Sunday, January 25, 2015

Book Review: Open Road Summer

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Title: Open Road Summer
Author: Emery Lord
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers (Bloomsbury)
Publication Date: April 15, 2014

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

Source: Amazon
Synopsis:
Regan O'Neill and Dee Montgomery are more like sisters than best friends. It's a bond that can't be broken, even by Dee's fame and fortune as a country music superstar.
When Regan break up with her bad-news boyfriend and Dee gets dumped by her high school sweetheart, even the sweetest country ballad can't heal their broken hearts, and that's where friends come in. Dee's twenty-four-city tour is the perfect opportunity for a girl's only summer that will kick off the dust of any relationship gone bad.
But when Matt Flinch joins the tour as its opening act, his boy-next-door charm completely throws off Reagan's plan for a drama-free existence. With miles to go before Regan and Dee are ready to risk their hearts again, this summer will be one to remember...

Goodreads


My Review

Open Road Summer by Emery Lord is one of those adorable Young Adult books that will literally take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. This book will make you laugh. It will make you cry. You'll probably swoon a little bit, and then you'll get your heart broken into a million little jigsaw puzzle pieces only to have all the pieces put back together. It's literally that stunningly beautiful.

The book is about two childhood best friends, Reagan and Dee, who have recently suffered heartaches. Both are trying to heal and move on, and the best way for them is to head to the highways. But this isn't your average road trip because Dee is really country superstar Lilah Montgomery. This part of the plot kind of gives off the Hannah Montana and Taylor Swift vibes, but I adored it! Why? Well I'll tell you why. I freaking love Taylor Swift, and her debut album is still my favorite. Oh and Hannah Montana is kind of one of my guilty pleasures. I'm also a pretty big country music fan, and music fan in general, so this part of the plot really appealed to me and is pretty much the main reason why I bought the book.

Yes... there is some romance going on during this road trip, and yes, I'm going to go ahead and say that it's as endearing and charming as an idyllic country lifestyle. Prepare to swoon when you meet the country heartthrob in this book! Two words - Matt Finch. I have now found my contemporary book boyfriend, and no... I'm not sharing. I love Matt's story. He really helps round out the book.

I technically gave this book a five-star-rating, but I do want to state that I did find some flaws in the book. The ones that bothered me were easy enough to overlook and did not interfere with my enjoyment of the novel. I just was hoping that Emery Lord would make it seem more like a road trip novel by describing places, like landmarks or physical locations, in the different cities on Lilah's tour. That would have made it feel a little more real to me.

All in all, Open Road Summer is a wonderful read that explores friendship, heartache, loss, violence, love, and fresh starts. The characters are quirky and loveable, and the plot strikes a major chord if you're a fan of cute contemporary novels. (Sorry... I couldn't resist the pun!) I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a book to take to the beach or just a back porch read in the middle of the summer. And okay... a book to warm you up in the middle of winter.

About Emery Lord

Emery Lord is a 20-something Midwestern girl who writes stories about high school and best friends and weird families and the crushes that make you feel combustibly alive and also more awkward than you thought was possible. If you're not sure how to pronounce Emery, try slurring the name "Emily," and that will get you really close.  

She lives in Cincinnati in a 100 year-old pink row house with her BFF/husband, a closet full of dresses, and lots of books. If karaoke-ing in grocery store aisles or guzzling coffee while impulse shopping were illegal, Emery would be writing her overemotional YA books from jail. Also, she makes up words sometimes. Like combustibly.
 
Open Road Summer, her first YA novel, is out now with Bloomsbury. Her second, The Start of Me & You, will be released March 31, 2015.

10 comments :

  1. This sounds like a great summer read :) Wonderful review!

    Sifra @ Brilliant Bookshelf

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    1. I can definitely see it being one of those perfect summer reads, which is why I originally bought it, but then I kept putting it off. It's definitely re-read worthy. :)

      Thanks, Sifra! :)

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  2. This book sounds really cute. I enjoy Sarah Dessen's novels and this sounds like a good alternative. I might check it out.

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    1. I've never read a Sarah Dessen book (at least not yet), but I do think a lot of her fans enjoyed this book. If you read it, let me know what you think! :)

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  3. This was one of the books I meant to read last year but it just didn't happen. I'll probably save it for summer 2015 because it sounds like something I want to read in warm and sunny weather. :) Great review!

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    1. It was on my list of must reads for 2014, too, and then I started blogging and things got out of control. It's really cute, and I hope you enjoy it while getting some sun. I might have to re-read it while soaking up some Vitamin D. lol

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  4. What a great review! I'm going to have to add this to my tbr pile!
    Karleigh @ Books Galore

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    1. Thank you, Karleigh! It's such a sweet book, and I hope you love it! :)

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  5. This book looks so cute! I'm a sucker for contemporaries, as well as road trip books. (hence my love for Amy & Roger's Epic Detour lol) If you haven't read that one, please do! It has the landmarks and physical locations you're looking for, with cute little illustrations! Definitely a must read! Great review E :)

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    1. OMG, Tika! It was so cute, and exactly what I needed at the moment.

      Amy & Roger is on my radar! I just want to get through some physical books that I own and some of these ARCs and R2Rs. lol

      Thanks, T! :)

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