Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

Source: Publisher
It all begins with a stupid question:
Are you a Global Vagabond?
No, but 18-year-old Bria Sandoval wants to be. In a quest for independence, her neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she signs up for a guided tour of Central America—the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists with fanny packs are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. When Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his outspokenly humanitarian sister Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path.
Bria's a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan's a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel across a panorama of Mayan villages, remote Belizean islands, and hostels plagued with jungle beasties, they discover what they've got in common: both seek to leave behind the old versions of themselves. And the secret to escaping the past, Rowan’s found, is to keep moving forward.
But Bria comes to realize she can't run forever, no matter what Rowan says. If she ever wants the courage to fall for someone worthwhile, she has to start looking back.
Kirsten Hubbard lends her artistry to this ultimate backpacker novel, weaving her drawings into the text. Her career as a travel writer and her experiences as a real-life vagabond backpacking Central America are deeply seeded in this inspiring story.
I connected to Bria from the very beginning, because since I was a little girl, I have wanted to travel everywhere. I also liked that she was flawed and felt unsure about herself, because that is exactly how graduating feels like. She also has made mistakes and it is wonderful to see her develop in this book. Rowan is another amazing character. He has also made mistakes, but he is trying to fix them. I Starling was such a lively character and actually reminds me of one of my best friend. The setting of Central America is so rich and vivid that I felt that I was there at times. The plot was engaging, because while it was slow, I didn't mind with such detailed and realistic characters. The writing was absolutely amazing. There was a lot of humor mixed into a story about discovering who you are and what you want to be. I also enjoyed the pictures that Hubbard included, because they added to both the story and Bria. If you want to travel and think that it will be an amazing challenge, this book is for you. I would also reccomend Wanderlove, if you enjoyed Maureen Johnsons' 13 Little Blue Envelope or The Last Little Blue Envelope and also Jessi Kirby's In Honor. Overall, if you haven't read this book, I would suggest it.