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I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH!

Oh, April, she is living her sweet sixteen in the worst way possible, trapped in motorless motorhome which was won on poker game, abandoned by her mother at young age and now her father leaves him alone to become part of another family with a woman who is a few year older than her. She is dropped from high school because she has more important things to solve mathematical equations: she has to chase the open mic nights by stealing neighbor’s car, working her ass of for extra shifts at Margo’s diner and applying for special singing gigs at the bars!

Her boyfriend Matty’s family thinks she’s not good enough for their boy. And Matty plans to stay in this small town, marrying with her. But after singing in front of the crowd, April feels the power of spotlight. She’s too young to be rotten in this town. After her father’s decision to marry with Irene who is carrying his baby and his abusive, neglecting manners around her: she says enough is enough: stealing the car his father bought for Irene, packing everything she has, leaving her only valuable possession behind: her guitar because his father broke it to teach her a lesson. She hits the road without thinking any intention to return back!

She finds herself in Ithaca to start over: where new life and her bumpy journey starts here.

She starves, sleeping in her car, taking shower at the campsite till her body freezes, changing plates of her car not to be caught by officers, sharpening her skills to make fake ID, homeless, trying to find a job, a place to settle, forming friendships. She wants to become someone people care, someone not expendable, someone not neglected! But firstly she wants to learn how to trust people!

But unfortunately her long journey is just starting. She gotta learn a lot�� she has to rediscover her true self, learning to be brave, reading more about people. She meets with amazing people. But she also meets with cunning, selfish, untrustworthy ones, too!

She falls in love, she writes amazing songs about small lives of people, regular lives with big words, she cries at the shower, she gives up, she f*ck up so bad, she leaves, she is left behind, she gives up, she starts again, she hurts, she suffers, she stumbles, she falls but eventually she gets up on her feet and she keeps driving till she finds out home is not the place she chose to live, it’s the place where family she chose lives. And now she slowly creates her own family by touching other people’s lives who contributed her adventurous somewhat tragic somewhat tough and testing journey!

I think I could read this book for days. Each chapter was written so genuinely. I felt like I’m so close to April and I easily connected with her friends she’s made throughout this long road trips. It was so engrossing, realistic. I felt like I read true life passages of our daily lives.

I loved this journey a lot. I loved April, Margot, Carly, Ethan, Adam so much. I think instead of immature, self oriented douchebag Justin and April’s neglectful father, I loved each of the characters( even Matt, Irene)

I think I don’t have enough vocabulary to express how much I loved this book. Don’t miss this out! Don’t just add to your tbr! It’s too good to skip or to be forgotten on reading list! Just read it! Read it and reread it! One of the best fiction books of the year!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.