To me, this would have been a 2 star book, but the use of the R-word a number of times was unacceptable to me.

We follow Collin as he is broken up with for the 19th time by a Katherine. Him and Hassan, his best friend, decide to take a road trip as Collin has just graduated high school. Hassan is a year older and is debating starting his second gap year. They find the grave of Franz Ferdinand in Gunshot, a small town in Tennessee. There, they meet Hollis and Lindsey, a mother-daughter duo who run the town. Hassan and Collin get jobs for Hollis, and all three teens (Hassan, Collin, and Lindsey) go through a 'life-changing' summer.

The beginning was charming, but once they were in Gunshot, it went downhill for me. Collin was a flat character for me and I didn't like his character arc. Hassan and Lindsey were okay, but not very interesting. I felt none of the major revelations or plot twists land for me.

I know John Green has apologized for Paper Towns, but have not seen an apology for the use of the R word in this book, which is disappointing.