Synopsis:
Eighteen-year-old Angeli doesn’t "fit in." She’s never been on a single date, and she lives vicariously through an online world of storytelling. With the pressures of choosing a practical future path bearing down, she needs a drastic change. Too old to run away from home, she opts instead to embark on a solo 2-month road trip. But her freedom is tempered by loneliness — and anxiety tests her resolve as she comes face-to-face with her quirky internet friends.
Aside from contracting mono and repeatedly getting herself lost, Angeli's adventure is mired by more unforeseen glitches — like being detained by Canadian authorities, and a near-death experience at the hands of an overzealous amateur wrestler. Her odyssey is complicated further when she unwittingly earns the affections of two young men. One a privileged martial artist; the other a talented techie with a colorful past.
Bewildered by the emotions they stir, Angeli spurns the idea of a doomed long-distance relationship. But she is unprepared for the determination of her hopeful suitors. In the wake of her refusal, one man will betray her, and the other will prove himself worthy of a place in her future.
Angeli sets off in search of a better understanding of herself, the world, and her place in it. What she finds is an impractical love, with the potential to restore her faith in happy endings.
A true story with an unapologetically honest outlook on life, love, faith, and adventure -- Once Upon A Road Trip is a coming-of-age memoir.
Aside from contracting mono and repeatedly getting herself lost, Angeli's adventure is mired by more unforeseen glitches — like being detained by Canadian authorities, and a near-death experience at the hands of an overzealous amateur wrestler. Her odyssey is complicated further when she unwittingly earns the affections of two young men. One a privileged martial artist; the other a talented techie with a colorful past.
Bewildered by the emotions they stir, Angeli spurns the idea of a doomed long-distance relationship. But she is unprepared for the determination of her hopeful suitors. In the wake of her refusal, one man will betray her, and the other will prove himself worthy of a place in her future.
Angeli sets off in search of a better understanding of herself, the world, and her place in it. What she finds is an impractical love, with the potential to restore her faith in happy endings.
A true story with an unapologetically honest outlook on life, love, faith, and adventure -- Once Upon A Road Trip is a coming-of-age memoir.
My Thoughts:
When I was contacted by Angela N. Blount with the opportunity to read and review her memoir, Once Upon a Road Trip, I knew immediately that this was going to be a book for me. A memoir? Sign me up. Oh, there's a road trip involved? Heck yes. I love road trips (even though I get extremely car sick on them) and I love memoirs (I'm super nosy, I want to know everyone's business) so there was little doubt that I wouldn't enjoy this book. Guess what? I was right!
Even though Once Upon a Road Trip is a memoir, the author has written her story in a way I have yet to come across in others: she tells the story in third person. I wasn't sure at first how this would work but I found myself loving it. You get a real story from a fiction point of view. At times I had to step back and remind myself that yes, this actually happened (which wasn't always a good thing when some rather unfortunate events take place) and it added a special element to the story.
Angela, or Angeli as referred to in the book, got on my good side right away. She's funny, smart, and a little snarky. Unlike most teens who have just graduated college, Angela isn't just wondering aimlessly trying to figure out what to do with her life. She has been taking college courses on top of her high school work and is debating on several different careers. She also takes her personal life quite seriously, she isn't going to start a relationship with someone who she can't see herself having a serious future with and stays true to her word even when she shouldn't.
Angela's road trip consists of many different stops around the country, even stopping in Canada, to visit online friends. Each stop brings a new adventure, sometimes for good and sometimes for bad, and we meet a very vast collection of characters along the way. I loved being able to meet these people through Angela, especially those that she was meeting for the first time in person. I also loved the inclusion of journal entries from Angela's travels. What better way to know exactly what a person is thinking in a situation than to read their exact thoughts from that moment?
The only issue I encountered along Angela's travels was that there is a lot of talk about religion and God. A lot. I wasn't sure how far it was going to go and if this was something that would cause me to put down the book since I am not one for religion and reading about it. Thankfully though, none of the conversations turned into a "You should believe this!" type conversation and Angela was very respectful to others about their views and feelings while still maintaining her own. This only made me like her more.
Overall, I truly enjoyed Angela's story. Everything you love about fiction you will find between these pages. There's drama, a little action, and even a little romance (so happy about this part :) ). I highly recommend Once Upon a Road Trip to everyone, especially those who love memoirs and road trip stories!
About Angela N. Blount:
Angela N. Blount is a Minnesota native, transplanted to the deep South--where she currently resides with her understanding husband, their two children, and a set of identity-confused cats. A Registered Nurse by trade, she is also a freelance content editor, former book reviewer for RT Book Reviews, a memoirist (though, not much a fan of referring to herself in first-person *cough*), craft blogger, sporadic poet, and webcomic artist.
Angela is a PRO member of the Romance Writers of America, and was named a finalist in the 2012 Sheila, Laurie, and Orange Rose contests. Her recent YA romance, The Agreement, took first place in the 2012 OKRWA Finally A Bride contest. It was also a finalist in the 2013 Southern Heat contest and double finalist in the Linda Howard Award of Excellence.
In her spare time, Angela enjoys reading, coffee shop loitering, and all things geeky. Her latest project is a YA sci-fi series.
Purchase Once Upon a Road Trip:
*I received this book for free in exchange of an honest review. This did not influence my opinion in any way and all views and opinions expressed are 100% my own.
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