Book Review - Searching for Steven by Jessica Redland

Amazon UK

Title: Searching for Steven: What If You Already Know Your Future... but Not the Path to Take You There? (Whitsborough Bay Book 1)

Author: Jessica Redland

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: So Vain Books

Publication Date: 3rd June 2015

Rating: 4 Stars

When Sarah Peterson accepts her Auntie Kay’s unexpected offer to take over her florist’s shop, she’s prepared for a change of job, home and lifestyle. What she isn’t prepared for is the discovery of a scarily accurate clairvoyant reading that’s been missing for twelve years. All her predictions have come true, except one: she’s about to meet the man of her dreams. Oh, and his name is Steven. 

Suddenly Stevens are everywhere. Could it be the window cleaner, the rep, the manager of the coffee shop, or any of the men she’s met online? 

On top of that, she finds herself quite attracted to a handsome web designer, but his name isn't even Steven... 

During this unusual search, will Sarah find her destiny? 

I loved the idea behind this book, the idea of a clairvoyant accurately predicting the name of your future soul mate  and the person you are destined to marry. It sounded like a great twist for a chick-lit book, so couldn't resist requesting a review copy via netgalley. This is my honest review. 

When we first meet Sarah, its her 29th birthday and she is half expecting a proposal from her boyfriend, but she is very disappointed by his present. Fast forward to her 30th birthday and we get an idea of what happened in the in-between months. Ultimately she breaks up with him, and runs back to Yorkshire and seeks solace with her Auntie Kay. 

Her Auntie Kay has the opportunity of a lifetime for Sarah She is gifting Sarah, her flower shop, as Kay is about to go travelling around the world, and its Sarah's to do with as she likes. After a bit of deliberation Sarah decides to give it a go, she always was good at florist. 

While packing up her life in London, Sarah and her two best friends Clara and Elise come across an old cassette tape, which turns out to be a reading a clairvoyant did for her, at a friends 18th birthday (Sarah was too drunk to remember the original), and is a forecast of what her life for the next 10-15 years will be like. Sarah is now 30, but can't resist listening to the tape to see what it says. 

There are a lot of scarily true predictions, but the main thing that stands out, is that she will marry a man called Steven. 

So as Sarah embarks on setting up her new business she is also hyper aware of any Stevens she meets. The search takes her through many hilarious encounters, and its hard to see how hard her heart is torn between an old flame, and a new potential flame, although one of them isn't called Steven. 

Searching for Steven is a very entertaining story, full of moments that will make you chuckle. It is a book that will make you laugh and I loved seeing Sarah search for her soulmate. 

Her two best friends are hilarious and complete opposites. Clara thinks clairvoyants are rubbish and is very sceptical, and Elise married her childhood sweetheart and is very into all that "hippy stuff". 

I found Searching for Steven to be an enjoyable story, and I loved Sarah's complete belief in romance and true love. The assorted male interests in the story are from all ranges of the spectrum, especially the ones from the internet dating!

Happy Publication Day Jessica! Searching for Steven is out today!