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Looking for Me

Beth Hoffman (Goodreads Author)

3.91 · Rating details · 12,540 ratings · 1,835 reviews

A Southern novel of family and antiques from the bestselling author of the beloved Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

Beth Hoffman’s bestselling debut, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, won admirers and acclaim with its heartwarming story and cast of unforgettable characters. Now her unique flair for evocative settings and richly drawn Southern personalities shines in her compelling new n ...more

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Hardcover, 354 pages

Published May 28th 2013 by Pamela Dorman Books/Viking

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Average rating 3.91 ·

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Feb 20, 2013 Beth rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author)

Some early reviews:

“It is calmly delivered … packs a hefty emotional punch … a completely original story line.”
- FREDICKSBURG FREE LANCE-STAR

“Hoffman’s novel of a woman putting the pieces of her family’s secrets together combines a deep dramatic impact with Southern charm.”
- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

“Beth Hoffman is a master at crafting a gentle story fierce with emotion.”
- SCRANTON BOOK EXAMINER

“Intelligent and brilliantly written … a deceptively complex story.”
- Heather Christman, Warwick’s

“[A] lyrica ...more

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Jun 28, 2013 Liza Wiemer rated it it was amazing

An exceptional story that will leave antique lovers drooling, nature lovers longing for the outdoors, animal lovers running to make a donation to their local animal shelter or humane society, and hopeless romantics swooning.

I seriously can't believe that I waited a whole month to read this novel. I should have picked it up immediately. Looking for Me is storytelling at its best. Teddi and her brother Josh grew up on a farm in Kentucky. While she loves to give new life to old things like furnitur ...more

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Oct 14, 2014 Ruth Turner rated it it was amazing

Shelves: southern-lit

When I read this authors first book, Saving Ceecee Honeycutt, I read it in one sitting and was then disappointed because I'd finished it.

With Looking For Me I decided to take my time, reading a few pages a day and making it last. But...by the time I'd read about a quarter of the book I realized that this was not one of my better ideas. I didn't feel any connection to the characters.

So...I went back to the start, immersed myself in the story, and didn't come up for air until I read the very last ...more

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Feb 22, 2013 Sabrina rated it liked it

Shelves: 2013

Talk about a quiet book that manages to pack quite the punch. Teddi is works with antiques and restoration, embodying the concept of hard work and dedication. We see her family through her eyes–her war veteran father who firmly believed in family and freedom, her glass-half-empty mother who always had a bone to pick, and Josh, the light of her life little brother who was enigmatically one with nature. When Teddi’s mother suddenly passes away, both she and the reader get exposed to the secrets th ...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Jennifer King rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

"Never tie your happiness to the end of someone else's kite."

The patches and quips of wisdom within the pages are part of the charm of Teddi Overton's story found in Beth Hoffman's second novel, LOOKING FOR ME. The voice is another, so engaging and powerful that the story is unputdownable (if that can be a word).

In the opening pages, the reader gets a glimpse into the heart of the main character: a scrappy and endearing Kentucky farm girl as she learns to cope with the world, her difficult fam ...more

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May 15, 2013 Jen rated it liked it

Shelves: con-ficition

Looking for Me by the author of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt has much to recommend it, and yet....

What I liked: great ambiance in the settings of the family farm in Kentucky and in Charlston, S.C.; lovely Southern charm and flowing descriptions; nature and wildlife; the love of junk picking and quality antiques; the feathers and the notes from Josh; gardens; and near the end, Teddi's refusal to sell her father's old Allis-Chalmers tractor. ( All of the above are things I personally love, and my fathe ...more

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Jun 21, 2014 Pamela rated it really liked it

Shelves: friendship, southern-fiction, chick-lit, contemporary, kentucky

I adored “Saving CeeCee Honeycutt,” wondering how Beth Hoffman could ever equal or surpass such a brilliant first novel. Well, “Looking For Me” is another luminary great read. Hoffman's ability to express intricate nuances of the human spirit with explicit simple elegance makes for reading joy. The way in which this transformation story unfolds - ebbing and flowing between past and present, Kentucky and Charleston, farm life and cityscape, simple dreams and complex realities – makes it quite tem ...more

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May 20, 2013 Tara rated it it was amazing

By the bestselling author of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt. While Saving was a sweet, charming story, Hoffman has outdone herself in her second novel. Her writing now crosses over two genres, popular and literary, and I felt that she wrote this novel for me. Love antiques? Check. Love nature? Check. Love landscape? Check. Love rural settings? Check. Love mysteries? Check. Love art? Check. Love strong women? Check. Love unsentimental love stories and eccentric characters? Check. This novel has everythi ...more

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May 22, 2013 Helen Barlow rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley

Originally published on my blog My Novel Opinion

First off, I wanted to be clear why I chose to read this book...after being drawn to the delightful looking window display on the cover the one and only other reason was the first 7 words in the synopsis "A Southern novel of family and antiques"! I am a sucker for novels set in the South, I'm not even sure why having never visited or really interacted with anyone from that neck of the woods. I'm also going to throw my hands up and admit that I had Originally published on my blog My Novel Opinion

First off, I wanted to be clear why I chose to read this book...after being drawn to the delightful looking window display on the cover the one and only other reason was the first 7 words in the synopsis "A Southern novel of family and antiques"! I am a sucker for novels set in the South, I'm not even sure why having never visited or really interacted with anyone from that neck of the woods. I'm also going to throw my hands up and admit that I had not heard of Beth Hoffman before (sorry Beth), BUT I am now going to request Saving CeeCee Honeycutt from the library.

So, what did I think of LOOKING FOR ME? I thought it was wonderful and captivating. It was another unputdownable (which I seem to be reading a lot of lately). I have this thing (maybe some of you are familiar with this) where I can only put a book down at the end of a chapter, but as I came to the end of chapter after chapter I just had to carry on and find out what was coming next.

The story revolves around the life and family of Teddi Overman, an ambitious business woman who sought out her dream and leapt with both hands to grab it and didn't let it go (my kind of woman!). After discovering she had a knack for restoring old unwanted furniture, and successfully selling it in rural Kentucky, she wants to make a living out of this. Upon turning 17 and being gifted a car by her parents she ventures to Charleston to pursue her dream, with mixed feelings from her parents. Her father encourages her to carry on with her life, where her mother feels than there isn't a stable future in the path Teddi has chosen.

While Teddi is gone, her brother goes missing, her father dies, and her grandmother comes to live with her in Charleston; leaving her mom with the family farm, alone and seemingly bitter. Teddi struggles to understand why her mom is the way she is and also why her brother left and what may have become of him.

Teddi never lets go of the possibility that her brother is out there, even when everyone else presumes he is dead. After all how long can someone survive in the wilderness?

My Rating:

5/5 - There was no two ways about it - I was giving this book top marks! I loved every moment of it, and I will definitely be reading more of Beth Hoffman. But the stickler? I have to go to Charleston and shop for antique furniture. Oh and did I mention Teddi's best friend loves books? In fact she restores old books and hunts down first edition bargains!
...more

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May 20, 2013 Nancy rated it really liked it

I am really trying to determine if this is a 4 or 5 star book. I'm leaning more to 5 star. It's not a book that moves quickly or hits the reader with a big "AHA!" but more of a quiet life, moving along that sneaks up on you by a reflection of life through one of the character's passions.

I don't really know how to explain what the book is about except perhaps a glimpse of the way we make our choices and and choose our paths. We don't get to choose for others but we do get to choose our perspecti I am really trying to determine if this is a 4 or 5 star book. I'm leaning more to 5 star. It's not a book that moves quickly or hits the reader with a big "AHA!" but more of a quiet life, moving along that sneaks up on you by a reflection of life through one of the character's passions.

I don't really know how to explain what the book is about except perhaps a glimpse of the way we make our choices and and choose our paths. We don't get to choose for others but we do get to choose our perspectives and amount of optimism. Our life often reflects our attitude.

Hoffman paints her world with splashes of word color. I've never been to Kentucky but I've seen enough in my head to want to go to Teddi's childhood home. I want to meet Teddi's grandmother in Charleston, if she is still alive. I want to walk into Teddi's shop and watch Albert work his magic and listen to Inez. Of course these are all fictional people but I kept forgetting that was true. Hoffman is truly an artist.

Admittedly, I forgot more often than not to watch for the symbolism in the writing. It was just a book I enjoyed quietly. In retrospect, however, I realize that much of Teddi's life is reflected in work. When struggling through an intricate piece, she is working out a complex life problem. When making repairs on a particularly beautiful and expensive piece of furniture, it is indicative of something in her life. When one of her favorite antiques goes missing from her collection, she mourns the loss only until she finds it and does not reclaim it. It is symbolic of her heart.

Josh is near and dear to my heart for personal reasons reflecting on my own life. Josh is the baby brother of Teddi who becomes one with nature. He is closer to animals than people and becomes symbolic of the Raven, making right the wrongs. The big mystery is if Josh is still alive or if he is dead. He simply disappeared one night. This was his red, white, and blue. Teddi's was the car from her father and some cash to get her through. Also, her chance crossing with Mr. Palmer who changed her life. Later, she pays it forward.

The themes repeat throughout the book and could be studied and discussed at great lengths. The characters can be compared and contrasted in regard to optimism, hope, resistance to change, giving spirit, freedom, work and love. It is apparent when Teddi opens herself to love and uncertainty as she opens herself not only to a man but to life, in general. She becomes more generous and able to let go of memories and physical objects. She also gains much more in return.

Interspersed throughout the book are also Teddi's memories of her childhood; of Josh, her Grammy, her mother and father. New information is offered by Stella and Grammy, along with discoveries as she cleans out the house and barn. The characters are contrasted by their acceptance of what life has dealt them, their willingness to see opportunity or become bitter, and how they either hang on or let go.

The book is much deeper than the story. It touches on many life lessons but I need more time to think about it for a couple of days. Beautifully written. ...more

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Jul 17, 2016 Carol Brill rated it liked it

3.5 Beth Hoffman's writing is lyrical at times, painting a strong sense of place and the strength of this book for me, even more than the story.
Teddi Overman is an artist with a special talent for finding antique treasures and restoring and transforming old furniture into works of art. She lives on the family farm with her hardworking father who she adores, her mother, whose disappointment in life and negativity baffle her, and her younger brother Josh. She and Josh have a unique bond and Teddi ...more

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May 09, 2013 Patrice Hoffman rated it really liked it

Shelves: provided-by-netgalley

Looking For Me is the first novel I've read by Beth Hoffman. This is the type of novel that gives the feeling that I should be enjoying it on the porch of some grand Victorian with a pitcher of sweet tea. I loved this book. Looking For Me definitely put me in touch with the summer's I spent at my great grandmother's home in Mobile, Alabama as a child.

Teddi found her life's calling at the tender age of 11 in the form of a beat up chair discarded along the highway. She took that furniture home, r Looking For Me is the first novel I've read by Beth Hoffman. This is the type of novel that gives the feeling that I should be enjoying it on the porch of some grand Victorian with a pitcher of sweet tea. I loved this book. Looking For Me definitely put me in touch with the summer's I spent at my great grandmother's home in Mobile, Alabama as a child.

Teddi found her life's calling at the tender age of 11 in the form of a beat up chair discarded along the highway. She took that furniture home, restored it, and then eventually sold it. Teddi grew up on a farm in Kentucky with her mother, father, and younger brother Josh. Leaving behind her family, she embarks upon the journey of owning her own antiques business. But she leaves behind a broken family. A mother who doesn't seem to be happy for her decisions at all. A brother who's leaves without a trace. And a loving father who tries to hold things together all the while having his own skeletons to sort through.

As the book progresses, Teddi narrates seemlessly between the past and present. There are some instances where something mentioned in the present intices her to reflect on the past. These moments help to define Teddi and explain her intense hold on the past and its relics. She refers to herself as a healer in the sense that she takes the most damaged piece of furniture and breaths new life into it. Beth Hoffman supplies us readers with a well developed character who isn't catty or unloveable. Most of the time I wanted to be in Teddy's shop looking at the items she restored and just chatting it up with her.

As much as this novel is heartwarming it is heartbreaking. Teddi's young brother's disappearance and her mother's negativity are the catalyst for much of the tension in this novel. There is a sadness of the loss of her brother that she carries around with her and it oozes from the pages so believeably. And the hope she has is gut-wrenching when the mind is screaming that Josh isn't ever going to be found.

Beth Hoffman's Looking For Me is an exceptional read that I'm sure fans will not want to miss. There are so many quotable passages in this book that I'm sure a highlighter will be necessary for those interested. I recommend this novel to lover's of women's literature, although I do think it's written very smartly in comparison to most "chick lit" out there. Looking For Me is a story of hope, loss, love, guilt, and family. It makes me wonder what stories my old furniture will say about me. ...more

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Feb 22, 2013 Don rated it it was amazing

Hands down this is the best read of the last six months or more. I read "Saving CeeCee Honeycutt" as an advanced reader and really enjoyed it.

A new coworker, and new friend, received an advanced reader copy from Ms. Hoffman who is a friend of hers. After she read it she loaned to me. I was hooked by the characters within the first few pages. I told Lesa that the storyline did not matter so much to me as I really cared more for the characters and the writing itself.

I was wrong. The story is wonde ...more

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Apr 03, 2013 Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews rated it it was amazing

We all have dreams...some are fulfilled, some are not. Teddi Overman knew she had a talent for refinishing antique furniture even though her mother told her there was no future in it. Her mother wanted her to be a secretary.

Teddi didn't want to be a secretary. Teddi pursued her dream but had reservations about leaving her family when she did. She was so far away from them, and since she had left secretly in the middle of the night and on a bad note, there was some regret on her part. Her decisio We all have dreams...some are fulfilled, some are not. Teddi Overman knew she had a talent for refinishing antique furniture even though her mother told her there was no future in it. Her mother wanted her to be a secretary.

Teddi didn't want to be a secretary. Teddi pursued her dream but had reservations about leaving her family when she did. She was so far away from them, and since she had left secretly in the middle of the night and on a bad note, there was some regret on her part. Her decision was a good one in the long run, though.

LOOKING FOR ME is another spectacular read by Beth Hoffman. The book faces family issues, friendships, dreams, unearthed talents, tragedies, regret, and heartbreak, but also has wonderful lessons. You will need a kleenex as you follow Teddie Overman from her childhood to adulthood. You will share in her triumphs and also her let downs.

You will follow the Overman family as the book goes back and forth in time. Mama was an odd character who was always pessimistic. Teddi was loveable, hopeful, ambitious, optimistic, and a joy. Josh was a sad character. Daddy was a wonderful character. Grammy was the perfect grandmother. Stella and Olivia were perfect friends for Teddi.

The book is about memories....so important, yet so painful. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, the setting, the storyline, and the lessons learned. The book was uplifting and sweet but will also bring tears to your eyes....good tears.

LOOKING FOR ME is about the relationship between family members and how tragedies can tear them apart and also about talents that we shouldn't waste. If you are an antique buff, you will be thrilled.

LOOKING FOR ME perfectly describes how we all are looking for something in our lives that usually takes root in our childhood. The quote from page 206 made an impression on me and seems to sum up what Ms. Hoffman was trying to convey:

"We will be known forever by the tracks we leave."

This quote stayed with me long after I turned the last page of the book.

The book is written in Ms. Hoffman's customary beautiful, effortless storytelling style. It conveys the fragility and beauty of family and the determination to never give up.

This is a must read so you can soak up the depth of, the warmth of, and the beauty of Ms. Hoffman's writing, and share in the benefit of her words of wisdom about being happy.

I absolutely loved this book. 5/5

This book was given to me by the author free of charge and without compensation in return for an honest review. ...more

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Jul 03, 2013 Phyllis rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2013-new-authors-for-me

I loved this book. It was vividly written with likeable characters. I was able to picture the settings, characters, and scenery so easily because of the vividness of the author's writing. To name a few themes, it's a story about love, hopes, loss, and fulfilling dreams. It's also a story about family life and the ups and downs of life in general. I felt different emotions while reading this book. I like when books do that for me. Even though I would like to discuss parts of the book with others, ...more

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Jul 17, 2013 Mary Eve rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: southern charm, fiction, tear jerker, heartfelt

Shelves: 2013-book-challenge, all-time-faves, southern-fiction, hardcover-paperback-own

Looking For Me has earned THE top spot as my all time favorite novel. I LOVE this story!! Beth Hoffman, consider me an ultimate fan. Thank you for creating this jewel. Everything about this beautifully written tale of Teddi Overman's search for her life's passion is perfect. I just want to hug my favorite book over and over. LFM will forever more be that book on my bookshelf that, when I glance at it, I will be reminded of not only how great it was but how great it made me feel with each passing Looking For Me has earned THE top spot as my all time favorite novel. I LOVE this story!! Beth Hoffman, consider me an ultimate fan. Thank you for creating this jewel. Everything about this beautifully written tale of Teddi Overman's search for her life's passion is perfect. I just want to hug my favorite book over and over. LFM will forever more be that book on my bookshelf that, when I glance at it, I will be reminded of not only how great it was but how great it made me feel with each passing chapter.

Know the feeling I speak of? You know right from the beginning it's going to be that book that you can't put down. Please don't let life disturb me until I finish reading one more page, one more chapter. As I read, LFM became my go-to happy place and then there would be the realization that this story could be my story, the moments are so relatable. My favorite books have the ability to make me feel and experience so many different emotions. Laughter and tears. And, let me tell you, there were many tears. It is not often that I become so engrossed that I cry while reading but there were several parts that just had me sobbing. A favorite story can do that because it is believable and genuine.

LFM is that kind of book. I would read a little further and then the written words of Beth Hoffman would grab me and take me for a spin on an emotional roller coaster. I'd find myself personally touched by moments in Teddi's life that were familiar to events in my own life and then I would stop, hold my place and stare at the cover of this amazing novel. When something suspenseful occurs, I mark my place again with my finger and hurry towards the back of the book to count the last page yet again. What page am I on? O.K. I've got (x) amount of pages left. Please don't let it end. I want to remain with Teddi and her loveable little dog, Eddie. Still, I can't turn the pages fast enough because I need to know that Teddi's life will be alright and as perfect as I think it should be.

Will Teddi find herself and true happiness in Charleston or Kentucky? Will Teddi ever repair the relationship with her mother? Will Teddi find all that she seeks? A home of her own, acceptance, forgiveness, love? And, what about Josh?

LFM is filled with a great supporting cast of characters I want to get to know personally. The mystical Josh. Sweet Mr. Palmer. Grumpy, quiet Albert and the thieving, sticky-fingered, Miz Tula Jane Poteet. I loved Teddi's BFF, Olivia. The conversations shared between the two friends could just as well have been a conversation I had with my own BFF. Like this brilliant novel, the characters are genuine. LFM also contained many of the things I am passionate about in my life. Great family, antiques, nature and wildlife conservation and animal rescue, Southern charm and old homes. Teddi's is a story about all of these things, including hope and finding love in the most unexpected of places, when one is least likely to be looking. LFM had just the right amount of mystery and suspense for me. I really could not predict the ending. There were fantastical moments of happiness and moments of profound loss and sadness that seemed to almost gut me. All were moments I could relate to, one way or another. LFM definitely found it's way to my heart. Did I mention that I loved this book?

An excerpt from the book: Looking For Me by Beth Hoffman,

"We sift and seek and question as we try to discover our truths and the truths of those we love, and sometimes when we least expect it, a mystery we never knew existed gets solved while all else remains unanswered." ...more

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Nov 27, 2014 ✨Susan✨ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: cozy, audible

Beth Hoffman is a wonderful story teller, she has a way of making you feel like you are truly in the story along with, her genuine and so likable characters. I just finished reading, "Saving Cee Cee "Huneycutt". It was so good that I could not wait to see if she could follow it with another that had the same enjoyable quality. Thankfully, a repeat performance, this book was a bit more serious but an excellent story non the less.

Teddi our main character has a fire in her belly and refuses to be ...more

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Jun 20, 2013 Amy rated it liked it

Shelves: love-stories, realistic-fiction, historical-fiction, chick-lit

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I'm not sure the title really fits-- Looking for Me. Maybe she was looking for herself in the context of the larger family that she lived within, but it seems to me that Teddi was pretty sure of herself and confident of who she was and what she wanted to be. I felt that it was only after she learned more about her mother and other family members that she became comfortable with all that she was. And that isn't even right. I'm not quite sure how to explain it. There is a complexity with Teddi's r ...more

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Jul 15, 2013 Lisa of Hopewell rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2013, audio-books

My current audio pick. NOTE: If you are a dog lover there is one brief (mentioned in 2 chapters so far) story of cruelty, but justice is served. A very brief mention is made later in the story of an act of animal terrorism. It is not graphic, just mentioned. I love the way Beth Hoffman writes! The parts of this book on antiques and rare books just SING to me! Her complete authenticity in describing rural Kentucky may even top Barbara Kingsolver's command of the back roads. This book is simply GR ...more

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Jun 17, 2013 Merrie rated it it was amazing

Beth Hoffman's gift for developing characters lures a reader into the world she wishes to portray. As I read the book, I believed Teddi to be a real person...down to earth, kind, honest, and loving. As a reader, I appreciated how Ms. Hoffman unfolds her story much like a blanket is unfolded on a bed. The story was wonderful and took this reader out of reality and into a place full of love. I loved this book!

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Jun 03, 2013 Amy rated it liked it

Hoffman has a interesting way of surrounding you with her words. I am not a huge fan of reading about antiques and restoring furniture but her descriptions are not needless - she actually breathes life into her inanimate objects (the furniture) as well as her characters. I found Teddi's store and her profession to be interesting after I settled into the book (resigned myself that this what the book was going to be about). However, I did feel that until 1/2 way through the book that there still w ...more

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May 07, 2013 Barbara rated it it was amazing

A brilliant and beautifully moving story. Teddi Overman is a girl who knows what she wants, and what she wants is to restore and refinish the old furniture she rescues from yard sales, and eventually to own her own antiques and restoration shop. Against her mother's well meaning advice, Teddi leaves her home in Kentucky at 18, and heads for Charleston South Carolina.

Teddi's family is broken in ways Teddi doesn't understand. Teddi's mother is perennially unhappy and disapproving of everything Te ...more

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Jan 28, 2013 Linda rated it it was amazing

I loved Beth Hoffman's first book, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, so I was really looking forward to this one. I was surprised at the completely different subject matter of Looking For Me.

I do not spend time writing long book reviews as there are always plenty of those listed under all the books here on Goodreads (and because I am always anxious to get on to my next book!), so I will keep my review short and sweet.

Beth Hoffman has a style of writing that I love; it's comforting, entertaining and optim ...more

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Feb 01, 2013 Diane S ☔ rated it liked it

3.5 There is something so unique in tone that make southern novels special. The gentile manners, the sense of family, women who are feminine but have a backbone and side of grit to them. The humor and descriptions of wonderful houses and gardens and in this book, vintage antiques. Kentucky and the Daniel Boone National Forest, the plight of the wildlife and a young man who did not quite fit in with society but did fit in nature and his sister who loved antiques are the special features of this n ...more

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Jun 03, 2013 Lydia Laceby rated it it was amazing

Shelves: contemporary-women-s-fiction, 5-star-must-read

Originally reviewed at Novel Escapes.

Only Beth Hoffman can make me shed tears within the first thirty pages or so of a novel. She did it with Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt, and she’s done it again with Looking For Me. And the beginning wasn't the only time my eyes leaked during this fantastic, definitely top-5-of-the-year reads.

Hoffman is a word wizard. Her prose is truly simple, yet so lyrical. The end result is an effortless read, with an extraordinary impact. Many times I re-read sentences in utte
Originally reviewed at Novel Escapes.

Only Beth Hoffman can make me shed tears within the first thirty pages or so of a novel. She did it with Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt, and she’s done it again with Looking For Me. And the beginning wasn't the only time my eyes leaked during this fantastic, definitely top-5-of-the-year reads.

Hoffman is a word wizard. Her prose is truly simple, yet so lyrical. The end result is an effortless read, with an extraordinary impact. Many times I re-read sentences in utter wonder. Vivid and unforgettable in prose, plot and character, Looking For Me will not be easily forgotten.

"Never tie your happiness to the end of someone else's kite." I cannot tell you how much I adore this line. And it's just one of many incredible words Hoffman has strung together to weave this fabulous tale.

Looking For Me combines so much of what I love in life - and a novel - from nature, to antiques, to complicated family dynamics and a relatable, down-to-earth, woman who has some growth to do. I adored Teddi Overman. I wish she lived near me. I wish she was real. I wanted to walk into her shop. Yes, this book felt incredibly real. I felt present when I read this novel and wanted to wander into the lives of these characters and have a glass of wine.

This novel is not an explosive read, but rather bobs along gently with flashbacks and present day story. It is done so well that I barely noticed when we had flipped into a reverie. I loved the ‘leg up’ and ‘pay it forward’ theme and really appreciated that it is subtly done and not a knock you over the head kind of lesson.

I think what I loved most about this novel is that Teddi is mostly happy with her life, which is a refreshing change from the many main characters these days that are struggling, suffering or received some sort of life altering news. She has already followed her dreams – and is successful at it. She’s even fine with her singleton status. The only blips on Teddi’s happy-meter is a mother who is less than thrilled with her career path, and, more significantly, her brother’s mysterious disappearance years ago, something she still struggles with as it was never resolved.

I grinned from ear to ear during this book. I whooped out loud, gasped in shock, and laughed and cried. What more can you ask for in a novel? Slap down Looking for Me in your summer must-read pile. You won’t be disappointed.

Thank you to Viking for our review copy. All opinions are our own. ...more

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Jan 18, 2013 Laurel-Rain rated it it was amazing

Wrapped in the comfort of her childhood home in Kentucky, Teddi Overman had dreams. And adventures. Some that she shared with her younger brother Josh, who had a unique affinity for wildlife, especially the broken and damaged ones.

Teddi's passion for furniture sprang to life when she discovered an old broken-down chair by the side of the road. Studying library books, she repaired and refinished it and finally sold it. To a man named Jackson T. Palmer from Charleston.

Years later, she would go to Wrapped in the comfort of her childhood home in Kentucky, Teddi Overman had dreams. And adventures. Some that she shared with her younger brother Josh, who had a unique affinity for wildlife, especially the broken and damaged ones.

Teddi's passion for furniture sprang to life when she discovered an old broken-down chair by the side of the road. Studying library books, she repaired and refinished it and finally sold it. To a man named Jackson T. Palmer from Charleston.

Years later, she would go to Charleston to pursue her dream, but she crept away without talking to her parents, leaving only a note. She believed she needed to shape her own destiny.

Of course she would apprentice in Mr. Palmer's shop, and she would still dream of owning her own. But the journey to her own shop would not be straight and smooth. Journeys never are. But I loved taking the journey with Teddi, walking the pathways with her, visiting the yard sales, and sharing special moments with her best friend Olivia and her Grammy Belle, a ninety-something woman with a zest for life and stories to tell.

I think Grammy Belle was one of my favorite characters. I loved the lessons she shared, like this one she gave to Teddi: "Sometimes it's not what we hold on to that shapes our lives—it's what we're willing to let go of."

That is a lesson Teddi had to learn over the years, as her younger brother Josh mysteriously disappeared one day in his teens, after a particularly tragic event, his whereabouts still unknown. But Teddi has a feeling...he's somewhere on the Gorge near the farm, doing what he loves. Saving the wildlife.

What will Teddi do to honor her brother, after her mother's death? How will the new life given to the old homestead somehow bring resolution to the unanswered questions? And how will moments from her childhood continue to resonate as she struggles to move on?

Reading "Looking for Me" was like living the story with the characters, experiencing their vision of life through the homey moments in Kentucky, or the gorgeous homes and antiques in Charleston. The author's visual images drew me in and embraced me, making me feel part of everything. I laughed, I cried, and I wanted desperately for Teddi's story to continue. I am hoping for a sequel. Or a few rereads. I loved this story! Five stars. ...more

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Mar 08, 2013 Book Preview Review rated it it was amazing

Book Description:

“Teddi Overman found her life’s passion for furniture in a broken-down chair left on the side of the road in rural Kentucky. She learns to turn other people’s castoffs into beautifully restored antiques and opens her own shop in Charleston. Breathing new life into discarded objects gives Teddi purpose but has never alleviated the haunting uncertainty she’s felt since her brother Josh’s mysterious disappearance. When signs emerge that Josh might still be alive, Teddi is drawn hom ...more

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Dec 15, 2014 Cathy Lamb rated it it was amazing

I think I'll just copy one of my favorite passages and hopefully it will explain why I found this book so gripping. "Tilting her head, she studied me with red - rimmed eyes. Then she leaned forward and ran her hands through her hair, sending droplets of sweat splashing onto the step below us. "It's so hot. I can't take it anymore. Maybe I'll put my head in the oven and just go ahead and finish myself off. At least I'd be out of my misery. Then you could sing at my funeral. How about THAT?"

And t ...more

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Feb 21, 2013 Carly rated it it was amazing

Absolutely adored this book! [Finished 10/29/2013]

Listened to the audiobook. Fantastic! Never got bored. [Finished 02-04-2014]

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Nov 02, 2018 N.N. Light rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Surprisingly good. I got attached to the characters right away and the story kept me vested.

My Rating: 4 stars

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About Beth Hoffman

Beth Hoffman

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Twelve days after Beth Hoffman’s first novel was published in 2010, she became a New York Times bestselling author with foreign rights selling to prestigious publishers in Italy, Germany, France, Poland, Norway, Hungary, Indonesia, Korea, Israel, and the United Kingdom.

Following an extensive national tour, Beth returned home to Kentucky and the solace of her writing studio. Drawing from vivid memo ...more