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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
I just adore Sara.
Her novels never fail to make me laugh, cry, smile and sigh!
I was lucky enough to win an ARC of Destination Anywhere and again it didn't disappoint.
It's a coming of age story with real depth and emotion.
Peyton is a teenager who has grown up friendless (we've all felt this way at times) and like many of us feeling like she is being controlled by her parents.
After a serious incident where she ended up in hospital, she begins to question just what she is doing and where her life is heading.
Left feeling lonely and down trodden, she makes the impulsive decision to get on a plane to Canada to start afresh.
An adventure awaits....
What happens after is inspiring and up-lifting.
Can Peyton find the friendship she craves, or perhaps she'll get something much more meaningful?
I always finish one of Sara's books with a smile on my face, more hope in my heart and a yearning to read more about the characters that she has created.
Destination Anywhere takes you on an exciting exploration of love, life and living. You could say it is a journey of a life time.
Her novels never fail to make me laugh, cry, smile and sigh!
I was lucky enough to win an ARC of Destination Anywhere and again it didn't disappoint.
It's a coming of age story with real depth and emotion.
Peyton is a teenager who has grown up friendless (we've all felt this way at times) and like many of us feeling like she is being controlled by her parents.
After a serious incident where she ended up in hospital, she begins to question just what she is doing and where her life is heading.
Left feeling lonely and down trodden, she makes the impulsive decision to get on a plane to Canada to start afresh.
An adventure awaits....
What happens after is inspiring and up-lifting.
Can Peyton find the friendship she craves, or perhaps she'll get something much more meaningful?
I always finish one of Sara's books with a smile on my face, more hope in my heart and a yearning to read more about the characters that she has created.
Destination Anywhere takes you on an exciting exploration of love, life and living. You could say it is a journey of a life time.
Review posted on blog: http://thereadinghideaway.blogspot.com/2021/02/book-review-destination-anywhere.html
4.5 rounded up.
Trigger warnings for bullying, gaslighting, drug taking and sexual coercion
Such an emotional rollercoaster of a book. Very similar to ‘The Places I’ve Cried In Public’ in some ways, if Holly Bourne was writing about toxic friendship groups as well as the toxic boyfriend!!
Peyton had a few Little Mermaid moments where you sit as a 36 year old and go STOP BEING PETULANT AND LISTEN TO OTHERS!!! But equally, there were times when her parents genuinely were being dicks so...
One thing I did wonder though - HOW BIG WAS HER SCETCH BOOK?????
Anyone else get sequel vibes from this?????
Trigger warnings for bullying, gaslighting, drug taking and sexual coercion
Such an emotional rollercoaster of a book. Very similar to ‘The Places I’ve Cried In Public’ in some ways, if Holly Bourne was writing about toxic friendship groups as well as the toxic boyfriend!!
Peyton had a few Little Mermaid moments where you sit as a 36 year old and go STOP BEING PETULANT AND LISTEN TO OTHERS!!! But equally, there were times when her parents genuinely were being dicks so...
One thing I did wonder though - HOW BIG WAS HER SCETCH BOOK?????
Anyone else get sequel vibes from this?????
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
A difficult story to review in some ways, because there were elements that didn’t quite seem plausible (which is the only reason I’m not awarding five stars). Everything else about this book drew me in, tugged at my heartstrings and had me feeling Barnard had perfectly captured that sense of uncertainty so many feel but never want to admit to.
Our main character is Peyton King, a seventeen year old travelling on her own to Canada. She has no discernible plan, has walked out on college and left a note for her parents...my first thought hearing this was what on earth could have happened to get so bad that this extreme action seemed like a good idea? As we journey with Peyton we learn more about her, and how she came to be in this situation.
Peyton, we learn, was bullied throughout her five years at secondary school. Isolated incidents initially, but they do gather in seriousness and there’s no doubting the impact they’ve had on her. Spending all this time with no friends, Peyton has a somewhat skewed view on friendship and the extent to which she’ll sacrifice herself to have what she sees comes so easily to many others. When she starts at sixth form college she is quite desperate to form friendships...and when she falls into a group she gets caught up in the excitement of this that she never takes the time to think about how healthy it is for her.
This won’t be an experience everyone can identify with. We see things from a viewpoint we might not necessarily understand, but Peyton herself also comes to see that she made choices in this scenario. No matter what self-awareness she reaches, her so-called friends were awful in so many ways - but it seems they each had their own issues. However, when we reach the dramatic revelation of what they actually did I was appalled.
There’s no quick fix here. Peyton is, obviously, finding things out and luckily she ends up taken under the wings of some more seasoned travellers who offer a very different definition of friendship. She has a wonderful travelling experience and this is definitely more of a positive experience than you might imagine someone in her position might have had.
There were some wonderful descriptions of the travel experiences, and the way this ended had a sense of perspective. Not everything was magically solved, but there were steps towards a more positive hopeful future.
Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this prior to publication.
Our main character is Peyton King, a seventeen year old travelling on her own to Canada. She has no discernible plan, has walked out on college and left a note for her parents...my first thought hearing this was what on earth could have happened to get so bad that this extreme action seemed like a good idea? As we journey with Peyton we learn more about her, and how she came to be in this situation.
Peyton, we learn, was bullied throughout her five years at secondary school. Isolated incidents initially, but they do gather in seriousness and there’s no doubting the impact they’ve had on her. Spending all this time with no friends, Peyton has a somewhat skewed view on friendship and the extent to which she’ll sacrifice herself to have what she sees comes so easily to many others. When she starts at sixth form college she is quite desperate to form friendships...and when she falls into a group she gets caught up in the excitement of this that she never takes the time to think about how healthy it is for her.
This won’t be an experience everyone can identify with. We see things from a viewpoint we might not necessarily understand, but Peyton herself also comes to see that she made choices in this scenario. No matter what self-awareness she reaches, her so-called friends were awful in so many ways - but it seems they each had their own issues. However, when we reach the dramatic revelation of what they actually did I was appalled.
There’s no quick fix here. Peyton is, obviously, finding things out and luckily she ends up taken under the wings of some more seasoned travellers who offer a very different definition of friendship. She has a wonderful travelling experience and this is definitely more of a positive experience than you might imagine someone in her position might have had.
There were some wonderful descriptions of the travel experiences, and the way this ended had a sense of perspective. Not everything was magically solved, but there were steps towards a more positive hopeful future.
Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this prior to publication.
A great book to read, it tell us the story of Peyton King. She was bullied, had no friends, basically had no life. The most important phases of her life are described in the book and I could kind of relate to it, and I’m sure everybody can relate to some part or the other.
In the story, she goes from a loner to a desperate person to a bold and individual person and that’s her whole journey. It teaches us lessons about friendship, abuse and life.
I had not much expectations from this book, but it was a surprisingly well-written book.
In the story, she goes from a loner to a desperate person to a bold and individual person and that’s her whole journey. It teaches us lessons about friendship, abuse and life.
I had not much expectations from this book, but it was a surprisingly well-written book.
Another 5 out of 5!!! I have yet to read a YA book that I didn’t love. Destination Anywhere follows Peyton King on a journey far from home, trying to figure out who she is, without her “friends”. Along the way she makes REAL friends, and starts to really understand the trauma she went through with her friends back home. I think we can all relate to over thinking every little thing we do, when we just want people to like us. So it’s really easy to connect with Peyton and cheer her on ❤️ highly recommend!
Payton takes a desperation flight from her home in Great Britain to Canada because it's the only way she can think of to escape her parents' insistence she attend school. Her attempts at travel are guided by a bunch of tourists she meets. As she gains confidence, we learn more about her lonely life and what happened the previous year.
Barnard goes hard into heavy feelings, and just as hard into the joys and miseries of of travel and forming friendships.
Barnard goes hard into heavy feelings, and just as hard into the joys and miseries of of travel and forming friendships.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes