Wanderlove (review)

4/5 books

Wanderlove is the type of book that makes you dream.  I've always wanted to backpack. ALWAYS.  And it was always something I intended to get around to eventually.  But I still haven't and am beginning to realize that it may never happen.  The good news is I can read books like Wanderlove that make me yearn for a do-over, yet doesn't make me miserable with regret.  This book is an enjoyable, happy reading experience.

This is the type of book I want to give to a teenager.  Not because the characters are excellent role models or make all the right choices.  I want to give them this book because I want them to learn to dream big dreams.  Life isn't always about what your job is or how much money you make, it's about the little excursions and diversions along the way.

Wanderlove is not a perfect book.  The main character took awhile to grow on me.  She's a little meek and way too wrapped up in her ex-boyfriend for my liking.  But here's the thing; Bria grows up over the course of the novel, not entirely and not unrealistically, but enough that I like her character development.  The Bria at the end is smarter and more aware than the Bria at the end of the book.  That's something I really like to see.

My favorite part of the books might be Bria's lists and travel tips.  That's where the voice really shines and I find myself chuckling.  Bria writes everything that she's too meek and bashful to say and her insights are sometimes deep and sometimes hilarious.

Global Vagabonds Rules for Third World Travel
-Don't shake hands with the locals 
-Don't drink the water
-Don't touch your face after touching the water
-Don't eat street cart tamales or buy street car tamales, or approach street cards or even make eye contact with street cart vendors...

A lot of people are going to swoon over Rowan, the nice guy with a dark past, scuba instructor backpacking guy, it's just inevitable.  He's a well-rounded character, believably non-perfect and surprisingly swoonworthy despite his questionable ponytail and occasional hygiene woes. (To be fair, all backpackers have hygiene problems)

This book is pleasant read, with enough depth that you'll find yourself thinking but not so heavy that you can't enjoy it poolside.