Review: 'Finding Brynn' by Sky Greene (2014)

Most of Brynn's friends and family tell her she is crazy to leave everything and everyone behind to move 1200 miles from home just to try something new. She feels like she is being adventurous and wants a change from her boring Midwestern life. The only thing she wishes she could bring with her to Denver is Ned, her boy-toy turned serious boyfriend that her parents know nothing about.
Once in Denver, Brynn finds being 'adventurous' isn't as fun or easy as she expected. She's suddenly on the bad side of one of her grad school professors, she's just about out of money, and when she thinks things can’t get worse, Mother Nature wreaks havoc on her car. At least she has Kim, her new best friend that she met at school, to talk to about almost anything.
Brynn didn't anticipate meeting any guy that intrigues her, but Dave sure peaks her interest. She wants to explore if she is imagining a spark, or if there really is something there. But Ned...the sex with him is too good to just throw away, and they're making the long distance thing work...sort of. Ned? Dave? Is any of this really what she wants? 
What Brynn thinks is essential in life changes drastically when she gets the call that causes her to get on the first plane home. Only then does Brynn realize what is truly important to her and what she wants in life.
Quite some time ago I was contacted by author Sky Greene with the question whether I'd be interested in reviewing her debut novel 'Finding Brynn', which was released as an e-book in January 2014. My to read-and-review pile has been growing and growing the past few months, but I straight away liked the sound of this chicklit novel, so I decided to add it to my list and a few weeks ago I finally found the time to pick it up and read it!
Brynn has decided to leave her comfortable life in the Midwest behind to go back to university in Denver, 1200 miles away from home. Even though this means leaving behind her parents, her family home and, most importantly, her boyfriend Ned, Brynn feels it is time for a change. However, life doesn't start off that great as soon as she arrives in Denver, and combined with the struggles of a long-distance relationship Brynn starts to doubt whether she made the right decision to go to Denver. She is forced to rethink her decisions and choose what it is she really wants at this stage of her life.
The author of this novel, Sky Greene, is a counsellor at a secondary school who decided to turn the struggles she sees every day concerning self-discovery and relationships into her very first book. ‘Finding Brynn’ deals with exactly those issues; the main protagonist Brynn has made the big decision to turn her life around and start over in a new place, away from everything that’s familiar to her, including her family and boyfriend. It took me a bit of time to warm to Brynn, mainly because she was complaining quite a lot at the beginning of the book, in my opinion. However, this definitely changed as the story progressed and I started to enjoy Brynn’s journey of self-discovery. I think the process Brynn goes through is realistic and most readers will be able to relate to the things Brynn is going though, one way or another.   
The book deals with long-distance relationships and starting over in a new place, but mainly deciding what it is you truly want from life; something which will speak to many readers, I think. The story is well-paced and easy to read and has an interesting mix of characters at its core. I didn’t fall head over heels in love with this novel, but it was definitely an entertaining read and it has made me curious to see what else Sky Greene will bring us in the future. Overall, ‘Finding Brynn’ is a quick and enjoyable read; a book which I think chick lit fans won’t regret picking up. Rating:

7/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads
Thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.