“And for the first time in his life Peter understood what the opposite of lost was: that it had nothing to do with maps or directions or staying on course; that it was, in fact, nothing more than being found.”

Stars (Out of 10): 9/10

Overall Thoughts: Jennifer E. Smith’s books are always a nice break from the tension and seriousness a lot of other books and series have. It’s always nice being able to pick up one of her books noncommittally, thinking “I’m going to feel something while reading this, and it’s going to be great, and then my life will go on a little bit better because of this good thing.” That was no different with this book. While I liked the characters a little less than some of the other books of hers, I still really enjoyed it. If you’re a fan of the writing style that purposely tries to mean something, and succeeds, this book, and her books in general, are definitely a thing for you.

SPOILERS BEGIN HERE

The Good: I always love the language of Smith’s books, and how the metaphors and sentences so easily make me feel something, and feel as if I completely know where these characters are coming from, and that I too am a part in their story. I also love the growth and change we actually see take course over these couple days in Emma and Peter’s lives, as they accept the people around them a bit more, and learn how to better be themselves, accepting that as well.

The Bad: There were so many times I hated Emma, for the things she said that she shouldn’t have, and for the things she didn’t say when she should’ve. While we do see this change, it made some scenes a tad less enjoyable. I’m also upset we never got a name for that dog >:(

The Characters: There was a pretty broad cast of characters in this one. We saw basically a switcheroo of families and kids, Emma not fitting into hers, and Peter not fitting into his. We see them grow in understand through their road trip, which is definitely the best part. They start appreciating what they have, now that they have put it all on the line,

The Plot: While I guess there wasn’t much in the way of this, I did still enjoy it. From the road trip(always have had a thing for those, especially after Paper Towns), to seeing how all the little pieces came into play, the plot was still there enough to keep me enraptured in the emotional story that was taking place at the same time.

The Favorite Character: Peter

Buy it, Borrow it, or Bin it: Buy it

This review can also be found on my blog: https://paragraphsandpages.wordpress.com/