I received an unedited advanced copy of the book from the author, review to come...

I received an eARC of this book from the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

When I was originally approached about Finding Kyler by the author Siobhan Davis, I’ll admit I was a bit hesitant. Contemporary YA is not my thing. I’ve never really enjoyed it, even when I was a teen. I mean there’s enough drama in the real world, why would I want to read about it in my books?! However, I love Siobhan Davis. Her fantasy/sci-fi series have been addictive reads so I was more than a little curious to see how she would fare in another genre. I can honestly say, she is brilliant!

Finding Kyler by Siobhan Davis is the first book in The Kennedy Boys, a book about forbidden love, scandals, and the privilege (or curse) of being in the upper class. The story begins with Faye Donovan. After losing her parents, she is forced to move in with her uncle and his family. But the story doesn’t stop there. There are scandals, secrets, and more than a little romance in store for her.

Faye is a tough character to like, in my opinion. When the book opens, she is grieving and doing so badly. She’s 17 and she’s lost everything. Her parents are dead, and she is being forced to leave the country to move in with an uncle she didn’t even know existed. She’s having a hard time reconciling this. Her parents lied to her about having other family, but why?! So now not only is she grieving but she is angry and guilty for being angry. It’s a vicious cycle and my heart hurt for her. I can’t imagine losing my parents at 17, an age when you realize you need them the most. Despite all of this Faye is herself, she forces herself to be transparent and I love that about her. She speaks her mind, which is really rare in YA these days.

When Faye arrives in the States with her uncle, she learns that she now has a large family. There are seven boys in the family ranging from college age to high school. It’s a lot to take in! While Faye prefers Kyler, the boy that is closest to her age, I personally preferred Kalvin. He’s a year younger (I believe) and strikes up a brotherly relationship with Faye once he realizes he can’t get under her skin. I enjoyed the Kennedy family more than I expected. They are so broken and there are so many secrets among them. Faye learns several and then trying to figure out who to keep the secrets from and who knows becomes a bit of a headache for her. I truly felt for this family. It was easy to empathize with them and hope that they can find their own happily ever afters.

Now for the thing I struggled with in this book: the romance. It is hot and steamy, a little too steamy in my opinion for a YA book (this is definitely not a book I’d give a young teen despite the characters themselves being teens). However I couldn’t tear myself away. Kyler and Faye are cousins which in the area I grew up in is a bit taboo, even if it isn’t necessarily illegal. I personally had a hard time setting this aside and kept hoping that their relationship would either become platonic OR it would be revealed that Faye wasn’t truly kin to them. Despite the forbidden nature of their feelings for one another, I found myself rooting for them. Kyler and Faye fit. They struggled but they also have these deeply, intimate moments that will make you love them.

Overall, despite my initial reservations, I really enjoyed this read. I found myself fully invested in the drama (and believe me there is a lot!) and my emotions were all over the place. I was angry with Faye, I swooned, I cried, I laughed, I even fell in love a bit. If you enjoy fast-paced, highly emotional, forbidden romance, I recommend you grab a copy ASAP!