Wanderlove

Title: Wanderlove
Author: Kirsten Hubbard
Rating: 4/5
Summary: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. 

Kirsten Hubbard lends her artistry into this ultimate backpacker novel, weaving her drawings into the text. Her career as a travel writer and her experiences as a real-life vagabond backpacking Central America are deeply seeded in this inspiring story.
My Thoughts: Wanderlove starts the story off with Bria, who has been told by her best friends that it's really not a good time for her to travel while her ex-boyfriend told her that she's just not the type to go out and do it. 
So, naturally Bria does what anyone would do. 
Prove them wrong. 
Only when she gets to Guatemala she realizes that she's on the wrong tour and doesn't want to be so restricted. So when she meets a bunch of backpackers that invite her along she figures out that this may be the only chance she'll get to really live. Bria is a really great character. When her boyfriend Toby breaks up with her she's left broken, confused and lost. 
She stopped doing her art, her one true passion and even changed her whole life perspective. It took some serious guts for her to go out there and do it on her own. It's such a different world out there and while I would never be brave enough, it was really cool to see a character try to define herself, find a better version and come out stronger. Kudos. 
As for Rowan? What's not to like? Here's a guy who's totally free spirited, lives his life by backpacking it place to place. He lives by his own guidelines which are wise and insightful. He makes you think about life and not just yours but how he sees it. The things he says really has a way of effecting you. This was a fun filled adventure, light and entertaining that I definitely recommend. 
It makes me want to run away from home and become a backpacker. 
Well. Maybe.