Wanderlost

I had been wanting to read this one for a while now. A girl traveling through Europe with a false identity, and falling in love, but the guy doesn't know the real her? So many great possibilities. Plus, the cover is so swoon-worthy.Even though I liked the book overall, there were some issues I had with the writing style. Though the plot is presented as a cute summer romance, the first scene is a high school party with underage drinking, crude remarks, and a police officer showing up, and if that serves as any indication, it was a pretty obnoxious party. That was just the first chapter.The main character Aubree is the host of the party, and when the police show up, Aubree's older sister, Elizabeth, takes responsibility which results in her being arrested. This throws a wrench in Elizabeth's summer plans to act as a tour guide to a group of senior citizens in Europe. This job was going to solidify a letter of recommendation so that she can be a part of a congressman's campaign. So when she needs to stay home to go to court over her arrest, she basically guilt trips Aubree into going to Europe instead. The catch? She needs to pose as Elizabeth.This introduces a whole slew of disagreements between the sisters, and elaborate plans for keeping the whole ordeal secret from their parents. Just before Aubree's flight leaves, she and Elizabeth have another "misunderstanding," and I was torn between wanting to get to the good part (a.k.a. the romance) or just deciding not to finish the book. I kept reading though. This meant cringing through Aubree's observations about a "penis statue" when she arrives in Amsterdam, as well as a couple on the tour wanting to visit a sex museum, and getting grabby with each other. Aubree also learns that a "coffeeshop" in Amsterdam is code for a place to smoke marijuana legally. This prompted another round of cringing.So definitely not the best start to this book, but it started to improve with the introduction of the love interest, Sam. The romance was probably the best part of Wanderlost. The relationship between Aubree and Sam begin with adorable phone calls. Sam is actually the son of the owner of the tour business. So at first Sam is calling "Elizabeth" to make sure everything is going okay. Without giving too much away, Sam eventually joins the tour group, which results in some pretty epic make out sessions with Aubree. Though Sam thinks that Aubree is Elizabeth, and though Aubree begins to feel badly about lying to him, the web of deception keeps getting thicker and harder to reverse.Another good element in the story is Aubree's interactions with the senior citizens on the tour. She learns a lot from them, and they all become super close on their European adventure together. There is one particular scene where the women all go skinny dipping together, and I actually think that was one of the best scenes in the story.Overall, Wanderlost is not a bad book. Exploring Europe, falling in love with a cute boy, and befriending a group of elderly tourists makes a great story. However, it could have been better without the ickier elements. At times it seemed like the narrative was trying to be too contemporary by mentioning underage drinking, marijuana, and sex jokes that just weren't funny. Thankfully, the romance and the character development saved the story. I've decided to rate it 3.5 stars out of 5, because while I did like the book, there were some elements included that the story would have been just fine without.

OH MY GOODNESS THAT WAS SO FREAKEN ADORABLE! Wanderlost was fun, sweet, quirky, swoonworthy, and everything in between. It's the sort of contemporary that tugs at your heartstrings in the best way possible. It makes you laugh, cry a little bit, and smile. It will make you want to pack your bags and hightail it to Europe on the next possible flight. Wanderlost is exactly what the synopsis promised, a whirlwind trip through Europe that will steal your heart.To be perfectly honest, I had a bit of a hard time getting into this book at the start. The beginning requires some suspension of disbelief. I mean, what happened with Aubree's sister Elizabeth is so out of the blue and ridiculous, I couldn't wrap my head around it. But, once you get past that the story and the cast of wild and amazing characters sweeps you away into road trip wonderland. As someone who has always wanted to do exactly what these characters were doing, I couldn't devour it fast enough. Add in a cute guy to the equation, plus a side of cute-as-hell romance, and you've got yourself a winner of a contemporary.Now, Aubree. I have a love hate relationship with this chick. I admire her guts. I admire her for her willingness to protect her sister. I admire her for trying and for not giving up - but she did annoy the hell out of me at the beginning. She really needed to pull her head out of her ass, and thank heavens she finally did and it turned the whole book around. I started rooting for her. I started wanting to see more of her being herself, not the fake Elizabeth. I think I fell in love with her as a narrator on the Sound of Music tour - I mean, how could I not when she completely geeked out like that? It was awesome. As I said, I really do admire Aubree for trying. She was literally up s*** creek without a paddle, but she kept going. She tried her damnedest to do her best and she gets major brownie points for that.Sam. Holy mother of sin, I love Sam. (and yes, the name is awesome). He was perfection. He was adorable, quirky, hilarious, and on top of things. He made this book for me. Not the romance between him and Aubree, though that was pretty darn cute, but Sam as a character. He sort of just lights up the entire scenario. He put a smile on my face every time he was on the page. Come on, he called Rolfe an asswaffle and I just about died.If you're a fan of swoonworthy boys in fantastical European settings, Wanderlost is definitely the book for you. Wanderlost was fun, original, delightful, and utterly captivating. It will sweep you off of your feet and take you on a wild ride.With unexpected humor, a lovable gang of older ladies and gentlemen, and hidden water fountain shenanigans, Wanderlost is the perfect heartwarming contemporary to get you out of any book funk.

HighlightsEuropean travel - the author knows her placesSammmmm. I LOVE him.The senior tour passengers were so much fun!Aubree's growth was A+++. The way she matures from the start of the book is written so well.The story manages to stay virtually angst & drama free - at least not over the top - despite the premise of Aubree lying about who she is. And the way the revelations and fallout unfold fit well with the the characters, their growth and the story.My hesitations (these were quite small overall)A far fetched set upA senior citizen who breaks her arm and then continues her European tour. Lol (tho this occurrence does set up something good)Aubree eating McDonalds at every opportunity despite the amazing local cuisine. This killed me.I REALLY wanted an epilogue.Definitely recommended.Love Triangle Factor: NoneCliffhanger Scale: Standalone

Heart - warmingly amazing, Young love and romantic city's go Hand in this book ! Loved it to bits once I picked it up I couldn't stop reading ! Highly recommend to any one who loves ruling love,romantic city's and a amazing read!!!!

Enjoying reading...

Well done!

The book appeared to have been used earlier because of torn cover and the creases marks on spine. There is also a black mark on the base of book which seems to have been made by a marker pen

I was waiting for deep love and everything but that was not it.