the friday five–Finding felicity by stacey kade

Caroline Sands has never been particularly good at making friends. And her parents’ divorce and the move to Arizona three years ago didn’t help. Being the new girl is hard enough without being socially awkward too. So out of desperation and a desire to please her worried mother, Caroline invented a whole life for herself—using characters from Felicity, an old show she discovered online and fell in love with.

But now it’s time for Caroline to go off to college and she wants nothing more than to leave her old “life” behind and build something real. However, when her mother discovers the truth about her manufactured friends, she gives Caroline an ultimatum: Prove in this first semester that she can make friends of the nonfictional variety and thrive in a new environment. Otherwise, it’s back to living at home—and a lot of therapy.
Armed with nothing more than her resolve and a Felicity-inspired plan, Caroline accepts the challenge. But she soon realizes that the real world is rarely as simple as television makes it out to be. And to find a place where she truly belongs, Caroline may have to abandon her script and take the risk of being herself. ~ Goodreads

Source: e-arc provided in exchange for an honest review

 Five Things I Loved About Finding Felicity

Premise

Caroline is very awkward/shy and has a difficult time making friends. After her parents divorce, her mom moves them to a new town, making things even harder on Caroline. When her mother starts questioning (& pushing – but we’ll talk more about that in a minute) she offhandedly gives her mom names of her “friends”, who are actually characters from her favorite tv show, Felicity. Things spiral out of control and Caroline, again inspired by Felicity, follows the boy she’s crushing hard on to college, in a new state hoping to reinvent herself and snag the guy of her dreams.

It’s a fun, original, premise that takes place in that transitional period of time – between graduating HS and moving on to adulthood  - that isn’t often explored in YA.

Anxiety

I know everyone experiences it differently, but as someone who suffers from social anxiety and panic attacks, Stacey Kade nailed it. She has been quite open about her own issues with anxiety, so it’s no surprise that she’s written it so well here.

Caroline feels like everyone around her gets life in a way that she doesn’t. Everything seems so easy for everyone else while she struggles just to wear the right hing, find her new classrooms or not say something stupid while meeting new people. I related to her SO much!

I think some readers might get annoyed her. She can be frustrating with the way she retreats and breaks down so easily. She can also come off as self absorbed, but it felt so real and authentic to me. When you’re stuck in the panic it seems like no one understands and you can’t get the simplest of thing right.

I also love that Caroline does fight her way through the anxiety and becomes a better version of herself but doesn’t miraculously become this outgoing prom queen type. She’s still quiet and introspective but also takes more risks and let’s people in to her life.

Mom/therapy

I actually really disliked Caroline’s mom. She’s outgoing and friendly and doesn’t understand why Caroline isn’t. She’s the type to push Caroline into situations she knows are uncomfortable for her as a way to help her "get over it". Which is the worst thing you can do to someone going through it.

But – I got it and I was happy to see a parent who at least cares and is present. Even if she wasn’t the perfect parent. I would be afraid for my daughter if she created an entire made up world too.

She also makes Caroline go into therapy – another thing that’s usually glossed over and was nice to see. It would have been better if her mom went too but I was happy to see both an interested parent and therapy included.

Friendships

Now THIS is where Finding Felicity shines! Once Caroline is off at college she meets people from all walks of life and despite her goal to make herself over, make friends and win the guy – she falls into the same patterns as before. The few times she does break out, following a crowd that has her doing things that really aren’t her, she fails miserably.

What Caroline learns though, is that every one is just winging it and putting forth an image, hoping to to fit in or fly under the radar. She begins to form solid friendships and Kade did an amazing job giving the supporting cast (mostly girls) their own stories and nuance, in particular, her prickly roommate, Lexie.

YA/NA with very little romance

Yes, Caroline follows a boy to college and there is a touch of romance but this is not a romance novel.

Getting the guy is not the point of this story. Finding yourself, standing up for what you believe, letting go of what’s not good for you and embracing friends who help make you better is.

*You do not have to have watched Felicity to read or understand this book. I have a basic knowledge of the show but I’ve never seen an episode and it didn’t hinder my enjoyment at all. Felicity is a jumping off point for Caroline. She may want to follow in Felicity’s shoes but she forges her own path.

This is a quieter, character driven, sort of novel. If that’s your jam then I highly recommend Finding Felicity!