Where I Found You

Where I Found You (2010) is a contemporary romance novel for young adults by Heidi R. Kling. Nominated for the 2013 Missouri Gateway Readers Award, Where I Found You tells the story of a young girl who spends her summer working in Indonesia in the aftermath of a tsunami, where she meets the boy of her dreams. It is the first novel in the Sea duology. Kling is a bestselling author of books for teenagers. She enjoys writing about normal teenage girls thrown into unusual situations. Where I Found You, Kling’s first novel, was originally published as Sea.

Protagonist Sienna Jones is an adventurous 15-year-old girl who lives with her father in California. Years ago, Sienna lost her mother when her plane went missing somewhere over the Indian Ocean. Now, Sienna can’t swim or surf in the ocean without thinking about her mother. She stays on the shore where the water can’t hurt her.

The book begins just before summer vacation. Sienna’s father, who is a humanitarian, worries that she is missing life because she cannot get over her mother’s death. For her birthday, he gives her a plane ticket. He wants her to join his humanitarian mission in Indonesia, where he is helping orphans and other vulnerable people recover after a tsunami wiped out homes, infrastructure, and entire families. He thinks that the trip will offer Sienna some perspective and help her work through her own grief. Sienna isn’t so sure that it’s a good idea, but she agrees to go on the trip.



When Sienna arrives in Indonesia, her father immediately takes her to a makeshift orphanage. Here, she meets children who have lost everything and everyone they care about. Heartbroken for them, she feels overwhelmed by the task at hand. She doesn’t see how someone like her can make a difference in their lives, but she’s determined to try.

One of the first orphans Sienna meets is a boy called Deni. He is 17, and Sienna can’t help noticing how attractive he is. Deni explains that he’s from a nearby island; he came to the shelter because he has nowhere else to go. Meeting someone as kind and as pretty as Sienna is the best thing that’s happened to him in a long time.

Although Sienna fancies Deni, she can’t forget that she is only in Indonesia for two weeks. It doesn’t matter how attractive or charming Deni is—their relationship can’t go anywhere. Despite her misgivings, Sienna finds excuses to hang out with Deni and to find out more about his life, his former home, and his family.



Deni reminds Sienna that life is for living. Her mother wouldn’t want her to spend the rest of her life terrified of the ocean. She can’t avoid the water forever. Sienna knows that Deni is right, and his own courage inspires her to deal with her grief. The more Deni and Sienna hang out, the more Sienna feels that she’s ready to surf and swim again.

Sienna’s father is glad that she is adjusting to life without her mother, but he worries that she takes Deni too seriously. He reminds her that she is going home in a few weeks and she has two great friends there, Spider and Bev. She is casually dating Spider and he will be disappointed if she doesn’t want him anymore. Despite her father’s warnings, Sienna can’t stop thinking about Deni, and she doesn’t want to leave him behind.

Everything falls apart for Deni and Sienna when Deni’s mysterious past catches up with him. Bad people are looking for him, and he must escape the orphanage before they hurt him. Sienna can’t let Deni run away on his own. She cannot face losing another person she cares about. Against her better judgment, she agrees to run away with Deni to find a new life together somewhere else.



One night, Deni and Sienna flee without saying goodbye to her father or the humanitarian group. They don’t have a plan, but they know they’ll find their way together. Sienna feels guilty but she can’t give up a shot at love. However, they don’t get far before Deni decides that it’s too dangerous for Sienna to follow him.

Sienna doesn’t want to let Deni go, but he promises to leave Indonesia and find her in America. She gives him her address, praying that he finds his way there. She returns to her father and apologizes for running away. He is disappointed in her, but he understands what happened and he’s just glad that she is safe.

Sienna returns to California, leaving Deni behind. No matter how often she hangs out with Spider and Bev, she can’t stop thinking about him. One day, however, he sends word that he is not coming to America. He has hooked up with his ex-girlfriend and is building a life with her. Although this news upsets Sienna, she is ready to move forward with her own life, leaving grief behind.