The latest book I read was called When I Found You by Catherine Ryan Hyde.

Synopsis (from Amazon):

While duck hunting one morning, childless, middle-aged Nathan McCann finds a newborn abandoned in the woods. To his shock, the child—wrapped in a sweater and wearing a tiny knitted hat—is still alive. To his wife’s shock, Nathan wants to adopt the boy…but the child’s grandmother steps in. Nathan makes her promise, however, that one day she’ll bring the boy to meet him so he can reveal that he was the one who rescued him.

Fifteen years later, the widowered Nathan discovers the child abandoned once again—this time at his doorstep. Named Nat, the teenager has grown into a sullen delinquent whose grandmother can no longer tolerate him. Nathan agrees to care for Nat, and the two engage in a battle of wills that spans years. Still, the older man repeatedly assures the youngster that, unlike the rest of the world, he will never abandon him—not even when Nat suffers a trauma that changes both of their lives forever.

My Thoughts

This was a really good book and a fast read. I loved how she developed both of the main characters. You want to hate Nat because of some of the things he puts Nathan through, but you also love him because he’s just a boy and the world has done nothing but let him down. Nathan, is seriously a saint. He shows a level of love and patience that most of us only dream of having, along with the old saying “With age comes wisdom”. Nathan is a truly honest person, yet it does not come across as harsh. Hands down best quote of the book (and there are many): “The value of your life is your own choosing”. It’s so true, yet I feel like we forget this in our day to day actions.

I’ve actually started reading another by her called When You Were Older. Stay tuned for that review once I’m done!