Forrest Willcox, our protagonist, is far from likeable—a mix of ignorance, bigotry, and impulsiveness. With his head mired in past failures and loss, he embarks on a journey at his dying mother's behest to find his long-lost brother, Bryan. Despite my initial disdain for Forrest, the narrative's unusual opening and Southern vernacular intrigued me, setting an engaging tone. While the story's pacing is commendable, Forrest's irksome traits made some parts skippable. However, beneath his flaws lies a hint of compassion, evident in his journey for his mother's sake. If angsty family sagas are your cup of tea, Forrest's cross-country trek may prove worth exploring, even if warming up to him proves challenging.

"Finding Bryan" by Matthew Kesselman is a poignant exploration of a man's inner turmoil and the quest for redemption and self-discovery. Forrest Wilcox, plagued by insecurities, irrational outbursts, and a fear of change, is a deeply flawed character who is thrust into a journey of self-discovery when he learns of his mother's terminal illness and is tasked with finding his estranged brother, Bryan.

Kesselman's storytelling is introspective and evocative, delving into Forrest's complex psyche as he confronts his inner demons and battles with his unpredictability. The character development is a strength of the book, as Forrest's flaws and vulnerabilities make him a relatable and sympathetic protagonist.

The novel's exploration of family dynamics, forgiveness, and the need for redemption is heartfelt and resonant. The journey Forrest embarks on with his daughter adds a layer of depth to the story, emphasizing the theme of fatherhood and the importance of trusting oneself.

While "Finding Bryan" is a well-written and emotionally charged novel, it falls short of a higher rating due to pacing issues that may leave some readers wanting more momentum in the plot. Additionally, the narrative occasionally becomes overly introspective, slowing down the overall pacing.

In conclusion, "Finding Bryan" is a thought-provoking and emotionally rich tale that examines the complexities of human nature and the power of self-discovery and redemption. It's a book that will resonate with readers who appreciate character-driven narratives and stories that explore the depths of the human psyche.

Finding Bryan follows the story of Forrest who is on the search for his older brother, Bryan, who ran away from home many years ago. His mother is dying from cancer and would really love to see her two boys together one last time before she passes.
This book was such a lovely read! As always, I loved the short chapters and the style of writing was very casual which I loved! I always enjoy an easy read before bed and that's exactly what this gave me. This book quickly turned into one of those that became your first thoughts when you get home from work. I also loved how the storyline was very unique and unlike anything I've read before and the storyline was not at all predictable, which I was expecting at times.

I chose to DNF this book. The main reason for it is the fact I did not relate to the writing at all. It has great potential, but it did not fit to my likings in general

A comical book as you travel with Forrest and his daughter Casey. Forrest is a grumpy old bat, I will tell you that you won’t like him. I started to love him and his forward/bluntness.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher for an advanced copy for an honest review.

A good read, great characters and a good storyline. I really enjoyed it.

I didn't feel the time passed while I read it.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this digital ARC. This book was a wild ride through the USA about a daughter and a father to find a long-lost brother. I was conflicted about this read and hard to point where it is super engrossing vs where I want to stop reading due to some controversial remarks that I don't agree with. I wish the author best of luck.

My rating:☕️(1/5)
Forrest Wilcox is miserable in his life. He feels like he hasn't done what he wanted to do in life and his marriage seems to becoming undone. His mom is on her death bed and as a last wish she wants to see her other son Bryan one more time. She asks Forrest to go find him. Wanting to escape his current life situation he reluctantly accepts: taking his daughter with him as a last jab to his wife in hopes to pause the conflicts going on at home.
🚨🚨Spoilers below read at your own risk🚨🚨
I know this review has taken me well over 10 months to wrtie but I really didn't want to seem ungrateful to the publisher or author. I really want to thank the publishers Novels Novels for reaching out to me with a free arc for this book via #Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I want to start by saying I dont think I was the intednded audience for this book. It's also not a book I would reach out for on my own but I really wanted to like this book. The synopsis sounded so good. I really thought I was going to love it. It sounded like such a good idea but the moment he described the girl he was stuck in traffic behind I was didn't like it.
"beast—shit, man—her chubby cheeks came dribblin’with chicken-nugget juice and leftover XL Super Gulp Coke, which her quadruple chin gobbled right up. I thought if she grew any larger, lard chunks would explode outta her ugly ass and cut holes all over her stupid $ 60K SUV."
From there on I really struggled to even finish the book. Everytime the plot would get good Forrest would open his mouth or think and it would be so off putting. Forrest comes off as a self centered racist who feels victimized. And that is after recently rereading thinking that maybe rereading it would help. He couldnlt go more than a few pages feeling sorry for himself even though his actiolns put him in those situations. I know people like that exist in real life but it amases me that in a made up world where race isn't even a main plot the character is still racist.

This book was unreadable because it hyped racist and body-shaming. It's an embarrassment to the publishing world that this was even published.

This book has hooked me since the start, i was so invested in this journey and in the story of this family trying to find the Brother that we will see why they cut communications.This story is about exploring the complexity of human nature and what makes us different I tend to like unlikeable characters because sometimes is important to see other perspectives that our own and i really like that the father-daughter relationship was not fix and end up perfect in one step because it that time and i love that the author did that totally recommend this book!

Unfortunately for me, I struggled with being able to focus my attention while reading this book. The writing needed a little more umph in it to make it memorable. It took me way to long to finish it.

Thank you Novel Novels for reaching out to me and @netgalley for the e-ARC.
🅡🅔🅥🅘🅔🅦
I read Finding Bryan in one sitting and it was a breezy read. The writing style was interesting and I enjoyed the father daughter equation of Forrest and Casey, especially Forrest's southern drawl. Although it bother me that Forrest's character bordered on 'mean' and extremely blunt and made it hard to like him. But what I really liked about this book was its emphasis on the importance of communication and how lack of it can lead to so many problems in relationships. This wasn't just about Finding Bryan for Forrest, but also coming to terms with his inner demons as well. Mathew Kesselman did a commendable job with the writing. And books about road trips are always a win win!
🛻💚👨‍👧
Thank you to the publisher Novel Novels for reaching out to me. The review is my own.

First of all, thanks NetGalley and Novel Novels for an ARC of this novel. The publisher sent me an email offering the copy, I read the synopsis and found it interesting. So I didn't have any expectations as it wasn't a book I planned to read.
I confess that it was not an easy read. It didn´t catch me from the beginning and I found the book´s slang very distracting. This is the story of a vulgar man who takes his daughter on a roadtrip across the USA to find his lost brother. But Forest is a horrible person, extremely unlikeable. He is homophobic, racist, uneducated, and he just can't control his temper. I tought that he would go on some sort of redemption journey, and I waited for his change, but it never came.
In the end, I found it only okay.

TW/CW: homophobic comments, death of a parent, cancer talk, micro aggressions

Gosh, there's so much to say about this amazing and well-written contemporary. First of all I will warn you that you will not like Forrest Wilcox. He's grumpy, self-absorbed, and overall a chaotic person who spends all his time focusing on his failures and what he could've done better. Along the way of his chaotic life, Forrest lost his brother Bryan, but not to death. Bryan ran away at the age of 17 in search of a better life. Ever since then, Forrest has felt a little lost. That could be what some of his bitterness comes from.

Now, Forrest is married to his HS sweetheart and they have a daughter named Casey (whose spunky). He also works at his father's auto shop as a mechanic, but Forrest feels like something is still missing from his life. One day Forrest's father talks to him and tells him his mom's cancer is doing worse and she hasn't got much time to live. That's when his father says that his mom wants Forrest to find his brother...Bryan. Forrest doesn't hesitate to go and look for his brother, he even takes his daughter Casey with him despite what anyone was opposed to. As Forrest and Casey travel across the country they come across numerous characters and go through some serious things, but it's all in the name of Bryan.

Let me just say that I absolutely loved this book and the southern twang that the author utilized. I loved how raw Kesselman portrayed Forrest. Yes, he was unbearable and a jackass, but at the same time he still was human under that hard exterior. Special thanks to Novel Novels, and the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This novel was more about finding self. The narrator, on his journey to find his long separated brother Bryan, finally finds out what was missing in his life. I completely agree with the author here, to know yourself truly, you've got to get out of your home and travel. A charming story in my opinion.

A cute story but with depth in it. Liked the atmosphere and the writing style, it made your want to keep reading. Not a book that will stick with me for a very long time, but a book I enjoyed while reading it.

Just an average read for me. Maybe because it's not my particular style of book . I enjoyed the characters and the development of the story, but somewhere it fell flat for me.

I feel this is a matter of personal opinion

I liked this book and the story was very different from everything that I had read before. I felt a strong connection with the characters and felt like I was right there in the story.
Must Read

DNF @ 18%

I think this is a case of this book isn’t for me. The publisher reached out to me and offered me a copy via netgalley, so I thought I would check it out. It wasn’t the kind of book that immediately grabbed my attention, but the synopsis sounded okay and I saw some pretty positive reviews so I thought I’d give it a chance.
I picked this book up about 4 days ago to start it and I haven’t touched it since. I don’t like the main character/narrator, and I wasn’t being pulled in by the plot enough to want to read the book and spend time in the character’s head.
This book just wasn’t for me.

There are two things that caught my attention and made me want to read this book: the cover illustration and the title. I mean look at those colours! And I'm always ready for a redemption story.

Forest is a man. Just from the outside. He's childish, obnoxious, homophobic and racist, amongst other things. Well, if I put it that way, he's the cis hetero white man stereotype. He reminded me of all the Forests I know here in Argentina.

I loved his daughter Casey! She's the reason he wants to be a better person. She's the voice of reason and clarity.

I feel like I needed some extra pages of him getting lessoned up, though.

All in all, it's a very good read!