***3.5 ‘It’s All About the Journey’ Stars***
I’ve waffled over this one a bit because while I really did enjoy the journey that Anna went on, it didn’t give me the emotional gut punch I was expecting. It’s not a bad thing in anyway, in fact I’m quite happy with how the every thing in the book played out and the tone of it, I just feel like there should have been a little more to it. Since this is a debate that I don’t see winning any time soon I’m simply going to go with it being a “It’s not you, it’s me’ sitch and call it a day because it was a good story in the end.
Anna was an interesting character in that I felt she was an amalgamation of your typical 17 year old. She was head strong and insecure in equal measure. It wasn’t easy for her to open up about her feelings, but when she did it was like a tsunami coming at you. She was selfish and generous and couldn’t always see past her own nose, but she was at heart, a good person and I enjoyed watching her take on the list, with the help of Cameron, and how her perception of the world shifted just a little.
As I said, I liked the tone of the story and it’s because the author could have most definitely made it more melancholy and focused on what Anna and her family lost, but instead she made it more of a celebration of Storm’s life and I found that to be quite refreshing. This isn’t to say that there weren’t moments where you felt the pain of losing a child, sister and friend, because there were, but it wasn’t the focus, healing from the loss was. I liked how Cameron and Anna’s relationship evolved and while the twist in the story didn’t surprise me all that much, it still worked for me in the end.
~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley ~
Anna's always idolized her older sister, Storm. So when Storm dies in a tragic car accident on the night of her high school graduation, Anna is completely lost and her family is torn apart. That is, until she finds Storm's summer bucket list and decides to honor her sister by having the best summer ever—which includes taking an epic road trip to the coast from her sleepy Iowa town. Setting out to do everything on Storm's list along with her sister’s best friend Cameron—the boy next door—who knew that Storm's dream summer would eventually lead to Anna's own self-discovery?
Book Summary
Genre: YA/Contemporary
Published By: Running Press Kids
Release Date: April 9th, 2017
Pages: 320
Rachel Bateman is a writer and editor who spends too much time thinking she can out bake the Cake Boss. (Spoiler: She can’t.) She lives in the middle of Montana, but dreams of the South. Rachel is the owner of Metamorphosis Books, an author services company offering formatting and interior layout for independent authors. When not writing, editing, or reading books, she can be found playing with her husband, young son, and small zoo of pets.
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