SST Review + Giveaway: Signs of You by Emily France



Title: Signs of You 
Author: Emily France
Series: N/A, Standalone
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Mystery
Publisher: Soho Teen
Publication Date: July 19th, 2016
Pages: Kindle, 240
My Rating: 4 Stars

Since sixteen-year-old Riley Strout lost her mother two years ago, her saving grace has been her quirky little family in the grief support group she joined as a freshman. Jay, Kate, and Noah understand her pain; each lost a loved one, and they’ve stuck together in spite of their differences, united by tragedies only they understand.

When Riley thinks she spots her mother shopping in a grocery store, she fears she is suffering some sort of post-traumatic stress. Then Jay and Kate report similar experiences. Only Noah hasn’t had some kind of vision, which is perhaps why he’s become so skeptical and distant.

When Noah disappears, Riley fears she’s lost another loved one. As they frantically search for him, she, Kate, and Jay are drawn into the mystery surrounding a relic that belonged to Jay’s dead father and contains clues about the afterlife. Riley finds herself wrestling with her feelings for both Noah and Jay—which have become clear only in Noah’s absence. If Riley is to help those she loves, and herself, she must set things right with the one she’s lost. 


  I was given an ARC by the publisher through Netgalley in 
exchange for an honest review as part of the Sunday Street Team. 

To be honest, I did not know whether or not I wanted to read this at first. However, there was just something about the synopsis that called to me, and the high Goodreads rating definitely factored in as well. When I started reading this book, I was taken by surprise because I didn't know that religion (St. Ignatius of Loyola) would be involved, and I don't read books that involve religion as a general rule. But as I said, there's just something about this book that's compelling, and I couldn't help but read on.

I can't believe I'll ever say this about a book that has religion for a pretty big part but I really loved how everything was connected to each other. The way the author merged the aspects of religion, grief, acceptance and romance is seamless, and the way that they were connected makes this book really, really amazing. This book is such a creative brilliance written by an author that I would surely be looking out for!

This book is about a group of four teens who have one thing in common - they each have lost a loved one. When Riley saw her dead mother in a supermarket, she begins to think that she is crazy. But then Kate and Jay also saw their loved ones, and so began their quest to uncover the mystery of Saint Ignatius of Loyola's Lost Cross.

Although I couldn't connect with the characters fully, I really did enjoy reading this book in the weirdest sense. It's not the kind of happy enjoyment, but the kind of enjoyment that says I'm glad I read this book. In a way, this book is heavy because it deals with grief. It also deals with good and bad spirits, which gave me literal chills multiple times while reading it, by the way.

I think that this book is really special. There's so many amazing things here about moving on and finally accepting certain things, but also getting that you can both move on and still be sad from time to time as well. I love how Riley dealt with her grief, how it was a long and vigorous process but she did the best she can to do it anyway.

Overall, this book is a really amazing book. It's impactful, full of lessons and 100% unique. I don't think that this will be everyone's cup of tea, but if this sounds interesting to you, I urge you to give it a shot. 

suprising stars


About the Author:

Emily France graduated from Brown University before going on to law school, where she was the editor-in-chief of the law review. She finds creative inspiration in all things spiritual, from sitting with Benedictine monks for 4 a.m. vigils in a Rocky Mountain monastery to trekking to Buddhist and Hindu temples in India. Now she writes full-time and lives with her husband and their fearless Tibetan Spaniel in sunny Colorado—the closest place to Nirvana she’s found. Signs of You is her debut novel. Visit Emily online at www.emilyfrancebooks.com and follow her on Twitter @EmilyFranceBook.



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