This was a charming story of a second chance romance between childhood best friends. Throw in a scavenger hunt and a deceased small-town successful business owner and we have a story that kept me fulfilled to the very end. This is the first Sara Adler book I’ve read but certainly won’t be the last.

If you're looking for a solid childhood friends-to-lovers story, this one is perfect.

"Finders Keepers" is charmingly nostalgic, reminding readers of the careless days of childhood spent daydreaming about hidden treasures and unfound glory.

Add in a strong heroine in the STEM field and a hopelessly besotted former best friend, and you have a recipe for the sweetest romance. The treasure hunt was fun, too.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This story has all the perfect ingredients for a heartwarming romance: friends to lovers, childhood bonds, second chances, a charming small town, and even a treasure hunt tied to an old mystery. It’s the kind of cozy, feel-good romance every romance reader should have on standby.

3.5 Stars

This was my second book by Sarah Adler, as I had previously read & loved Mrs. Nash’s Ashes! I didn’t like this quite as much but it was still a good read. It reminded me a lot of Something Wilder by Christina Lauren, so if you liked that one maybe check this one out!

The romance in the story I really did like for the most part aside from the reveal at the end which really put me off. I don’t want to give anything away so I’ll just leave it at that. There were a few times I was laughing out loud and I loved the friends to lovers aspect. Other than this, I didn’t love the historical/treasure part to the story & I found its tie in pretty anticlimactic…

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC of Finder’s Keepers in exchange for an honest review!

This book was cute, but damn. The miscommunication is very much stuck at the forefront of EVERYTHING.

The plot is basically two childhood friends—turned estranged enemies?—who reunite as adults to continue their search for treasure left by an eccentric ‘Willy Wonka’-esq seltzer tycoon.

Some parts I liked:
- the friendship dynamic between Nina and Quentin was cute and quirky, full of inside jokes
- the plot twists
- the librarian was a total G
- the spice (specifically, I thought the mutual masturbation scene was pretty hot…)
- anxiety rep

Some parts I didn’t like:
- a lot of times Nina sounded like she was ‘too good’ to be slumming it in her upper-middle class suburban town bc she was educated *cue eye roll here*
- the flashbacks to Fountain’s interview were a bit weird
- the miscommunication
- Nina came off as very petulant towards Quentin in the beginning which (I get it girl, you’re mad) didn’t really help my opinion of her
- the fact that Nina put herself in competition with literally everyone, including her best friend!

Overall I did enjoy myself. However, this is not something I would recommend to everyone.

What a treasure of a read y'all! (Sorry, I had to.) Nina and Quentin are estranged best friends who both find themselves back in their hometown. They decide to resume their hunt for a secret treasure that was a part of their friendship years ago - and also why they fell apart. This was just such a delight of a read - The banter and late 2000s references are especially fantastic. And I loved how the treasure hunt was woven in, but at the core, it was a wonderful story of Nina and Quentin as they find their way back home and figure out what that means. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the look at this June 2025 release.

This was my first book by Sarah Adler and im looking forward to Happy Medium to read in the fall as a backlist title

Sarah Adler delivered a charming, slow-burn romance wrapped in a nostalgic treasure hunt that had me hooked from the start.
The friends-to-lovers trope between Nina and Quentin was everything I hoped for. Their chemistry simmered beneath the surface for so long that when things finally started to shift, it felt incredibly satisfying. I loved how their shared past added depth to their dynamic—it wasn’t just about romance, but about healing old wounds and rediscovering trust.

The mystery of the hidden treasure added a playful, adventurous layer to the story. It wasn’t just a backdrop—it actually drove the plot and brought out some really sweet and vulnerable moments between the characters. I found myself just as invested in the treasure as I was in their relationship!

It was a fun read, pretty entertaining with how the MFC would spiral with overthinking, and how their relationship stay the same and at the same time evolved after years apart and then reuniting and deciding to finish the search of the treasure from their childhood. I am obsessed with Quentin and how cute he looks in my head, and manly, but mainly cute, his personality is the cherry on top. It was a hard read to get caught up in but I did enjoy the book, laughing in parts, and understanding Nina dilemma. Their banter was astronomical and it showed the foundations of a relationship that used to be there but could still grow because they just understood each other, even after years without communication.

🗺️ friends to lovers
🗺️childhood friends
🗺️ adventure
🗺️so much banter

I absolutely adored this book! Nina and Quentin were both great characters and the yearning!!!! Top tier.
I will never look out my window the same way again.

I loved the premise of this story and how there was more than one thing going on. The adventure was fun! I love a second chance romance and it was super heartfelt and sweet 🥹

Thank you Berkley publishing for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

When Nina Hunnicutt’s life is turned upside down with a break up, losing her job, and having to move home all at once, things are looking bleak. Then her old best friend who happened to be her neighbor as a kid that she also had a crush on also happens to be back in her hometown and he notices her hiding in her car from him not looking her best. When Nina and Quentin Bell were 15, they decided to look for the town’s eccentric millionaire’s treasure that he hid before he died, a $10,000 reward included if found. When they have a falling because of it and are estranged for the next 17 years when Quentin moves, it causes a bit of tension between the two now that they’re back to being neighbors again. Only Quentin suggests they should once again look for the treasure, ensuring Nina would get the bigger cut of the money, which is her opportunity to get out of her hometown.

They have to learn how to be around each other again, feelings that were shoved down have been dug up and the past is there and they must confront it to move forward. What they don’t expect is for the feelings to surface and it puts a dent in their search, something that both Quentin and Nina are scared to face.

This story had a good plot. I loved the idea of an unresolved treasure hunt that the main characters wanted to come back to when they weren’t able to figure it out as teenagers. I loved the relationship between Nina and Quentin. They had the banter of friends who liked to compete against each other, with the obvious chemistry of people who have been secretly pining for each other. I do feel the storyline moved a little slow, it was a bit of a slow burn if that is your thing! The treasure hunt itself was intriguing but again, I felt like it took a long time for that to be resolved, bouncing between the original story and some interview transcripts from the millionaire’s perspective and it was hard to follow what he was rambling about at times.

Great for those who love friends to lovers, a treasure hunt with a twist, a bit of second chance romance, slow burn, and some forced proximity!

🗺️✨ Finders Keepers - Sarah Adler

A treasure hunt, a lost friendship, and a second chance at love? Yes, please. 💖

When Nina’s life falls apart, she retreats home—only to find Quentin, her childhood best friend (and former crush), living right next door. 😳 One mysterious map, one epic road trip, and years of buried feelings later… they're back on the adventure that once tore them apart.

📦 What to expect:
💘 Childhood friends ➝ lovers
🧭 A literal treasure hunt
🏠 Small-town cozy vibes
😅 Angst, banter, and heart
🧠 Mental health rep that feels real

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you love your romance with humor, healing, and just a little chaos, Finders Keepers delivers all the feels—wrapped in a quirky, charming package.

#FindersKeepers #SarahAdler #RomcomReads #Bookstagram #FriendsToLovers #SecondChanceRomance #TreasureHuntVibes #TBRAlert #FeelGoodFiction #RomanceReview

This second chance friends-to-lovers romance just might be my favorite book of the summer! Utterly relatable and emotionally charged but mixed with laugh-out-loud humor and steamy romance, Finders Keepers is a treasure of a book!

Overall, I thought this book was a really sweet childhood friends to lovers tale. I liked the history and the tension between the couple and I enjoyed their scavenger hunt. I thought this was missing some of the magic from Sarah's earlier books, but it was an enjoyable read.

Thank you @netgalley and @berkleyromance for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

𝐇𝐨𝐨𝐤
Two estranged best friends find that their long-abandoned treasure hunt might be the key to a fresh start—for both their futures and their feelings.

𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
3.5 Stars, Rounding Up

After enjoying Mrs. Nash’s Ashes I was excited to read this new release from Sarah Adler. What an interesting premise, two childhood friends who are reunited after 17 years of estrangement return to the “scene of the crime” — a treasure hunt that clearly didn’t end well and is now the path to reconciliation.

I have to admit, the first half of this book just wasn’t doing it for me. I was struggling with the jumps to the eccentric seltzer magnate who left behind a treasure, the interviews from the 1930s which strung along clues. The transition between that and present day was a bit disconnected to me.

The FMC, Nina, felt immature and I was frustrated that these grown characters had let 17 years pass from so many assumptions and miscommunication when they were young and dumb 15 year olds (ugh, miscommunication— my least favorite trope).

But! The second half really started to piece things together and I did enjoy it more. Overall, spice wasn’t a huge component of this book, but there were two steamy scenes that were a lot of fun! The treasure hunt did evolve into something more interesting for me with some thoughtful lessons and reflection at the end.

Other things I enjoyed: The humor and banter throughout (the window chats with The Moon). Nina’s mom and dad, Mrs. MacDonald, and Hanako and Kell were all great side characters.

The idea of a childhood treasure hunt turning into a second-chance romance? I was in. Nina and Quentin had such a great setup: estranged best friends, unresolved feelings, and small-town nostalgia. But the execution didn’t quite land for me. The humor felt a little forced at times, and the lack of communication between them got frustrating fast. It was still a cute read with a charming premise, just not as magical as I hoped.

Expected Release Date: Available Now!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the early access. All thoughts in this review are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like:
💰 trigger warnings
💰 single POV
💰 1st person POV
💰 single timeline
💰 childhood friends to lovers
💰 second chance love
💰 banter!!!
💰 slowwwwwww burn
💰 spice 🌶️🌶️
💰 nostalgia
💰 HEA

I was literally OBSESSED with this book immediately!!! The banter, the actual story-telling!!! The nostalgia 🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷 I really love this childhood friends turn lovers 🩷🩷 It just might be my new favourite trope!! I was hooked immediately and I could NOT STOP READING!!
I loved the juicy back-stories of the 2 main characters, and how they came to be together. It made me immediately love both of the characters, and really want them both to get their happy ending.
I love Sarah Adler’s writing style!!! It reminds me of exactly my sense-of-humour and it is so enjoyable and unique! I will read absolutely anything she writes ❤️❤️❤️
I really enjoyed the little illustrations at the top of every chapter 🩷🩷 It made it so much more pleasing on my eyes than just the boring black-and-white text over and over again.
I love a slow burn romance!!! I loved the characters right from the beginning and it was almost TORTURE that they took so long to get together!!!
Such a delightful and DIFFERENT read 🩷🩷 I was entertained and hooked the whole thing through!!
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review 💕💕

📍This was sweet, fun and entertaining. A great summer romance read, and it’s out now! Thank you to @berkleyromance for my #gifted sneak peak.

📍 What to expect with this one:
- second chance romance
- fun banter
- adults living back home
- a treasure hunt
- self-discovery journey
- open door 🌶️

📍I really enjoy Adler’s writing. It’s fun, makes me giggle, and it’s entertaining. I’ll continue to check out what she comes up with next!

This quirky romance centers around Nina and Quentin, childhood best friends that haven’t spoken in years. They both find themselves back in their hometown , both recovering from devastating breakups. The begin to rekindle their friendship and decide to look for the treasure that eluded them as teens. As they search for the treasure they find themselves remembering why they loved spending time together in the first place. The relive old memories but make new ones along the way, there were also a lot of things left unsaid . Can they finally talk about what drove them apart these past years?

This was a sweet story. I am always a sucker for the friends to lovers trope. I loved the banter, the slow build and the tension!!

3.5 ⭐️