{Review} Wanderlove by Kristen Hubbard

Title: Wanderlove

Author: Kristen Hubbard

Number of Pgs. 338 Hardcover

Publication date: March 13, 2012
Genre: YA

How I got the copy: Library

From Goodreads:

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 hook ups, 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 old versions of themselves. And the secret to escape 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 to fall for someone worthwhile, she has to start looking back.

I'm going to try a new way of reviewing that I saw over at Making the Grade. It breaks the book down and makes it easier to rate. The way it works is each category gets a score out of ten points. Then you add them all up + 50 (50% automatically for each book) and that's your score out of 100.

- Travel along side Bria through Central America and read about amazing places.

- A lot of self discovery and a little bit of romance.

- A must read!

Plot 9/10: Both main characters are keeping secrets from each other which always makes for an interesting plot. It was not predictable, but at the same time it's still the cute YA book I was expecting and wanting. The ending was so adorable, but I wanted more. I turned the page expecting more and saw Acknowledgements. I was like where's the rest of the book?!

Characters 8/10: Rowan kept me guessing. I didn't know if he would revert to his old bad boy ways. He was so complex, yet he lead such a simple life traveling wherever the next dive job brought him. Bria was annoying at first. She lets her ex rule her life even when she's not with him anymore. As the story goes on I started to like her a lot more. Starling was pretty cool. Wish she was in it more. And I also wish we got to see more of Jack, the devil on Rowan's shoulder. I wish we could have seen Jack's vulnerable side and find out why Starling and Rowan fell for his charm.

Setting 9/10: I heard so many stories about backpacking through Central America from my sister's fiancé. It was so fun to see Bria go through some experiences that were similar to his stories. I really want to visit Central America now! It sounds intense, but beautiful. I loved that the author really described a lot of the scenery. And there were sketches of stuff Bria was seeing on her journey. I was expecting her to describe underwater at some point and I was disappointed when she didn't.

Pacing 10/10: It was fast paced during the dramatic parts and slow during parts where she's taking in the scenery. It was perfect pacing and I never found my mind roaming.

Style 10/10: I could vividly picture this book in my mind and it had nothing to do with the sketches. The way the author described one of the characters was exactly how I pictured them before I saw the sketch at the back of the book. It was awesome!

Final Thoughts: I loved this almost as much as I loved Anna and the French Kiss. I think I might buy it some day. I'm going to recommend this one to my teenage cousin and see what she thinks. Don't wait to read it if you haven't yet.

Total: 96/100

“Envy is when you want what someone else has. Jealousy’s when you also don’t want them to have it.”
― Kirsten Hubbard, Wanderlove

“Even when life turns out different than what you've planned, it's always better to try and fail than to wonder what could have been.”
― Kirsten Hubbard, Wanderlove

“I think I kind of get it," I say. "Your Wanderlove thing."
"Oh Yeah?"
"It's about always looking toward the future. You can appreciate the good things all around you, but the best part is imminent, just out of reach. Like... perpetual anticipation.”
― Kirsten Hubbard, Wanderlove