Nina’s life is in shambles and she just wants to spend a quiet summer in her childhood home to gather her strength, lick her wounds, and rebuild. Too bad when she arrives her childhood best friend, who completely ghosted her after their almost kiss - is also back home too. He wants to forgive and forget and finish what they starts all those years ago - to find the hidden treasure left by an eccentric billionaire tycoon nearly a century ago.

What’s to love…
- second chance romance (childhood friends)
- treasure hunt and a bit of adventure
- self-discovery
- a red-hair MMC (my weakness!)
- cheeky humor + goofy MCs
- slow burn A++ tension
- a bit of a story within a story as we learn about the elusive Julius Fountain

What’s not to love…
- long-winded inner thoughts some might find a little frustrating (me, i’m that someone)
- lack of communication drove me a bit bonkers - I feel I’m always a bit frustrated with lack of communication in romance books!

CUUUTE

okay, i have to be brutally honest, nothing will beat gretchen acorn and her sexy goat farmer man and ghost friend (Happy Medium)

and i will FOREVER have a soft spot in my heart for Mrs. Nash's Ashes (because it was my first Sarah Adler)

but i will read anything this woman writes!! and i will have a GOOOOOOD time doing it

read if you like:

- second chance romance
- slow burn
- friends to strangers to friends to lovers
- small town
- treasure hunting

spice level🌶️ — i would say there are one and a half spicy scenes? so 🌶️🌶️ ish?

tamer than other romance books (even tamer than other sarah adler's, actually) but still has that open door aspect that some people prefer (and others prefer to avoid)!

Finders Keepers is one of the best romance novels I’ve read in ages. The rekindled relationship of estranged childhood friends Nina and Quentin is by turns heartwarming, quirky, and scorching hot. I loved their inside jokes, their complicated history, and the humor and vulnerability of their window conversations. Sarah Adler’s clever writing kept me riveted as I flew through the pages. Every line of dialogue is a gem. Highly recommended!

Okay, you have to trust me when I say keep on reading it even though it’s a bit slow. Why? Because I was feeling a tiny bit bored in the beginning that I wanted to DNF it, but I kept pushing through. Thank goodness that I did because it’s such a cute romance that I enjoy so much. Just pushed through the slow beginning, and it’s going to catch up.

Besides the slow start in the beginning, I truly enjoyed the endless banter between former childhood friends reuniting again. It may have been some years since Nina and Quentin last saw each other, but their feelings for one another aren’t lost. It may be some bitterness and angst at first since they haven’t spoken or seen each other for so long. Yet, the rivalry between Nina and Quentin is stronger than ever when they decide to pick up their treasure hunt again.

I know what you are thinking: why spend time with each other when there are still hurt feelings between Nina and Quentin? Because they still love each other. Nina and Quentin just need to confront the past. And the past is a doozy during teenagers years.

Thank you to Berkley for allowing me access to the digital ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.75 stars! WOW. Sarah Adler's books keep getting better and better - I was enchanted by this book within the first 20 pages. Just as Nina says that one can't help but feel something around Quentin, the same very much applies to this story. I absolutely LOVED it and I adore the two characters she's written and how relatable their mental health struggles are. Nina especially was relatable to me, as someone who also gets anxious and jumps to conclusions sometimes (and also makes sounds like EEP! when scared lol). The writing was SO well done, the plot was super engaging (and I loved the history lesson at the end of the book!), and the 90s nostalgia and the banter between the two main characters had me giggling out loud frequently. I do wish we had a bit of closure on MacDonald, because I was really starting to like her the last time we interact with her on the pages.

I have to call out the spice for two reasons: firstly, the tension building between the Nina and Quentin felt electric and was incredibly well written. Like, that one scene in Sprangbur during the private tour? (IYKYK, not giving spoilers here) Hot. Damn. Which is why, secondly, the way some of the spice written later in felt kind of... vague? Slightly glossed over? Again, keeping this spoiler free.... there were times where the spice was super open door, got me really invested... and then suddenly felt like the door was closed almost all the way. It was a lot of foreplay but then somewhat anticlimactic with the descriptions of what followed (which is funny since the scenes typically related to the opposite of "anticlimactic"). It was almost a disservice to the characters after pining after each other for over 17 years. Now, it could very well be because I had an ARC and there might be some changes to the final book when its published in a few months, because I don't recall feeling this way with either of her previous books I've read.

And that last bit still not enough to keep this book off of my favorites list and continuing to recommend it to everyone to read. Highly recommend!

Finders Keepers has a lot going for it. The main male and female characters are likable and well developed. I loved their inside jokes and the childlike nature of their relationship. The mystery/quest to find the treasure didn’t really resonate with me. I never completely connected to the story behind it, and I didn’t really care about the characters in the past enough. I think if I had made more of an emotional connection to it, it would have made the story much richer for me. But the relationship between Quentin and Nina was enough to keep me engaged. Bonus points for the conversations with the moon. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc.

I feel conflicted about this one because while the premise was cute and I liked the overall plot, I just couldn’t really get into these characters. I didn’t really feel any tension or chemistry and I was often wondering if I cared if they got together at all. However, the overall plot and premise were fun and did keep me turning the pages.

In Finders Keepers, Sarah Adler has served up a heartwarming, hilarious, and just the right amount of spicy tale featuring childhood sweethearts, a treasure hunt, and a little touch of magic. Yeah, I said it—magic!! Meet Nina, She’s had one of those months, and now she’s back home in her small town, trying to figure out what the heck comes next. Enter Quentin, her childhood BFF who also happens to be back in town to prep his house for sale. They haven’t spoken in years, but suddenly, Quentin’s knocking on her door like, “Hey, remember that treasure hunt we were obsessed with when we were 15? Wanna finish it?” Which, okay, is extremely random, but Nina agrees (because who can resist the allure of an old mystery?) and thus begins the most charming and hilarious journey of rediscovery.

It’s equal parts cute and nostalgic but with a sprinkling of suspense and mystery to keep you flipping the pages. The treasure itself is almost secondary to watching Nina and Quentin’s relationship evolve—from old friends to maybe-something-more—but the hunt adds this great, adventurous layer to the story. It also helps them confront their past, and like, I won’t spoil it, but the reveals? Chef’s kiss.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the e-arc!

Well written second chance at life and love novel.

Nina and Quinton are both coming off of job changes, breakups and moving back home. For a distraction they renew their attempt from when they were teens to find a buried treasure on an eccentric property in their hometown.

Learning that life plans at any age should be written in pencil as one needs to adapt and adjust to all those things one cannot control in life and love
.
Would recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Sarah Adler's romances! The premises are always so quirky, the characters so real, the banter hilarious, and the romances so swoony and satisfying.

A rom com that has great characters and a great story. Part mystery, part steamy romance. I couldn't put this one down!

SUCH a romp!! i have been reading sarah adler since her debut and while mrs nash’s ashes still has the most specks place in my heart, i loved where these two fools took us story wise and developmentally- this is one of the more romantic reads i have picked up this year!

I love Sarah Adler. I loved this book. It was sweet and lovely and "swoony". I loved the treasure hunt aspect of it as well. What a fun and lovely read.

This was SO sweet and felt relatable even when the circumstances were not actually relatable (I have never, for example, been arrested for going too hard on a treasure hunt with the object of my secret affections).

🌟🌟🌟🌟✨

Quentin is so determined and very obviously cares deeply about Nina from the start, even when she is understandably resistant to it. Nina in turn is unmoored and irritated to find that she is able to find steadiness in her long-lost friend.

I was angry with them, and hurt with them, and excited with them. My mom used to make treasure hunts for us around the house when we were little, with riddles to find the next clue. The treasure hunt they’re on has much higher stakes - namely that they’re discovering how they still genuinely care for each other and therefore are still able to hurt one another.

Their goofiness was so fun - the way they used those childhood games to reconnect before they felt safe reconnecting as adults. The way Quentin was willing to let Nina approach him in that silly, mildly chaotic way if it just meant she’d approach him at all. And that Nina was willing to let herself be childish again for the sake of reconnection.

Now I want to go on a treasure hunt again.

Sarah Adler’s charming romantic comedy, ‘Finders Keepers,’ is about two childhood friends who’ve been head over heels for each other since forever. But life took a turn during their teenage years, leading to misunderstandings and a heartbreaking breakup. Now in their 30s, they’re back home and embarking on a treasure hunt that brings them closer than ever. With all the intrigue, romance, and heartwarming moments, this book was a perfect fit for me!

I am calling it now - I think Finders Keepers will be one of my very favorite reads of 2025!

Without giving too much away (it’s best to go in mostly blind), Finders Keepers follows Nina Hunnicutt as she finds herself down on her luck (like all the way down). Her contract at the university for her lecturer position wasn’t renewed, she broke up with her boyfriend, and now she’s found herself moving back home to recalibrate. Coincidentally, Nina’s childhood best friend, Quentin Bell, has also moved back in next door to get the house ready for sale. Although the two haven’t spoken to each other in many years, Quentin decides to break the ice and ask Nina to pick up where they left off the summer they turned 15: in the midst of a treasure hunt. Against her better judgment, Nina agrees. As the two begin to dig deep to find the treasure and unveil its secrets, they learn more about each other than they ever thought possible.

I am a huge fan of treasure hunts, especially in movies and books, so I had very high hopes for this book. Let me just say that Sarah Adler really delivered!

Finders Keepers was laugh out loud funny! The dialogue, particularly between Nina and Quentin, was clever and witty. I also found Nina’s inner thoughts hilarious and so relatable. The transcripts and artifacts interspersed throughout the chapters was such a unique touch and had me fully invested, not just in Nina and Quentin’s adventures, but also Fountain’s history.

And can I just say, I LOVED Nina’s mother! It was so refreshing to see such a healthy mother-daughter relationship.

This is definitely a book you’re going to want to preorder or request from your library. I know I’m planning to just so that I can read this all over again!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!

This was such a cute story. I loved the characters and their second chance loves! The storyline was really fun too.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Finders Keepers has the nostalgia of a 90’s summer film. It covers a compelling mystery, childhood romance reunited, and set in a small town with interesting lore. I think the story would’ve benefited from a dual timeline structure to reveal a past and present to help with the treasure hunt and emotional growth of the characters. However, I really appreciated how the author handled the reality of being unemployed. The feelings associated absolutely are valid and on point. I stepped away from the book about 40% in. I tried to stick around, and kept waiting for that 'moment' for me to feel hooked, but I think I wasn't really gelling. But I know so many readers are going to devour this book, during the summer months.

My thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group and Berkley Romance for the digital ARC.

Having lost her boyfriend, housing, and job in one fell swoop, Nina Hunnicutt, who copes with anxiety and depression, returns home to her childhood bedroom in her parent’s duplex, and is shocked to see Quentin Bell pacing on the property. Former neighbors and best friends through their teenage years (until his parent’s divorce sent Quentin from Maryland to Michigan), Nina is not thrilled to see Quentin again, since their last encounter was a missed opportunity for a kiss, and being upset with her for striking out on her own and leaving him out of the project they’d been working on: a quest to find a local beverage mogul’s inheritance.

Nina and Quentin quickly fall into old patterns, included a verbal competition over whose life is more off the rails. They revive inside jokes and their habit for opening their adjacent bedroom windows to chat, with Quentin pretending to be the voice of the moon. In return for $7,000, Nina agrees to give up eight weeks of her time to solve the old mystery and put up with Quentin’s proximity. The hunt takes them to familiar hunting grounds, reading through old articles and interviews for clues.

I loved the interprersing of primary documents throughout the narrative to bring in Julius J. Fountain’s character–as he’s deceased, we only can get to know him through interviews and people who knew him. So often, we dismiss the elderly; in both Finders Keepers and Happy Medium, Adler characterizes older people as cranky, unfiltered, funny folks who surpass stereotype and show they had real lives, connecting with a younger generation through building relationships. Adler balances mystery and romance, magical and grounded, humor and angs, and the writing is excellent: descriptive, emotive, suspensful, and humorous, evidenced by phrases like maic pixie dream girl industrialist used to describe the quirky beverage magnate. The journey metaphor is obvious but not obnoxiously so, and the pacing perfect.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #FindersKeepers via #NetGalley courtesy of #Berkley. This review will post to HLBB 6/24/2025

Modern rom-com about two people who were next door neighbors, and have been in love since they were kids. But they parted badly as teenagers due to miscommunication and circumstance, and each assume the other ghosted them on purpose. They reconnect in their 30s when they both return home after careers and love lives have gone down in flames. Cute premise that, eventually, inevitably, brings them back together involving a treasure hunt they started almost twenty years ago.