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A review by chocolate3cake
Destination Anywhere by Sara Barnard
3.0
As a massive fan of Sara Barnard's previous books, I did feel slightly let down by this one. Destination Anywhere is about Peyton, who decides to take off and go to Canada with no warning whatsoever, and somehow manages the trip as a seventeen-year-old girl without getting raped, kidnapped or questioned too much at security. This is massively unrealistic, especially the part where her parents don't immediately call the police and tell them that she's missing, considering that she's a legal child running around in a random country all by herself, with no plan and somehow enough money (again, unrealistic for a seventeen-year-old to have those kinds of funds). Peyton seems like a relatable protagonist, especially if you were also a victim of bullying, but her reactions are wild, stupid and immature. Fall out with your friends? STEAL your dad's credit card details (a crime) and book a flight to Canada. She doesn't even plan out what to do when she gets there.
The writing was beautiful, and I truly loved the exploration of Peyton's identity and the idea of 'finding your tribe', but her being seventeen was too unrealistic. If she was nineteen or twenty, it would have been a much better story, with less grey area, and something a lot more realistic. It wasn't a very down to earth story, unlike Sara Barnard's other novels, and was too wildly fantastic to provide any kind of commentary on teenage life. Overall, a solid story, but Peyton can leave. She's spoilt, childish and immature.
The writing was beautiful, and I truly loved the exploration of Peyton's identity and the idea of 'finding your tribe', but her being seventeen was too unrealistic. If she was nineteen or twenty, it would have been a much better story, with less grey area, and something a lot more realistic. It wasn't a very down to earth story, unlike Sara Barnard's other novels, and was too wildly fantastic to provide any kind of commentary on teenage life. Overall, a solid story, but Peyton can leave. She's spoilt, childish and immature.