Publication Date: March 13, 2012Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Stand Alone Novel
Young Adult
Pages: 352
Genre: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Romance, Travel
It all begins with a stupid question:*Galley provided by publisher for review*
Are you a Global Vagabond? No, but 18-year-old Bria Sandoval wants to be. In a quest for independence, her neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she signs up for a guided tour of Central America—the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists with fanny packs are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. When Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his outspokenly humanitarian sister Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path. Bria's a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan's a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel across a panorama of Mayan villages, remote Belizean islands, and hostels plagued with jungle beasties, they discover what they've got in common: both seek to leave behind the old versions of themselves. And the secret to escaping the past, Rowan’s found, is to keep moving forward. But Bria comes to realize she can't run forever, no matter what Rowan says. If she ever wants the courage to fall for someone worthwhile, she has to start looking back.
When I saw this title up on Netgalley I just scrolled over it, not taken by the synopsis or even the cover. But after dwelling on a few reviews and reading the synopsis over again I decided to give the novel a shot. And I'm glad I did. Wanderlove has to be my favorite contemporary fiction novel of 2012 at the moment.The artwork. It was a cute surprise while reading, when they just pop up and it look great on my Kindle! And definitely a nice reminder as to what things looked like or even a big help when trying to picture the people, the islands, the bugs. It was just adorable and always enjoyed looking at them when they popped up on the screen.Bria as a character was adorable and easy to relate to, definitely a fun girl that I would love to hang out with from time to time. With the change to go backpacking around Central America with the zealous Starling and the beautiful Rowan, I was jealous at such an opportunity but happy that she had the guts to even get herself into that situation. Despite the constant reoccurring memory of Toby, her ex-boyfriend who was severely lacking in the caring department, Bria is a character that I would definitely look up to. Someone who acts on impulses and defies what is expected of her and looks towards what she expects of herself. Though she bottles up all these emotions and an shy away what she's truly feeling, Bria is a character that shines like a star.
There are so many feeling that I could write about but I don't even know if I could fathom the words for my adoration towards this novel. It's just beautiful. Even though I didn't give it the highest rating, I still deeply adored the novel to pieces. I can definitely see myself reading any other novels written by Kirsten Hubbard in the future. She definitely rocks!
First Line: As soon as I see the blond girl bouncing down the aisle, I know she's heading for the empty seat beside me.
Story: S
Cover: B
