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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is just so good! It left me with so much emotion. It's very relatable, deals with heavy issues in a great way and it's was just so enjoyable to read.
Her writing style is so amazing and i really love this book!
Her writing style is so amazing and i really love this book!
Destination Anywhere is a beautiful coming-of-age story. Peyton never really had real friends and was bullied in High School so when something bad happens with her college "friends", she takes a plane to Canada. It really is an hommage to Canada, and being Canadian, it makes me want to discover my country. Really beautiful ending.
TW: use of drugs, bullying, underage drinking
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the free ebook copy in exchange of an honest review.
TW: use of drugs, bullying, underage drinking
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the free ebook copy in exchange of an honest review.
“You can’t set your self esteem by other people. It is never your fault if people don’t see what’s good in you.”
***Content Warnings : Bullying, drug abuse and verbal abuse.
This book was a very, very emotional experience. It was my first Sara Barnard novel too, and I am so impressed with the author’s ability to make emotions come alive through the pages of a book. We follow Peyton as she leaves UK to travel to Canada on her own, because she needs to find her true self. The cover might seem fluffy and all ~ but the book deals with many complex issues like abandonment and bullying. The story is divided into two timelines : before and after. The plot layout was very interestingly done, since we get to see Peyton discovering what true friendship truly is at present time, compared to the way she was awfully treated by her so-called friends in the past timeline. It made me empathize with her in a way I didn’t expect to.
My favourite part of the book was how it represented a well-known lesson : ” A little bit of kindness goes a very long way. ” Peyton found a group of people to travel throughout Canada with, and they were so unconditionally supportive of her. It made her see a new version of herself. AND I WAS SO HAPPY FOR HER. Peyton, for me wasn’t a character I always liked (you’ll know why when you read the book) but man, her character development made me so, so happy.
***Content Warnings : Bullying, drug abuse and verbal abuse.
This book was a very, very emotional experience. It was my first Sara Barnard novel too, and I am so impressed with the author’s ability to make emotions come alive through the pages of a book. We follow Peyton as she leaves UK to travel to Canada on her own, because she needs to find her true self. The cover might seem fluffy and all ~ but the book deals with many complex issues like abandonment and bullying. The story is divided into two timelines : before and after. The plot layout was very interestingly done, since we get to see Peyton discovering what true friendship truly is at present time, compared to the way she was awfully treated by her so-called friends in the past timeline. It made me empathize with her in a way I didn’t expect to.
My favourite part of the book was how it represented a well-known lesson : ” A little bit of kindness goes a very long way. ” Peyton found a group of people to travel throughout Canada with, and they were so unconditionally supportive of her. It made her see a new version of herself. AND I WAS SO HAPPY FOR HER. Peyton, for me wasn’t a character I always liked (you’ll know why when you read the book) but man, her character development made me so, so happy.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!
I really enjoyed the idea of this book as well as some of the side characters. I thought the idea and the adventure was a lot of fun and enjoyable to read, especially as someone who has solo travelled and met people along the way. After the first few chapters I wasn't able to put the book down, I wanted to know what happened and I think the "before" and "during" chapter switches had a lot to do with that!
But I also thought this book would've been a lot better had it been just a bit longer. A lot of the side characters seemed underdeveloped, if the story had just been a bit longer readers would've been able to get to know them more and cared more about them, especially when it came to saying goodbye to them. In addition, first person books don't typically bother me but this one seemed to switch between a normal first person POV and a diary type POV (often talking to the reader) and that switch ruined the experience a little bit and made it harder to be "in" the book if that makes sense. I 100% would recommend this book to a younger YA audience, but for the 18+ YA fans this one may be a bit too high school and even then if the preface sounds good to you I'd still definitely give it a shot because, again, the story is really good.
I really enjoyed the idea of this book as well as some of the side characters. I thought the idea and the adventure was a lot of fun and enjoyable to read, especially as someone who has solo travelled and met people along the way. After the first few chapters I wasn't able to put the book down, I wanted to know what happened and I think the "before" and "during" chapter switches had a lot to do with that!
But I also thought this book would've been a lot better had it been just a bit longer. A lot of the side characters seemed underdeveloped, if the story had just been a bit longer readers would've been able to get to know them more and cared more about them, especially when it came to saying goodbye to them. In addition, first person books don't typically bother me but this one seemed to switch between a normal first person POV and a diary type POV (often talking to the reader) and that switch ruined the experience a little bit and made it harder to be "in" the book if that makes sense. I 100% would recommend this book to a younger YA audience, but for the 18+ YA fans this one may be a bit too high school and even then if the preface sounds good to you I'd still definitely give it a shot because, again, the story is really good.
4.5 out of 5. I enjoyed this book, but I found myself liking the flashback chapters more than the storyline taking place in the present, which is why it only got 4.5 as I usually really love Sara Barnards books
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Very emotional book about finding yourself and your true friends.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Alcohol
Minor: Car accident
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love Sara Barnard's writing so had no doubt I would enjoy this to some degree. However, it's not my usual style; yes, I love YA, and I love travel, but I usually like a bit more of a mystery or thriller aspect to my books. I don't particularly like romance, and this does have some aspects of romance in it, but is not centred around it which I definitely appreciated.
First of all, I have to say I related to Peyton in a few ways. No, I never experienced exactly what she did (I'll avoid spoilers, but it was certainly dramatic). But I get the feeling of needing to run away, to start over. I also understand her struggle of finding friends, of wanting to fit in and be liked; it's really quite sad how it all backfired on her. And of course, no 17-year-old should really drop out of school and run away from home, but I'm sure a lot of us had times when we were tempted, right?
The journey that Peyton undertakes is quite wonderful. It made me want to travel more myself. At times, Peyton did get emotional and overwhelmed, and I don't blame her. It wasn't a holiday. She had literally run away. But she managed to enjoy herself, meet some wonderful people, and even patch things up with her family who were halfway around the world from her. (Plus, meeting some family that's not so far away, for the very first time.)
It was a pretty feel-good book overall, despite the rather emotional and traumatic backstory. Peyton was certainly a flawed character, as every single one of us is. That made it so much easier to like her and relate to her. It was really easy to read and just enjoyable. 5 stars, though I wouldn't quite put it on my 'favourites' list.
First of all, I have to say I related to Peyton in a few ways. No, I never experienced exactly what she did (I'll avoid spoilers, but it was certainly dramatic). But I get the feeling of needing to run away, to start over. I also understand her struggle of finding friends, of wanting to fit in and be liked; it's really quite sad how it all backfired on her. And of course, no 17-year-old should really drop out of school and run away from home, but I'm sure a lot of us had times when we were tempted, right?
The journey that Peyton undertakes is quite wonderful. It made me want to travel more myself. At times, Peyton did get emotional and overwhelmed, and I don't blame her. It wasn't a holiday. She had literally run away. But she managed to enjoy herself, meet some wonderful people, and even patch things up with her family who were halfway around the world from her. (Plus, meeting some family that's not so far away, for the very first time.)
It was a pretty feel-good book overall, despite the rather emotional and traumatic backstory. Peyton was certainly a flawed character, as every single one of us is. That made it so much easier to like her and relate to her. It was really easy to read and just enjoyable. 5 stars, though I wouldn't quite put it on my 'favourites' list.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes