Review: Finding Home by Lauren Baker

Her family, her friends and her conscience all say it's wrong to fall for the hustler she rescued from the streets. How come it feels so right? When Megan first meets Mouth, a homeless teenage hustler, on the streets of L.A., he's the perfect subject for the street life expose she hopes will help her break into journalism. She doesn't expect to be drawn into his life and become his friend-or to take him in after he's been beaten and robbed by thugs. As they learn to live together, a powerful attraction flourishes between Megan and the young man. Although he's street smart, tough and mature, he's also a youth in transition. When they finally give in to the sexual heat between them, Megan fears she's taking advantage of her position as his mentor. Their relationship challenges every aspect of her life. Megan must make difficult choices between the conflicting demands of her friends and family, her career and love. Warning: Explicit sex, reference to underage sex, graphic language, violence.

Megan is a young woman, who is trying to make a name for herself in her career. She wants to be a journalist, but is currently stuck being a copy editor. In order to make her career her own, she sets out to find her own story. She comes across these young kids who are selling themselves. Underage homeless kids prostituting themselves. She spends her nights hanging out against a wall, watching the kids, trying to get them to talk to her. She meets a couple young men, Mouth, Ricky and Elf. 

Ricky is a talkative, outlandish boy, who loves to run is mouth but is totally lovable. Elf is a quiet kid who doesn't say much and spends most of his time following Ricky. These two makes make you wish you could take them home and take care of them. Mouth is incredibly sexy, even at 17 and causes Megan to have some pretty steamy inappropriate thoughts. 

He shrugged. "I'm good at blowjobs."
"So it became your nickname?"
"Yeah, well it's better than Ass, don't you think?"

Megan spends weeks with these kids, getting to know them, watching them head off to do her work, but once she has her assignment finished, she can't seem to stay away from Mouth and is soon inviting him into her home.. but can she control herself having him in her home?

It was hard to read. Not necessarily in a bad way but you knew what was happening was wrong and yet you wanted it to happen. You almost felt like Megan in those moments. Trying to resist the temptation of the underage boy. Trying to justify fit in your mind. Find ways to make it okay. "He is much more mature the your average 17 year old boy. He's been through more then I could ever dream of" but all those reasons are just more reasons that it was wrong. This was a dark read that requires an open mind, but it's a beautiful story that had me riveted.