The Lovely and the Lost by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Kira doesn't remember her mother.  She remembers living in the forest and learning what she could eat and what she could steal from the animals.  It's a nightmare to her and although it was many years ago, she still has bad dreams here and there...

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published August 4th.

When a man comes and asks her foster mother to look for a missing child, Kira wants to do it.  She's stunned when she learns he is her grandfather.  Her brother wants to go, too, and Grandpa finally talks her into it.  She still hasn't forgiven him for the past, but a lost child is more important.

They start the hunt by breaking up  into teams of two.  The little girl was sleeping in her tent but appears to have walked off.  They find where she fell in the river and that's a bad sign.  But then they find where she got out, so she's still alive.

Kira's memories surface during the hunt.  She's made a new friend but the sheriff doesn't like him.  (He's his stepson.)  Then the sheriff takes her and her friend down to the police station.  He shows her a picture of her mother and calls her an animal.  Her grandfather shows up and tells him if he bothers his family again, he'll kill him.  He tells him he's dying anyway, so he has nothing to lose.

They keep looking although hope is running out.  Will they find her?  Who could have stolen her from the tent?  There are more questions and most get answered.

I enjoyed this read.  Kira's instincts and experiences help her with this search.  You feel her anxiety...

The Lovely and the Lost by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Kira lived in the woods, all alone.  She did what she had to to survive but she doesn't remember a lot of what happened.  A search and rescue group found her and Cady adopts her.  She loves her family she's been adopted into but she's not good at human interaction.  She doesn't like small talk or talking with other people.  She doesn't make friends easily.  And she's frustrated that she doesn't remember her beginnings but Cady thinks that's good.  Why remember bad things?  Now she's part of Cady's search and rescue team.

Freeform and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published May 7th.

When Cady's father shows up and asks her to help him find a missing child, she doesn't want to.  She hasn't forgiven him for not saving her boyfriend at the time he went missing.  He couldn't but that doesn't matter.  She's still holding a grudge.  Kira wants to help.  She remembers being young and lost in the woods and she wants to save the girl from some of things she endured.  They end up going.  With four dogs and handlers they can cover a lot of ground.

This turns into more than a rescue hunt.  Cady's father is dying and he hasn't told her yet.  Kira ends up having nightmares and recalling her unknown childhood.  They find a piece of the jacket the girl was wearing so they know they are on track.  Kira and an unlikely friend she's made find a cave she was in and the jacket she was wearing but no child.  They continue searching and finding more life truths on the way.

I found this story haunting.  I enjoyed reading it but it'll stick with me a while.  I spent a lot of time in the woods when I was child so I could relate to Kira's memories.  At least I didn't get hurt when I was there.  You'll think about this one every now and then...