Kirsten Hubbard

This is a new middle-grade novel -- appropriate for 5th grade and up. Not sure how I feel about it yet. I tore through it in two sittings because it is so compelling, yet it left so much unanswered. Young Jory is an outsider: his stepfather Caleb has always instructed him to trust no one, and to ask himself hard questions about authority and about what he learns in school. No one is safe. There are signs -- an increasing number of them -- that indicate that some kind of catastrophic event is show more about to happen, and the family takes care to prepare, but only Caleb knows for what. Jory endures the awkwardness of school, but for the first time he is making friends and experiencing life outside his family. Just as this is happening, the family's preparations become urgent, leaving Jory torn between his family and his burgeoning independent consciousness.

There is a sense of unease throughout that never is fully resolved -- in fact, the reader is left with more questions than answers at the book's end. In some ways that is a strength -- when authors feel that they need to resolve everything is when credulity stretches to the breaking point. I attribute some of the unease to everyone knowing someone who is very like Caleb the stepfather. An upright man, a strong man, a man determined to protect his family, and a man with a paranoid distrust of authority and belief that some kind of apocalypse is impending. Listens to talk radio all day... super secretive... the only trait this fictional character lacks that his real-life counterparts have is being armed to the teeth. Kids seem to be very sophisticated these days, yet I wonder if the book will seem more sinister to adults and more adventurous (in a kid versus world way) to kids. I can't decide if I love it or even like it, but I am thinking about it a lot, and that is a good thing! show less

A great alternative if you’re feeling a bit burnt out by beach house and lake house novels yet still crave summer vibes in your reading.

Setting plays a fantastic role in this one, from marketplaces to beaches and vistas, stops for food and accommodations, the author very much takes you there.

Really the only part of this I didn’t enjoy as much as the rest was Lobsterfest. I guess attending some big blowout party didn’t really fit with my idea of who Bria and Rowan were by that point show more in the story, and their behavior that night/early morning, it’s the only time when something in this novel felt kind of forced. I liked the aftermath of it, the direction it sent Bria in, how it tests her, I guess I just felt like maybe there could have been another way to get her to that test that seemed a little truer to their characters.

Aside from the feeling of vicarious travel, what I most loved here was that the romance wasn’t at the forefront. I liked them together, the chemistry is evident from the beginning, I enjoyed their shared scenes but I appreciated that Bria does most of her growing apart from Rowan, in particular where her character and this book truly hooked me was in Bria’s journey to reclaim her art, that was almost entirely explored on her own, in private, and as someone interested in creative pursuits and processes and who very much identified with Bria’s fragility surrounding her art, those moments had me invested and eager to turn the pages, to see if she’d get that important side of herself back on track. I really do like it when the girl has bigger things at stake than just getting the boy. show less

At first cover glance, wanderlove appears to be a feel-good book. Peaceful, hopeful, wishful… but what the cover does not say is that readers will be taking a trip into Central America and fall in love with not only the scenery but also the characters. Which is a travesty because wanderlove was absolutely perfect for anyone with that itch to travel!

THE GOOD BITS

{Bria} I think our shoes have got to be the same size because I swear we travel the same wavelength! Her artistic nature resonate show more so close to home with me. It is hard when one’s talents gets crushed by someone else, and I admire Bria as she struggles to figure out if art is worth giving up over a stupid boy. I adored the sketches scattered throughout the story – and I think that anyone with creative juices can easily sympathize with Bria.

{A journey worth a thousand steps and a few scrapes} I think Bria had the most perfect travel experience – not because she had booked an official tour, but because she had the balls to throw away the travel guide and truly embrace the backpacking lifestyle. I have never been anywhere nearly exciting, but I know several people who have – and seriously I can picture Bria, Rowan, and Starling quite easily. I would probably be in the same “uncool and untried” state as Bria, and I hope to be just as fortunate to meet the “cool travel kids” to take me under their wings.

{Sweet bud of a romance} Delicious, delicious tension – and I totally LOVED how Kirsten Hubbard handles Bria and Rowan’s relationship! I am all for the friends-first philosophy, and watching Bria and Rowan get stuck together against both their better judgments is totally worth the wait! The combination of Rowan’s mysterious past and Bria’s love-gone-wrong one created an impressive wall that they each had to break down. My favorite scenes involve them sitting in a hammock and simply talking.

THE BAD BITS

{The “no strings attached” storyline} I braced myself for Bria to be a wild child, especially at the very beginning since I did not know what to expect from wanderlove. I can understand why Bria might choose to use Central America as a way to nurse a broken heart – but, given how much Bria and I are like mind-twins, I simply cannot fathom meaningless hookups for her. While I am glad that this storyline did not take that direction, I do not quite understand why it entered into Bria’s travel itinerary.

THE OVERALL

I left wanderlove with a big, goofy grin on my face – and perhaps a few more dreamy-eyed thoughts about when I would follow Bria’s footsteps into the world. wanderlove makes the allure of traveling all the more tangible for anyone who dares to make it happen, and it also reminds us that sometimes the best travel plans are those left to where the wind blows or the heart desires. show less

When Bria Sandoval sets off for Central America after her high school graduation, she only wants to escape her life: her emotionally manipulative boyfriend has just broken up with her, and she fears that she has lost her love of art forever. Along the way, she meets Rowan, an alluring, experienced backpacker with a past that he seems to want to move on from. Can these two young adults find what they need in the gorgeous landscape of Central America—and one another?

Drawing on her own show more experiences as a backpacker, Kirsten Hubbard pens a story that is not only rich in exotic descriptions but also in a pair of damaged yet wonderful lovers.

The main issue that I had with Hubbard’s first novel, Like Mandarin, was in my lack of connection with the underdeveloped characters. Fortunately, I didn’t have that problem with Bria or Rowan. Oh, I’ll be honest: they are two so very private, very introspective individuals that at the beginning I was worried it would be yet another story with pretty descriptions and bland characters. But even if I didn’t immediately love the characters, I certainly admired them: Bria may be in a rough place in her life, but she still maintains an irrepressible spark of wit and gumption in her narration, and Rowan’s aloofness hides a sweet and utterly real young man. Their attraction to one another (yeah, okay, we’re not going to lie and say we didn’t see it coming, so this is not a spoiler) develops gradually, which initially threw me off, because I’ve become (sadly) accustomed to insta-romances in YA, but which, by the end, I wholeheartedly appreciated.

WANDERLOVE’s setting in the culturally and environmentally colorful world of Central America certainly adds uniqueness to the story, but ultimately this is a romance—a sweet and subtle and absolutely wonderful one that I can think back on with a smile. For those who are constantly on the lookout for a good YA romance, WANDERLOVE should be on your radar. show less