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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
I saw the movie adaptation a while back and didn't like it, but since Katherine Center wrote it I knew the book had to be better, and it absolutely was (the book aged up the characters and while I get why they did that, I really hated how Helen was portrayed). The book is much better, though it's far from a masterpiece.
I didn't really understand the progression of Helen's feelings for Jake. Like, I can understand going from disliking him to seeing him in a new light and realizing he's not actually that bad, but suddenly she really liked him? And in the span of a few weeks, that turned to love? It just didn't hit for me. I would have far preferred it if her feelings developed more gradually over the trip.
I also don't really understand the 10-year age gap. I don't generally have anything against age gap romances, but at their respective ages, I would've preferred a smaller gap. 6-8 years maybe?? Especially considering he was only 22 and had been in love with her for 6 years already. Plus I just never really saw the appeal with him tbh. That might partly just be me picturing him as more of a teenager, but then again, he kind of acted like one at times.
Finally... this is a really petty annoyance, but (mild spoiler)the certificate thing. While I have no issue with Helen not winning a certificate, the math just isn't mathing. There were originally 12 hikers, minus Hugh gives you 11. Plus Beckett who had 2 votes gives you 13. We know Beckett gave her both his votes, and I would assume that Windy and Jake both voted for her as well (Windy because she seemed convinced Helen would get one, and Jake because he was the one who saw her most clearly and was in love with her and definitely would have voted for her). That's 4 votes of a possible 13, leaving only 9 left to be split among the 3 winners - say 3 votes each. If we assume Helen got 4 votes, how could she possibly not be among the top 3?? Even if only one of Jake or Windy voted for her, 3 votes would've been enough for a tie - so are we to believe neither of them did? I could see Windy voting for Jake, but I can't see Jake not voting for Helen. Told you this was petty!
I didn't really understand the progression of Helen's feelings for Jake. Like, I can understand going from disliking him to seeing him in a new light and realizing he's not actually that bad, but suddenly she really liked him? And in the span of a few weeks, that turned to love? It just didn't hit for me. I would have far preferred it if her feelings developed more gradually over the trip.
I also don't really understand the 10-year age gap. I don't generally have anything against age gap romances, but at their respective ages, I would've preferred a smaller gap. 6-8 years maybe?? Especially considering he was only 22 and had been in love with her for 6 years already. Plus I just never really saw the appeal with him tbh. That might partly just be me picturing him as more of a teenager, but then again, he kind of acted like one at times.
Finally... this is a really petty annoyance, but (mild spoiler)
Wow!!! Katherine Center you’ve done it again. I may even like this one more than the Bodyguard. My only hangup was the age gap, but that’s not that big of a deal. This kept reminding me of that episode in Gilmore Girls AYITL where Lorelai decides she’s going to “do Wild” (which I now really want to read). I loved the self discovery & growth that happened in this book! Plus of course the psychological aspects throughout. I can’t wait to make my husband watch the movie with me!!
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Complicated
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
I really enjoy Katherine Center’s other books but I just imagined Erin from The Office the whole time and I couldn’t do it lol
Overall enjoyable and engaging audiobook, but man most of the characters were just plain unlikable. Super immature, self-centered and superficial. Telling a woman that she looks prettier than she used to look. Or saying to her face that another woman is prettier than she is. I mean, who says that to a person? Why did it happen multiple times? I felt bad for the main character. She had some major insecurities, which okay, we all do, but she really thought at the ripe old age of 32 she was just soooo different compared to people a few years younger.
This book was eh for me. The story has great potential, like a divorced woman trying to find herself by trying something new but it just wasn’t that interesting. I struggled to finish this one. a book club flop.
I have liked Katherine Center’s work before, and heard great things about this one. But it is nearly unreadable, at least the first part leading up to the hike. I couldn’t even get to the actual survival trip, because I died from second hand embarrassment over the interactions on the road trip.