The Distance Between Lost and Found Paperback – June 14, 2016

First, I would kill my parents for naming my Hallelujah. Can you imagine the teasing she got? But there is a very cool reason for naming her that so she wears the name proudly. And she should. Hallie, as her friends call her, is probably one of the most resourceful, quirky, self critical, reflective characters I have ever fallen for in YA. I call Hallie quirky because of her religion. I am not one that reads books with any kind of religion in them, in fact, I run the other way. Probably due to my own questions about religion. But Kathryn Holmes introduces a very religious group without being preachy in the least. The camping trip Hallie and the others are on is a church youth group retreat. And who is the bad boy? The preacher's kid. I so wished a bear had gotten him but no such luck. Anyway, when Hallie and Rachel and Jonah are separated from the rest of the group there are a lot of questions that come up about God. Did God plan their harrowing experience as a test? Does God just sit back and watch them suffer? How can God let bad things happen to good people? You might have asked these things yourself. I know I have. I liked the way the teens approached them and especially how Hallie answered them. Again, it DID NOT come across as "You have to believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior!!!!" It was refreshing to see these questions asked by the teens in some very difficult situations and even coming from a religious upbringing have them not have all the answers.Okay, why else did I like Hallie. At first she is very self critical because of the situation she let herself get caught in and then didn't correct the mistake. It was a mistake, but everyone believed the preacher's son over her. Because why? She'd never done anything like that before. Why was everyone so quick to believe something so bad of her? Even her parents? Hallie has everything bottled up inside of her and she judges everything she does. She puts herself down in her own mind before anyone new can. She even pushes the new girl, Rachel, away before she can get hurt by Hallie's reputation. But, later, the self criticism turns reflective after she talks to Jonah and she realizes her mistake. And with that one talk, the criticism becomes a powerful tool in motivating her. It's gentler, not harsh, nudging, not judging, urging her forward.You will have to read about her resourcefulness for yourself but the way she uses the forest, the things she finds in their backpacks, her inner strength, it all makes for an incredible story of survival. I promise this is not a religious story though it is thoughtful and mindful of God's plan. It just raises questions, looks for answers. It's a story of forgiving yourself and others. Starting over and finding the strength to go on when all you want to do is quit. I think there is something in it for all of us.It's a YA story. Realistic fiction about survival in the wilderness. There is some drinking, mean girl situations and some suggestive talk. Very PG-13. I highly recommend this novel. It's going on my favorites shelf!

I legitimately fell in love with Hallie's story. I was a little skeptical going in because I knew that there was going to be some sort of religious message and, in general, I don't enjoy being on the receiving end of such messages. However, the utterly believable and heart-wrenching questioning that Hallie goes through during her ordeal in the Smoky Mountains was beautifully articulated and relatable. I felt homesick for the Smokies even as I read about being scared, lost, and cold in the park. Read this -- you'll be glad you did. I didn't want to put the book down -- and in fact, stayed up far later than I should have racing through my first reading of the book and *maybe* neglected a little bit of lecture prep so that I could keep reading.

This story about a bullied girl finding her voice again, and the power and beauty of nature when you get unwillingly immersed into it was really lovely to read. I felt for Hallie, and I admired the backdrop and character of the smoky mountains. What I loved the most, and what I was most nervous about in reading this story was the religion aspect. I do not read and or enjoy religious books and i was nervous that this story would be too heavy handed in that area but I was glad to find that that is not the case.

I enjoyed this book for the most part. Really quick read, about two hours? Didn't appreciate how the main characters making out with a boy was never resolved in a non-shaming way. The conclusion was "lying about making out and making the girl into a bigger slut than she was is the bad part" not "its not okay to treat someone like crap because they were caught making out with someone."The male love interest even says he was mad because he thought she was a slut, and it is never expressed that is wrong.Reminded me of my conservative Christian upbringing, so I shouldn't have been surprised since the story is set at a youth group event.

This was a great read, with an inspiring twist of what it's like to be in God's presence in the mountains. I grew up in the Great Smoky Mountains, and the descriptions in this book are dead on... So much so that I knew the author had to be familiar with the area. It wasn't until I read the acknowledgments at the end that I realized I knew her as a child; we grew up together in church! That aside, this is a very inspirational book that will make you really think about your interactions with people and consider the fact that you don't know the stories they are living.

I gifted this book to my 15-year-old niece Jessica... She read the entire book in one sitting! She liked Hallie and how she faced her situation. I asked her if she would read another book with the same character Hallie, and she replied "Yes, when is the next book coming out?" The last question I asked my niece was about the message the book conveyed, and she replied, "You have to be careful who you put your trust into and must believe in yourself."Note: I was a classmate of the author and have relied solely on the opinions of my niece. She has recommended the book to her friends, Cheers! --ER

I absolutely loved this page turner from start to finish. Having grappled with religious questions of my own as a teenager (and continuing to grapple with the ambiguity long into adulthood), I found the author's honest, non-manipulative approach to questions about God completely refreshing. I was frustrated that Hallie didn't stand up for herself from the get-go, but I can also put myself in the shoes of a teen who has been completely bamboozled by a surprise turn of events and just wants to disappear. I recommend this book to any YA book lover (and in fact have bought copies for my friends)!

This a great book for any age to read. The story goes to show how each of us must go through really rough storms in our lives. I am battling breast cancer at this time and going through some very rough storms in my life. I just enjoyed this book so much and only hope I can be as brave as these 3 young teenagers were. Thumbs up all the way. Hope you read this book.

This book surprised me. I was expecting a quick, light read, but this book had more depth than I was expecting. It's not phenomenal or anything, but its a nice quiet story about a girl suffering judgement from a 'he said, she said' incident that has her labeled as a slut. I kinda love pity party books with good characters who have been misunderstood in a certain situation. I dunno why, but it just hit the spot. The characters were decent and the whole 'lost in the woods' aspect was really enjoyable.

Hallie, Jonah and rachel`s story of survival is such a page Turner I finished it in one day.. I really like Kathryn holmes` writing style and I could feel everything they went through... I can't wait to read more by her.

A bit predictable, but a pleasant read.

A great book full of adventure.