At its heart, the book offers a modern, nuanced take on the Nature vs. Nurture debate, this time exploring it through the lens of conscious and unconscious decision-making. We see many parallels throughout the narrative, such as between Ilana's adoptive upbringing versus her biological family, Manhattan versus Upstate New York, and urban life versus pastoral living. Ilana continually questions herself: if her actions are the byproduct of unconscious decision-making, is this a result of how she was raised, or is it more tied to her genetic history?

The book serves as an interesting exploration of this age-old debate in literature, and overall, I believe the author wants the reader to contemplate the debate itself rather than arrive at a definitive conclusion. I thought this was an interesting topic to explore and was told through equally engaging moments within the story.

While the book was well-written and engaging, I found the introduction of its main themes—primarily through the character Adam, who explains the theory of conscious versus unconscious decision-making—felt a bit heavy-handed. Additionally, Ilana's self-reflection on these questions could have been presented more subtly. I think it would have enhanced the narrative if these topics were woven into the story more organically, allowing readers to observe Ilana's dilemma from a distance instead of being told outright.

That being said, 'Lost in Thought' was still an overall solid read, and I'm looking forward to Deborah's next book! :)

‘Not everything is meant to know, Ilana. Some things need their mystery to survive. You should remember that.’

Ilana Barrett is the production manager for the Lyric Opera House in New York City, she is in a committed relationship with Adam, a scientist, and has an apartment in Greenwich Village. Life looks good, but Ilana is unsettled. Her adoptive mother recently died, and Ilana wonders about her birth mother, about the life she might have lived with her birth mother. Ilana’s curiosity is stoked, in part, by Adam’s research into how people make decisions. What are the impacts of nature and nurture on a life?

While Adam has his own plans for their life together, Ilana is curious to learn more about her birth mother. And, when she learns that her birth mother owns a pub in upstate New York, she decides to make a visit. What could possibly go wrong? Ilana intends to remain anonymous. Things do not go according to plan: Ilana in her tailored linen suit stands out in the pub, but somehow, she becomes caught up in the lives of those she meets. What happens when control is ceded?

I was a fair way into this novel before I became fully engaged. The introspective musing at the beginning may have been a perfect lead into what follows, but I found it irritating at times. Adam and Ilana both annoyed me: he with his assumptions and she with her attempts to accommodate his expectations. By far my favourite character in the first part of the book was Ilana’s friend William. But part way through the book, when I was beginning to despair, the focus and pace changed, and I found myself caught up in Ilana’s journey. And when I finished, I wondered what might happen next.

Choices have consequences: not all consequences can be anticipated.

‘It was disconcerting to face that her value did not come from who she was, but rather from what she was, …’

Note: My thanks to NetGalley, the Meryl Moss Media Group and Köehler Books for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Lost in Thought is a powerful and insightful novel that explores decision-making and free will. Ilana is a woman who seems to have it all- an amazing job, partner, caring parents and friends. After her mother passes away in the Covid pandemic Ilana connects with her biological family. We join her as she processes her grief and ponders her genetics and her life. Set against the theatre world, it was nice to see behind the scenes of productions. I enjoyed Ilana’s friendship with William and seeing her grow and change over the novel. I enjoyed the author’s beautiful writing style however, I would have liked it if there were distinct chapters as there’s a lot to unpack and digest and no time to pause and reflect and the story just keeps moving. I was left with an overwhelming feeling of sadness at the end but was happy to see some hope waiting and change waiting for Ilana.

I wanted to like this book, the description sucked me in, but the book didn't deliver. I almost DNF'd it several times.

The novel focused more on her boyfriends theory on consciousness than it did on the characters themselves.

I completely understood her journey of questioning everything she thought she knew and spiral into the what-ifs and what-could-have-been, but she was such a unlikeable and bland character that I couldn't start to care about her troubles.

I liked the premise of this book but it wasn’t executed well. The relationship between the main character and her man was annoying and not good. I wish they showed some development there. I think the writing was just okay a. I could see where it might have people intrigued and introspective of their own choices they make.

When I started the book, I didn't like it. The characters were just not interesting to me; seemed plastic. I didn't like the way Adam seemed to force Ilana into attending a social event when she had more important things to worry about, but we didn't know what it was that she was stressing about. At the dinner, Adam took center stage and controlled the conversation to free will, etc. that he was researching. He seemed too full of himself and I didn't like him. Ilana came across as blah and not very aware of what she was getting into, but was headstrong about it.

It seems her mom had died months before and she now had an urge to meet or at least check out her birth mom. Adam and her friend William did not think she should go alone, but she was headstrong and naive and ignored their warnings, only to regret that big time. She travels to the pub the mom owns and thought, dressed like Manhattan, that she would go unnoticed in an Irish pub.

The book was too long, too filled with this theory of Adam's that just didn't fit. I found those parts boring and skipped them. I did finish the book, but the only character I liked was William. The rest was too, too... thrown together?

Not really for me, but I'd give it 2.5 stars. Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy. Honest opinions expressed here are my own and are freely given

I received a free copy of, Lost in Thought, by Deborah Serra, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Ilana Barrett seems to have the perfect life. great job and boyfriend, but she has a lot of questions and doubts in her mind, what could of been, what would of been, what should of been, so many questions unanswered. I did not care for this book, Ilana was not the easiest character to rad about, the book was to heavy at times.

See my full review at http://michelleardillo.com/2024/09/17/book-review-lost-in-thought-by-deborah-serra/

The writing here is magnificent and the story is quite thought-provoking. Nature vs. nurture, how we make choices - whether it is free will, conscious thought, or something hard-coded in our DNA from those who've gone before us. It's a lot to unpack and you would think it would make for some heavy reading. Far from it though. I was pulled in from the start and I would venture that it is because of the masterful writing.

Not really my cup of tea. A lot of existential thinking and discussion of how the mind works. I skimmed most of those sections. I did enjoy the relationships the main character built. I would have enjoyed more of that.

This is among the best books I have ever read. The language is beautiful and the story will have you on a roller coaster of emotions from the beginning. It’s the story of Ilana, a successful woman in management of a New York opera company, whose life has been laid out for her by her adoptive parents, although subtly and with loving intentions. She has a wonderful man, Adam, in her life, as well as her best friend, William, a gay psychiatrist upon whose shoulder she cries on more than once. She lives her life by what are in retrospect very rigid strictures about how to behave, what to wear, and what to say. Oddly, she reminds me very much of my late best friend since before college, who had a senior management position at what shall be an unnamed opera company in New York.

Ilana is adopted and goes on a quest to find her birth family, which she does, and they are so unlike her that at first she is kind of stunned. But this journey turns out to be a journey to discovering who her “self” really is, and a very unusual journey it is, as not only does she find her family of origin, she discovers new and different people in New York who become additional sage voices that help complete her.

It’s hard to describe the story without making it sound trite, but I assure you, there is nothing at all trite about this book. I savored every encounter Ilana has and I savored every word that tells her tale. And at the end, I burst into tears.

Highly recommended. I look forward to reading more by Deborah Senna.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley and am truly grateful to have had the privilege and pleasure of reading it.

This was an interesting read. Ilana leads a life that others envy, but she doesn't think so. She is confused about where she is in life and wonders how her life could have been different. Can she make piece with her life?

This book was so good that I literally didn’t want to put it down to do anything that I needed to do including work. This book had me thinking about my own life and many choices that I have made and wonder how different my life would be now had I made a different choice. Highly recommended!!!

An excellent read. This is a thought provoking book about nurture or nature about every type of love and acceptance out there. It sad, funny, shocking and exhilarating and peaceful. A must read 👍

This story was brilliantly written. It fused scientific ideas about free will and a compelling story about Illana. I absolutely fell in love with her. She made me laugh, she made me sad, she made me proud. Ilana had a yearning to find out more about who she was and why. In doing so, she slowly changed and found herself.

This story really made think. How many times have I been afraid of doing something others didn't think I should do? Do I have the courage to step outside of the social norm and follow a dream?

I highly recommend this book! This story has drama, romance, hidden secrets, love, heartbreak and even laughs!

This is a completely compelling, heart wrenching, life affirming,
charming work of fiction.
It is the most moving story have read in quite some time.
My heart was full of love and hope one chapter and in a
minute, I was holding my breath to see what heart wrenching choices would wreak so
much havoc in the life of Ilana. The characters in this story are so well written. They
are so right off the page as we are led through the lives of the story. It would be hard to
know whether Ilana will ever really find herself, but her newest adventure will be a fine
start.
I received a copy of this book from Deb Zipf, Meryl Moss Media Group, via NetGalley,
whom I thank for the download copy for review purposes.

I could relate to this story. Ilana begins to question her life, she knows who she is now, but wonders about who she would be if life had taken her a different path. As her journey continues on, we read about her life, her choices, but I wondered while reading, is it life making the choices or can a person override what life wants it to be. As I read, I could see things I hadn't before, and it kept me reading. I find it fascinating reading about people's journeys, and this one was different. It made me think, to see something's differently, and when we get to the end of this part of her journey, I started to see who she was becoming.
When I was asked to read the book, I wasn't sure, but it intrigued me enough that I had to read it. I think it helped me understand my own journey more. As I said, I could relate to this story. I received an ARC from Deb Zipf, Senior Publicist at Meryl Moss Media Group.