Review: Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

From Goodreads: It all begins with a stupid question: Are you a Global Vagabond? No, but 18-year-old Bria Sandoval wants to be. In a quest for independence, her neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she signs up for a guided tour of Central America - the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists with fanny packs are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. When Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his outspokenly humanitarian sister Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path. Bria's a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan's a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel across a panorama of Mayan villages, remote Belizean islands, and hostels plagued with jungle beasties, they discover what they've got in common: both seek to leave behind the old versions of themselves. And the secret to escaping the past, Rowan’s found, is to keep moving forward. But Bria comes to realize she can't run forever, no matter what Rowan says. If she ever wants the courage to fall for someone worthwhile, she has to start looking back. 

My Rating: 5 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: Lately I’ve been reading a lot of books that have I’ve been feeling pretty ‘meh’ about. So when I picked up Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard, little did I expect to fall in love with it. Since I’m now having a hard time trying to describe how I feel about Wanderlove, here are five reasons why you should read it immediately:

1. The setting: I’ve never been to Central America, but Hubbard conveys the culture and vibe of the places Bria visits so vividly that I felt as if I had. After reading Wanderlove, I wanted to drop everything, board a plane and backpack through all the places mentioned just so I could actually see them in person! 
2. The characters: Every single character, regardless of how big or small their role, played an important part in Bria’s travel experience. Hubbard’s characters felt like real people, and I could easily imagine encountering someone similar abroad. 
3. The journey to self-rediscovery: As much as Wanderlove involves a physical journey, there’s also a mental journey. After defining herself through her horrible boyfriend and being dumped by him, Bria wants to discover who she is without him and regain her passion for art. Meanwhile, Rowan – he’s a bibliophile! – is trying to forget about his past and become a better person. The two grew so much as characters, and I loved watching them open themselves up to each other and to new experiences. 
4. The subtle romance: Neither Bria nor Rowan are each other’s type, but they do manage to forge a friendship. Despite some flirting early on, I really liked that the two came up with a list of subjects off-limits and clearly defined themselves as friends and nothing more because it gave them a chance to learn about each other through meaningful conversations, without any sort of underlying awkwardness about their relationship or what topics they could broach. Of course setting parameters on their relationship creates some delightful tension later on. 
5. The drawings: How could I not talk about the drawings drawn by Hubbard herself?! They’re simply amazing!

A contemporary that will easily be among my favourite books of this year, Wanderlove was released on March 13, 2012 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers. 

Comments About the Cover: I like the simplicity of the cover. But, it gives you absolutely no clues as to what the story is about.

In exchange for an honest review, this ARC was received from the publisher (Random House) for free via NetGalley.