Fingerprints of You by Kristen-Paige Madonia

Lemon grew up with Stella, a single mom who wasn’t exactly maternal. Stella always had a drink in her hand and a new boyfriend every few months, and when things got out of hand, she would whisk Lemon off to a new town for a fresh beginning. Now, just as they are moving yet again, Lemon discovers that she is pregnant from a reckless encounter—with a guy Stella had been flirting with.
On the verge of revisiting her mother’s mistakes, Lemon struggles to cope with the idea of herself as a young unmarried mother, as well as the fact that she’s never met her own father. Determined to have at least one big adventure before she has the baby, Lemon sets off on a cross-country road trip, intending not only to meet her father, but to figure out who she wants to be.

I received Fingerprints of You in the mail without knowing anything about it. So going into the book, I didn’t know what to expect. Fingerprints of You ended up being a really really good novel. I devoured it in one sitting.

Lemon is a strong character who, though she didn’t make the smartest decision, owns up to her mistakes and eventually conquers her challenges. Though at times I was a little annoyed with her decisions, I loved her. Stella made me so angry in the beginning of the novel, but I’m pretty sure that’s how she’s supposed to be perceived. However, as the novel progressed she came to grow on me.

Being a Californian (who lives kind of near San Francisco), I loved that Fingerprints of You took place in San Francisco. The story made me feel like I was there. Kristen-Paige Madonia beautifully captures something that many teens around the world ache to do- leave to explore the world on their own.

Fingerprints of You is a heartwrenching novel that I couldn’t put down. Lemon is a strong character who drives the story along nicely. I highly recommend Fingerprints of You. Kristen-Paige Madonia is an author to watch.

FTC- Received from publisher.