Review: Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

 I don’t give out 5 stars lightly.

Wanderlove deserves every bit and pieces of the five stars. I love, love the book. Enchanting, this book will make you smile when you’ve finished the last line. Sometimes, there’s just a book you can identify yourself easily, like the moment when you’re reading and you’re thinking: Gosh, this is so me. Story of my life.

It all begins with a question and follows up with a crazy idea. Are you a Global Vagabond? Bria, dumped by his ex-boyfriend and lost her purpose in life, decided that she will prove her friends that she can travel alone in a foreign country. She signed up to be a Global Vagabond. Her destination: Central America! Exotic places, beautiful Mayan ruin, and cool strangers! Who cares about things like ex-boyfriend, art school, or clueless parents!

It’s her first day in Guatemala City and it seems like things have gone wrong already. Her traveler companions are way older than her, and they don’t seem to take interest in Guatemala’s scenery. Her camera is stolen in the Guatemala market. And, worst of all, she doesn’t feel any different than when she was in California. But everything starts to change… when she meets Rowan, the experienced backpacker. Their short encounter leads to three weeks backpacking, where they learn about dependence and honesty… and most importantly, moving on from their haunting past.

Bria is a wonderful character, and I like her very much. She’s smart and she can be cynical sometimes, but it’s really easy to connect to her character. She doesn’t want to lose and she jumps to conclusion quickly, but throughout the book, her character is greatly improved. You can tell that this traveling makes her more mature. I also love Rowan. He’s really cute, especially when he feels guilty to Bria. All you want to do is just holding his hands and get on the hammock with him. Yeah, there really is a hammock in this book where you can see stars blinking at you! That’s easily one of my favorite parts in this book.

The story flows smoothly, and it seems so real. You can’t question the plot in this book. There are beautiful drawings created by the author herself in this book, and it’s much easier to imagine characters in Wanderlove. Like a teenager, I squeaked and gasped in delight whenever Bria and Rowan is doing gestures that imply more than their platonic relationship.

This book makes me want to grab my backpack and catch a plane to Central America. I’m not exactly a backpacker girl, in truth I’m too fond of shower and hand sanitizer. But this book makes me want to drink licuado in a café in Guatemala, try diving, or attend a Lobsterfest in an exotic island.

Definitely a recommendation for anyone who is suffering from wanderlust, I hope that this book can be your temporary cure! This book is also for anyone who loves reading amazing book with enchanting and beautiful story: you really should check out this book!
 
Maybe I’m doing the same thing right now, this very minute—just escaping by plane, chicken bus, and boat instead of by car. Maybe I’ve been a Wanderlove wannabe all along, without ever knowing it existed.

I rate this book: 

Five cups of tea! Genius. Beautiful, haunting, and lively characters. Reading this is an overwhelming experience. Must read at least once in a lifetime!

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