The Geography of Lost Things by Jessica Brody (ARC review)

TITLE: The Geography of Lost Things

AUTHOR: Jessica Brody

RELEASES: October 2nd 2018 by Simon Pulse

GENRE: Teens + YA Contemporary Fiction

His words are so spot-on, his comprehension so profound, I flinch and look at him.

Ali’s outlook on life really spoke to my soul. Even if I have very different character traits, there were still a lot of very relatable aspects to her, such as her goal of becoming a vet (I wanted to be a vet for the longest time!), her job in a dog hotel (I worked in one last year), and her desire to go to UC Davis, which was one of my top choices when I was applying to schools!! I felt like this book was pretty much written about me…minus the adventure with the ex-boyfriend. Their trip was unreal, though. I loved seeing Nico’s social experiment come together and their chemistry was phenomenal. *swoon* I think I might be in love with him.. I just loved this book start to finish!

“You must be looking for something…or you wouldn’t be here.”

Ali’s emotional and internal journey is so moving. I found myself rooting her on so many times, but also thinking ‘wtf are you even doing?’ Kind of like you do when you’re watching your sister or a close friend going through something and you just want to tell them what to do, but can’t. Yeah, that’s how I felt! Her father has died and she’s struggling to come to terms with the way life was when he was still alive. She had a very complicated relationship with him, which I must say I completely understand, and still has a few things to resolve when she goes on this road trip. What starts out as a simple journey to sell a car she can’t wait to be rid of turns into a much deeper coming-of-age journey. The people they meet along the way all have a lesson to teach, even if they don’t necessarily want to learn. And the relationship that we see grow between Ali and Nico is f*cking amazing. She learns to let him reveal himself and his past in his own time, rather than demanding answers when she wants them, and learns they may have more in common than she initially thought. I also loved Nico so much. He has such a massive impact on her in this short time.

And I’m definitely a different person now than I was five days ago.

This was one of those books that touches your soul and makes you all the better for it. It’s stayed with me since I finished it, and I think it’ll be resonating in my mind for a very long time to come.

In this romantic road trip story perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen and Morgan Matson, a teen girl discovers the value of ordinary objects while learning to forgive her absent father.

After Ali’s father passes away, he leaves his one and only prized possession—a 1968 Firebird convertible—to his daughter. But Ali doesn’t plan on keeping it. Not when it reminds her too much of all her father’s unfulfilled promises. So when she finds a buyer three hundred miles up the Pacific coast willing to pay enough money for the car to save her childhood home, Ali can’t wait to get going. Except Ali has no idea how to drive a stick shift. But guess who does?

Ali’s ex-boyfriend, Nico. And Nico has other plans.

He persuades Ali that instead of selling the car, they should “trade up” the items they collect on their trip to eventually reach the monetary amount Ali needs. Agreeing with Nico’s crazy plan, Ali sets off on a unique adventure that is unlike anything she ever could have expected.

And it’s through Ali’s travels, through the strangers she meets and the things that they value—and why they value them—that Ali eventually comes to understand her father and how his life may not have been as easy and carefree as she previously thought. Because just like the seemingly insignificant objects Ali collects, not everything is exactly as it appears.

Thank you so much to Simon Pulse for providing me with an ARC. All quotes are taken from an ARC and may not match the final release.