Synopsis
Jack is on the verge for leaving for college, but before he does, he wants to track down his estranged brother, Alex and find some closure in the wake of their father’s death. Meanwhile, Hallie has just found out some upsetting news about a friend in Oregon, and she has a small window to go see him before it’s too late.
Jack and Hallie are practically strangers. They shared a class together years ago and haven’t seen each other since, though they have more in common than they’d ever imagine. And when fate puts them into the same rideshare to the bus terminal, it kicks off an unconventional and hilarious adventure that may lead them to their own true selves…and maybe to each other.
Title: Where the Road Leads Us
Author: Robin Reul
Publication Date: April 6, 2021
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Youn Adult, Contemporary
Review
This book had a lot of heart. That was my first thought while reading it. As well, it contains moments of full-belly laughter, true charismatic characters, and one emotional adventure.
While this was an emotional story for many reasons, I’m happy to report that it was told in a humorous and easy way so as to keep the overall mood a little lighter. Don’t get me wrong. I love a good tear-jerker, but I was hoping this book would be a little lighter, and it was. It blended the seriousness of our characters’ goals for the trip with the craziness of this “I’m getting in a car with a nearly complete stranger” road trip. I really appreciated that balance.
Now, I want to point out how great the emotional moments were. They not only helped the characters develop and work through some of their issues, but they also lent some insights to me as the reader. There are lots of lessons that can be learned through this book and I was happy the emotional and serious moments allowed me to digest these lessons. They also made this book into more than “just another road trip novel.”
Overall, this was a well-balanced and easy-to-read book for every season of life. Also, as if the synopsis wasn’t enticing enough, check out that cover!! Wow!!
Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed a gifted and advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Rating
About the Author
The author of MY KIND OF CRAZY and the forthcoming WHERE THE ROAD LEADS US, Robin Reul has been writing since she was in early elementary school, when she used to make her own book club flyers for her classmates and then pen them original stories. Though she grew up on movie sets and worked for many years in the film and television industry both as an actress and in motion picture development, she ultimately decided to focus her attention on writing young adult novels.
Inspired by novelists like John Green and Sarah Dessen and screenwriters like John Hughes and Richard Linklater, she loves to write stories that straddle the line between humor and heartbreak, filled with quirky, memorable characters who stay with the reader long after the story ends. When she’s not writing, Robin can be found drinking copious amounts of iced coffee and listening to way too much 80’s music. She lives in Los Angeles suburbia.
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