Review: Wanderlost by Jen Malone
/4 Stars
Even though the plot was farfetched, I enjoyed this book. It was a nice, funny, and cute read. And within the story there is a lot of discovery. You discover so many wonderful places, as well as the main character, who in a sense is lost.
It does have a simple storyline, however, it’s interesting and something that you don’t want to stop reading. Like mentioned earlier, the plot is little farfetched. There is no way that Aubree and her sister would have been able to pull that off, but because the story is good you sort of just roll with it.
It’s a good summer read. It’s refreshing, and I couldn’t stop smiling while reading it. The pacing was good. Everything played out extremely well and nothing happened too fast or too slow.
Because this book is mostly centered on a road trip, it feels like an adventure while you read it. The road trip aspect didn’t blend into the background, it was present throughout the plot. It was a nice feeling to have a balance between the different aspects of the book.
There was just the right amount of angst to keep it interesting, but not enough to be overbearing and unnecessary. However, I wasn’t expecting to almost be brought to tears by this book. But I felt like that heartbreaking moment was needed. It brought out another set of emotions.
I’m a little disappointed with the ending, because I feel like there was more story to tell. It felt incomplete because the ending sort of was a start of a new journey and that would have been interesting to read about it.
Characters
Aubree was a great main character. I enjoyed her and also her character development. Her character development was noticeable and made sense. She was well development and relatable.
Sam was adorable. I really liked him as a love interest and supporting character. He and Aubree were cute and I enjoyed them together, as well as when they were separate. Their phone conversations were enjoyable, and it was interesting that most of their relationship had developed from them. You could really sense the chemistry between them during those phone conversations.
However, because of the ending feeling incomplete, I felt like their relationship was left hanging. I would have loved to read a 'One Year' later about them.
I really enjoyed the senior citizens. Every one of them were unique and funny. And they also interacted with Aubree in a different way. They were very present in the book, and brought a little something extra.
Aubree’s older sister, Elizabeth was another story. I did not enjoy her character. Her actions were not really justified in the end. She was rude in the beginning, and I felt like the reader’s and Aubree deserved a better explanation. I would have loved to see Aubree’s and her relationship explored more. I felt like the author was trying to make them become closer towards the end, but it fell flat for me because of Elizabeth’s actions.
Final Analysis
Wonderlost is a book that will make you want to start your own adventure. It’s entertaining, as it is light and fun. Both the main character and supporting characters are great. The ending is a little unsatisfying and the plot is farfetched, however, Malone’s storytelling will captivate you.