This is the second book by Sarah Adler that I've read, and I'm officially charmed by her stories. Another magical read where fantasy and reality go hand in hand.

I love the quirky humour in Adler's books. I know it's not for everyone, but it works for me. She manages to create so much magic around the characters and the plot. It leads the readers on quests to find out how why and when.

Nina started out with so many insecurities and feeling like she had to prove to everyone else that she wasn't a failure and her umployment and recent break-up were nothing but a slight bump on the road to success. Her slow realisation that she was never truly happy or ever felt truly loved made her wonder if her dreams of academia had actually been hers. The character growth was steady, and we can see how maturely she handled her heartbreak near the end. I also loved that Nina wore glasses (not many FMCs do and as someone who does, it stood out to me how rarely I read them in fiction).

I was completely charmed by Quentin. His attempts at getting Nina's attention were so obvious it hurt. However, the final reveal did slightly disappoint me, I had expected him to be the more mature of the two, and I was actually shocked.

Childhood sweethearts second chance romances are so precious. The sadness, insecurity, anger, regret, and betrayal they carried with themselves since Quentin's move played such a big role in their interactions with each other, it made for a lot of heartbreaking moments between them.

The treasure hunting played a big role in their reconnection. Although I was invested in their quest, it didn't engage me as much as I would have hoped. Their shenanigans while looking for clues were super fun, tho.

This is a great read for the warmer days, very whimsical and funny. Loved it!

Another fun, sweet romance from Sarah Adler. Finder's Keepers follows childhood friends, Nina and Quentin, who find themselves back home after a change of circumstances, as they try to find treasure buried by an eccentric millionaire. This book has a lot of heart.

‘Finders Keepers’ by Sarah Adler follows Nina, a history professor who moves back to her hometown after her life falls apart when she loses her job and her boyfriend in quick succession. As she acclimatises to small town life, her childhood neighbour (and secret crush) tempts her to resume the treasure hunt they started years ago - but will they locate the bounty? What else might they find along the way?

Nina was an interesting and relatable character - it was engrossing to watch her learn about her true self outside of her career and relationship. Quentin was lovably eccentric, and while some of their interactions early in the book didn’t draw me in, I came to love them as a couple. Plus, any book featuring a cat (especially a grumpy, hairless one) is my cup of tea!

Overall, I really enjoyed the treasure hunting adventures of Nina and Quentin and absolutely flew through the second half of this book! Definitely recommend adding this one to your pre-orders/TBR if you enjoy fun and unique rom-coms with rich and layered subplots… 3.5 stars.

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Quercus Books via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the new novel from Sarah Adler after the much enjoyed Happy Medium. This time it’s all about thr return to her home town of Nina. She’s at rock bottom after the triple whammy of losing her home, her job and her boyfriend. What could get any worse? Unless you count being caught crouching behind your car outside your parents house by your teenage crush who ghosted you after he left town. Nina and Quentin were great friends while they spent the summer trying to find the treasure left by Julius James Fountain, late of Sprangbur Castle. Then it ended with a visit to the police station.

The torture of being a grown up returning to your childhood bedroom is real. The shame of having nothing to show for years of work is excruciating. The pain of lost love cannot be endured. Having said that this is very funny and deserves a mini series of its’s own. I loved the narrator’s voice and the characters introduced around her. A great read.

I really enjoyed this second chance romance book. The main characters are Quentin and Nina. There was lots of humour in the book which I enjoyed, and I liked the way the story flowed. This is a perfect chilled out read. I enjoyed the treasure hunt theme too.

It seems to be a common theme in romance novels: female main character somehow loses job, partner, and somewhere to live simultaneously, and reluctantly ends up back in the small town where she grew up. What makes this book different is that Nina's not the only one in that situation. Quentin, the best friend who moved away and ghosted her more than half a lifetime ago, is also dealing with an unexpected life reset - only he doesn't seem to be experiencing the same feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt as Nina and actively wants to rekindle the friendship, and treasure hunt, that they had as fifteen-year-olds.
I enjoyed Nina's narrative - yes, she's a bit long-winded at times and I was tempted to mutter "just *talk* to him" once or twice, but I liked the way she grapples with past and present and the gradual realisation of her feelings as the treasure hunt progresses. The interaction between her and Quentin is excellent, particularly their almost-immediate return to their childhood conversations outside their bedroom windows, hiding serious topics and emotions behind make-believe (something cleverly reflected in the story-within-a-story of Julius Fountain). The slow-burn tension between them builds beautifully, helped/hindered by some well-drawn side characters (Nina's mother is an absolute hoot). Overall this is a really fun and entertaining read, with an added sense of mystery and adventure from the treasure hunt that is concluded in a satisfying and heartwarming manner.

Finder Keepers is a sweet second-chance romance. This was my first Sarah Adler and I enjoyed it. The treasure hunt was a really fun premise, I wish we had seen a bit more of it.

A great second chance romance story with plenty of humour along the way. A Sarah Adler book never disappoints.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

oh Sarah has done it for me. made me all giggly and smiling with her books. what a sweet and fun read. with all the feels included then we know we are all on to a winner. and this was just the things for me at this moment in time. i needed this book. i needed the time i spent in this book. and i needed the way it helped me escape and feel.
weve got our perfect second chance romance with the twist of treasure and adventure to go on.
the book gives us Nina who is back home in her childhood town with a few inner bruises to heal. shes feeling lost and uncertain in herself. her whole life, literally every part that makes it is gone.
but shes not alone in being home again. because she soon finds that her childhood crush Quentin is also home. but he wasnt just her crush. he was the one that crushed her heart all those years ago and their has been silence between them since.
Quentin also has his own things going on.
but just whats going on between the two. because of course they have very different versions of that time in their past. hes back into her family fold like nothing happened. ermm excuse me,matey!
to make matters worse he suggests they carry on the treasure hunt from childhood. its got money involved and this for Nina is something she cannot be refusing right now.
but turns out being hurt doesnt stop feelings from being there. being bolder now with age too. and the more they spend time together the more she feels. but she knows she cant. she wont. Nina is home to sort her life out. to rebuild her life and herself. and then she is off again. pronto with no more hurt please. but this man. this time at home is leading her to question things. and this in itself is making her feel almost more untethered and fearful.
what a lovely book. i felt immersed completely and my heart was with Nina all the way. she was so full of self doubt. and yes this happens! and boy did i want to hug her tight.
lovely book with matching cover to boot.

This is a second-chance contemporary romance from Sarah Adler, and I was excited going in because I’ve really enjoyed her past work—Mrs Nash’s Ashes and Happy Medium were both five-star reads for me. Unfortunately, Finders Keepers didn’t quite hit the same sweet spot.

The setup has all the ingredients I usually love: Nina, a historian and professor, loses her job and her long-term boyfriend in quick succession, so she heads back to her hometown for the summer to regroup at her parents’ place. When she gets there, surprise—her ex-best friend (and long-time crush) Quentin is living next door. He’s an international business lawyer who’s also recently left his high-powered job in France and his ex-fiancée behind, returning to fix up his old house. He’s not sure what he’s going to do with it yet—he’s just in limbo, like Nina.

Back in their high school days, Nina and Quentin were inseparable, spending one unforgettable summer treasure hunting for a local legend’s lost fortune. That adventure gets a revival when they find themselves back home again, and it’s clear there’s still something unresolved between them—both friendship and maybe something more.

There are some swoony, funny, and sweet moments—Sarah Adler’s charm is definitely in here—but overall, this one didn’t quite grab me the way her earlier books did. I liked Nina and Quentin, and there was chemistry, but they felt a little underdeveloped. Nina didn’t feel as fully fleshed out as other Adler protagonists I’ve loved, and Quentin, while nice, leaned a bit cliche for me.

The treasure hunting subplot was fun, but the emotional beats—why they fell out, how they came back together, and especially the third-act breakup—felt a little flimsy. Not bad, just not fully convincing, which took some of the emotional punch out of the romance.

Still, Adler’s writing is reliably enjoyable, and I’ll definitely keep reading her books. Finders Keepers was a pleasant read with a great premise, even if it didn’t sweep me off my feet. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC—opinions are, as always, my own.

A sweet second chance romance for two childhood friends.

After their own broken relationships, Nina and Quentin, childhood best friends return back to their families duplex. Sharing a bedroom wall again, just like they were kids brings a comforting but frustrating familiarity to Nina. Frustrating because they haven’t seen each other or spoken since that night 17 years ago.

When Quentin suggests that they pick up where they’d left off, on a treasure hunt that the towns Seltzer Magnate left in his wake, old memories and feelings blur with new ones.

Deception, attraction, banter and bad accents make this an enjoyable read.

A sweet romcom for fans of seconds chance romance and friends to lovers.

That you so much Netgalley and Quercus Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute read with two estranged friends, who clearly crushed on each other when they were teenagers, reuniting as adults and deciding to go on a treasure hunt. Nina pur fmc was very relatable. The romance was okay for me. I think friends to lovers isn’t really the trope for me which is why I did not connect as much to Nina and Quentin’s romance/ reconnection. The treasure hunt was a nice element too. Not my favourite from this author but still worth a read. 3.5 ⭐️

Funny story. Yeah, I know. That is the name of another book by a different, but quite well-known author of whom I never ever read a book (yet). For now I'll just stick to Sarah Adler, as this is my second book written by her that I quite enjoyed. A slow-paced, quirky book with characters that are far from flawless, you would almost think they were quite human :)

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

Thank you Quercus and NetGalley for this arc.

This was a fun read with a treasure hunt, second chance romance and starting over in your thirties.

I enjoyed the added snippets of old interview transcripts and the side characters, especially the FMCs parents.

I do wish we could have seen a bit more of the treasure hunt, or more detail about their previous attempt.

Overall though a fun book that I would recommend.

Finders Keepers is some of the best anxiety representation I have read in recent years. One, it's because it's told in first person point of view so we really get in the head of Nina who had to move back home after a broken engagement and getting laid off from her teaching job in Boston. But, two this is just a testament to Adler's writing. I especially loved how Nina's anxiety presents itself as being unable to forget certain details and fixating them again and again in a way that might seem annoying to some, but really shouldn't be because you get so much closer to understanding Nina that way. On the flip side of this, all the details from Nina and Quentin's past evoke such specific emotions that I started rooting for both of them to work on themselves, but grow together so early in the novel. Some of the treasure hunt stuff could've been pared down but I like how Adler always puts care into her subplots to make the relationship stand out even more. Read this when it comes out in late June!

Nina Hunnicutt, una profesora cuya vida se derrumba de golpe: pierde su trabajo, termina con su novio y tiene que volver a vivir con sus padres. Allí se reencuentra con Quentin Bell, su vecino de la infancia y antiguo amor platónico, quien también ha regresado al pueblo tras su propia crisis personal.

El corazón de la novela gira en torno a la caza del tesoro que Nina y Quentin comenzaron en su juventud y que ahora, casi dos décadas después, deciden retomar. Esta búsqueda sirve como excusa para explorar las heridas del pasado, los errores no resueltos y una posible segunda oportunidad en el amor.




La trama de la caza del tesoro, que debería ser uno de los pilares del libro, se siente superficial y poco desarrollada. La relación entre Nina y Quentin, aunque dulce por momentos, peca de infantil y repetitiva, con una carga excesiva de malentendidos que no terminan de resolverse de forma satisfactoria.

Ademas Quentin me cayo mal.

2.5⭐️


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest

Sarah Adler can do no wrong. Her characters are always gorgeously well rounded, tender and genuine and the way she builds relationships and the sweet moments is just perfect. I really felt for Quentin but absolutely knew he would be chaotic! The gentle mystery and parallel romance plot was absolutely stunning and I loved the interview quotes we got to clue us in as we went along. Adler's descriptions of characters really make you want to be friends with them all and I would happily read a book about every single character (no but seriously can we have a Hanako and their partner story please?). I felt like I experienced every emotion with this book it was so well written.

Thank you for my earc of this book! I loved the premise of this and enjoyed the story but felt that it could have been a bit shorter/concise.
The treasure hunt element was fun but the eccentricities of the owner of the castle felt a bit of a tangent and the interviews didn’t really add anything imo.
I like the history between the MCs but felt like their miscommunication and doubt was a bit drawn out and left me feeling a bit frustrated, wanting to tell them to grow up 😂

I love Nina’s mum, indifferent about her dad. He seemed almost pointless apart from the one thing he did in the plot. I like Sabrina but their friendship was all one sided and for the sole purpose of Nina wanting advice.

I did enjoy it and really loved the first 1/3 in particular but would have enjoyed it more if the rest was less repetitive with the back and to between the MCs

Sarah Adler just keeps getting better and better with this gem of a book. I loved it. I laughed so many times with Nina’s witty observations and the banter between her and Quentin. Like with her first book, I also loved the secondary story, but this time told through an interview with Julius ‘manic pixie dream industrialist’ Fountain.

The reconciliation was so emotionally satisfying as it was done in a careful, slow-burn way. I’m also glad we weren’t treated to flashbacks which I find break up the pace. Instead, we learn about their childhood connection through recollections but also see how in the present day they still have that spark.

Refreshingly I loved the way Sarah Adler untangles any miscommunication. Nina doesn’t hold back with Quentin to talk about how devastated she was when he moved and stopped speaking to her. So many times, other books wait until 80% of the way for a character to confront the other character and I find it irritates me no end!

A heartwarming, and charming joy of a read. I finished with a smile on my face.

Thanks to Quercus Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

The CUTEST premises but unfortunately this was not for me. I found the romance dragged a little and I didn't feel like I knew the characters enough, and their betrayals felt quite watery when facing them again as adults. As a plus, I loved Nina's parents.