High School, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th ; Fiction, Realistic ; Extra Purchase

I Will Find You Again

I Will Find You Again is an emotional story about two teens who fell in love but one didn’t find hope in their future, which led to suicide. Chase is an overachiever and Lia is free-spirited. Lia feels there is no other choice than to die. The story revolves around Chase and her process of grieving.

The author does a great job creating a back story to keep the reader hooked and wanting to see what is about to happen. Lyu shows the emotions of the characters well throughout the book going into the stages of grief: denial, anger, depression, and then acceptance. The story is a bit strange in that the main character loses their memories due to taking pills. Then there was a character who is actually the main character’s subconscious because of the pills. It was a bit confusing at times, but the author eventually came around to connect all the pieces together.

This was a great read for people who are trying to make sense of suicide and Lyu doesn’t shy away from the grieving process. The theme of loving who you are, not some fake perfect version of yourself, is genuinely felt. It may also help someone who is grieving a loss know there is hope eventually. However, a large expanse of the book is heavy, dark, and depressing. This made it feel slow to progress, though it finished quickly and left this reader confused. The main character was too fine. Therefore this is recommended as an additional purchase for school libraries.