Sarah Adler’s Finders Keepers delivers a charming second-chance romance wrapped in the whimsical package of a treasure hunt, though it occasionally stumbles under the weight of its own cleverness. While the book succeeds in creating genuine emotional resonance between its leads, some narrative choices feel unnecessarily convoluted, preventing what could have been a stellar romance from reaching its full potential.
When Life Gives You Lemons, Hunt for Treasure
Nina Hunnicutt’s life has imploded spectacularly. One moment she’s a successful professor with a gorgeous apartment and a stable relationship; the next, she’s unemployed, single, and sleeping in her childhood bedroom. Enter Quentin Bell, her former best friend and teenage crush, who materializes like a ghost from her past with an audacious proposal: resume the treasure hunt that destroyed their friendship seventeen years ago.
The setup feels deliciously nostalgic, channeling the spirit of childhood adventure stories while grounding itself in very adult concerns about career setbacks, family expectations, and the uncomfortable reality of returning home when life goes sideways. Adler captures the specific ache of being thirty-something and feeling like you’ve somehow failed at adulting, a sensation that will resonate with anyone who’s ever wondered where their carefully laid plans went astray.
What begins as a desperate grab for the promised reward money—five thousand dollars left by eccentric turn-of-the-century seltzer magnate Julius James Fountain—evolves into something far more valuable: a chance for Nina and Quentin to excavate the debris of their shared past and discover what remains worth salvaging.
The Heart Beneath the Hunt
Adler’s greatest strength lies in her character development, particularly in how she handles Nina’s internal journey. Nina isn’t just dealing with romantic complications; she’s grappling with identity crisis, anxiety, and the crushing weight of perceived failure. The author skillfully avoids the trap of making Nina’s worth dependent solely on romantic validation, instead allowing her to discover her own value throughout the treasure hunt.
The dynamic between Nina and Quentin crackles with authentic tension. Their banter feels natural and lived-in, peppered with inside jokes and shared references that speak to years of friendship. Adler excels at showing rather than telling us about their connection, whether through Quentin’s unconscious habit of buying Nina’s favorite coffee or Nina’s ability to read his moods from the set of his shoulders.
However, the central conflict—Quentin’s decision to hide the treasure for nearly two decades—stretches credibility. While his teenage motivations make sense, the adult Quentin’s continued deception feels more like plot necessity than character-driven choice. The revelation, when it comes, produces the required emotional fireworks, but the resolution feels somewhat rushed given the magnitude of the betrayal.
A Supporting Cast Worth Their Weight in Gold
The secondary characters add delightful texture to the story. Nina’s parents emerge as fully realized individuals rather than romance novel stock figures, with her mother’s nude drawing class subplot providing both humor and genuine character development. Hanako, Nina’s potential new friend, offers a refreshing perspective on adult friendships and the possibility of connection beyond high school relationships.
The historical elements featuring Julius Fountain and his secretary Louisa Worman deserve special mention. Adler weaves their story through oral history transcripts that feel authentically researched and add genuine depth to the treasure hunt mythology. The revelation of their relationship provides a poignant parallel to Nina and Quentin’s story, though the connection could have been explored more thoroughly.
Style and Substance: Where Adler Shines and Stumbles
Adler’s prose sparkles with wit and observational humor. She has a gift for turning phrase that makes even mundane moments feel fresh and engaging. Her dialogue particularly shines, capturing the rhythms of natural conversation while advancing both plot and character development.
The author’s background as a historian shows in her meticulous attention to detail, particularly in the WPA-inspired oral history sections. These interludes provide fascinating glimpses into Depression-era life while cleverly advancing the treasure hunt plot. However, sometimes this attention to detail works against the narrative momentum, with certain scenes feeling over-researched rather than emotionally necessary.
The pacing suffers from occasional unevenness. The middle section drags as Nina and Quentin engage in repetitive treasure hunting activities, and some of their relationship angst feels artificially prolonged. The book would benefit from tighter editing in these sections, allowing the stronger emotional beats to land with more impact.
Emotional Excavation: The Real Treasure
Where Finders Keepers by Sarah Adler truly succeeds is in its exploration of how we construct narratives about ourselves and others, often missing what’s “real and in front of us.” Both Nina and Quentin spend years telling themselves stories about their unworthiness that prevent them from seeing clearly. The treasure hunt becomes a metaphor for the work required to uncover authentic connection beneath layers of self-protection and assumption.
Nina’s struggle with anxiety and depression receives thoughtful treatment, avoiding both stigmatization and oversimplification. Adler shows how these conditions affect decision-making and relationships without making them the sole focus of the character’s identity. Similarly, Quentin’s people-pleasing tendencies and fear of abandonment feel psychologically authentic rather than contrived.
The book’s message about accepting oneself and finding value in the present moment rather than constantly striving for some idealized future version resonates strongly, particularly in our achievement-obsessed culture.
Technical Craftsmanship: A Mixed Bag
Adler demonstrates solid romance writing fundamentals, building sexual tension effectively while maintaining emotional stakes. The intimate scenes feel organic to the characters and story rather than obligatory, though they could use more sensual detail to fully satisfy genre expectations.
The treasure hunt plot mechanics work well overall, with clues that feel solvable but not obvious. The historical research adds authenticity, though occasionally threatens to overwhelm the romance elements. The small-town setting of Catoctin feels genuine and lived-in, providing the perfect backdrop for a story about confronting the past.
However, some plot contrivances strain credibility. Quentin’s decades-long deception requires significant suspension of disbelief, and certain convenient coincidences (like Jon Bon Jovi’s interest in the puzzle box) feel more cute than convincing.
How Finders Keepers Measures Against Adler’s Previous Work
Compared to Adler’s debut Mrs. Nash’s Ashes, this sophomore effort shows growth in character development and emotional complexity. While Mrs. Nash’s Ashes relied more heavily on situational comedy, Finders Keepers by Sarah Adler attempts deeper psychological exploration, though not always successfully. The historical elements feel more integrated here than in Happy Medium, showing Adler’s increasing confidence in blending genres.
The humor remains consistent with Adler’s previous work—quirky without being forced, situational rather than slapstick. Her voice has become more assured, though she still occasionally tries too hard to be clever at the expense of emotional authenticity.
For Readers Seeking Similar Treasures
Fans of Finders Keepers by Sarah Adler will likely enjoy:
- Emily Henry’s Beach Read – for second-chance romance with emotional depth
- Christina Lauren’s The Unhoneymooners – for enemies-to-lovers banter and tropical settings
- Jasmine Guillory’s Flirting Lessons – for contemporary romance with multicultural characters
- Sarah Hogle’s You Deserve Each Other – for couples working through relationship challenges
- Colleen Oakley’s The Mostly True Story of Jack – for treasure hunting adventures with heart
Final Verdict: Worth the Hunt
Finders Keepers by Sarah Adler succeeds more often than it fails, delivering an engaging romance with genuine emotional stakes and sufficient wit to carry readers through its weaker moments. While the central deception plot requires significant buy-in and some pacing issues prevent it from reaching its full potential, Adler’s skill with character development and dialogue creates enough goodwill to overlook these flaws.
The book works best when focusing on Nina’s personal growth and the authentic chemistry between the leads. It stumbles when trying to over-complicate what could be a simpler, more emotionally direct story. Readers seeking light romantic escapism with touches of historical flavor and small-town charm will find plenty to enjoy, though those wanting either deeper psychological exploration or pure comedic fluff might feel somewhat unsatisfied.
Sarah Adler continues to establish herself as a reliable voice in contemporary romance, offering stories that balance humor with heart while avoiding the genre’s most egregious clichés. Finders Keepers by Sarah Adler represents solid middle-tier romance reading—engaging enough to recommend but not quite special enough to become a keeper on the permanent bookshelf.
- Recommended for: Fans of second-chance romance, treasure hunting adventures, small-town settings, and readers who enjoy historical elements woven into contemporary stories.
- Content considerations: Mental health themes (anxiety, depression), mild sexual content, brief language, family medical issues referenced in the past.
