Welcome to Valerie’s home again. Her 16-year-old son is on tour with her ex-husband and she’s working to maintain her very public weight loss, as well as trying to drop five more pounds--the proverbial five that haunt her and everyone else like a To Do list that never gets done. But then matters are complicated when her mother and brother, inspired by her success, sign up for their own weight loss adventure with Jenny Craig, Eddie stumbles on the road, and Wolfie makes a confession that sets Valerie on a whole new course.
Finding It is Valerie’s conflicted, humorous, and highly personal tale of her search for answers to life’s big questions – like if God is loving, why does She tempt Valerie with spinach and artichoke dip on a day when she’s feeling like a failure as a mom? With her same extended family and friends we met in Losing It, Valerie’s continuing transformation finds her in a situation many women know too well: After having made some profound changes in her life, namely losing nearly 50 pounds as the world watched, she wonders if this “new, slimmer, healthier” version of herself is for real, especially when she suffers slips and emotional setbacks. She finds that she's the same Valerie as before, even as her life changes dramatically around her.
Valerie also faces life changes as her son grows up and finds independence--now, instead of arranging carpools to after-school play dates, Valerie finds herself on the phone with the mother of her son’s girlfriend, trying to assure her that it’s okay to let her daughter visit Wolfie on the road. Upon hanging up, she turns to Tom and says, “Am I crazy? Did you hear what I was saying? What’s going on here? What’s happened to me?” What’s happened is that she has let Wolfie grow up, as if she had a choice in the matter. It makes Valerie realize the tasks of motherhood are only just beginning. And that’s more apparent than ever, during a break in the tour when Wolfie confides that he struggles with low self-esteem. In this emotional story of family and the bonds and patterns that persist through generations, Valerie also connects with her own mother in a profound new way.
The questions that arise set her off on an exploration of the courage it takes to make such a profound change in her life, the faith required to maintain it, and the belief that she actually deserves it. Finding It is an optimistic story in trying times about believing in love and happiness, having faith that both are possible, and finding out that God does want you to enjoy life’s desserts even when you’re on a diet.
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"I have been a fan of Valerie Bertinelli since I was a kid watching "One Day at A Time." In this follow up book from "Losing It," Valerie tells how she not only kept the weight off but how she lost even more. This book is more then losing weight and maintaining weight lost, but it is more about her life. I found it very interesting that she seems to be seeking a relationship with the Savior. She mentions several times how she knows there is a higher power and sometimes prays. I know I will continue to ask the Lord to work in her life that she may indeed come to know Him in a very personal way. If you are a fan you will enjoy this book!"
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Tim (4 out of 5 stars)