Great story about relationships and travel
347895
I loved this book.  I had heard about the book from friends and was excited to read it.  It is a great story about traveling but more importantly relationships.  I really enjoyed reading a man's perspective on love and break-ups, sibling/brother relationships and his wonderful bond with his "grandmother".  I can't wait for the movie!
2079621
I really enjoyed this book, it hit home so often with the feeling I get and why I love to travel.
Mr. McCarthy has a pretty good way about making you feel that you are in the story and that you can see and feel what he does.

I will recommend this book to all my friends, but my travel friends ... will be the ones who feel it.
1849921
Excellent story with great descriptions of traveling across the plains states and early Colorado settlement from the perspective of a young girl... who grows up considerably along the way.

Having recently traveled the area traversed by the wagon train really brought the enormity of the trip into focus for my girls, and the way the protagonist grows to appreciate things in her own way, for her own reasons- being brave enough to be herself, but recognizing that she can also find joy (and myriad other emotions!) in a task that isn't "her" without losing herself- resonated deeply with my preteenagers.

The heavier topics (including domestic violence) are handled delicately, carefully and proactively.

Ms. Dallas expertly crafted a book that deals with some tough parts of life- that, while it leaves plenty of room for discussion, also establishes a plausible (if unfortunately not likely common for the time, in several cases) happy ending.
853881
I really enjoyed this story about sassy Auden Kelly and her handsome fellow she meets while venturing through Europe. As a tour guide she meets all kinds of people boy who would think she would find love? Their story is funny, romantic, kind and of course a little bumpy.
Author Melissa Brown knows how to write a story.
1017717
Kika Shores is a traveler. She loves to go all over, discover new places and experiences and live day by day. That is why she is helplessly failing at her life at home in Long Island. She is doing a half-assed job at her current place of employment, not saving any money like she hoped and desperately missing Lochlan  the boy she met traveling. This is all set to change when she gets a call to nanny over in London. Will Kika be able to get it all together for long enough to save money to get on the road again?

At first, Kika worried me. I was reading and thinking oh god am I too old to connect with her (She was 23 or around there). She seemed liked she felt above it all. Especially her job. But thankfully she had way more depth and we got to see some wonderful growth of her character throughout. I did like that she was outspoken and a little sassy. The best part of Kika though was if she loved or cared for you, she did so wholly. She would do anything for you.

There were two love interests but I wouldnt really call it a triangle because of how it was set up. She hadnt seen Lochlan, from her travels, since they parted a year ago. They also weren't actually a couple when they parted but there was a deep connection and they still spoke regularly. When she moves to London she meets someone new. This will turn everything she thought she knew and felt all out of whack.

Besides the romance aspect, there were lovely side-plots involving the girls she nannied for as well the relationship she strikes up with the person who cleans the house she is staying at. This is where we get to see Kika be caring and selfless and really put her priorities in order. I am also happy to report that she had a really great relationship with her mother. She was supportive without being overbearing.

This was a really quick read and I didn't really want to put it down. I do wish there was more about her travels or traveling in general but we did get snippets in forms of memories. Plus, I can never complain for London as a setting. Overall, I thought it was a great book for that weird time in ones life when you start to try and put things in some sort of order. I felt like we got to take that journey with Kika and was happy to see where she was going.
1054071
I love to travel and want to go to New Zealand. Well, after reading Wilderness Liaison. New Zealand has been bumped up on my travel list. Ms. Ashby did such an great job describing the scenery that I want to go camping. And I am not a huge camper. I love that Shal and Jodie do not like each other when they meet and for some time. The tension was so thick. Excellent writing and the story has a good pace and some unexpected developments. I also like that Shal and Jodie had flaws and had to work at the relationship. It was not always smooth sailing. I think if you need a trip and can't afford one get this book and enjoy the ride. I can't wait to check out all Ms. Ashbys work.

Just fyi this has a handful of swear words and some descriptive foreplay. All sex is behind closed doors.
4487335
I love novels that provide a vacation to lands I haven't previously explored, and this book grants readers one superb vacation. I especially enjoyed getting to travel by foot, consuming the wonderful sights, dodging speedy bicyclists, tasting octopus, and surviving the pains of sore feet. The journey these friends take together is one I would have loved to make at their age or even now (if I could carve out the time). Many YA novels feature romantic relationships as a focal point for the book. While Along The Way includes romantic connections, I admire that at its heart, its a book about friendship, both the bonds forged between these protagonists and the characters they meet along their hike. This novel is a wonderful reminder of the significance of chance encounters and the kindness that can be found in strangers.
3293000
For me, this is one of those books that you don't always realize how good it is until days after you've finished the last page. Since finishing it, I have often been reminded of passages in the book as I move through my own daily life.

The story is one of four friends and their relationship that started as young girls, now women in their 30's. But the difference is that one of them passed away six months ago from cancer. They've all been vacationing together with two of the mothers since they were little girls and this is their first trip since their friend has died.

What I especially liked were the stories told of the older generation also vacationing with the girls. It helped me realize that we are all made up of little bits of those friends and family around us and not just the experiences we have with them but the experiences they bring with them. I also enjoyed how the author hinted that the choices we make--no matter how big or small--help us shape ourselves and the path we take.

While I found some of the physics theory talk (and the idea that we can move between alternate universes) to be a bit over my head, it did not detract too much from the storyline. Instead it actually gave me more to think about when the stories were told by different characters.

The only (minor) criticism I have is that I found the author's back and forth style of including journal entries with actual current events to be a bit distracting. Eventually, I fell into the groove of the story and was soon was caught up and couldn't wait to read what would happen next. Overall a good book and neat story!
4663263
I really enjoyed this book because it felt real and honest to me. So much of what you read and see about travelling with kids makes it seem so easy all of the time, and if it's not easy, then you're doing something wrong and your kids are terrible. But this book told it like it is. There are struggles, it's not always easy. Reading this made travelling with my daughter seem more doable. It's not going to be perfect, and my daughter is gonna throw tantrums, but that's all OK!
393262
Great travel on a personal journey of character building.  Easy to read and follow along.
1935965
This book follows four seperate people who travel within the same social crowds. Audrey who has packed up and moved to New York from the UK, Jack a local college student, Flynn an upcoming artist, and Ray who is Audrey's new roommate. As these four get to know each other and develope relationships, they also get to know themselves a bit more. The book tackles issues of what its like to love someone with an addiction, what it is like to suffer from an addiction, and the relationship strains of infidelity from both sides.
The book occassionally alternates from past tense to present tense, which can be frustrating to the reader, but the underlying messages of the human condition, suffering, love, overcoming struggles, and forgiveness make it worth the read!
2843109
This book not only makes me wish I could afford to travel, but it makes me wish I was a man(Well, kinda). Since most of the interesting stuff can only be experienced by men. Eric Hansen has an easy to read style that easily  draws the reader into his story.  It's a delightful read, especially since  he is not an arrogant traveler and tries a lot of things that other  tourists might snub.  He also gives a lesson on the Yemen culture, without  the reader ever suspecting that they're learning something. This is a great  book for travelers at heart.
2914469
This is a great traveling book story.  Almost everyone can identify with a "road trip" and this is one of the ultimate ones.  Since I have been to all or many of the places and remember my own feelings and good times (and not so good).  It is great for the detail and descriptions of the location, the weather and the situation.  Easy to put yourself into the authors boots.  Also, the decisions the author makes are not without the normal internal tormenting, should I or shouldn't I.
An easy read which is great for bringing everyone back in touch with their own "wanderlust".
Highly recommend.
It also rekindles the spirit for new adventures!!!!
Well done.
29012
An adventure that spanned Europe and an ever lasting friendship combined for a wonderful story.  It takes you places and lets you imagine what it was like to travel abroad in the 60's..  I have never been to Europe, but I feel as if I have enjoyed the trip with them.  A great story to read again and again..
910910
This is a very good travelogue that touches on personal self-discovery and brutally honest self-disclosure about her suffering from mental illness.  It's a story I'm sure Clara Bensen herself didn't think would result in a three-week trip across Turkey, Greece and the Balkans with nothing but the green dress she wore.  On a whim she agrees to accompany an older environmental science professor she meets on OKCupid who goes by the tag "one_man_tent."  She is recovering from a mental breakdown ("an existential crisis") and he is getting over a divorce and living minimally.  It is clear from the start that there is chemistry between Clara and Jeff.  This is a travel memoir with a blooming romance as spice to the narrative.  It's independence and desire, to use Bensen's own words.  Her affection for Jeff is real, but also guarded.

Bensen is a good writer.  She sees the world in abstracts and can put her observations down well.  This is what makes her writing so good, because she notes the things most people don't.  Whether she's describing the retro interior decor of a young Turk's apartment or recalling a conversation with a homeless fisherman, her observations make her travel writing worth reading.  She and Jeff are not into resorts or mooching off of their rich parents to make this trip. She can also recall dialogue and make one-liners seem interesting.  The native people are depicted as part of the natural landscape, and there are no disparaging comments about them.  She genuinely likes the people she meets and the places she sees, and sprinkles just enough history to make the background pertinent.  Even Jeff comes across as very likable.

The narrative gets twisted with lots of self-reflection, though, that takes away from the overall story. She reflects on her past too much in the middle of a story, which on a few pages ruined the experience for me.  However, this is part of her brutal honesty about herself and is a result of her previous anxiety, her strict religious upbringing and her fear of failure. She mentions her privileged white female upbringing several times, and when compared to some of the people she meets in the Balkans, especially in Bosnia, perhaps that is worth mentioning.  The lesson she imparts to her readers is that American culture is far too materialistic.  We want too much, we have too much, and we throw too much away.  She and Jeff, despite a few tense moments on the road, do manage to get by with very little while traveling, and almost always sleep the night away with a roof over their heads.  That's something to think about as we look around our own. homes and realize how much stuff we have that really isn't important.

Will Clara and Jeff last?  They have a good chemistry, read each other well and are sensitive to others , which is a good part of a lasting relationship.  I would read future stories by Bensen.
4464750
I have been looking for more books that deal with Asian American characters and stories. I was eager to find out about this book because not only does it deal with Asian culture but it's also a travelogue novel as well. The reader gets to experience a trip to China and learn about the customs and culture while discovering Lily's story at the same time.

It's a journey of self discovery for Lily. An aunt that she has never heard about has left her money for her to travel to China and perform certain tasks along the way before meeting her. She not only learns more about her own desires and her inner self, but she learns about her background and heritage as well. It's a lot to take in when you are totally unprepared and unsure of what the future holds but Lily takes up the challenge. While she is in the middle of her adventure, she keeps running into a young man named Alex. The two form a connection, even though Lily keeps trying to deny that it doesn't exist. She reluctantly begins to feel affection for him while he is meanwhile head over heels in love with her to the point of asking her to marry him.

There is quite a bit of sex in the book, a little more than I normally like when I'm reading. It's not as graphic as erotica but it might be a little much for some. It's rather sad to see Lily be used as the mistress of her professor and a bit infuriating that he sees her as the stereotypical Asian submissive woman. I was pleasantly pleased with where that relationship headed. Meanwhile it's different with Alex because even though she resists at first, she does begin to care and then eventually loves him.

The revelation of the story is emotional especially when you learn everything about Lily's past and the history of her family. Asian culture is so multi-layered and it's sad how things tend to happen. The story however is rich in detail and I really enjoyed traveling to China through the book. People and places come alive and there is much to learn in this book about the culture (such as food). This is the first book from Yip that I have read and I'm interested now in reading more from her.
3795087
I really enjoyed reading this novel. It basically covers a woman that teaches English in another country, and shares the cultural differences in history, everyday activity, language, and relating to others. I found it a great read, and would encourage others that have ever considered international travel to give it a chance as well.