I received an ARC of Finding Felicity from Edelweiss. Thank you [a:Stacey Kade|3125711|Stacey Kade|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1388765931p2/3125711.jpg] and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this title!

***3.5 Stars***Full Disclosure: I was a HUGE fan of the show Felicity! Its run coincided with my post-graduate years. To this day, I am a Keri Russell fan because of her amazingly beautiful turn as the angst-riddled, love struck, awkward Felicity. So, when I read the description of Kade's book, I was already in love, without ever having read one page. Crazy, I know, but what can I tell you? It was a bulls-eye to the fangirl in me!

Caroline Sands is hoping to find redemption, from her non-existent social life in high school, via her enrollment at Ashmore. A small university in Iowa. After making up friends, to appease her mother's worries, she wants to cultivate a real life. The problem is Caroline possesses an almost crippling introversion--which has made it difficult for her to make friends--and that condition follows her into her new world, whether she likes it or not.

As an introvert, I identified immediately with Caroline's timidity in social situations. Unless one has ever encountered such a difficulty, on a personal level, it's impossible to understand how agonizing it can be to exist in a space where everyone around you appears to have it figured out; where no one appears to be struggling to make friends, and enter unknown interactions, with confidence and success.

Caroline is overwhelmed by the very idea of taking such chances. Frightened of rejection and ostracism.

I recognized and empathized with her issues, immediately. Been there. Done that.

Even so, I began to grow weary of Caroline's inability to grasp the simplest of concepts, especially when it was clear the messenger was on her side. Caroline seemed to make an active attempt to continue to not "get it". That part maddened me because her stunted emotional state, while understandable, felt unnecessarily extended because of a desire to remain true to her "plan".

In addition, her unhealthy codependency, on one particular character, was nauseating. I felt myself screaming at her to GROW UP! Seriously, some of her problems were so miserable self-inflicted I couldn't sympathize. At all.

Thank goodness for Lexi. Her roommate. I swear, even with her flaws, she was a breath of fresh air. If you've ever seen the actual show Felicity, Lexi was a lovely cross between Elana and Megan--both of whom were brutally honest characters on the show.

While Lexi was certainly flawed, she was also the most prescient character. She increased the emotional depth level considerably and I was so appreciative of her insight, in light of Caroline's constant indecision and stunted development.

Sadie was another lovely surprise.

Overall, this book speaks well to the awkwardness in all of us.

We all reach an epiphany about who we want/need to be, at some point, and the journey to that realization is part of the "fun". Caroline's journey, while frustrating, kept me interested enough to see if she ever figured it out.

Really, I wish I could give 4.5 stars to this quick and sweet story about finding friends and letting them find you. You don't have to be an introvert to relate to Caroline's anxiety about meeting new people at college. Her apprehension was so real, so palpable. I appreciated how well Kade rounded out the secondary characters too, especially her roommate, ensuring that Caroline's changing relationships drove the plot; indeed, characters are Kade's strength. Although this story takes place freshman year of college, it was a relatively tame depiction I would feel comfortable recommending for any teen curious about the early days on campus. In many ways, this book reminded me of Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl , which I also loved.

I expected a little more from this book than what I ended up getting from it. As a person who has often used fictional characters to work through problems I expected to relate to Caroline's struggle to find herself in college more, but in the end it just felt fake. Which is entirely the point. Caroline's introverted nature is something of which I have a little of, and what made it easier to root for her, but ultimately I wished for more ambition from Caroline outside of her social life.

This is a quick read about a girl obsessed with reliving her fictional hero and realizes its never as easy as it seems.

I expected to enjoy this more, but it was still compulsively readable. Review TK!

While by no means is this classic literature, this book still perfectly does what it sets out to do. It’s a simple story of an introverted girl wanting to fit in, seeing college as her last chance to get it right. An easy read, I found this book relatable on many levels. In many ways it played out like a season of a show it lovingly paid tribute to. My college days were some 20 years ago, but the odd mix of new beginnings and the pressure to get it right still sticks with me. The fact that Felicity played a thoughtfully executed part in a book that takes place in 2018 was a definite risk, but ultimately an added bonus.

3.5 stars. Very weird premise but it worked!

I think what makes this a challenging read for me is that Caroline is reminds me of myself in some ways. She's vulnerable and self-conscious and timid. It makes you want to strangle her, comfort her and sympathize with her in turns. She's ultimately a super realistic new college student, finding her way.

ALL the props about the Felicity TV show undercurrent. I LIVED for that show. Although Caroline mentioning the show is "older than me" makes this reader feel preeeety old.

It took me a while to get into it. I am also glad I watched the first few episodes of Felicity so that I understood most of the references and parallels that occurred in this novel!

That was really good! I’d love to see more college-age YA stories like this one. Review to come.