say in a small voice. Unless your reality sucks. Then what’s wrong with wanting something more or better?
This was a super fun, super quick read. I love that we’re seeing so many more college YA books this year and I thought Finding Felicity was an excellent addition. I thought Caroline was a relatable MC and it’s was so easy to follow her just trying to live her life - goingo college, crushing on a guy, dealing with awkwardness and insecurities. I also really liked the seeing Caroline in therapy and talking about her social anxiety and introvert personality, I felt like it was very respectful to her feelings. I liked that we get to know so many characters (Lexi, Liam, Del, Jordan, Tory)- we don’t just see them in passing, we spend time with them and grow to care about them like Caroline does. Caroline’s intense fandom love of Felicity was also really fun to read about. One thing that did annoy me, was I felt like Caroline’s mom really made the whole situation about her instead of Caroline’s feelings. Overall this was an enjoyable contemporary.
I received a copy of the book from Simon & Schuster BFYR via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
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February 25, 2018A little slow/quiet but also had some great things about it. And I'm excited to be seeing more books set in college that are being targeted as YA.
Read all my thoughts here on Jen Ryland Reviews
Read more of my reviews on JenRyland.com! Check out my Bookstagram! Or check out my Jen In Ten reviews on Youtube - get the lowdown on current books in 10-30 seconds!
Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!
Read all my thoughts here on Jen Ryland Reviews
Read more of my reviews on JenRyland.com! Check out my Bookstagram! Or check out my Jen In Ten reviews on Youtube - get the lowdown on current books in 10-30 seconds!
Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!
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December 28, 2017I think what makes this a challenging read for me is that Caroline is reminds me of myself in some ways. She's vulnerable and self-conscious and timid. It makes you want to strangle her, comfort her and sympathize with her in turns. She's ultimately a super realistic new college student, finding her way.
ALL the props about the Felicity TV show undercurrent. I LIVED for that show. Although Caroline mentioning the show is "older than me" makes this reader feel preeeety old.
ALL the props about the Felicity TV show undercurrent. I LIVED for that show. Although Caroline mentioning the show is "older than me" makes this reader feel preeeety old.
March 16, 2018
Confession: Felicity was, and still remains, one of my favorite TV shows of all time. When I saw this cover, I knew before reading the synopsis that fictional Felicity was going to play some role in the story, and with that being the case, I had to read it. And you know what? Finding Felicity was a fun, heartwarming, and totally relatable YA-goes-to-college book.
I related to Caroline on so many levels. My family moved from Brooklyn to a very small town (seriously, 1 square mile) in NJ, where kids in my school had actually shared space in the hospital nursery after they were born (true story). Therefore, I totally sympathized with how difficult it was for Caroline, when she had to move from NY to Arizona. To a place where all the friend groups were already established, and they really weren't looking for any new members. I shared her loneliness, and also, her need to alleviate her mother's fears about the move.
Just like Caroline, I saw college as a "clean slate", a place where I could be a "new version" of me. This was a part of the story I really liked, because this was where Caroline started her journey of self-discovery. She made many rookie mistakes, but after some missteps, she began to trust her own instincts, and started to find her tribe, and things began to look up.
I have to commend Kade on the fine cast of characters she assembled. I really enjoyed getting to know them all, but I especially loved Lexi and Del. I wasn't sure about Lexi at first. I actually thought Caroline had lost the roommate lottery there, but the more I got to know Lexi, the more I understood her, and eventually, I sort of loved her. Del won me over from his first scene on page. I wasn't sure if he would pop up again in the story, but I was really happy he did, because he was all sorts of adorable and wonderful.
You DO NOT need to be a fan of the the show to enjoy this book, but as a Felicity fan, I liked looking for the parallels to and mentions of the show. I got all giddy when I saw the show's characters names mentioned here and there, and found it quite amusing when Caroline would ask herself, "What would Felicity do?" Like Felicity, Caroline made an impulsive decision to follow a boy, who she wanted to know better to college. Crazy? Yes. But it also ended up being the place where Caroline finally found herself. She grew, learned from her mistakes, and began to find her place in the world.
Overall: A enjoyable and heartfelt journey of self-discovery, which spoke to this introverted-Felicity-lover.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
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For the first time in my life, I want the real thing and not the imagined version in my head.
I related to Caroline on so many levels. My family moved from Brooklyn to a very small town (seriously, 1 square mile) in NJ, where kids in my school had actually shared space in the hospital nursery after they were born (true story). Therefore, I totally sympathized with how difficult it was for Caroline, when she had to move from NY to Arizona. To a place where all the friend groups were already established, and they really weren't looking for any new members. I shared her loneliness, and also, her need to alleviate her mother's fears about the move.
I want someone who loves me because of who I am, not in spite of it. Is that so much to ask?
Just like Caroline, I saw college as a "clean slate", a place where I could be a "new version" of me. This was a part of the story I really liked, because this was where Caroline started her journey of self-discovery. She made many rookie mistakes, but after some missteps, she began to trust her own instincts, and started to find her tribe, and things began to look up.
Here there's only one empty spot, and it's for me. It makes me want to pinch myself to see if this is reality.
I have to commend Kade on the fine cast of characters she assembled. I really enjoyed getting to know them all, but I especially loved Lexi and Del. I wasn't sure about Lexi at first. I actually thought Caroline had lost the roommate lottery there, but the more I got to know Lexi, the more I understood her, and eventually, I sort of loved her. Del won me over from his first scene on page. I wasn't sure if he would pop up again in the story, but I was really happy he did, because he was all sorts of adorable and wonderful.
It's the start of the life I was searching for, even though it's nothing like what I expected.
You DO NOT need to be a fan of the the show to enjoy this book, but as a Felicity fan, I liked looking for the parallels to and mentions of the show. I got all giddy when I saw the show's characters names mentioned here and there, and found it quite amusing when Caroline would ask herself, "What would Felicity do?" Like Felicity, Caroline made an impulsive decision to follow a boy, who she wanted to know better to college. Crazy? Yes. But it also ended up being the place where Caroline finally found herself. She grew, learned from her mistakes, and began to find her place in the world.
Overall: A enjoyable and heartfelt journey of self-discovery, which spoke to this introverted-Felicity-lover.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
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August 2, 2018
Finding Felicity 3.5⭐️
“They are fictional”
I think ever book obsessed person has pretended that the characters from books(or tv shows) are ‘real’ and are their friends.
Caroline didnt have friends, she had fictional people that she found comfort in. But her freshman year of college she decided that she was not going to be a shy introverted girl she was going to bold and brave andmake friends. She was no longer in her home state. No one knew her and she could be anyone now.
It was so cute! I really liked it. She showed family values, friends (fictional and otherwise) school (which i love having books about college students) and boys because obviously a boy is somewhatat the center of most things in books. You can reinvent yourself you just need the courage to make the change.
“They are fictional”
I think ever book obsessed person has pretended that the characters from books(or tv shows) are ‘real’ and are their friends.
Caroline didnt have friends, she had fictional people that she found comfort in. But her freshman year of college she decided that she was not going to be a shy introverted girl she was going to bold and brave andmake friends. She was no longer in her home state. No one knew her and she could be anyone now.
It was so cute! I really liked it. She showed family values, friends (fictional and otherwise) school (which i love having books about college students) and boys because obviously a boy is somewhatat the center of most things in books. You can reinvent yourself you just need the courage to make the change.
March 19, 2018
Stacey Kade is one of my favorite recent author finds! I’m still working through her backlist, but when I got my hands on her upcoming Finding Felicity, I just had to read it right away!
In Finding Felicity, we meet Carolyn Sands… just graduating from high school and ready to move on to college and reinvent herself. Having moved to Arizona three years ago, she never quite fit in socially and just didn’t ever make any friends, instead, immersing herself in the world of the TV show Felicity (yes that show!). In order to placate her mom’s guilt over uprooting her, she ends up making up fictional friends from the show with her mom none the wiser… that is until her mom organizes a graduation party and her fictional world comes crashing down.
In order to keep her plans in place to attend the college of her choice, she has to promise her mom that she’ll talk with a therapist and prove to her that she has friends.
Easier said than done.
When she arrives at her new school, it’s not at all what she expects and trying to fake it isn’t as easy as she thought it would be. The one person she was hoping to create a bond with is nowhere to be found, and add in a roommate who wants nothing to do with her, and Carolyn is ready to pack her stuff and head home early.
I really like that this is a YA book that is in a college setting. We don’t see enough of those, typically titles jump right to the new adult genre and what I found so refreshing here is it truly is a YA book, and it absolutely touches on the feelings that an incoming freshman to college might be dealing with. While I realize that Carolyn’s situation is somewhat unique, her stresses and fears are not. The fear of fitting in, the fear of making new friends, getting along with your roommate and testing the boundaries around you… not having a parent there to guide and help you make decisions. It’s all on you for the first time, and there can be some serious repercussions if you make the wrong choice.
Kade does an amazing job at really immersing you in what those first few months are actually like. Carolyn’s vulnerability and uncertainty were so stressful for me to read… I could understand it even if that wasn’t my experience, and I really loved the relationship development in this novel. While I was completely on the fence about Lexi at the beginning and worried greatly for Carolyn, I loved watching her relationship with Del develop.
Also I have to call out the Felicity references… if you’re young… you should definitely give the show a watch. I actually loved it (Noel anyone?) and a lot of it will be relatable even all these years later. (lord it debuted in 1998 ahhhhhh). That said, if you haven’t watched the show, it’s not necessary, just a bonus!
This is just a wonderful story of finding yourself, finding your people and learning you don’t have to fake or change who you are just to fit a mold you think people are hoping you will be.
Thank you so much to the publisher for an early copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
In Finding Felicity, we meet Carolyn Sands… just graduating from high school and ready to move on to college and reinvent herself. Having moved to Arizona three years ago, she never quite fit in socially and just didn’t ever make any friends, instead, immersing herself in the world of the TV show Felicity (yes that show!). In order to placate her mom’s guilt over uprooting her, she ends up making up fictional friends from the show with her mom none the wiser… that is until her mom organizes a graduation party and her fictional world comes crashing down.
In order to keep her plans in place to attend the college of her choice, she has to promise her mom that she’ll talk with a therapist and prove to her that she has friends.
Easier said than done.
When she arrives at her new school, it’s not at all what she expects and trying to fake it isn’t as easy as she thought it would be. The one person she was hoping to create a bond with is nowhere to be found, and add in a roommate who wants nothing to do with her, and Carolyn is ready to pack her stuff and head home early.
I really like that this is a YA book that is in a college setting. We don’t see enough of those, typically titles jump right to the new adult genre and what I found so refreshing here is it truly is a YA book, and it absolutely touches on the feelings that an incoming freshman to college might be dealing with. While I realize that Carolyn’s situation is somewhat unique, her stresses and fears are not. The fear of fitting in, the fear of making new friends, getting along with your roommate and testing the boundaries around you… not having a parent there to guide and help you make decisions. It’s all on you for the first time, and there can be some serious repercussions if you make the wrong choice.
Kade does an amazing job at really immersing you in what those first few months are actually like. Carolyn’s vulnerability and uncertainty were so stressful for me to read… I could understand it even if that wasn’t my experience, and I really loved the relationship development in this novel. While I was completely on the fence about Lexi at the beginning and worried greatly for Carolyn, I loved watching her relationship with Del develop.
Also I have to call out the Felicity references… if you’re young… you should definitely give the show a watch. I actually loved it (Noel anyone?) and a lot of it will be relatable even all these years later. (lord it debuted in 1998 ahhhhhh). That said, if you haven’t watched the show, it’s not necessary, just a bonus!
This is just a wonderful story of finding yourself, finding your people and learning you don’t have to fake or change who you are just to fit a mold you think people are hoping you will be.
Thank you so much to the publisher for an early copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
September 11, 2018
5 reasons why Finding Felicity is for fans of Felicity AND everyone else!
1. Finding Felicity is set during a key transitional period in a young adult’s lifetime - the transition to college & freshman year. Felicity fans know this is a key element during the show!
2. Main character Caroline is one of the most realistic, relatable characters I’ve ever read. Stacey found unique ways to make her one of us while also showing us what makes her the person she is. I loved that we saw her ongoing mental health process through the story.
3. There are lots of secondary characters who need their own book! I would read stories about any of them. It’s like having a full cast!
4. There are 3 Supernatural references. Did Stacey write this just for me? 🤣
5. You don’t have to have watched Felicity to get it but there are enough references that will make you want to watch it for the first time or once again!
1. Finding Felicity is set during a key transitional period in a young adult’s lifetime - the transition to college & freshman year. Felicity fans know this is a key element during the show!
2. Main character Caroline is one of the most realistic, relatable characters I’ve ever read. Stacey found unique ways to make her one of us while also showing us what makes her the person she is. I loved that we saw her ongoing mental health process through the story.
3. There are lots of secondary characters who need their own book! I would read stories about any of them. It’s like having a full cast!
4. There are 3 Supernatural references. Did Stacey write this just for me? 🤣
5. You don’t have to have watched Felicity to get it but there are enough references that will make you want to watch it for the first time or once again!
March 20, 2018
Finding Felicity by Stacey Kade is the perfect read for those who are preparing to go to college. The story is written through the eyes of Caroline, a character that goes through some considerable growth as she struggles with her social anxiety. The connections to the TV show, Felicity, and the interesting side characters make the book an entertaining and engaging read.
Full review on The Candid Cover
Full review on The Candid Cover
March 18, 2018
4.5 stars
Finding Felicity revolves around Caroline Sands who, after her parents' divorce and her move to Arizona, isn't particularly good at making friends. Being the new girl was hard enough and her social awkwardness didn't help her case. Out of desperation, Caroline invented a whole life for herself with characters from the old show Felicity to assure her mother that she was okay.
But Caroline's secret gets exposed right before she goes off to college and she's left with an ultimatum: Prove in first semester that she can make friends (of the nonfictional variety) and thrive in a new environment or else she's to come back to living at home and therapy.
Caroline accepts the challenge, hoping college will let Caroline leave her old "life" behind and build something real. But she'll realize that the real world isn't as simple as her Felicity-inspired plan made it out to be.
I had such an awesome time reading this book. I have been searching for something like it for years now and I'm so glad that this book is getting published because it's just so important and something I think a lot of teens really need.
There's tons of YA out there talking about the high school experience and making friends and all sorts of things like that. But college YA is severely lacking and a lot of teens end up heading into that territory unprepared.
The only books that are very college-focused on the experience that I've read are Fangirl and Freshmen, and while Nice Try, Jane Sinner and American Panda and The Big F have a college setting, the focus does lie in other places besides the college experience.
So being able to add Finding Felicity onto the lists makes me so happy. This is something I related a lot to and I know a lot of other teens will be able to also relate to.
It's basically every teen's fears of college--whether than can make friends, are they wearing the right thing, what activities should you join, do you have to go to this frat party--jammed together into one book.
It was amazing.
Caroline's journey is just something so relatable and it's those high school fears that are put into one book. And I know for some people (you very fortunate people) her fears might seem super extreme, but for many others, they're legitimate worries.
Caroline does take it much farther than a lot of people--making up fictional friends--but the things she learns on the way really help shape the narrative. I found her to be wholly relatable and a very good representation of the anxious high school senior soon to be college student.
What I really loved was the timing of this novel. Kade could have told this story in a high school setting--writing about Caroline as she tries to keep the secret of her fictional friends--but she didn't and I think this made it to be a much more impactful novel.
I also loved how present the side characters are and how real they were. They didn't end up being just two dimensional clichés--the bad girl roommate, the party girl, etc.--but they had their nuances and backstories that helped really make them dynamic characters as well.
I sped through this novel in what felt like was only an hour. In twenty minutes, I seemed to have flipped through 75 pages. I thought it was paced really well and even though the plot is mostly character based, it had a very good balance of things that were happening in the real world and introspection.
I do think that some readers who can't relate to this as much as I could would definitely be less inclined towards this novel, but I think that it's a really great book. My only criticism would be that I kind of wished it was longer, which is something that I don't say often, but I wished there were more trials for Caroline to go through to give an even wider view of the college experience.
I feel like if this is a novel that seems like something you could relate to, you should definitely check it out. Finding Felicity should become a staple for all high school students as its message is a very good one that helps effectively emphasize that your hopes of a "new you" in college might not be the most stable idea. You can't just reinvent yourself in that way.
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Finding Felicity revolves around Caroline Sands who, after her parents' divorce and her move to Arizona, isn't particularly good at making friends. Being the new girl was hard enough and her social awkwardness didn't help her case. Out of desperation, Caroline invented a whole life for herself with characters from the old show Felicity to assure her mother that she was okay.
But Caroline's secret gets exposed right before she goes off to college and she's left with an ultimatum: Prove in first semester that she can make friends (of the nonfictional variety) and thrive in a new environment or else she's to come back to living at home and therapy.
Caroline accepts the challenge, hoping college will let Caroline leave her old "life" behind and build something real. But she'll realize that the real world isn't as simple as her Felicity-inspired plan made it out to be.
I had such an awesome time reading this book. I have been searching for something like it for years now and I'm so glad that this book is getting published because it's just so important and something I think a lot of teens really need.
There's tons of YA out there talking about the high school experience and making friends and all sorts of things like that. But college YA is severely lacking and a lot of teens end up heading into that territory unprepared.
The only books that are very college-focused on the experience that I've read are Fangirl and Freshmen, and while Nice Try, Jane Sinner and American Panda and The Big F have a college setting, the focus does lie in other places besides the college experience.
So being able to add Finding Felicity onto the lists makes me so happy. This is something I related a lot to and I know a lot of other teens will be able to also relate to.
It's basically every teen's fears of college--whether than can make friends, are they wearing the right thing, what activities should you join, do you have to go to this frat party--jammed together into one book.
It was amazing.
Caroline's journey is just something so relatable and it's those high school fears that are put into one book. And I know for some people (you very fortunate people) her fears might seem super extreme, but for many others, they're legitimate worries.
Caroline does take it much farther than a lot of people--making up fictional friends--but the things she learns on the way really help shape the narrative. I found her to be wholly relatable and a very good representation of the anxious high school senior soon to be college student.
What I really loved was the timing of this novel. Kade could have told this story in a high school setting--writing about Caroline as she tries to keep the secret of her fictional friends--but she didn't and I think this made it to be a much more impactful novel.
I also loved how present the side characters are and how real they were. They didn't end up being just two dimensional clichés--the bad girl roommate, the party girl, etc.--but they had their nuances and backstories that helped really make them dynamic characters as well.
I sped through this novel in what felt like was only an hour. In twenty minutes, I seemed to have flipped through 75 pages. I thought it was paced really well and even though the plot is mostly character based, it had a very good balance of things that were happening in the real world and introspection.
I do think that some readers who can't relate to this as much as I could would definitely be less inclined towards this novel, but I think that it's a really great book. My only criticism would be that I kind of wished it was longer, which is something that I don't say often, but I wished there were more trials for Caroline to go through to give an even wider view of the college experience.
I feel like if this is a novel that seems like something you could relate to, you should definitely check it out. Finding Felicity should become a staple for all high school students as its message is a very good one that helps effectively emphasize that your hopes of a "new you" in college might not be the most stable idea. You can't just reinvent yourself in that way.
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February 24, 2018
Between 2017 and now I've been seeing more and more books featuring a college setting, and I couldn't be any happier. I wish they were around four years ago when I was starting my freshmen year!
Finding Felicity is quirky and heartwarming. Stacey Kade perfectly captures the feeling of not only freshmen year but also starting anew.
When Finding Felicity first begins we're quickly let in on Caroline's big secret: she's created a fake friend group inspired by the old 90s show Felicity to appease her mother. It started innocently enough - her mom was upset that she wasn't fitting in at her new school - but over the last few years it's morphed into something huge: one big fat lie Caroline was hoping she could run away from once she started college.
I think everyone has felt like Caroline at some point in their lives: feeling the need to reinvent yourself because you don't particularly like who you are. Caroline's always been the quiet girl, the girl most like to fall into the background. Sure, she has acquaintances and club-friends, but she's never found her "group," her second family. As someone who took a while to find their friend group as well, I could definitely relate to that area of her life. Sometimes it's hard to find people you click with, especially when you're in a new setting, and while most of us don't got to Caroline's lengths of reinvention, I feel like readers will definitely be able to relate and understand her overall feelings as well as actions. Additionally, I loved seeing Caroline slowly grow comfortable in her own skin - making friends, engaging in those horrible orientation ice breakers (they still give me the chills to think about four years later!), experiencing her first frat party, and, most importantly, finding comfort in the unknown and unexpected. It had me reminiscing back to my freshmen year of college, and given the realistic feel, I think it will give college bound readers a tease of what's to come.
In addition to Caroline, a wide variety of other characters were introduced. I found the majority of them to be lovable (with the exception of Caroline's long-time crush who was a jerk), and I enjoyed getting to know them. Out of the bunch, Lexi, Caroline's moody roommate, was my favorite. At first I didn't know what to make of Lexi. She was such a wild card, and not a very nice one at that; however, over the course of the book, she truly grew on me. Like Caroline, she's trying to find her place as well after a tumultuous year, and once again I found her story and voice relatable as well as realistic.
Finding Felicity is more of a character-driven novel than action-driven, but never once was I bored, or wanting to put the book down for long periods of time. The exact opposite in fact - I read this book in one sitting! As I've mentioned before, I loved Felicity's coming of age. It drove the book at a nice speed, and once again, I felt that the college setting was well constructed as well. While I do wish it would've been a little longer - I felt that the ending came way too soon but then again I wasn't quite ready to let go of Caroline and her friends just yet - and even a tad more developed (more info about her friends, her relationship with her parents, etc.) I was happy overall.
Overall, Finding Felicity is a heartwarming tale of one girl's new start featuring the good, the bad, and the oh-so-awkaward parts of freshmen year. I can't wait to read more by Stacey!
Last but not least: you don't need to have watched Felicity to understand the book completely. Caroline does a great job of summarizing the key points, and as someone who has never watched the TV show, I wasn't lost one bit.
*ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
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Finding Felicity is quirky and heartwarming. Stacey Kade perfectly captures the feeling of not only freshmen year but also starting anew.
When Finding Felicity first begins we're quickly let in on Caroline's big secret: she's created a fake friend group inspired by the old 90s show Felicity to appease her mother. It started innocently enough - her mom was upset that she wasn't fitting in at her new school - but over the last few years it's morphed into something huge: one big fat lie Caroline was hoping she could run away from once she started college.
I think everyone has felt like Caroline at some point in their lives: feeling the need to reinvent yourself because you don't particularly like who you are. Caroline's always been the quiet girl, the girl most like to fall into the background. Sure, she has acquaintances and club-friends, but she's never found her "group," her second family. As someone who took a while to find their friend group as well, I could definitely relate to that area of her life. Sometimes it's hard to find people you click with, especially when you're in a new setting, and while most of us don't got to Caroline's lengths of reinvention, I feel like readers will definitely be able to relate and understand her overall feelings as well as actions. Additionally, I loved seeing Caroline slowly grow comfortable in her own skin - making friends, engaging in those horrible orientation ice breakers (they still give me the chills to think about four years later!), experiencing her first frat party, and, most importantly, finding comfort in the unknown and unexpected. It had me reminiscing back to my freshmen year of college, and given the realistic feel, I think it will give college bound readers a tease of what's to come.
In addition to Caroline, a wide variety of other characters were introduced. I found the majority of them to be lovable (with the exception of Caroline's long-time crush who was a jerk), and I enjoyed getting to know them. Out of the bunch, Lexi, Caroline's moody roommate, was my favorite. At first I didn't know what to make of Lexi. She was such a wild card, and not a very nice one at that; however, over the course of the book, she truly grew on me. Like Caroline, she's trying to find her place as well after a tumultuous year, and once again I found her story and voice relatable as well as realistic.
Finding Felicity is more of a character-driven novel than action-driven, but never once was I bored, or wanting to put the book down for long periods of time. The exact opposite in fact - I read this book in one sitting! As I've mentioned before, I loved Felicity's coming of age. It drove the book at a nice speed, and once again, I felt that the college setting was well constructed as well. While I do wish it would've been a little longer - I felt that the ending came way too soon but then again I wasn't quite ready to let go of Caroline and her friends just yet - and even a tad more developed (more info about her friends, her relationship with her parents, etc.) I was happy overall.
Overall, Finding Felicity is a heartwarming tale of one girl's new start featuring the good, the bad, and the oh-so-awkaward parts of freshmen year. I can't wait to read more by Stacey!
Last but not least: you don't need to have watched Felicity to understand the book completely. Caroline does a great job of summarizing the key points, and as someone who has never watched the TV show, I wasn't lost one bit.
*ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
Book Blog | Twitter | Bloglovin| Goodreads
February 19, 2020
This one is hard to rate because Caroline is one of those characters that can really piss you off since she doesn't know what she wants a lot of the times, always cries, always finds herself stuck in awkward situations, and always talks way too much at the wrong time. I'm still suffering a lot of second-hand embarrassment when she confronted her love interest in the open field and having all their friends watch them--not cute. But I sympathized with this character and knew how much she wanted to change and grow! I knew how important this story would be for the ones who could relate. The ones who are introverted and unsure of how they could move onto the next stage in their lives--university!
February 28, 2018
Rounded up from 3.5 stars.
A big thank you to Simon & Schuster and Edelweiss for an ARC of this YA novel.
As a recovering introvert myself and a fan of Keri Russell, I was drawn to the plot of this book. Adjusting to life at college can be filled with landmines and I think this story manage to telescope many of them in with a relatively small cast of characters. Caroline is a likable protagonist and I found myself rooting for her throughout the book. She definitely makes some unwise choices, but we all do that. The ending was worth the ride.
A big thank you to Simon & Schuster and Edelweiss for an ARC of this YA novel.
As a recovering introvert myself and a fan of Keri Russell, I was drawn to the plot of this book. Adjusting to life at college can be filled with landmines and I think this story manage to telescope many of them in with a relatively small cast of characters. Caroline is a likable protagonist and I found myself rooting for her throughout the book. She definitely makes some unwise choices, but we all do that. The ending was worth the ride.
November 10, 2017
I read this in one day, only taking breaks for work and to Google the Felicity wiki. I was a huge fan of Felicity, and Caroline felt like another (much, much younger) version of me. I loved reading her story and watching her come into her own. Now I'm going to have to binge watch Felicity (I have all the dvds, but I'll probably Netflix it Caroline style). Team Noel forever!
March 22, 2018
Please enter the giveaway for this book on my blog: https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/20...
When Caroline landed in a new and unfriendly high school, she felt friendless and took refuge in the TV show Felicity, making up imaginary friends based on the cast. Now she's going away to college, determined to reinvent herself as someone outgoing and popular - but we know how that "to thine own self not be true" usually ends, right?
When Caroline landed in a new and unfriendly high school, she felt friendless and took refuge in the TV show Felicity, making up imaginary friends based on the cast. Now she's going away to college, determined to reinvent herself as someone outgoing and popular - but we know how that "to thine own self not be true" usually ends, right?
July 1, 2018
Well, this was a very fast read. It was pretty preposterous. Everyone acts like the mom isn't totally off her rocker. I'd think that the therapist, as he sees that she's doing what she does to please other people would specifically acknowledge her mother as the problem. I was very relieved that the book finally got around to acknowledging that right at the end, if only a bit. I mean, if your child is lying to you about having friends, using a TV show's characters to have some stories to appease you, it's because she's afraid of you, and afraid of what will happen if you're not appeased. I feel like this part of the story should have been fleshed out a bit more, instead of all the stuff of her joining clubs and working through her social anxiety or whatever. Like, I definitely think her social anxiety and the shitty way her mom is should have been treated as two different things. I also think it would have been nice if seeing herself in a TV show had helped her instead of harmed her. I don't think the author meant it this way, based on the title, but this book comes across as being very anti-Felicity by the end.
January 15, 2018
I've been excited about this book since the first time I heard about it, and it did not disappoint. I loved it, not just as a rabid Felicity fan but also as someone who very much saw college as an opportunity for reinvention. I cringed for/with and cheered for/with Caroline in equal measures.
(Team Ben forever.)
(Team Ben forever.)
March 22, 2018
While by no means is this classic literature, this book still perfectly does what it sets out to do. It’s a simple story of an introverted girl wanting to fit in, seeing college as her last chance to get it right. An easy read, I found this book relatable on many levels. In many ways it played out like a season of a show it lovingly paid tribute to. My college days were some 20 years ago, but the odd mix of new beginnings and the pressure to get it right still sticks with me. The fact that Felicity played a thoughtfully executed part in a book that takes place in 2018 was a definite risk, but ultimately an added bonus.
February 28, 2018
Caroline does not have friends. But her mom doesn't know that. She made her mom believe she has a lot of friends, but in truth, she bases her "friends" from characters of an old TV show called Felicity. That's why she's excited to go to college and start new.
You have to admit, that plot is just amazing and makes you curious! That worked for me! Either way, I read anything by Stacey Kade, I like her wrting style and the way her characters' voices are so real.
Anyway, let's start off with the characters. Caroline is someone you would dislike. Her actions and her thought process just makes me want to be mad at her. But she does explain why. I just love her character growth in the book. And not just her! Lexi's character growth is so enticing. I like her very much.
In a way I relate to this book so much. High school was fun for me and had many friends but not a lot stayed. But in college I actually felt the most belong. In many ways, I totally get what Caroline has gone through.
I had a slow start in this book. but halfway I was going through it non-stop. The flow of the story kinda went overdrive, in a good way. I liked that it wasn't like a flat line going through it, but it escalated. It's like in a heart monitor where the heart beat is the book and it shows jagged lines because it's how it makes you feel with the roller coaster of emotions and the events happining in the book.
Overall, I liked it very much. Caroline's journey was something definitely worth reading. It is personal, and readers will definitely learn from this book.
* i received an advanced reader's copy of this book*
You have to admit, that plot is just amazing and makes you curious! That worked for me! Either way, I read anything by Stacey Kade, I like her wrting style and the way her characters' voices are so real.
Anyway, let's start off with the characters. Caroline is someone you would dislike. Her actions and her thought process just makes me want to be mad at her. But she does explain why. I just love her character growth in the book. And not just her! Lexi's character growth is so enticing. I like her very much.
In a way I relate to this book so much. High school was fun for me and had many friends but not a lot stayed. But in college I actually felt the most belong. In many ways, I totally get what Caroline has gone through.
I had a slow start in this book. but halfway I was going through it non-stop. The flow of the story kinda went overdrive, in a good way. I liked that it wasn't like a flat line going through it, but it escalated. It's like in a heart monitor where the heart beat is the book and it shows jagged lines because it's how it makes you feel with the roller coaster of emotions and the events happining in the book.
Overall, I liked it very much. Caroline's journey was something definitely worth reading. It is personal, and readers will definitely learn from this book.
* i received an advanced reader's copy of this book*
April 26, 2021
This book really remembered me of Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, however it is not as well developed.
I really liked Caroline but I wished her story and the support characters were better developed.
I really liked Caroline but I wished her story and the support characters were better developed.
May 22, 2020
***Spoilers included***
We are all biased when writing reviews, but I’m especially biased with this one. I watched Felicity, I went to a small liberal arts college, and I’ve always found it hard to assimilate into groups of girls. 1-2 girls, fine. A large group? Not really. In undergrad, most of my friends were guys, especially by graduation. Anyway, when I stumbled upon this book, and honestly, I don’t remember how, I immediately texted my friend from high school and told her we had to read it. To my excitement, the university where I work’s library had it.
Plot: The book begins with Caroline’s mother having a graduation party for her and she is worried because her mom thinks she has a lot of friends, but she really only had one and the rest are “borrowed” from the tv show Felicity, an “old show she found online” (kill me now) that she constantly reminds readers came out before she was born (I’m dead, really). Side note: It’s weird that her mom knew all of the characters’ first and last names. She also told her mom she was friends with the most popular guy in high school, Liam, which was also a lie. She fesses up to her mom that she has been lying for years, since they moved to the school after her dad abandoned the family, and her mom is of course very concerned. Her mom agrees to let her still go to college as long as she maintains meetings with her therapist, but it turns out Caroline picked that college because Liam, who she views as her “Ben” was going there. The majority of the book includes Caroline being tempted to retreat into her fantasy world of made-up people, hooking up with Liam and seeing who he really is, bonding with her roommate who she does not get along with at first, and finally joining clubs, making friends, and telling her mom the truth.
I probably don’t make the book sound as interesting as it really is, but I was so compelled to read it even though a lot of YA has really started to annoy me. There is such little college representation in YA and Kade does it so well, from the dorm dynamics to the internal feelings and freshmen as they find their way. It reminded me of Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl without the unnecessary, dull, obnoxious asides into Harry Potter fanfiction that somehow got published without a lawsuit. Caroline is more introverted: “I’ve never really connected with anyone. You know, having that one person—or maybe even a couple of people—who is a true friend” (21). She’d rather play board games, get to know people one-on-one, and discuss films and tv shows than go to parties and that is completely fine! She represents a college freshman who is actually far similar to the ones I knew at my own and other colleges than the partier. YA readers need protagonists like Caroline who don’t assimilate easily, but try, and who still struggle with relationships with parents and peers. Senior year of high school doesn’t always turn you in to a self-aware badass who tells off the popular girl, gets the hot guy, or saves humanity.
YA readers need Caroline, but they also need this type of book. Liam wasn’t great, but he wasn’t really that horrible. Sure, he fooled around with Caroline and gossiped about her, but he was just a boy that Caroline never knew and did stalk on some level, trying to find his own place as well and missing home. There was no manic pixie dream guy jumping out to show Caroline the way, just a normal guy who invited her to play a board game. There was no bully, just a hard to read beautiful girl with a drinking problem. All of the situations were about perceptions and assumptions, not binaries of character types that fit well into a narrative of Caroline being “good.” Caroline, like all of them, make mistakes, which is what college is partially for.
The book begins with a bang, which hooked me. How awkward to tell your mother the truth like that, but I was also annoyed because I thought the book would be more about her maintaining the lie about the fake friendships. I loved “It was like fan fiction . . . on crack” (28). Then, it was almost even better because she does what Felicity does and follows the popular guy to school (and why wasn’t Liam more freaked out by this?!). If you never watched the show, you could still enjoy it, but as someone who has, I appreciated the allusions; however, I did have some issues. 1. Julie is only on like 1.5 seasons at best and tries to take Ben, so why did Caroline use her as a fake friend instead of Meaghan, who by the end, is one of the best parts of the show and is a better friend to Felicity than many of them? 2. Why wasn’t Caroline also searching for her Noel? It’s like he didn’t exist in this book and I’m 100% team Noel. 3. Did Caroline not realize that Ben treated Felicity badly really every season, cheating, gaslighting her, etc.? If she did, why didn’t she factor that in when Liam was treating her badly? You’d think as much as she watched the show, she’d know she’d have to tolerate a lot for “her” Ben. 4. Did Caroline never discover from her research that the woman who was hired to give the "college" perspective for the show was actually a woman in her 30s pretending to be college-age? How could you leave that out? https://paleymatters.org/felicity-fak...
The way Caroline defends the show is also pretty funny: “No! Dawson’s Creek was a teenage soap opera, not a loving exploration about identity and finding yourself when you don’t know who you are. Though they both featured love triangles” (75-76).
I also liked the parallels to Caroline and Felicity that she did not entirely see: “My concern is that you seem to want a version of yourself that has little grounding in who you actually are” (42). For one, this is such great advice for YA readers, mad props to Kade, but also that was so much of who Felicity was too; she was always being pulled in different directions. You’d think Caroline would see how much she was like Felicity, but she lacked that introspection: “I’m not trying to be someone else [. . .] I’m trying to be a better version of me, okay?” (63).
Additional random thoughts:
• I’ll get behind any book that includes Shave N’ Fun Ken, the doll that launched the creepiest Barbie commercial ever (look it up). In fact, I use it to teach rhetoric to my college students. I was a little annoyed that they didn’t use his proper name though (22).
• Kade got so much correct about going to a small college, like how everyone really does hear each other’s gossip.
• The freshmen rules the RD gives need to be given to all freshmen everywhere (85).
• I do wish Kade was better at expressing Caroline’s emotions, but her humor was really great: “and then something ominously labeled on the schedule as FUN!” (117).
• Kade writes characters so well. All of the people Caroline meets, like the overly competitive guy at orientation, are so real. I was also impressed how well she wrote Liam, who really was much like Ben: Confused, having difficulty not being king of the mountain anymore, unsure of his feelings towards a girl. But the way he writes off her insecurities is horrible. I’d have to re-watch the show to see if that’s accurate with Ben, but it’s the pandemic, so I guess I have all the time in the world…
• I loved the slug sculpture. On our campus, we have a sculpture that is supposed to be blades of grass and a raindrop, but my friends and I have called it The Claw for years and I used to tell students it was good luck to worship it. All Hail The Claw!
• Sorry, Kade, Michael Cera isn’t hot (221).
Despite the shortcomings in Kade expressing Caroline’s emotions, this book is written expertly well with self-realization that is so needed in YA: “I’m not Felicity. Liam is definitely not Ben. But that’s okay. For the first time in my life, I want the real thing and not the imagined version in my head” (282). I know so many students who binge on shows and isolate themselves from the world. It’s a growing trend/coping mechanism for anxiety, and this type of book is needed.
We are all biased when writing reviews, but I’m especially biased with this one. I watched Felicity, I went to a small liberal arts college, and I’ve always found it hard to assimilate into groups of girls. 1-2 girls, fine. A large group? Not really. In undergrad, most of my friends were guys, especially by graduation. Anyway, when I stumbled upon this book, and honestly, I don’t remember how, I immediately texted my friend from high school and told her we had to read it. To my excitement, the university where I work’s library had it.
Plot: The book begins with Caroline’s mother having a graduation party for her and she is worried because her mom thinks she has a lot of friends, but she really only had one and the rest are “borrowed” from the tv show Felicity, an “old show she found online” (kill me now) that she constantly reminds readers came out before she was born (I’m dead, really). Side note: It’s weird that her mom knew all of the characters’ first and last names. She also told her mom she was friends with the most popular guy in high school, Liam, which was also a lie. She fesses up to her mom that she has been lying for years, since they moved to the school after her dad abandoned the family, and her mom is of course very concerned. Her mom agrees to let her still go to college as long as she maintains meetings with her therapist, but it turns out Caroline picked that college because Liam, who she views as her “Ben” was going there. The majority of the book includes Caroline being tempted to retreat into her fantasy world of made-up people, hooking up with Liam and seeing who he really is, bonding with her roommate who she does not get along with at first, and finally joining clubs, making friends, and telling her mom the truth.
I probably don’t make the book sound as interesting as it really is, but I was so compelled to read it even though a lot of YA has really started to annoy me. There is such little college representation in YA and Kade does it so well, from the dorm dynamics to the internal feelings and freshmen as they find their way. It reminded me of Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl without the unnecessary, dull, obnoxious asides into Harry Potter fanfiction that somehow got published without a lawsuit. Caroline is more introverted: “I’ve never really connected with anyone. You know, having that one person—or maybe even a couple of people—who is a true friend” (21). She’d rather play board games, get to know people one-on-one, and discuss films and tv shows than go to parties and that is completely fine! She represents a college freshman who is actually far similar to the ones I knew at my own and other colleges than the partier. YA readers need protagonists like Caroline who don’t assimilate easily, but try, and who still struggle with relationships with parents and peers. Senior year of high school doesn’t always turn you in to a self-aware badass who tells off the popular girl, gets the hot guy, or saves humanity.
YA readers need Caroline, but they also need this type of book. Liam wasn’t great, but he wasn’t really that horrible. Sure, he fooled around with Caroline and gossiped about her, but he was just a boy that Caroline never knew and did stalk on some level, trying to find his own place as well and missing home. There was no manic pixie dream guy jumping out to show Caroline the way, just a normal guy who invited her to play a board game. There was no bully, just a hard to read beautiful girl with a drinking problem. All of the situations were about perceptions and assumptions, not binaries of character types that fit well into a narrative of Caroline being “good.” Caroline, like all of them, make mistakes, which is what college is partially for.
The book begins with a bang, which hooked me. How awkward to tell your mother the truth like that, but I was also annoyed because I thought the book would be more about her maintaining the lie about the fake friendships. I loved “It was like fan fiction . . . on crack” (28). Then, it was almost even better because she does what Felicity does and follows the popular guy to school (and why wasn’t Liam more freaked out by this?!). If you never watched the show, you could still enjoy it, but as someone who has, I appreciated the allusions; however, I did have some issues. 1. Julie is only on like 1.5 seasons at best and tries to take Ben, so why did Caroline use her as a fake friend instead of Meaghan, who by the end, is one of the best parts of the show and is a better friend to Felicity than many of them? 2. Why wasn’t Caroline also searching for her Noel? It’s like he didn’t exist in this book and I’m 100% team Noel. 3. Did Caroline not realize that Ben treated Felicity badly really every season, cheating, gaslighting her, etc.? If she did, why didn’t she factor that in when Liam was treating her badly? You’d think as much as she watched the show, she’d know she’d have to tolerate a lot for “her” Ben. 4. Did Caroline never discover from her research that the woman who was hired to give the "college" perspective for the show was actually a woman in her 30s pretending to be college-age? How could you leave that out? https://paleymatters.org/felicity-fak...
The way Caroline defends the show is also pretty funny: “No! Dawson’s Creek was a teenage soap opera, not a loving exploration about identity and finding yourself when you don’t know who you are. Though they both featured love triangles” (75-76).
I also liked the parallels to Caroline and Felicity that she did not entirely see: “My concern is that you seem to want a version of yourself that has little grounding in who you actually are” (42). For one, this is such great advice for YA readers, mad props to Kade, but also that was so much of who Felicity was too; she was always being pulled in different directions. You’d think Caroline would see how much she was like Felicity, but she lacked that introspection: “I’m not trying to be someone else [. . .] I’m trying to be a better version of me, okay?” (63).
Additional random thoughts:
• I’ll get behind any book that includes Shave N’ Fun Ken, the doll that launched the creepiest Barbie commercial ever (look it up). In fact, I use it to teach rhetoric to my college students. I was a little annoyed that they didn’t use his proper name though (22).
• Kade got so much correct about going to a small college, like how everyone really does hear each other’s gossip.
• The freshmen rules the RD gives need to be given to all freshmen everywhere (85).
• I do wish Kade was better at expressing Caroline’s emotions, but her humor was really great: “and then something ominously labeled on the schedule as FUN!” (117).
• Kade writes characters so well. All of the people Caroline meets, like the overly competitive guy at orientation, are so real. I was also impressed how well she wrote Liam, who really was much like Ben: Confused, having difficulty not being king of the mountain anymore, unsure of his feelings towards a girl. But the way he writes off her insecurities is horrible. I’d have to re-watch the show to see if that’s accurate with Ben, but it’s the pandemic, so I guess I have all the time in the world…
• I loved the slug sculpture. On our campus, we have a sculpture that is supposed to be blades of grass and a raindrop, but my friends and I have called it The Claw for years and I used to tell students it was good luck to worship it. All Hail The Claw!
• Sorry, Kade, Michael Cera isn’t hot (221).
Despite the shortcomings in Kade expressing Caroline’s emotions, this book is written expertly well with self-realization that is so needed in YA: “I’m not Felicity. Liam is definitely not Ben. But that’s okay. For the first time in my life, I want the real thing and not the imagined version in my head” (282). I know so many students who binge on shows and isolate themselves from the world. It’s a growing trend/coping mechanism for anxiety, and this type of book is needed.
March 20, 2018
“I was too scared to be myself and try to find people who might like me, because what if they didn’t? What would that say about me?”
Finding Felicity is the perfect story about finding yourself and where you belong in a sea of original and unoriginal people in the world. How do you stand apart, how do you know who you truly are? Sometimes you just have to risk being seen and finding your place. This book is absolutely perfect for high school seniors and college freshman; it fills the void of young adult books focused on what college could be like. Caroline’s experiences are universal and most will relate to the pressures that not only others put upon you but what expectations you put upon yourself.
Caroline moved to a new high school a few years back and just never made any true friends, in fact she convinced her mother she had a whole group of friends…they just happened to be the characters of an old TV show she was watching online. She manufactured her whole life, and now she actually has to make friends and real life experiences, except she has no idea how to just be herself and accomplish this task.
Everything Caroline goes through may seem a little extreme, but her anxiety is so true and real. Anyone heading off to college, those experiences of being in charge of yourself and your future are almost always riddled with fear and the unknown. However, determining how you tackle these new challenges are life skills every person needs in navigating the real world.
Stacey Kade is a master of character driven stories. You almost immediately connect and relate to each and every one of them, even the side characters. They all have such stand out personalities and experiences. I absolutely loved the dichotomy between Caroline, her mother, and Lexi (her party-girl roommate).
You may think you can reinvent yourself around a bunch of strangers but it is rather idealistic and in theory harder than it sounds. Caroline has many obstacles to tackle, and one of them is truly determining who she is – and accepting that life isn’t as easy as it looks on TV. Speaking of TV, if you have seen Felicity, the TV show, I think you will get some fun inside jokes as to what Caroline is thinking and planning, If you have never seen the show, it doesn’t hinder your ability to enjoy and pull the message from this very poignant novel about growing up and finding yourself.
Finding Felicity is the perfect story about finding yourself and where you belong in a sea of original and unoriginal people in the world. How do you stand apart, how do you know who you truly are? Sometimes you just have to risk being seen and finding your place. This book is absolutely perfect for high school seniors and college freshman; it fills the void of young adult books focused on what college could be like. Caroline’s experiences are universal and most will relate to the pressures that not only others put upon you but what expectations you put upon yourself.
Caroline moved to a new high school a few years back and just never made any true friends, in fact she convinced her mother she had a whole group of friends…they just happened to be the characters of an old TV show she was watching online. She manufactured her whole life, and now she actually has to make friends and real life experiences, except she has no idea how to just be herself and accomplish this task.
Everything Caroline goes through may seem a little extreme, but her anxiety is so true and real. Anyone heading off to college, those experiences of being in charge of yourself and your future are almost always riddled with fear and the unknown. However, determining how you tackle these new challenges are life skills every person needs in navigating the real world.
Stacey Kade is a master of character driven stories. You almost immediately connect and relate to each and every one of them, even the side characters. They all have such stand out personalities and experiences. I absolutely loved the dichotomy between Caroline, her mother, and Lexi (her party-girl roommate).
You may think you can reinvent yourself around a bunch of strangers but it is rather idealistic and in theory harder than it sounds. Caroline has many obstacles to tackle, and one of them is truly determining who she is – and accepting that life isn’t as easy as it looks on TV. Speaking of TV, if you have seen Felicity, the TV show, I think you will get some fun inside jokes as to what Caroline is thinking and planning, If you have never seen the show, it doesn’t hinder your ability to enjoy and pull the message from this very poignant novel about growing up and finding yourself.
April 8, 2018
I loved Felicity. I loved Felicity and Ben and Noel and Meghan and Elena and Hannah. I loved how Felicity followed Ben, her high school crush, across the country just so she could have a chance with him.
Apparently I am not alone.
Caroline loves Felicity, too, but her love takes a rather extreme turn. For one thing, she concocts a fictional tribe of friends who happen to be characters from the television show. And for another, she has her own Ben (his name is Liam) and, like her hero, she chooses her college based on where he goes.
I liked how Stacey Kade wove in allusions to the television show, nad I liked how Caroline has Felicity-esque characteristics. I liked even more when Caroline realized that SHE has to control her destiny, not a character from a TV series. Kade builds Caroline's internal and external conflict quite well, making you care about her and want the best for her.
Somewhat paradoxically, the weakness is Caroline herself. She is weak to an extreme. I get that she had to move after her parents' divorce, and I get that she is shy and awkward and has a tough time making friends. But those start to feel like excuses for her behavior rather than reasons. It isn't that it takes forever for her to grow out of her awkwardness, it's that she almost doesn't want to do so. She'd almost rather suffer. The supporting cast is not developed as well as I would have liked (particularly Liam), but I did get a strong sense of Caroline. I just wish she had as strong a sense of herself.
Apparently I am not alone.
Caroline loves Felicity, too, but her love takes a rather extreme turn. For one thing, she concocts a fictional tribe of friends who happen to be characters from the television show. And for another, she has her own Ben (his name is Liam) and, like her hero, she chooses her college based on where he goes.
I liked how Stacey Kade wove in allusions to the television show, nad I liked how Caroline has Felicity-esque characteristics. I liked even more when Caroline realized that SHE has to control her destiny, not a character from a TV series. Kade builds Caroline's internal and external conflict quite well, making you care about her and want the best for her.
Somewhat paradoxically, the weakness is Caroline herself. She is weak to an extreme. I get that she had to move after her parents' divorce, and I get that she is shy and awkward and has a tough time making friends. But those start to feel like excuses for her behavior rather than reasons. It isn't that it takes forever for her to grow out of her awkwardness, it's that she almost doesn't want to do so. She'd almost rather suffer. The supporting cast is not developed as well as I would have liked (particularly Liam), but I did get a strong sense of Caroline. I just wish she had as strong a sense of herself.
March 14, 2018
3.5 stars. Unexpectedly blazed through that in a day! While it was incredibly addicting from the start, I questioned Caroline quite a bit and was nervous I was going to dislike this. I started watching Felicity to prepare for the book, which was necessary I think to fully understand what she was talking about. I felt like Caroline and Felicity brought up similar, annoyed emotions for me. Both of them are/were incredibly insufferable at times. This book absolutely grew on me when time went on and Caroline started to work on herself. I continued to roll my eyes from time to time but I appreciated the ending very much.
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