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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
Ok so for me this was such a different book written by Sara. I absolutely loved it from beginning to end and my god did my heart wrench for Peyton and what she went through while growing up.
However it was such a sweet and innocent book about a young girl who spontaneously books a flight to Canada with no idea where or what she is doing!!!
I loved her relationship with all the people she meets along the way and how she grown to trust and love them all. Its really beautiful because it shows you just how easy it is to make friends, even with not a lot in common. Another thing I loved about this book was how you got short snippets into Peyton's life before she goes to Canada. I was utterly heartbroken to find out what her new friends did to Peyton latter on in the book, oh I just want to give Peyton a massive hug and tell her everything will be ok
However it was such a sweet and innocent book about a young girl who spontaneously books a flight to Canada with no idea where or what she is doing!!!
I loved her relationship with all the people she meets along the way and how she grown to trust and love them all. Its really beautiful because it shows you just how easy it is to make friends, even with not a lot in common. Another thing I loved about this book was how you got short snippets into Peyton's life before she goes to Canada. I was utterly heartbroken to find out what her new friends did to Peyton latter on in the book, oh I just want to give Peyton a massive hug and tell her everything will be ok
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-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
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Toxic relationship
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use
Minor: Homophobia
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've said this before and I'll say this again, I wish I had Sara Barnard's books when I was a teenager. They really speak to the realistic emotions, feelings that I definitely had when I was a teen. This book isnno different! I had a hard time putting this one down! I was just so engrossed in the compelling writing that I found myself to be actually with Peyton. Peyton is also such a well-developed character, someone that anyone, particularly teen readers, would identify with. I kept telling myself, "I exactly felt that way!" with every internal thought she had. This is a must read for anyone. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll feel inspired and uplifted after you read the lats sentence. What we definitely need for the new year!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use
One day Sara will write a book that doesn't hurt my heart, but this is not that book. I hurt so much for Peyton, loved her adventure and the way she works to heal herself. This is another fantastic book from Sara and you all need to read it.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.
This review will either be difficult to write, or really easy. As soon as I heard about this book, and took a look at the synopsis, I decided to request a copy from the publisher, as I had really enjoyed a previous book by this author, A Quiet Kind of Thunder, and was expecting the same from this one. As you can see from the dates read, it took me neigh on 4 weeks to finish the book, and it's not like it was too long - it was only 320 pages. In Destination Anywhere, the main character Peyton is 17, and after having a horrific 5 years at secondary school, where she was bullied constantly, she hoped sixth form would be different. And it was, at first. But when it also starts to go wrong, she takes her dad's credit card, books a ticket to Canada, and jumps ship. She has no idea of what she'll do in Canada, except explore, and have an adventure. As the story gets going, we learn more about her life before and now, to fully understand her motives.
That all sounds good, yeah? Well, that's what I thought too, but pretty much from the beginning I had issues. Now, I'm not going to ignore that Peyton's life at school was horrific, but I can't understand how nothing was done in the entire five years she was there, either by her parents or her teachers. Next we get to her managing to travel, internationally, alone at 17, with next to no questioning. When I was that age, I was arriving back into the UK after being abroad, and the border officer sent me through by myself, and I was questioned, extensively, about why I was alone, and it was only when they let my Mam come to the same booth - she'd been sent through already - and they checked her passport, I was ok. And that was me arriving into my home country, not a foreign one.
After I got over that, I started to get bored by Peyton, herself. She just wasn't a character I liked, and I found her whinging all the time just annoying. It was eye-roll inducing, and not exactly enjoyable. I think that was when I put the book down for a bit, and actually read another few books in the mean time, but once lockdown was upon us, I decided I may as well finish it, and dove back in. This is when it all got a bit too much.
Like I said earlier, the book is split into two parts, the before she fled, and the now while she's in Canada. The before chapters were simultaneously boring, and cringe worthy. Peyton finds a group of friends at sixth form, including Flick, Travis, Eric, and Casey, and falls right in with them. But, then, the problems start. Flick is self centred, and her boyfriend, Eric, is abusive and a bully. Travis and Peyton soon become a thing, and the next thing you know they're sleeping together and telling each other they love them, when they clearly don't, and Casey is just passive. As if that wasn't enough, drugs and booze start getting involved and everything really falls apart. Teenagers make mistakes - it's true - but Peyton here was just ridiculous. She knew she was making mistakes, and kept saying it, but did nothing to stop it. I actually ended up skimming these chapters, because if I spent too long on them, I would've thrown the book out the window probably.
The now chapters in Canada were enjoyable, especially when we can't travel right now, and it was lovely learning about all the different places Peyton went to, like Vancouver Island, Banff, Lake Louise, etc. I enjoyed the group of friends she made while travelling, and that's the only reason this book is 2 stars, because it's what redeemed it all, if I'm honest. I have a few more of this author's books on my shelves, and I'm not sure if I'll try them now, because it seems her books are either a hit or a miss.
This review will either be difficult to write, or really easy. As soon as I heard about this book, and took a look at the synopsis, I decided to request a copy from the publisher, as I had really enjoyed a previous book by this author, A Quiet Kind of Thunder, and was expecting the same from this one. As you can see from the dates read, it took me neigh on 4 weeks to finish the book, and it's not like it was too long - it was only 320 pages. In Destination Anywhere, the main character Peyton is 17, and after having a horrific 5 years at secondary school, where she was bullied constantly, she hoped sixth form would be different. And it was, at first. But when it also starts to go wrong, she takes her dad's credit card, books a ticket to Canada, and jumps ship. She has no idea of what she'll do in Canada, except explore, and have an adventure. As the story gets going, we learn more about her life before and now, to fully understand her motives.
That all sounds good, yeah? Well, that's what I thought too, but pretty much from the beginning I had issues. Now, I'm not going to ignore that Peyton's life at school was horrific, but I can't understand how nothing was done in the entire five years she was there, either by her parents or her teachers. Next we get to her managing to travel, internationally, alone at 17, with next to no questioning. When I was that age, I was arriving back into the UK after being abroad, and the border officer sent me through by myself, and I was questioned, extensively, about why I was alone, and it was only when they let my Mam come to the same booth - she'd been sent through already - and they checked her passport, I was ok. And that was me arriving into my home country, not a foreign one.
After I got over that, I started to get bored by Peyton, herself. She just wasn't a character I liked, and I found her whinging all the time just annoying. It was eye-roll inducing, and not exactly enjoyable. I think that was when I put the book down for a bit, and actually read another few books in the mean time, but once lockdown was upon us, I decided I may as well finish it, and dove back in. This is when it all got a bit too much.
Like I said earlier, the book is split into two parts, the before she fled, and the now while she's in Canada. The before chapters were simultaneously boring, and cringe worthy. Peyton finds a group of friends at sixth form, including Flick, Travis, Eric, and Casey, and falls right in with them. But, then, the problems start. Flick is self centred, and her boyfriend, Eric, is abusive and a bully. Travis and Peyton soon become a thing, and the next thing you know they're sleeping together and telling each other they love them, when they clearly don't, and Casey is just passive. As if that wasn't enough, drugs and booze start getting involved and everything really falls apart. Teenagers make mistakes - it's true - but Peyton here was just ridiculous. She knew she was making mistakes, and kept saying it, but did nothing to stop it. I actually ended up skimming these chapters, because if I spent too long on them, I would've thrown the book out the window probably.
The now chapters in Canada were enjoyable, especially when we can't travel right now, and it was lovely learning about all the different places Peyton went to, like Vancouver Island, Banff, Lake Louise, etc. I enjoyed the group of friends she made while travelling, and that's the only reason this book is 2 stars, because it's what redeemed it all, if I'm honest. I have a few more of this author's books on my shelves, and I'm not sure if I'll try them now, because it seems her books are either a hit or a miss.
"Pain is not a hierarchy. It is like a reservoir. It all comes from the same place. Sometimes the volume changes, but people can drown in three inches of water.”
This book is heart-wrenching and I experienced so many different emotions reading it. It’s a painfully honest story about 17-year-old Peyton trying to figure out life.
Throughout her school life, she was bullied; she had no one to confide in. Her parents didn’t understand what she was going through not can they see that her passion is in her art, and not in doing subjects she doesn’t care about. It’s in college that she molds herself into a person she isn’t to fit in with new friends; people who don’t know nor understand her. These experiences took her on a downward spiral and led her to where she is at the beginning of the story; boarding a plane to Canada.
The story is told in a then and now narrative which I found extremely interesting. We got to see her travel through Canada with a new group of friends that help her to heal and change how she sees herself and where she was during her worst college moments.
I loved the juxtaposition of Peyton’s past and how she was used by her ‘friends’ and how she also used them in her desperation to fit in and her present where the experience is overwhelmingly positive and the friendships develop slowly and organically. I also loved the description of Canadian scenery and it made me want to hop on a plane and see it for myself.
My minor gripe is that I wanted more of the characters in Canada and I wish they were fleshed out more and I also felt that the grandfather storyline could’ve been skipped out and it wouldn’t have impacted the overall story. It felt out of place for the story that was being told.
I ached when I read this story, and as someone who was bullied during school, I could really relate to her and how she felt about herself. This is a moving story and one that needed to be told. Sara Barnard is a master craftswoman, and she has a great talent for crafting authentic characters that leap off the page. This was a thoroughly enjoyable read and another brilliant novel by Sara Barnard. I look forward to her next release.
*An e-copy of this book was kindly provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
You can find this review and more on my blog: ParchmentPages
This book is heart-wrenching and I experienced so many different emotions reading it. It’s a painfully honest story about 17-year-old Peyton trying to figure out life.
Throughout her school life, she was bullied; she had no one to confide in. Her parents didn’t understand what she was going through not can they see that her passion is in her art, and not in doing subjects she doesn’t care about. It’s in college that she molds herself into a person she isn’t to fit in with new friends; people who don’t know nor understand her. These experiences took her on a downward spiral and led her to where she is at the beginning of the story; boarding a plane to Canada.
The story is told in a then and now narrative which I found extremely interesting. We got to see her travel through Canada with a new group of friends that help her to heal and change how she sees herself and where she was during her worst college moments.
I loved the juxtaposition of Peyton’s past and how she was used by her ‘friends’ and how she also used them in her desperation to fit in and her present where the experience is overwhelmingly positive and the friendships develop slowly and organically. I also loved the description of Canadian scenery and it made me want to hop on a plane and see it for myself.
My minor gripe is that I wanted more of the characters in Canada and I wish they were fleshed out more and I also felt that the grandfather storyline could’ve been skipped out and it wouldn’t have impacted the overall story. It felt out of place for the story that was being told.
I ached when I read this story, and as someone who was bullied during school, I could really relate to her and how she felt about herself. This is a moving story and one that needed to be told. Sara Barnard is a master craftswoman, and she has a great talent for crafting authentic characters that leap off the page. This was a thoroughly enjoyable read and another brilliant novel by Sara Barnard. I look forward to her next release.
*An e-copy of this book was kindly provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
You can find this review and more on my blog: ParchmentPages