Finding Frances by Kelly Vincent - Book Tour - Book Review - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hey, lovelies!  It gives me great pleasure today to host Kelly Vincent and her new book, “Finding Frances”!  For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $40 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!  Also, come back daily to interact with Kelly and to increase your chances of winning!

Thanks for stopping by!  Wishing you lots of luck in this fabulous giveaway!

Finding Frances

by Kelly Vincent

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GENRE: Contemporary YA

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BLURB:

Retta Brooks thinks her life is on track after convincing her overprotective mom to stop home-schooling her and allow her go to Buckley High. She comes home from a night out with friends to find that her whole world has changed, and she has extremely hard decisions to make. Not to mention finding the answers to questions some people would rather she not know. Is she strong enough for what lies ahead?

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EXCERPT TWO:

I Googled everything I knew about the crash. I had the rough date, so I searched for news records of wrecks then. But there were tons, and the old newspaper records required payment. I found a few sites that would let me search accident reports by state, which made me realize I didn’t even know for certain where the crash had happened.

I did know that right after it happened, Mom had moved us to Buckley and rented this house. I’d been born in Lincoln, Nebraska, so maybe it had happened in Nebraska. Yet I’d always assumed we had already been living somewhere in Iowa. Maybe it was Mom’s family who was from Nebraska. But where else in Iowa had we lived? Des Moines, since that was the newspaper I’d found?

Also, it occurred to me that it was weird we didn’t have much money. If all those people had died, surely Mom inherited money or got insurance money. It made no sense.

Googling everybody who had died brought up records of long-dead people with similar names and nothing more. What if it was all made up? What if those weren’t their names at all? What if I was adopted—or worse, kidnapped? That would be crazy. But it also would explain why Mom was so paranoid.

Could that really be it?

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MY BOOK REVIEW:

This book was intriguing, captivating, suspenseful, authentic, compelling, and emotionally consuming!!

First off, I was very shocked to find out what the main theme throughout this book was.  I definitely was not expecting this book to revolve around domestic violence.  I found the blurb to be somewhat misleading and perhaps too vague for this heavy topic to just be thrown onto the reader.  As a former child who had faced my dad physically, mentally, and emotionally abuse my mom and I and even having been kidnapped and almost killed by him, this topic is not something I take lightly.  I think most abuse victims like myself have triggers and even after years of survivorship can quickly be in an uncomfortable state-of-mind when certain memories come crashing back.  I understand the author wanted to keep the plot elements secret to not spoil the story.  However, I personally think there should have been some mention or warning that this book focuses on domestic abuse so readers like myself aren’t startled when it’s sprung on them. At this time, the book blurb and book cover do not provide any clues or information that this book centralizes on domestic abuse.

I really enjoyed reading this book and I’m really glad I read it.  However, I wish I had known about the premise of this book, before stumbling into it and having all those emotions come racing back.

I appreciate that the author puts a spotlight on such a dark topic.  She also doesn’t hold any punches as she tells this story in a raw, realistic, true to life fashion – instead of the sometimes-usual cotton candy story line take that down plays the toll dv plays on victims and their families – emotionally, physically, and mentally.

This book focuses more on the ripple effects of domestic violence rather than the actual account and physically shown abuse.

This story felt so true and authentic – and scary similar to things my mom and I went through.  I really liked the main character, Retta and couldn’t help but easily connect with her!  I so wanted to tell her it was going to be okay and this will only make you stronger.  Words that I can say now as an adult and survivor.

I think the author did an amazing job on her character development as these characters were so real and personal on many levels!

Thankfully, unlike Retta’s mom, my mom didn’t keep secrets from me.  We’ve always had a very close relationship and it would have been hard to keep from me since I could remember the abuse.  But like the main characters, we cut all family ties, and we ran.  We moved every 6-9 months as he hunted us.  Like the book reveals, dv cases back then weren’t taken seriously and police often looked the other way as it was a “personal family matter.”  Thankfully, there are now stricter laws and more awareness – including thanks to this book – but today’s stats still list that more than ten million people experience domestic violence in the U.S. each year!!!

I liked that this book also focused on Retta’s experiences and how it was shaping her outlook on men and her future.  Retta worries that the guy she likes may turn out to be like her abusive father.  I personally can’t help but still look for the warning signs when I meet someone new.  This topic isn’t often highlighted or mentioned and I appreciated that the author included this story line into the book.  Domestic violence changes the way victims think, act, and perceive others.

I also enjoyed the passages where Retta was connecting with her mom though her music, clothes, shoes, posters, scrapbooks, etc.  Retta getting to know about her mom before everything changed were some beautiful and sweet character arc development moments.

I really liked that the author included a note at the end of the book that detailed background information on domestic violence, warning signs and characteristics of abusive relationships, and information on how to get help.

This book has a creative story line that evenly flows, excellent writing style with well-described scenes, strongly-developed characters, is steady paced, and completely keeps you fully engaged!!

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book and would absolutely recommend it!  I think all contemporary young adult readers will like this book too!  So, add it to your TBR List and get to reading - you won't be disappointed!

**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest, and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations.**

Did you find this review helpful?

If so, please, please, please mark it as helpful on Amazon here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R1MKQZPANJL0L2

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AUTHOR BIO:

Kelly Vincent wrangles data weekdays and spends the rest of her time playing with words. She grew up in Oklahoma but has moved around quite a bit, with Glasgow, Scotland being her favorite stop. She now lives near Seattle with three cats who definitely help her write her stories. She’s also working toward the Red Earth Master of Fine Arts in creative writing at Oklahoma City University.

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CONNECT WITH KELLY:

Kelly’s Beautiful Furbaby, Zmije

(pronounced zmee-yuh)

PC - @ http://kellyvincent.net/about

Kelly’s Adorable Furbaby, Marlowe

PC - @ http://kellyvincent.net/about

Website:

http://kellyvincent.net

Blog:

http://kellyvincent.net/blog

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/kvbooks

Pinterest:

https://www.pinterest.com/kpvincent

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/kvbooks

BookBub Author Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kelly-vincent

BookBub Book Page #1:

https://www.bookbub.com/books/finding-frances-by-kelly-vincent

BookBub Book Page #2:

https://www.bookbub.com/books/finding-frances-by-kelly-vincent-2020-01-29

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19868573

Goodreads Book Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50112733-finding-frances

Amazon Author Page:

https://amzn.to/2HE7K75

Kelly’s Very Handsome Furbaby, Maddox

PC - @ http://kellyvincent.net/about

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BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon Kindle eBook:

https://amzn.to/2v4D2RZ

Amazon Paperback:

https://amzn.to/39P3UUD

Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/finding-frances-kelly-vincent/1135861073?ean=2940163173112

Barnes and Noble Paperback:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/finding-frances-kelly-vincent/1135861073?ean=9781509229031

Kobo eBook:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/finding-frances-3

Apple iBook eBook:

https://books.apple.com/us/book/finding-frances/id1491982289

Google Play eBook:

https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Kelly_Vincent_Finding_Frances?id=x1rMDwAAQBAJ

The Book Depository Paperback:

https://www.bookdepository.com/Finding-Frances-Kelly-Vincent/9781509229031

BAM! Books-A-Million Paperback:

https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Finding-Frances/Kelly-Vincent/9781509229031

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

Kelly will be awarding a $40 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this blog.  This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**

This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions.  Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.