Looking For Lucie is a compelling and heartfelt story of family secrets and discovering your heritage.

Looking For Lucie by Amanda Addison

Genre/Categories/Setting: Contemporary Young Adult Fiction, Complicated Family Drama, Secrets, DNA Results, Diverse Reads, Friendship. UK

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My Summary of Looking For Lucie:

Thanks @NeemTreePress @thewrite reads #writereadstours for a complimentary e ARC of #LookingForLucie upon my request. All opinions are my own.

TL;DR: Children will find the answers to their questions somewhere, so the adults in their lives might as well provide them!

“Where are you really from?” is the question that has plagued Lucie throughout her childhood and adolescence. She was the only brown girl in her family and neighborhood. Her mother is white and she never met her father. Her stepdad is wonderful. But still, Lucie has questions and the adults in her life act like it doesn’t matter. This sends Lucie on a quest to find answers. She secretly sends for a DNA test kit and makes a new friend, Nav, who looks like her and helps her understand the results.

My Thoughts:

A Right to Know

Most of the time, I do not understand the need to keep secrets about another person’s birth. I’m firmly in the camp of, “children have a right to know their heritage.” When does protecting children interfere with their right to know? Does the desire to protect children from the truth eventually cause them more pain? Who is your real father? The bio dad or the dad who raised you?

My opinion about “right to know” has formed over time as a result of personal experiences with adoption. A few years ago, I met a cousin who had been placed for adoption by her unmarried mother (my aunt). Her husband was always supportive, but my aunt was determined to keep this child a secret. After she passed, I found this cousin through Ancestry because my mother knew the year and place of her birth and the last name of the adopting family. I took a risk, contacted her, and introduced her to the entire family (including her half-siblings). It turned out really well and we enjoyed many years of connection before her recent death.

My husband was able to track down his birth mother as an adult. His bio mom gave him misleading info about his bio dad. We know this because of DNA. Out of curiosity, my husband is still trying to trace his bio father. My husband’s birth mom kept his birth a secret from his bio sister, and his existence came as quite a shock to her!

Adoptions used to be a closely guarded secret. When the family does uncover the secrets, they are left with many unanswerable questions. I can imagine that DNA results are creating havoc in many lives in these current times.

In Looking For Lucie, the mom”s secret-keeping (from an 18 year old!) was frustrating and annoying! In my opinion, the mom waited far too long to tell her daughter the truth.

Life is complicated for children when there are secrets surrounding the circumstances of their births. Stories of adoption and themes of found family have always interested me. Two companion reads with similar themes you might also enjoy are Far From the Tree by Robin Benway (young adult fiction) and Inheritance by Dani Shapiro (adult nonfiction, memoir).

Likable Characters

Lucie is an artist, and Nav loves science and technology. Both young adults are honest and sincere. It took me a minute to warm up to Lucie. In the beginning, her preoccupation with stereotyping and objectifying and second-guessing everyone’s motives in their language choices and/or the way they looked at her bothered me. It felt very much like the author was schooling me. Although I will never ask anyone Where are you from?! Once we were immersed into the heart of the story, I warmed up to Lucie and cheered for her to find the answers she deserved. Nav is an understanding and kind friend. Love him!

Friendship Theme

I adore the friendship theme in this story! During a photo shoot, Lucie crosses paths with someone who looks like her. Nav and Lucie immediately “click,” and they find that they have much in common. Lucie eventually shares her DNA quest and they study the results together. Then…things get complicated! (no spoilers!)

Heartfelt and Poignant

Lucie enjoys a beautiful and heartwarming ending to her quest that brought tears to my eyes. We are also treated to a lovely epilogue.

Content Consideration: unplanned pregnancy, family secrets

Recommending Looking For Lucie:

I’m enthusiastically recommending Looking For Lucie for fans of well-written, family-centered young adult fiction with thought-provoking themes. It’s a quick one-sitting read at 232 pages.

Related: Far From the Tree by Robin Benway

My Rating: 4 Stars

Meet the Author of Looking For Lucie, Amanda Addison

Amanda Addison is an award-winning author of books for adults and children. Her writing has been translated into German, Greek, Italian and Ukrainian. Her picture book, Boundless Sky, was nominated for The CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medal, and her YA novel, Looking for Lucie, was listed for the Searchlight Writing Novel Opening Award. A graduate of Chelsea school of Art, her writing and artwork are inspired by travel, textiles, and the natural world. Amanda holds an MA in Writing the Visual and lectures in Art & Design and has also led workshops in Creative Writing at the National Centre for Writing. Amanda lives in Norfolk, UK, with her family.

Her writing includes flash fiction, short stories, picture books and novels. She explores themes of home and belonging, and enjoys using the juxtaposition of rural and city life. Her characters are often artists or scientists, as their curiosity about the world around them are two sides to the same coin, and the exploration of art and science can give us meaning and purpose in life with its infinite avenues of discovery. Amanda’s debut YA novel, Looking for Lucie, Neem Tree Press 2024, explores the above. It is a contemporary story of identity, self-discovery, and newfound friendship. Lucie, an 18-year-old art student sets out to uncover her ethnic heritage and family history with her new scientist friend Nav. Together they unravel family secrets.

Amanda believes in the power of stories as a window on the world, and a mirror to better see ourselves and is passionate about stories which are empowering and inclusive. When not writing she can be found swimming in the North Sea or running in the countryside, and that is when she gets some of her best ideas!

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