Book Review: Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: March 13, 2012
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
352 Pages

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.

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Review:

Wanderlove is lovely. (Excuse the pun!) Passionate is the word that comes to mind. I was skeptical at first, because I wasn't a fan of the cover and I've tried reading books with similar plots before that just didn't work for me. I was wary going into this, but that changed almost immediately.

From the first chapter, it had me hooked. The words are beautiful, and the plot alone blew me away. It made me want to travel the world, just meet the natives, eat their food, take a million pictures and never go home. Of course, as a broke college student, the likelihood of that is slim-to-none. Though, I really, really do want to be a vagabond now! (I have spent hours since I finished the book googling it. Ms. Hubbard has seriously ruined me, in the best way.)

This novel was so powerful. I couldn't put it down. Everything about this book just clicked. It fit so well together and had the most beautiful message of needing to find yourself before you can really find happiness. It was just phenomenal. One of the best books that I've read so far this year. It was truly inspiring.

And there are drawings in it! Beautiful, lovely, gorgeous drawings. Down by the author herself. If Ms. Hubbard ever choosing to retire from writing, which I hope she won't, she could definitely have a career in art. The drawings really added to the story and fit in because they showed Bria's art and what she saw during her travels. She has such a keen eye and draws so well. I'm jealous of Kirsten's (and Bria's) talent!

The narrator is great. I've never read a character named "Bria," so that lead to an interesting start! She's a lot like your average teenage girl. It begins with her wanting to prove herself to herself and everyone who ever doubted her. She wants to let go of her fears and be free enough to travel. She is written so realistically that you are able to relate with Bria and understand her emotions and actions as the occur. The author wrote Bria and all of her other characters amazingly. I fell in love with them instantly.

And I loved that this contemporary romance novel was not focused on romance. The romance was amazing, but pretty subtle until the end. It was great not to read a book that centered around the main character finding love. Too many novels based on "every day life" are that way, when life isn't all romance and roses. This was a great view of reality.

I loved everything about this novel. I almost started to cry when I finished. I never wanted it to end. I teared up reading Bria's story and the ending… I swooned and wished I could feel that kind of happiness, that kind of freedom. Ms. Hubbard writes excellently. I will definitely read her future novels and her past one. I am sure they will be as awe-inspiring as this one was.

I received and e-copy of this novel from the publisher via Netgalley for my honest opinion and review.