Bend in the Road

by Sara Biren

Overview

A teen rock star returns home to Minnesota and finds himself falling for a local farm girl in this electric YA romance

Seventeen-year-old Gabe’s life is a mess. His debut album—produced by his rock star dad—made him an overnight sensation, but his second album tanked, he just got dumped by his on-again, off-again girlfriend, and he’s desperate to come up with the money he needs to fix a major screwup. The only place he can be free from the paparazzi and rumors is the family farm—the farm that seventeen-year-old Juniper’s family has managed since before she was born. When Juniper learns that Gabe’s about to inherit the farm, she worries that he’ll sell it. She comes up with a plan to get close to him and stop that from happening. At first, Juniper and Gabe couldn’t be more at odds, but the more time they spend with each other, the more they grow to like each other. Can they set aside their differences to do what’s best for the farm—and each other? Or will all the drama and secrets tear them apart?

"A beautiful and tenderhearted exploration of the meaning of home, Sara Biren's Bend in the Road will stick with you like a favorite song that instantly transports you to a place and time you always want to remember." —Marisa Reichardt, author of Aftershocks and A Shot at Normal


"A pitch-perfect, slow-burn romance combined with loveably complex characters and the most charming farm setting, Sara Biren’s Bend in the Road made my heart soar." ~ Katy Upperman, author of Kissing Max Holden, The Impossibility of Us, and How the Light Gets In

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419748738
Publisher:	Amulet Books
Publication date:	09/28/2021
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	398,691
Product dimensions:	3.10(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Sara Biren is the author of The Last Thing You Said and Cold Day in the Sun. She earned an MFA in creative writing from Minnesota State University, Mankato. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and two children. Visit her at sarabiren.com.

Editorial Reviews

09/01/2021

Gr 9 Up—Soon to be 18, Gabe finds himself heading to Minnesota to hide from the paparazzi after living in Los Angeles and striking out on the release of his second music album. His plan is to live on the family farm that is being taken care of by Juniper Blue. Juniper gets wind that Gabe is supposed to inherit the farm on his next birthday, and she must come up with a plan to stop him from selling it. While the two are far from getting along, she finds herself falling for him, which is not her plan as the differences between them seem to put them at odds. Told in alternating perspectives, Biren's novel is set in the Midwest and is a slow simmer. What appears to be a novel about farming and gardening turns out to focus on relationships and grief. Readers who are musically inclined will appreciate the side story of Gabe's rocky music career. The characters, who are light skinned, are likable and complex in this heartwarming romance that slowly develops between Juniper and Gabe, who seem to have realistic differences. VERDICT Fans of Sarah Dessen will find this novel appealing and will reach for others written by Biren.—Karen Alexander, Lake Fenton H.S., Linden, MI

School Library Journal

2021-08-16
A teen rock star returns home to take a breather.

Seventeen-year-old Gabe Hudson has gotten himself into quite the pickle. His second album is trash, his Hollywood girlfriend has gone into rehab, and he’s dug himself a financial hole that seems impossible to get out of. Gabe retreats to his family’s farm in Minnesota to avoid the scrutiny and paparazzi only to discover that he, not his rocker-in-recovery father, has inherited the enterprise. This doesn’t sit well with Juniper Blue, the cute country girl who lives on the farm with her family and does all the work making sure it runs. Worried Gabe will sell the farm, Juniper does her best to get close to him, and, wouldn’t you know, these two teens who start off at odds end up being just the right person for each other. Readers familiar with romance tropes will be able to predict every bend in the road the book has in store, something that would be forgivable with stronger characterization. However, while the tertiary characters are decently rounded and the farmland backdrop is well detailed, the novel suffers from two unengaging leads: Gabe and Juniper have little chemistry and come across as two self-absorbed teens talking at each other and slipping into a relationship because the narrative dictates it. There’s no crackle or pop in their shared scenes, just a sense of obligation. Gabe and Juniper are presumed White.

A dreary affair. (Fiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews