Over the past six years, Bliss has gotten good at making herself fit into other people's lives, having been dumped with her aunt's family so her mother could pursue being a model. She has also gone along with her boyfriend's dream for their future, holding on to only the smallest details of a road map for making her life her own. But then, the summer before Bliss' senior year, her mother comes crashing back into her life and Bliss meets Blake (someone she finds easy to talk to--and sometimes kiss), causing her to question how much of her life story she wants to write herself. Someday We'll Find It is a novel about discovering your own value and, just as important, finding people who see that worth without being threatened by it. First-time novelist Wilson has captured so many of the complex emotions of being a teenager--not just through Bliss' contemplation of post-high-school life, but through personal growth that allows Bliss to see her entire high-school experience in a new light.

Gr 9 Up--Seventeen-year-old Bliss's mom walked out of her life when she was a young girl to pursue a modeling career in Japan, leaving Bliss to be raised by her aunt and uncle in a small, rural Illinois town. Bliss, who is white, has been bundled into a shared room with her cousin Patsy; the two of them are two rivalrous cats in a bag, jealous of anything the other has. Bliss's boyfriend, River, is angry and controlling, consumed by alcohol; their relationship is anything but consensual. A new boy, Blake, biracial Chinese and white, arrives from Chicago showing refreshing boundaries and respect--which is all new to Bliss. Despite of his father's misgivings about his future, Blake is spearheading an attempt at organic farming, hiring Bliss and Patsy to walk the bean rows in the hot summer sun. Meanwhile, River wants Bliss to detassel the plants with him--the more miserable of the two grueling summer jobs. Bliss's mom rolls back into town with promises of whisking Bliss away to Europe to accompany to reboot her career. Bliss is caught trying to please everyone but herself. The story line is predictable, but the delivery is superb. Characters are complex and well-drawn. VERDICT Wilson captures the reality of the rural Midwest with an authentic voice that is both powerful and raw. A solid, first purchase.--Leah Krippner

Seventeen-year-old Bliss has settled into her life in predominantly white rural Lakeville, Ill., after her mother took off five years ago to pursue a modeling career in Japan. When Mama suddenly returns, though, Bliss is convinced she's "finally gonna have the mama I deserve." Instead, her mother attempts to lure Bliss into becoming a mother/daughter modeling duo in Eastern Europe. Though Bliss once saw her family as a team, she now considers hot-headed boyfriend River, who has big plans for their future, her perfect match. Then she begins falling for newcomer Blake, her half-Chinese and presumed half-white summer job supervisor, who asks her questions like he cares about the answers. Bliss must choose between the life she's always wanted, the one that's been planned for her, and the one she makes for herself. While the novel's conclusion feels familiar, Bliss's struggles with self-worth, her desire to break free from external pressures, and the details of her everyday life--such as detasseling corn and learning to play Mama's old ukulele--imbue Wilson's romantic debut with a healthy dose of intimacy and drama. Ages 13--up. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary & Media. (Apr.)

A high school junior reevaluates her future after her absentee mother returns. It's been almost 6 years since 17-year-old Bliss Walker's mother left her with relatives in Illinois for a modeling job in Japan. Since then, Bliss has tried to make the most of her life with her Aunt Trish, Uncle Leo, and 18-year-old cousin, Patsy, but she nevertheless feels like an interloper. Hotheaded boyfriend River promises to bring Bliss along when he leaves behind rural, mostly White Lakeville with its endless fields of corn and beans. Then Mama unexpectedly returns with promises of teaming up as a mother-daughter modeling duo in Eastern Europe. To add more confusion, in comes Blake, a biracial (Chinese and assumed White) Chicago transplant whose family runs an organic farm where Bliss and Patsy have summer jobs. There's something that keeps pulling Bliss toward Blake, perhaps because he's the only one who asks her, "What makes you happy?" Wilson unravels how much Bliss' life revolves around prioritizing other people. Bliss downplays her needs and wants in ways that to her feel reasonable; her empathy and loyalty turn into making excuses for others. The book explores complicated, messy relationships that include elements of rivalry, jealousy, love, and care as well as questions of consent and sexual intimacy. After years of undervaluing herself, it takes some deeply intense moments for Bliss to begin to see how dysfunctional and unbalanced her relationships are. An intimate story of growth and self-respect. (Fiction. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.