Book Review: Now That I've Found You by Kristina Forest

Now That I've Found You is a gorgeous rom-com following 18-year-old Black teen Evie Jones - who's having the worst few months of her life. The up-and-coming star was set to play the lead in a huge film, but lost the role when her so-called best friend betrayed her. Desperate to make a comeback, she gets an unexpected chance when she's asked to present a lifetime achievement award to Evelyn Conaway, one of the most beloved actresses in America - and Evie's grandmother, Gigi. Things seem to be looking up, right until Gigi suddenly disappears without warning, before Evie can talk to her about another massive opportunity she has, but which Gigi is the key to. Evie launches a frantic hunt around New York for her missing grandmother to try and find her and talk to her before the big ceremony, accompanied, somewhat to her dismay, by a 19-year-old musician who Gigi befriended. As the pair search, Evie learns more about both her grandmother and herself, and starts to think Milo isn't as annoying as she'd first believed.

I picked up an e-book of this from the library mainly on the strength of the gorgeous Kat Goodloe cover, which seemed to promise the kind of cute romance I was really in the mood for - and wow, the contents delivered! This was a 'read in one sitting' book - a fun, breezy contemporary which did a fabulous job of building an antagonists to lovers romance between Evie and Milo. I loved both main characters, and Gigi, who's wonderfully written as Hollywood royalty. I winced massively in the first chapter as Evie records a dumb video because she trusts her friend Simone completely, only to painfully find out this was a bad idea, and from there on I was desperately hoping to see Evie find happiness. She progresses brilliantly as a character, despite the majority of the narrative being set in the course of less than a week, and I thought the chemistry between her and Milo was fabulous. Milo and his bandmates have the kind of friendship which Evie desperately needs and is starting to figure out she never really had with Simone, even though she didn't realise it at the time. 

In addition to the romance, the book explores parental expectations - Milo has the ability to have a real shot at making it big as a musician, but his parents want him to study, while Evie feels that her parents (also famous film-makers) are disappointed with her for making such a big mistake - and forgiveness, with a surprisingly touching confrontation between Evie and Simone, while Gigi has her own issues with her three-time ex-husband, who she's been furious with for years. 

The quest to find Gigi builds up to a completely delightful ending, with one of the best last pages I've read in ages, which left me with a huge grin on my face as I read the final few lines of dialogue. Massively recommended, particularly to fans of rom-coms.