Lost and Found by Liv Rancourt

Lost & Found is a gripping story about loss and grief, secrets and trauma in the aftermath of WWI. American doctor Benjamin is searching for his lost friend in Paris, but when his neighbor Louis volunteers to help, the search becomes a journey into lost memories and to self-discovery. It’s also a story about the healing power of love, and to find beauty and hope even though you’ve lost everything you thought was worth living for.

Seeing this beautiful cover and learning that this was a story taking place in 1920s Paris about “a dancer who cannot dance and a doctor who cannot heal, who in each other finds the strength to love again”, I was so sure I would be blown away by this book. It sounded exactly like my favorite kind of gripping, forbidden and life-changing romance. But sadly, my high expectations were not fully met.

I really enjoyed the Paris setting and the sweet romance, but the story was a bit too slow for me, and I didn’t root for the characters as much as I had hoped for. I think the main problem was that the story was told from Benjamin’s POV, since his mind and memories were shattered from the war trauma, and he’s so closed off from his own feelings (and in complete denial when it comes to his desire for men). All this made the story itself feel subdued and made us reader distanced from Benjamin himself. I also found it a bit hard to take Benjamin to my heart when he was denying his own feelings so hard, and was so disgusted with other men’s affection.

“I was a eunuck, castrated by fear. Disgusted with myself, I chose the opposite direction and walked quickly into the night.”

Things just don’t make sense for Benjamin, until Louis unlocks something in him. After that, about halfways when Benjamin started to open up, so did the book, and I could relate much better to both Benjamin and Louis.

“I kissed him, and he tasted like hope.”

So, even though I wasn’t blow away, it was still an enjoyable and sweet read that I definitely recommend. All in all, Lost & Found is a sad and gripping, yet hopeful story about accepting your true self, and learning to live a free life.
 
Thank you NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for the ebook copy in exchange for an honest review!

Rating:
​3.5 stars rounding up to 4.

Get your own copy:
Amazon

​Author info:
Liv Rancourt