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emfrombookjems

Reading, Writing and Being Generally Awesome

I have no idea what I'm doing.
Wanderlove - Kirsten Hubbard As seen on Ed and Em's Reviews!5/5 Stars!Wanderlove is lovely. Passionate is the word that comes to mind. I was skeptical at first, because I wasn't a fan of the cover and I've tried reading books with similar plots before that just didn't work for me. I was wary going into this, but that changed almost immediately.From the first chapter, it had me hooked. The words are beautiful, and the plot alone blew me away. It made me want to travel the world, just meet the natives, eat their food, take a million pictures and never go home. Of course, as a broke college student, the likelihood of that is slim-to-none. Though, I really, really do want to be a vagabond now! (I have spent hours since I finished the book googling it. Ms. Hubbard has seriously ruined me, in the best way.)This novel was so powerful. I couldn't put it down. Everything about this book just clicked. It fit so well together and had the most beautiful message of needing to find yourself before you can really find happiness. It was just phenomenal. One of the best books that I've read so far this year. It was truly inspiring.And there are drawings in it! Beautiful, lovely, gorgeous drawings. Down by the author herself. If Ms. Hubbard ever choosing to retire from writing, which I hope she won't, she could definitely have a career in art. The drawings really added to the story and fit in because they showed Bria's art and what she saw during her travels. She has such a keen eye and draws so well. I'm jealous of Kirsten's (and Bria's) talent!The narrator is great. I've never read a character named "Bria," so that lead to an interesting start! She's a lot like your average teenage girl. It begins with her wanting to prove herself to herself and everyone who ever doubted her. She wants to let go of her fears and be free enough to travel. She is written so realistically that you are able to relate with Bria and understand her emotions and actions as the occur. The author wrote Bria and all of her other characters amazingly. I fell in love with them instantly.And I loved that this contemporary romance novel was not focused on romance. The romance was amazing, but pretty subtle until the end. It was great not to read a book that centered around the main character finding love. Too many novels based on "every day life" are that way, when life isn't all romance and roses. This was a great view of reality.I loved everything about this novel. I almost started to cry when I finished. I never wanted it to end. I teared up reading Bria's story and the ending… I swooned and wished I could feel that kind of happiness, that kind of freedom. Ms. Hubbard writes excellently. I will definitely read her future novels and her past one. I am sure they will be as awe-inspiring as this one was.