Wow! I just finished a truly unique and creative read, and when I was through, all I could say was, Wow! Finding Fizz, the new novel by author Julie Hodgson, follows the story of Sam, a forlorn soul who finds himself trapped in heaven. Trapped in heaven? a reader might wonder. How can one be trapped in the place that all aspire to reach? Well, you can get trapped when your well-meaning but rather meddlesome guardian angel, Athena, has done something that has caused you to be there before it was really appropriate. Determined to make amends, Athena allows Sam to be reincarnated over and over again in the hopes that he will be reunited with his only true love, Fizz. Breaking all the rules, she feels she's doing Sam a favor, but Sam's fate follows him no matter where or who he is. Will he and Fizz ever have the chance to live in peace?

Finding Fizz was a great, great read, and I enjoyed it immensely. Author Julie Hodgson has done a fantastic job in creating interesting settings and characters that her readers will enjoy, relate to, and come to care about. If that isn't a hallmark of a great author, I'm not sure what is. Any reader who enjoys creative and unique story lines, fantastic characters, or just a great work of fiction will love Finding Fizz. I highly recommend this book, and I will certainly keep my eyes peeled for more work by author Julie Hodgson. Her creativity and original writing style will surely make her a promising author to watch!

Finding Fizz by Julie Hodgson is a fantasy story that unravels in the late sixteenth century. Sam finds himself in what seems like paradise but he feels indescribably and oddly lonely and miserable. Hearing a woman cry, he finds the remorseful Athena, his guardian angel, who has done the unthinkable by intervening in Sam’s destiny. As a result, Sam’s heart is circling the earth, desperately looking for Fizz, his soul mate. Athena’s action results in Sam being unable to move forward and never finding peace. As the story continues, we learn that Sam is the son of the Lord Mardridge, whose best friend Robin has been beheaded for his murder. Falling in love with an ale man’s daughter, the beautiful Felicity or Fizz, Sam’s life is turned upside down but this happened hundreds of years ago. The plot fast forwards to the present time and to the lives of Noah and his best friend Thane. Noah is madly in love with Charlotte and the couple believes they are soul mates. What really happened on that fateful day in ancient Mardridge and can Sam escape from his destiny this time?

Beautifully written and vividly descriptive, Finding Fizz is a love story that goes beyond generations. Author Julie Hodgson brings us from timeless paradise to the era of the Tudors and the present time with such ease that it seems the most natural thing to happen on earth. As the novel opens with Sam awakening in a holy land of unmatched beauty, where a unicorn grazes on the banks of a river, we cannot help but notice the inimitable lyrical style of Ms. Hodgson. With characters like Athena, Chrono, a talking unicorn, and a generous river, there is no dearth of imagination in this novel. What is amazing is that the characters and the plot itself do not seem to be contrived at all. On the contrary, Finding Fizz makes you believe that love, indeed, is the most potent force in the whole world. This is a book that I highly recommend to readers of all ages!