Where the Road Leads Us

by Robin Reul

Overview

"A beautiful, tender and thoughtful meditation on finding your way."—Nicola Yoon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Everything, Everything and The Sun Is Also a Star

A heartfelt and hilarious adventure about two teens trying to find their way, for fans of Jennifer Niven and Nicola Yoon.

Jack is on the verge of leaving for college, but before he does, he wants to track down his estranged brother, Alex and find some closure in the wake of their father's death. Meanwhile, Hallie has just found out some upsetting news about a friend in Oregon, and she has a small window to go see him before it's too late.

Jack and Hallie are practically strangers. They shared a class together years ago and haven't seen each other since, though they have more in common than they'd ever imagine. And when fate puts them into the same rideshare to the bus terminal, it kicks off an unconventional and hysterical adventure that may lead them to their own true selves…and maybe to each other.

Additional praise for Where the Road Leads Us:

"A lovely, compassionate, and compulsive read."—Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces and How to Make Friends with the Dark

"A soul-filling, raw, love song of a novel."—Jennifer Niven, #1 New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places

"Propels you through a heartfelt adventure. I couldn't put it down."—Jeff Garvin, author of Lambda Literary Award finalist Symptoms of Being Human

"Anyone who has faced loss and uncertainty in their life will relate to this emotionally honest, hopeful book."—Misa Sugiura, author of It's Not Like It's a Secret and This Time Will Be Different

"A tender and heartfelt read with an ending both hopeful and sincere, and readers will happily share the ride."—BCCB

"A feel-good story with depth."—Kirkus Reviews

Also by Robin Reul:

My Kind of Crazy

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781492635253
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	04/06/2021
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	662,962
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 5.50(h) x 0.90(d)
Lexile:	HL780L (what's this?)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

The author of MY KIND OF CRAZY and the forthcoming WHERE THE ROAD LEADS US, Robin Reul has been writing since she was in early elementary school, when she used to make her own book club flyers for her classmates and then pen them original stories. Though she grew up on movie sets and worked for many years in the film and television industry both as an actress and in motion picture development, she ultimately decided to focus her attention on writing young adult novels. She lives in Los Angeles suburbia.

Editorial Reviews

02/15/2021

Jack’s turning 18 and graduating from his Los Angeles high school, but instead of experiencing excitement, he feels like he’s “held together with off-brand masking tape.” His sex therapist mother is on a book tour and hasn’t come home to celebrate, his father died a year ago, and he’s estranged from his brother, who has a history of drug dependence. Then his girlfriend breaks up with him. So when he finds a letter that suggests his brother’s in San Francisco, it’s easy enough for Jack to head for the bus station. There, he bumps into former classmate Hallie, who’s also headed north, having scraped together the money for a bus to Oregon, to be present for the death of a friend from her online cancer support group. They end up joining Oscar, the GoodCarma driver they’ve just met, for a misadventure-filled road trip. Lacing the book with elements of mysticism and self-help, including signs from beyond and 12-step precepts, Ruel (My Kind of Crazy) offsets heavy content with a burgeoning friendship conveyed in alternating chapters, and mixes appealing banter and vulnerability to tell a story of two teenagers who are trying to do their best under difficult circumstances. Ages 14–up. Agent: Leigh Feldman, Leigh Feldman Literary. (Apr.)■

Publishers Weekly

"Jack and Hallie’s journey is filled with surprises and sweet discoveries about our choices in life; you’ll be glad you jumped on board. Anyone who has faced loss and uncertainty in their life will relate to this emotionally honest, hopeful book." — Misa Sugiura, author of It’s Not Like It’s a Secret and This Time Will Be Different

"My copy of this soul-filling, raw, love song of a novel is dog-eared and highlighted within an inch of its life. Where the Road Leads Us envelops you the way the very best stories do. I would follow Jack and Hallie—and author Robin Reul—anywhere." — Jennifer Niven, #1 New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places

"Where the Road Leads Us propels you through a heartfelt adventure as two teens take a wild road trip to confront their pasts and find their true destinies. I couldn’t put it down" — Jeff Garvin, author of Lambda Literary Award finalist Symptoms of Being Human

"A beautiful, tender and thoughtful meditation on finding your way through the loneliness of grief back to hope" — Nicola Yoon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Everything, Everything and The Sun Is Also a Star

"Jack and Hallie hit the road in a quest to confront heartbreak, fear, and grief in this wild, sad, and hopeful novel. Robin Reul tackles tough topics with a nuanced, often hilarious, touch. This is a road trip novel of the best sort, the kind that asks, ‘What shall I do with the rest of my life?' As Jack and Hallie discover, the answer is, 'Live it.' A lovely, compassionate, and compulsive read" — Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces and How to Make Friends with the Dark

"[Readers] will be invested in these characters and enjoy watching them become confident in forging their own paths versus doing what is expected of them... A fun and thought-provoking read for mid-size or larger collections." — School Library Journal

"Reul presents a fresh take on serendipitous encounters as a mix of humorous escapades and soulful discussions cause Jack and Hallie to reevaluate their futures and take charge of their lives, with a hint of romance also driving the tension...A feel-good story with depth." — Kirkus Reviews

"Reul (My Kind of Crazy) offsets heavy content with a burgeoning friendship conveyed in alternating chapters, and mixes appealing banter and vulnerability to tell a story of two teenagers who are trying to do their best under difficult circumstances." — Publishers Weekly

"This is a great readalike for students who like road trip romances like An Abundance of Katherines by John Green." — Youth Services Book Review

"Reul delivers a road trip with meaning." — Booklist

"It’s a tender and heartfelt read with an ending both hopeful and sincere, and readers will happily share the ride." — The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"This story depicts the meaning of serendipity in the most beautiful of ways...I recommend this novel for anyone who loves a good story centered around friendship, travel, and a need for spontaneity in their life!" — Julia B, The Nerd Daily

"Whether you’re about to graduate or just feel lost in life, Jack and Hallie’s story tells us that it’s okay, everything will work out the way it’s supposed to, even if it’s not what you expected." — Grace, Age 17 (Kids Book Buzz)

"Told in alternating voices, this novel gives the reader two very believable characters on the cusp of great changes. " — Youth Services Book Review

"Told in alternating voices, this novel gives the reader two very believable characters on the cusp of great change... fun to read." — Youth Services Book Review

From the Publisher

02/01/2021

Gr 9 Up—It's Jack's last day of high school and his 18th birthday. Still reeling from the death of his father the previous year, struggling with anxiety, and feeling ambivalent about his college plans, Jack has a lot on his plate. When his girlfriend, Natasha, drops a bomb on him days before they are set to begin the next chapter of their lives together, it throws everything into question. Meanwhile, Hallie's cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment have forced her to miss out on much of her high school experience and has put a strain on her family's finances. Although she has been in remission for some time, she has found it difficult to plan for the future or find pleasure in things she used to enjoy. At the start of this novel, her thoughts are consumed by some concerning news she received at her last doctor's appointment. After their paths cross in a serendipitous meeting, Jack and Hallie end up on an unexpected road trip together, both searching for answers. In alternating perspectives, the protagonists feel authentic, as does the connection they form. While the ending wraps up a bit too tidily, readers will be invested in these characters and enjoy watching them become confident in forging their own paths versus doing what is expected of them. Main characters' ethnicity isn't stated. VERDICT A fun and thought-provoking read for mid-size or larger collections.—Kimberly Tolson, Millis P.L., MA

School Library Journal

2021-01-12
The best road trip may be the one that’s unplanned.

On the doubly momentous day of Jack’s 18th birthday and high school graduation in Southern California, he’s still grieving his father’s recent death. His mother, a sex therapist to celebrities, is away on a book tour, and his longtime girlfriend has just broken up with him. While packing for a next-day flight to start an internship in New York before heading to Columbia, he discovers a letter from his father to his missing older brother, who struggles with drug addiction and is apparently living in San Francisco. Across town, Hallie, who dropped out of school her sophomore year due to cancer, plots to sneak away from her parents’ pancake restaurant to attend the assisted suicide in Portland of a friend she met in an online support group. Alternating first-person chapters recount their converging storylines as Jack decides to find his brother and Hallie’s bus gets delayed. With an aspiring actor as their ride-hire–app driver, the teens spend 24 hours together, traveling north and exploring. Reul presents a fresh take on serendipitous encounters as a mix of humorous escapades and soulful discussions cause Jack and Hallie to reevaluate their futures and take charge of their lives, with a hint of romance also driving the tension. Excepting Jack’s best friend who is implied Indian American, characters are White by default.

A feel-good story with depth. (Fiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews