Review: Wanderlove

Wanderlove by Kristen Hubbard
Release Date: TODAY!
Delacorte Books 

Source: ARC from publisher for review
Amazon/Goodreads


Summary:  It all begins with a stupid question: 


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. 


Kirsten Hubbard lends her artistry to this ultimate backpacker novel, weaving her drawings into the text. Her career as a travel writer and her experiences as a real-life vagabond backpacking Central America are deeply seeded in this inspiring story.


Review: When I first glanced at Wanderlove I thought it was just about traveling book about finding yourself. It just didn't interest me. Then I started hearing more and more about how perfect Wanderlove is. The early reviews were all raving about this travel book. All of this made me very curious about the novel. When I was given the chance to review it, I said yes as soon as I could. It's a good thing I did because Wanderlove is one of my favorite novels so far this year, maybe even my favorite.

If you are like me and think this is going to be another 13 Little Envelopes, or Amy and Roger's Epic Detour, you couldn't be more wrong. Wanderlove marches to its own beat. Kirsten Hubbard's writing just flows perfectly. She describes all the places Bria goes perfectly, I could picture the markets, lakes, and Rowan perfectly (Of course, the drawings help some too). When Bria was nervous, mad, or happy, you feel like you're right there with her feeling the same emotions. Kirsten Hubbard's writing just captures you.

There were only two problems I had with Wanderlove. For me, it took a couple of chapter to really get into the novel. At first, for some reason, the story just didn't capture me. However, once Bria ditches her tour group I couldn't put the novel down. It actually made me late to a few things; I just couldn't stop reading long enough to leave the house.

The second problem that I had with Wanderlove, is how it ended. I was so much more. It's easy to understand why the author left it there but I Just didn't want to leave Bria and Rowan just yet. I want to know where their future leads them. Other than that, Wanderlove was just perfect. It will transport you all over South America for 352 pages, with some great pictures added to the mix.

Warning: Wanderlove will give you the urging to travel



--Danielle