Looking for Me by Beth Hoffman is a sweet book that combines family, antiques, love of rural land and the charming town of Charleston.

Teddi Overman is a girl that likes garage sales, estate sales, and finding broken pieces and making them beautiful again. Teddi, while living in Kentucky with her family, dreams of a life elsewhere- a life where she can restore antiques and sell them. Teddi’s brother, Josh, wants a life where he is at one with nature- that is his place, where he is truly happy. Teddi always figures that Josh will become a park ranger- a job where he could help animals, keep the wildlife safe and have a hand in keeping the evils of modern life from the sanctuary of nature. Then Josh disappears- and people begin to fear the worst.

Teddi is living her life in Charleston, owns her own antique store, and has friends and generous people in her life.  Josh’s disappearance is still a hole in her life- a hole that she hopes to be able to fill one day by finding out once and for all what happened to Josh. Even though common sense dictates that Josh met an untimely death- Teddi’s heart will not let go of the thought that he is alive somewhere.

When Teddi finds herself back in Kentucky, dealing with unexpected issues- she begins to look at her family’s belongings- and in the process of deciding what to keep and toss- Teddi finds things that show different sides to the family she thought she knew everything about. Learning new things puts her relationships in different lights- and let’s Teddi know that even if love is not expressed in the ways one would want, it is there. Once she arrives back in Charleston- Teddi knows that it is time to live life- to not hold back. With that idea- she finds life in Charleston becomes a richer, more fulfilling experience, and one she was more than ready for.

Beth Hoffman, writing about love, loss, finding yourself, and letting go, creates a story that is a reader’s dream. It has something for everyone, is well-written and very enjoyable. Grab a copy of Looking for Me, sit down and read Teddi’s story. You can thank me later.