I. Love. Geraldine. This is the travel book you NEED to read. It's honest, it's realistic, it's not some post college age kid who feels they have their life together(I know, I know hey pot, I'm kettle), it's an average woman on not-so-average adventures. I LOVED her approach to this and I honestly just need more from her.

I love Geraldine DeRuiter! Such a great author and writes really engagingly and humorously. I'd read another by her!

I like travel books, the quirkier the better! Geraldine DeRuiter's book is charming. I made me smile as I could relate to so much in it. I love the idea of traveling, but not the actual traveling part, myself. So reading books like these are always entertaining! Good book for summer!

All Over The Place: Adventures in Travel, True Love, and Petty Theft by Geraldine DeRuiter has to be, hands down, one of the most quotable books I've ever read. And I'm talking, Sarah Knight sarcastic...had me laughing out loud in my bed at midnight trying not to wake up my husband level laughably quotable. Because I was reading this on my Kindle, I kept highlighting and sharing on Twitter from my bed. OH, and then there was my sharing of the butthole quote on Instagram, because it really needed to be seen immediately by a bunch of people who were going to question following me.

The book is labeled a travel book, but I'd say it's more anecdotal essays with travel thrown in. After being laid off, Geraldine starts following her husband on his business trips and writing about her adventures. She is directionally challenged, and most of her adventures would be better categorized as misadventures, but throughout the entire book you're entertained with wit and wisdom from a woman who feels no shame writing about her poop clogging the low-flow toilet in an environmentally conscious hotel or how dealing with the aftermath of a brain tumor can throw a chink in your best-laid plans.

DeRuiter is quirky and intelligent, and the writing definitely shows that off. As someone who has done her fair share of travelling outside of the United States, I feel her assessment of certain places was spot on and I could relate to a lot of her shenanigans. For years I'd have the theme song for the old National Lampoons movies going through my head anytime our family left for a trip because if it could happen, it inevitably would happen. So this book was right up my alley and totally fit my travel experiences.

I would definitely recommend giving this one a read if you're into traveling, sassy women, nonfiction memoirs and laughs. It's not going to help you find a great hotel the next time you travel to New York or London, but it will definitely make you laugh over the mistakes we've all made when we've gone on those trips. But what she really does best is ponder and assess family and upbringing, and how the place one originates can forever impact their lives.

I found this book to be disjointedly charming. As a travel memoir goes, it doesn't really fit, but it is a great coming-of-age-even-though-you've-technically-aged memoir. I loved reading DeRuiter's exploits and foibles, as well as her insights into the human condition and her laugh-out-loud wit.

This book ended up being way better than I expected! I've read quite a few travel memoirs, but none quite like this - and the author is quick to point out that that will be the case. This book is funny, unexpected, heartfelt, and a breath of fresh air.

This was very fun to read. I laughed out loud. Some travel stories, some personal stories, all charming. I had never heard of this blog before, but I'm signed up now.

I am all about travelogues. I figure if I can’t travel at this point in time then I certainly can travel from the comfort of my couch. The title of this one drew me in. All Over the Place: Adventures in Travel, True Love and Petty Theft. It piqued my interest. If I can get my travel fix from my couch I am all about that.

First off this is non-fiction. The story begins as the author, Geraldine, is about to lose her job. The company she works for is about to go under. What does she do? She leaves for a few week trip around Italy with one of her best friends. She and her friend get severely ill. They spend most of the trip chugging DayQuil and NyQuil. That is until her friend’s cousin suggest they go to Cinque Terra. From there he suggests a hike from Vernazza to Monterosso. An hour later they still haven’t reached their destination. They feel like death. After another hour they come to Monterosso and any angst they hold towards their cousin vanishes. Their breath is taken away. They are struck speechless. It is the most amazing view they have ever seen in their lives. Certainly one they will never forget. When they return home, Geraldine loses her job for real. Two weeks later she marries the love of her life, Rand. It was Rand who suggests that she start a Travel Blog now that she doesn’t have a job. Suddenly she is one of the Top Travel Blogs according to TIME magazine. Just as quickly, her world comes crashing down. She had been battling severe headaches for a long time and recently they have gotten even more debilitating. Stay in bed and not move debilitating. Rand suggests she goes to the Doctor who orders an MRI. The results come back the next morning. Tumor in her brain. They don’t believe it’s cancerous but they want to do a biopsy just to make sure. While the results are non-cancerous and a relief to all, will Geraldine ever get back the life she lived before?

This book really wasn’t what I expected. She does say that in the first few chapters that if you want an honest travelogue then go read Rick Steves. This, as she describes, is a more how not to travel. She cannot get from point A to point B without getting lost. That is really the only reason I gave it 4 stars. That it wasn’t the Travelogue I was expecting. With that being said it is still a good book. I laughed until I cried a few times. She does drop a fair amount of F bombs so if you have an aversion to that then, heads up. She writes in a very conversational way. The book was a quick and easy read. She writes real and doesn’t sugarcoat anything. I have already signed up for her blog The Everywhereist. I can’t wait to read it!

This really isn't a travel book but rather a memoir where physical travel propels the author to a better understanding of herself, her family and the world around her. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this as I'm not generally a fan of the reflective memoirs a la Eat Pray. This is funny, it's sharp, and it's very very honest. She doesn't do travel tips (really) but you will definitely have a sense of each place she touches down. I had not read De Ruiter's blog or other writing but I know now to look for her. She's got a lot to say that will be applicable in ways you won't imagine when you start this. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Geraldine's husband travels a lot so he suggests that she go with him and write about her experiences. Travel the world with your best friend and the love of your life, why wouldn't you?
Ms. DeRuiter has written a travel memoir about loving other places but sort of hating the getting there part. Much like life, good things are coming but sometimes the getting there SUCKS.
This is a story about how traveling can make you realize just how important love and home can be. It was witty, touching and made me appreciate my husband even more. Geraldine also has a great gift to not only entertain you but to make you feel like you are right there with her when all of life happens to her.
If you are looking for a spiritual epiphany ala Eat, Pray, Love this probably isn't the book for you but if you are looking for a real look at life, love, family and travel with a lot of laughs and a little bit of tears too then pick up this book.

After Geraldine DeRuiter gets laid off, she travels the world and blogs in the Everywhereist about it. Fun, crazy people, travel!

3.5 stars. All Over the Place is, well, a bit all over the place, but I still quite liked it. I recently read The Yellow Envelope: One Gift, Three Rules, and a Life-Changing Journey Around the World which was a memoir written by a young woman who quit her job and sold her house to go on a long journey around the world. My primary complaint about The Yellow Envelope was that it is too inward looking – I found out far too much about the author’s relationship with her husband and not enough about the places she traveled. I could easily say the same about All Over the Place, but in this case it wouldn’t be a complaint. Geraldine De Ruiter is a travel blog writer. All Over the Place is a memoir in which she chronicles some of her travels, but the focus is really her family, her husband, some serious health issues and some inner struggles. What makes this book work for me is De Ruiter’s tone, sensibility and honesty. She is funny and self-deprecating, while delivering a healthy serving of random thoughtful observations about life, death and the universe. It’s light and not light – a book that can be read in a few disjointed sittings. Part of me kept wondering why she wrote this book and why it was picked up by a publisher – another voice told me to relax and enjoy the experience – which I did. It was definitely “all over the place”, but it took me to places I was happy to follow. Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

I really wanted to like this one - I enjoyed the blurb, and a quick scan of the author's blog caught my eye and captured my imagination... She clearly leads a fascinating and amazing life - and appears to have a deliciously snarky and richly developed sense of humor. How could such a memoir be less than fascinating? I'll tell you how: by not reading like a memoir. I found the book to read more like a self-help book about the power of love - and while there's nothing wrong with either topic, they're not genres that usually grab (or hold) me. I even tried skipping around. I just couldn't get into it - and I tried, several times. There's nothing wrong with it - the writing style is engaging and easy-going, I just wasn't enthusiastic about the stories she was telling. I guess I'll have to stick to the blog...

I have never read (or heard of, honestly) the author's travel blog. But I love good travel memoir so I started reading. And found is been hoodwinked. This is a memoir, but travel in is secondary to a story about love, acceptance, priorities and family. And I loved it. It's a quick read, but we'll worth it. The author is honest, open and highly relatable (though I fear a bit what that says about me). The writing is fun and informal, like we were chatting over macaroons. Read it.

I usually enjoy humor from neurotic, relationship-impaired writers. DeRuiter is happily married and seems to be emotionally well-adjusted, even though she is hard on herself. I’m glad I kept with it though, since I learned that relatability can be hilarious…and I could relate to her on so many levels. I also learned that expressing gratitude can also be accomplished in a humorous way.

(The complete review will be posted on UnderratedReads on the release date 5/2/17)

This is wonderful- there is no other word. The essays in the book lit up my heart and fulfilled my love of travel at the same time. DeRuiter's stories are the real travel stories that we all (to some extent) share- lost luggage, messing up hotel rooms, losing our way. But her connection with her partner and the support they have for one another shines through without being a cliché. The writing is funny- really funny- and I think DeRuiter is someone a lot of people will be able to identify with.

Don't miss DeRuiter's All Over the Place! I hadn't read her blog, The Everywhereist, but the fact that she started off as an accidental travel writer who gets consistently lost makes this book particularly humorous (See chapter entitled: "In Which I Am Surprised to Learn That Getting Lost Doesn't Bring About the Apocalypse). Not only do we get to hear about her incidents in airports and hotel rooms (see chapter entitled: "Marry Someone Who Will Help You Deal with Your Shit"), we get to know the other key players in her life: her dramatic mother, her patient, understanding husband, Rand, and several other quirky relatives. Readers quickly begin to understand their personalities and see how DeRuiter's family members shaped the adventures she went on and how, as a result, she understood them better because she experienced something they were passionate about. Even when the subject matter delves deeper, DeRuiter maintains a comedic tone of voice that keeps the pace moving and the story riveting! By the time you're done reading, you'll have lots of new quotable quotes to live by!

Oh, my God. Any book that makes me laugh so hard on a plane that I snort, and the people in front of me turn around to see what's wrong - well, that's a good book. And you should read it. DeRuiter is more or less me, and her husband is, without a doubt my husband, B. She gets into trouble, he rescues and loves her. This book is about the travels, but it's as much about her relationships with her various family members and especially her husband. The hysterical combines with the poignant to make a wonderfully balanced book that you want to read again and again. 5/5 stars.

It's very rare that an author can combine a personal memoir with travel and do it right.
This is one of those books.
It's worth the purchase just to read the chapter about the author's mother in the TSA security line!
Well done!