The Search for Us by Susan Azim Boyer - Book Review

Publication Date: 24th Oct 2023

Genre: YA Family Drama

3.7 Stars 

One Liner: Heartwarming but with a few issues

Samira Murphy is stretching herself thin to keep her family together. At seventeen, she has an autoimmune disorder, low attendance, a Gran in mourning, an alcoholic brother, a mother working the job of her dreams in another state, and a low bank balance. When Samira’s college and future become uncertain, she decides to hunt down her estranged father through a DNA search. Imagine her surprise when it matches with a sibling she didn’t even know about!

Henry Owen has two moms – a bio-mom who loves him (and may not always be reliable) and a not-adopted-but-adopted mom and dad/ uncle who want him to achieve the sky and more. Henry longs for a connection to call his own. His DNA search leads him to Samira, a half-sibling. 

Can two people struggling with personal demons find comfort in this new bond? What is it to have a brother or sister you didn’t know about? 

The story comes in the third-person POV of Samira and Henry in alternative chapters. 

My Thoughts: 

My only reason to grab this book was the premise. A YA read that centers on half-siblings finding each other is not common (at least as far as I know). It’s refreshing to read how two people get to know each other’s existence when they are in a most vulnerable age group. 

Samira and Henry are well-etched. They are your average teens but also different. Samira is half-adult, no thanks to the responsibilities dumped on her head. Henry has anger management issues (which somehow get resolved off-page) but is a sweet guy. 

Tara and Linh ensure there are enough lighthearted and sweet moments in the book. People do need friends like them (even if Tara can be overwhelming at times). 

The dual POV (both in the third-person) works well. We see their current situation and get the necessary backstories. Once they start interacting, the dual POV helps maintain the balance between the happenings and the characters’ perceived ideas about the events. 

The interactions between Samira and Henry feel organic. They go through a range of emotions, learn to bond, fight like all siblings do, and support each other. 

Since this is a YA novel, it doesn’t deal with the triggers in depth. Much of it is surface level but that’s expected. Still, I wish Kamron’s alcoholism got a bit more space. While we see how it affects Samira’s life, the resolution feels a little too neatly tied up. 

The same goes for Henry’s personal issues with his uncle and aunt, who are also his dad and mom. The change seems to come out of nowhere. While this can be due to the POV restrictions, it also makes everything seem too easy. 

However, I do like that Gran’s arc is consistent. It makes more sense since people are indeed like that in real life. Change doesn’t happen so easily, and people who make selfish decisions are more likely to continue making them. I don’t mind the happy ending, though I do wish it wasn’t made easy for certain characters. 

I also wouldn’t mind if Samira and Henry spent more time together. The siblings sure have a lot to talk about! 

Family is another theme of the book. Some of it is handled well and provides a hopeful outlook. The other part may be too optimistic even for YA readers. 

There are a few cuss words commonly used by teens (even if we want to pretend otherwise). There’s a bit of adult-ish content, too. 

To summarize, The Search for Us deals with quite a few complex issues at the surface level. It is a steady-paced read with a different premise and delivers a neatly wrapped-up ending. 

Oh, don’t miss the author’s note at the end. 

Thank you, NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press (Wednesday Books), for the eARC. 

#NetGalley