Hello Bookish Friends :)
Thanks so much for joining me today on The Preppy Book Princess.
If you remember, a couple of weeks ago I shared my review for Amy Clipston's Roadside Assistance which you can find here, and I'd talked about how while I enjoyed the writing style, the realistic way grief is portrayed, and many of the side characters, I didn't end up loving it as much as I thought I would because I couldn't really connect with Amy's character. The one character I'd really loved was that of Whitney, and I was really looking forward to reading her story. Today I'm here to share with all of you whether or not it lived up to my expectations.
Destination Unknown by Amy Clipston:
Source: Library
Publisher: Zondervan
Publication Date: February 4th, 2014
Genre: Inspirational Fiction/Young Adult Fiction
Series: Roadside Assistance
Synopsis:
It's senior year, and Whitney Richards is tired of the constant pressures to be perfect. When she gets a D in Calculus, her mother immediately hires a tutor, worried Whitney won't get into the 'right' college---her alma mater---with imperfect grades. Her tutor, Taylor, is a quiet, mysterious boy who is unlike anyone Whitney has met before. But Taylor's rougher upbringing has her mother and friends discouraging any type of relationship. Tired of having to play a part for everyone else, Whitney quits the cheerleading squad that once defined her social identity, and begins spending more time with Taylor. Her mom and friends worry Whitney is making a huge mistake, and even Taylor begins to show concern for some of her choices. But for the first time, Whitney is in the driver's seat of her life. Will she be able to find her identity---and God's plan for her life---before she throws everything away?
*****synopsis from goodreads******
My Review:
Whitney Richards has spent most of her life living the way her parent's, especially her mother, have expected her too. On Valentine's Day her life changes in a big way when her boyfriend of six months breaks up with her, and she realizes she's not even that hurt by it. They never seemed to really have had a deep connection, and instead she feels it was more about the head cheerleader needing to date the quarterback of the football team. In fact, her best friend's and her mother are more upset about it than she is. Shortly thereafter, Whitney's life takes another harsh turn when she gets a D on a calculus test-something that's never happened to her before, and her mother and her teacher insist she get a tutor to help bring her grade back up. Whitney is beyond belief embarrassed. How can a tutor accept help from another tutor while still keeping her dignity?
When Whitney's introduced to her new tutor Taylor, her life takes another unexpected turn. Taylor doesn't think much of Whitney or her group of friends, and instead seems to have the opinion they're all rich snobs. Slowly Whitney and Taylor begin to build a strong friendship, and along the way she begins to question a lot of the ways her group of friends has been treating others, and the things she's accepted as true growing up the way she did. Her mother and friends want her to stay away from Taylor and his friends, but through Taylor Whitney begins to develop an appreciation for things that truly matter, and discovers there's much to life than what money can buy.
Whitney's journey of self discovery will cause her grief as she struggles to stay respectful to her parent's while still standing up for what she believes is right. She finds her faith strengthening along the way, as for the first time she's truly turning to God for answers and guidance, and crying out her soul to Him, rather than just going through the motions like she's done until now. I was also very impressed with Taylor's maturity. He's been dealt a fairly hard set of circumstances in life, but instead of being bitter he works his hardest to help his mom and sister in any way he can, and gets good grades while having to work to help his family out. While this was definitely a different side of the tracks type of romance, it was also so much more than that as Whitney and Taylor both change for the better from their strong friendship, and the strengthening of their faith. This book is a strong representation of the fact that it's possible to write a realistic young adult novel about true issues facing teenagers today that will keep readers glued to the page, while still keeping it clean and faith based.
I'm happy to say this one was everything I was hoping for and more, and I can't possibly recommend it enough. Even though I just finished it, I know I need to buy a copy for myself soon as I already am wanting to reread it.
Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day, and I'll see you all again soon for more fun bookish content!
Thanks so much for joining me today on The Preppy Book Princess.
If you remember, a couple of weeks ago I shared my review for Amy Clipston's Roadside Assistance which you can find here, and I'd talked about how while I enjoyed the writing style, the realistic way grief is portrayed, and many of the side characters, I didn't end up loving it as much as I thought I would because I couldn't really connect with Amy's character. The one character I'd really loved was that of Whitney, and I was really looking forward to reading her story. Today I'm here to share with all of you whether or not it lived up to my expectations.
Destination Unknown by Amy Clipston:
Source: Library
Publisher: Zondervan
Publication Date: February 4th, 2014
Genre: Inspirational Fiction/Young Adult Fiction
Series: Roadside Assistance
Synopsis:
It's senior year, and Whitney Richards is tired of the constant pressures to be perfect. When she gets a D in Calculus, her mother immediately hires a tutor, worried Whitney won't get into the 'right' college---her alma mater---with imperfect grades. Her tutor, Taylor, is a quiet, mysterious boy who is unlike anyone Whitney has met before. But Taylor's rougher upbringing has her mother and friends discouraging any type of relationship. Tired of having to play a part for everyone else, Whitney quits the cheerleading squad that once defined her social identity, and begins spending more time with Taylor. Her mom and friends worry Whitney is making a huge mistake, and even Taylor begins to show concern for some of her choices. But for the first time, Whitney is in the driver's seat of her life. Will she be able to find her identity---and God's plan for her life---before she throws everything away?
*****synopsis from goodreads******
My Review:
Whitney Richards has spent most of her life living the way her parent's, especially her mother, have expected her too. On Valentine's Day her life changes in a big way when her boyfriend of six months breaks up with her, and she realizes she's not even that hurt by it. They never seemed to really have had a deep connection, and instead she feels it was more about the head cheerleader needing to date the quarterback of the football team. In fact, her best friend's and her mother are more upset about it than she is. Shortly thereafter, Whitney's life takes another harsh turn when she gets a D on a calculus test-something that's never happened to her before, and her mother and her teacher insist she get a tutor to help bring her grade back up. Whitney is beyond belief embarrassed. How can a tutor accept help from another tutor while still keeping her dignity?
When Whitney's introduced to her new tutor Taylor, her life takes another unexpected turn. Taylor doesn't think much of Whitney or her group of friends, and instead seems to have the opinion they're all rich snobs. Slowly Whitney and Taylor begin to build a strong friendship, and along the way she begins to question a lot of the ways her group of friends has been treating others, and the things she's accepted as true growing up the way she did. Her mother and friends want her to stay away from Taylor and his friends, but through Taylor Whitney begins to develop an appreciation for things that truly matter, and discovers there's much to life than what money can buy.
Whitney's journey of self discovery will cause her grief as she struggles to stay respectful to her parent's while still standing up for what she believes is right. She finds her faith strengthening along the way, as for the first time she's truly turning to God for answers and guidance, and crying out her soul to Him, rather than just going through the motions like she's done until now. I was also very impressed with Taylor's maturity. He's been dealt a fairly hard set of circumstances in life, but instead of being bitter he works his hardest to help his mom and sister in any way he can, and gets good grades while having to work to help his family out. While this was definitely a different side of the tracks type of romance, it was also so much more than that as Whitney and Taylor both change for the better from their strong friendship, and the strengthening of their faith. This book is a strong representation of the fact that it's possible to write a realistic young adult novel about true issues facing teenagers today that will keep readers glued to the page, while still keeping it clean and faith based.
I'm happy to say this one was everything I was hoping for and more, and I can't possibly recommend it enough. Even though I just finished it, I know I need to buy a copy for myself soon as I already am wanting to reread it.
Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day, and I'll see you all again soon for more fun bookish content!
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