Finding a Best Friend by J.T. Swan

Genre: Coming-of-Age

Star Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Introduction

Jake wasn’t looking for a best friend. He just knew Brooke needed someone to stay.

After years of running from her abusive ex, Grace finally settles down to give her son Jake a chance at a normal life. But when he befriends Nathan—and his older sister, Brooke, who’s been caring for him alone since their parents died—their three lives become unexpectedly intertwined.

Grace offers support to the siblings, forming a fragile, makeshift family built on trust, compassion, and the quiet hope of belonging. As Jake and Brooke grow closer, their bond deepens into something neither expected, built on grief, healing, and unspoken understanding.

When tragedy strikes, both must confront their pasts before they can find their way forward.

Finding a Best Friend is a tender, emotional coming-of-age story about loss, love, mental health, and the families we create when life gives us second chances.   

My Review: A Stunning, Heart-Punching Journey of Trauma, Found Family & Fierce Hope ⭐

Finding a Best Friend isn’t just a coming-of-age novel, it’s a raw, hurricane wrapped in tenderness, danger, and breathtaking humanity. From the very first scene, the story grips you by the collar and refuses to let go. This isn’t a slow burn — it’s a full-body, emotional ignition.

The opening chapter alone doesn’t just set the stakes, it detonates them. Abuse, escape, betrayal, and love collide in a world where safety is fragile and childhood is something you fight to earn rather than inherit. Yet at its core, this book isn’t about darkness, it’s about the light stubborn enough to grow in it.

What begins as survival becomes something much deeper:

👉 Love without conditions.

👉 Friendship without fear.

👉 Healing without perfection.

With cinematic pacing, unforgettable characters, and scenes that feel pulled straight from lived experience, J.T. Swan crafts a story that will stay with readers long after the final page especially those who know what it means to build a life from the ashes.

What I Loved

• Emotion with teeth. The story doesn’t just tug at the heart, it grabs it, squeezes, and makes you feel every bruise, every hope, every breath.

• The relationships shine. The dynamic between Jake, Brooke, and Grace feels raw, lived-in, and unforgettable. The found family theme is executed beautifully.

• Strong narrative momentum. The plot moves quickly and stays emotionally engaging without lingering pointlessly.

• Authentic trauma portrayal. Abuse, escape, healing, identity; none of it feels sugar-coated or melodramatic. It feels real.

• Moments of softness balance the storm. Music, movie nights, cooking together these scenes hit hard because they give us relief and humanity.

What Could Be Stronger

• Some pacing dips -  A few emotional beats stretch longer than needed, making certain sections feel slower compared to the intensity of others.

• Character emotional processing could go deeper in places -  Some trauma-response moments resolve quickly, a slower emotional unpacking could make key scenes even more powerful.

• Occasional tonal shifts -  Certain comedy moments arrive abruptly after heavy scenes, which may jar more sensitive readers.

• World/setting fades at times -  The environments sometimes take a backseat to dialogue adding small sensory details more consistently would raise immersion even higher.

This book is for anyone who has ever:

• Chosen found family over blood

• Loved fiercely through brokenness

• Believed they were too damaged to be worthy

• Or needed someone to prove them wrong

Finding a Best Friend is bold, bruising, brave and beautifully human. It doesn’t just tell a story .It tells the truth.

📚 FINDING A BEST FRIEND — REVIEW SNAPSHOT

💥 OVERALL IMPACT: 4/5

🔥 WHAT WORKED:

- Emotional depth........... ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

- Character chemistry....... ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

- Found-family dynamics..... ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

- Plot momentum............. ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5)

🧩 COULD IMPROVE:

- Pacing consistency........ ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5)

- Scene transitions......... ⭐⭐⭐☆ (3.5/5)

- Emotional processing...... ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5)

✨ TOP VIBES:

- 🩹 Healing trauma

- ❤️ Found family

- 🏃 Escaping danger

- 👀 Character-driven storytelling

- 🎶 Music, nostalgia, and belonging

📌 FINAL VERDICT:

"A powerful, heartfelt story that stays with you long after the last page."

A must-read for fans of Colleen Hoover, John Green, and readers who crave emotional fiction with meaning, vulnerability, and heart..

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