What an explosive read about family, revenge, and forgiveness! I enjoyed this book and read it quickly. Seeking Sarah shows us all that often seeking revenge often can lead to other problems, and usually solves nothing. Brooke was a relatable character, and I felt her pain. Her mother, Sarah, although I also understood her, caused this hole in Brooke's life by disappearing the way she did. Although Brooke had a right to be upset, the way she went about it caused additional unnecessary pain, and also forced others to reveal their own truths. In the end, I didn't get a happy ending, but this book does provide us all lessons on forgiveness.

After the death of her father, Brooke discovers her family’s dirty laundry has been piling up for years and the mother she has long thought dead is very much alive and living her dream life only hours away. What started as a journey for answers and to reunite with the mother she so desperately needed growing up will turn into a nightmare of epic proportions as one woman’s pain becomes an explosive trip to self-destruction and vengeance.

SEEKING SARAH by ReShonda Tate Billingsley is a dark and painfully twisted journey that will unravel the threads of one woman’s fabricated life, while taking another down a path of darkness and emotional brutality and despair.

Who knows how any of us would react to the news that our mother wanted more than us to be happy? ReShonda Tate Billingsley’s tale is told with raw frankness, no sugar-coating or dressing up. Her characters are not superheroes, they are people in pain. Brooke had no clue what to expect or what it would cost her when she discovered the lie she had been told for years. Once she set the wheels in motion, she veered out of control and lost more than she had hoped to gain. Her quest for love became a journey of deceit as her jealousy at the life her mother had created without her tore her mind to shreds.

From start to finish, a tale that screams of believability, especially when one woman grasps desperately for the fantasy life she had dreamed of, only to find that her imagination was lacking the flawed human factor, both hers and that of the mother who didn’t’ want to be found. Magnetic reading, as we are compelled to follow this journey to its final conclusion. Highly recommended drama reading!


I received an ARC edition from Gallery Books in exchange for my honest review.

Publisher: Gallery Books (August 15, 2017)
Publication Date: August 15, 2017
Genre: Contemporary Fiction | African American
Print Length: 304 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

I received a copy from NetGalley for a honest review. ReShonda never disappoints when it comes to drama. a page turner with bumbs and twists,

I received this e-book from NetGalley for a honest review. I had a difficult time enjoying this book. Brooke discovers her mother is not dead, but alive after her father passes. Sarah, Brooke's mother walked out on her and her father when she was 7 years old. Her father in a rash misguided attempt to protect Brooke from knowing her mother abandoned her, instead tells her that her mother died.
Brooke is a complicated woman, I kept trying to like her, the more I read it became more difficult. She made some choices in deciding to take revenge on her mother for abandoning her as a child. I tried to understand why she made the choices that she did in seeking revenge, I understand that she was hurt and just striking out, but still the majority of them, I couldn't get. Brooke decides to upend her mother's life. Which in doing has a ripple effect on everyone involved with both Brooke and Sarah. Brooke in her need for revenge, ends up having devastating consequences .
Another thing with this book that made it a difficult book to like we're the characters. I only liked it think two characters in the book, and unfortunately neither one had very much of a story line.
Thank you NetGalley
3.5 stars

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

This novel left me feeling twisted inside with anguish and distress. The story was often cruel and unnecessary and so filled with venom and naked revenge it made for an uncomfortable read.

Brooke Green’s mother had died when she was seven years old. At least, that’s what she’s been told all her life. So it comes as a devastating revelation after her father’s unexpected death that her mother is indeed still alive. Tracking her mother down to Atlanta causes problems between her fiancé and herself, but she is unable to let go of her desire to meet and confront her mother. Finding her mum living only six hours away from herself, Brooke concocts a reason to be transferred to Atlanta through her work and sets out to spy on and gather as much information through her mother’s new children and husband. A chance encounter between her mother and herself in which Brooke is not instantly recognised by her mother leads to her suddenly filled with rage and her desire for vengeance becomes palpable. Brooke does all she can to cause mischief and mayhem in her mother’s life. There is no limit to which she won’t sink to make her mother feel the grief and misery Brooke feels.

This is a painful story to read, watching a grown woman hell bent on revenge against another women who she does not even have courtesy to find out the reasons why she made the choice she did twenty five years ago. This level of fury and reprisal would be expected from a twelve year old, not a woman of 32. Brooke is childish and self-centred. She is filled with self-pity and really holds everyone around her as guilty for life. Brooke is not a likable character and even with her extenuating circumstances, it makes her just plain ugly. Her behaviour and actions caused incredible grief in more than one family.

ReShonda Tate Billingsley is a brilliant writer to be able to develop such physical reactions in a reader to emotional issues within a book. The pacing is fast and the plotline well crafted; it’s just a pity that the main character was so unlikeable.

I loved this book! I really enjoyed the dynamic between Brooke and her daddy too. I was heartbroken for her when he passes away. I loved the exploration that she goes on to find her mother. The drama that occurs after she finds her and "stalks" her world is both thought provoking, "What would I do?" , sad and hilarious all at the same time. I especially loved the twist at the end! A great summer read! Enjoy this at the beach!

[Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley for review purposes.]

Knowing that this author has other published books and a somewhat vocal fan base, I had a hard time believing that this wasn't her first book. Brooke's voice didn't feel real. I couldn't picture any of the characters, because they were all "beautiful" but no real description was given. Everyone read very flat and even the violence wasn't intense, except for Alex's attack at the end. And the nightmarish way in which Brooke plays out the plot was so crazy I could not suspend my disbelief. It felt like she chalked up all her crazy to being pregnant, which, having been pregnant, I can't imagine ever behaving the way she did. Then again, I've never been in her shoes. Still, I couldn't believe the story. Either she was always batshit crazy and no one knew (or was really good at hiding it), or she was a perfectly sane person who snapped in a way that was completely unbelievable.

Also, what's with all the men in this book? Every single one, except Clint, was a total douchebag despite every woman drooling over them all. Trent was no catch, especially the way he reacted to Brooke's heartbreak and confusion. He was a piece of crap. Maybe they were made for each other, considering Brooke's own issues (although I think it was pretty obvious from the start that they wouldn't end up together). And I still can't believe Brooke managed to have a "relationship" with her mother considering everything she did to destroy her family.

Sometimes keeping secrets are not always the best thing. In Seeking Sarah, we meet Brooke Green. Brooke lost her mother at the tender age of seven. Her father and grandmother raised her. Her father doted on her and gave her the world. Brooke finds out that her mother did not die like her father said. Learning the truth about her mother, hits Brooke like a ton of brings. Brooke sets out on an adventure seeking Sarah. Will Brooke get the warm reception she has been dreaming of from Sarah or will she be in for a rude awaking. Does Brooke wreck havoc on Sarah's life until there is no point of return. Find out by picking up your copy of Seeking Sarah.

This book is PPPPhenomenal. It will have you re-arranging your daily schedule just to make time to dive into the packages. It is a perfect reflection of how our actions and decisions have consequences, even when we think we have moved on or are doing the best. This is a reminder, especially with Brooke, that you can loose yourself within the pursuit of uncertainty, seeking answers, love, family, friends, relationships, and etc. It also demonstrates the support and love that is present that we often take for granted and still have our backs when our decisions aren't the greatest. Love this book. It's a page turner filled with a lot of unpredictable moments that keep you on your seat, even while resonating with the characters. Pick it up asap.

It seems that ReShonda Tate Billingsley will never write a book that I dislike. This book is true to her style - full of heart, life lessons, and of course, drama. For a little while I was wondering if there was going to be any drama but when it comes in, it comes in with a bang. Once again, ReShonda does an excellent job of building the suspense.

There were moments in the book that made me want to shake the book in hopes of knocking some sense into a few of the characters. But that is what I come to expect from these books and definitely isn't a negative. It's like yelling at the screen at the movie theatre (I know I'm not the only one who does that.)

Family secrets, love, loss, revenge, and heartbreak - this book has it all. It is a book that you don't want to put it down and won't put down. You'll start reading it and before you know it a few hours have passed and you're completely engrossed, which is pretty much how every book by ReShonda Tate Billingsley is for me. If you've never read one of her books before, this is a great one to start with. It's the perfect summer read.

This book was very promising at the start and I was interested to see how the story unfolded. Really kept my interest until towards the end when I felt that the characters became unlikeable, unbelievable, and unappealing. It was a good premise for the book and I think it could have been great if the book kept on course, but I felt like the resolution/ending was just too over-the-top dramatic and I could not relate at all by that point. Was a fast read.

I'm not sure what I expected when I requested a copy of this, but I don't think I expected a full-on stalker situation.

It's very hard for me to write a review of this without filling it with spoilers, so I'll just say that nothing, NOTHING is worth blowing up your entire life. It's just not.

This is an interesting book that begins with a lie that impacts every other portion of Brooke's life. Do I think Brooke was amazingly immature? Yes. Do I think the lie might have magnified some of her other issues? Yes. Does that excuse the way this book hit the crazy train and never got off? Mmmm, that would be a no.

Read it - but hang on to your sense of reality.

I appreciate Netgalley, the publisher and the author allowing me an ARC of Seeking Sarah. I've had a run of disappointments from Netgalley recently and I think I'm taking a break...

Did not like, nor finish this book. Cannot recommend

A good sold read.

Fast paced, emotional family drama. Interesting character and plot. I will definitely recommend this one as a great summer read.

I finished Seeking Sarah in hours. The cover drew me in but the storyline kept my fingers swiping through the pages. Brooke was a complicated and flawed heroine. I understood her actions even though I didn't agree with almost all of them. I found myself asking many times, would Brooke realize a person can't conquer deception with deception? She was bent on revenge but the thing with revenge is that it comes with consequences. Will Brooke realize that in time? You will discover the answer as you read.
Even when I got to the end, I continued to ask myself: How could a mother abandon her child? SMH. Can Sarah ever fully explain that? Seeking Sarah shows how important a parent's love is and how a parent can shape a child's life and future actions. It is not a light responsibility.
My favorite lines:
"A woman's gut doesn't lie."
"Well, I guess if there's a roadblock to your path to happiness, you have to stop and move it out of the way."
Thank you Netgalley for this read. 4.5 stars

I received this arc from Netgalley for an honest review.
I found this book to be infuriating. Brooke has been told since she was a child that her mother died in a car accident. When her father dies, she discovers the truth, that actually her mother left. In addition to that, her boyfriend has decided without her to re-enlist without speaking to her about it. Brooke is lost, her father is gone, her soon to be husband might be gone soon and her mother is alive. Brooke drops everything and goes looking for her mother. Instead of confronting her when she sees her, Brooke turns her mother's life upside down and in the end, there is a death because of it. Brooke single handily ruins several lives including her own and at the same time, her best friend steals her man. It was just too much and I was so angry at so many of the characters, I felt like I had been cheated.