Hosted by the FFBC
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: October 2nd, 2018
Young Adult Contemporary
Amazon/Goodreads
In this romantic road trip story perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen and Morgan Matson, a teen girl discovers the value of ordinary objects while learning to forgive her absent father.
After Ali’s father passes away, he leaves his one and only prized possession—a 1968 Firebird convertible—to his daughter. But Ali doesn’t plan on keeping it. Not when it reminds her too much of all her father’s unfulfilled promises. So when she finds a buyer three hundred miles up the Pacific coast willing to pay enough money for the car to save her childhood home, Ali can’t wait to get going. Except Ali has no idea how to drive a stick shift. But guess who does?
Ali’s ex-boyfriend, Nico. And Nico has other plans.
He persuades Ali that instead of selling the car, they should “trade up” the items they collect on their trip to eventually reach the monetary amount Ali needs. Agreeing with Nico’s crazy plan, Ali sets off on a unique adventure that is unlike anything she ever could have expected.
And it’s through Ali’s travels, through the strangers she meets and the things that they value—and why they value them—that Ali eventually comes to understand her father and how his life may not have been as easy and carefree as she previously thought. Because just like the seemingly insignificant objects Ali collects, not everything is exactly as it appears.
After Ali’s father passes away, he leaves his one and only prized possession—a 1968 Firebird convertible—to his daughter. But Ali doesn’t plan on keeping it. Not when it reminds her too much of all her father’s unfulfilled promises. So when she finds a buyer three hundred miles up the Pacific coast willing to pay enough money for the car to save her childhood home, Ali can’t wait to get going. Except Ali has no idea how to drive a stick shift. But guess who does?
Ali’s ex-boyfriend, Nico. And Nico has other plans.
He persuades Ali that instead of selling the car, they should “trade up” the items they collect on their trip to eventually reach the monetary amount Ali needs. Agreeing with Nico’s crazy plan, Ali sets off on a unique adventure that is unlike anything she ever could have expected.
And it’s through Ali’s travels, through the strangers she meets and the things that they value—and why they value them—that Ali eventually comes to understand her father and how his life may not have been as easy and carefree as she previously thought. Because just like the seemingly insignificant objects Ali collects, not everything is exactly as it appears.
Okay, first of all, I feel like this is the perfect contemporary book. It feels raw and real, yet still hopeful and cute. Ali is dealing with heavy stuff and I viscerally felt her pain. The flashbacks with her father and all the family issues were executed so well. Also, the tension and issues between her and Nico also felt realistic and nuanced -- not just concocted for teenage drama. I highlighted many quotes in my copy of the book.
Still, despite all the heavy emotion, I laughed and smiled at so many parts. I love the little "quizzes" that Ali gives herself. And her rules for the road while she was driving with Nico made me laugh (although I wanted her to break all of them). Speaking of Nico, I loved the banter between them. However, if I start using Fungicide or Shih tzu as swear words, I'm blaming this book.
Also, the most impressive part of this book is that I loved the road trip aspect. I was a little nervous going in because normally road trip books are not for me. However, I felt that the road trip was so vital to the story - to the metaphor of Ali's growth - and it was so fun seeing them go on adventures on the Pacific Coast. As a California-born Oregonian, this coast has been my home my whole life and I loved having a book set where I'm familiar.
Pick this book up. I can't recommend The Geography of Lost Things enough. There's a wonderful romance, an excellent look into family dynamics and grief, music, adventure, and a 1968 Firebird. What's not to like?
4/5 Stars
*Received for free in exchange for an honest review*
About the Author
Jessica Brody is the author of more than 15 books for teens, tweens, and adults including Addie Bell’s Shortcut to Growing Up, A Week of Mondays, Boys of Summer, 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, and the three books in the sci-fi Unremembered trilogy. She’s also the author of the Descendants: School of Secrets series, based on the hit Disney Channel original movie, Descendants. Her books have been translated and published in over 23 countries and Unremembered and 52 Reasons to Hate My Father are currently in development as major motion pictures. She lives with her husband and four dogs and splits her time between California and Colorado.
Visit her online at JessicaBrody.com. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram @JessicaBrody
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