Not Afraid of the Fall by Kyle James was a good read! It was inspiring and made me want to travel :)

Not the best book of it's type, but maybe the youngins' won't care. Better to have actually spent some time in each place rather then just checking off they've been there. Yellow Envelope by Kim Dinan comes to mind. I remember when I was younger thinking the Around the World Ticket would have been perfect! Fly all night, travel all day. Die of exhaustion and never remember a thing! Those days are over for me, 6 weeks in one area is never enough now, but at least I get to savor where I am! Live and learn. But by all means, do it before life says "No". You'll have stories to tell the kids!

Reading this book made me want to jump on a plane and go somewhere, but unlike Kyle and Ashley, I'm too much of a wuss to quit my job and fly across the ocean.

There were parts of the journey that I really enjoyed, but for me, their travels just had too much going on. I'm amazed that they were able to go for 114 days. I was exhausted just reading about it. For people that have always dreamed about backpacking through Europe, or have a strong gypsy heart, I would highly recommend this book.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Author: Kyle James
Publisher: Inkshares
Publication Date: July 2017

I always wondered what it's like to backpack and not work for an extended period of time. Thankfully, here, we have a couple who has the guts to do so.
This book is written in a format that brings to mind a diary, so each date is a story within itself. I am not a fan of short stories, so sometimes it is hard to keep my interest, especially when the bulk is about travelling on vehicles, drinking and fighting with each other. However, I found the parts about James' feelings for his significant other the most touching, especially when she felt that she was not beautiful.

I originally wanted to read this book because I understand wanderlust and the strong pull to travel. So I was excited to read about someone’s adventures in traveling. Ugh. This “book” should just be a blog. I think it has potential because they had some interesting stories that happened to them. But it was just very flat. It was just a journal of events that happened that day. There were no transitions. No just overall good storytelling or writing. I’m glad that they got to do what they did and I’m glad they had friends and family that supported the “book” being published. But I think they should have just paid for a website with pictures instead.

I honestly couldn't even finish this one. The writing style just couldn't keep my interest. The frequent use of the female's name in the beginning pretty much had me hating this from the get-go.

I have mix feelings about this book.
Would I recommend it to someone to read? No
Would I stop someone from reading it? No
I thought it needed some more depth. The vocabulary is very, very basic.
And in my personal opinion is embarrassing the image that shows of the young American: peeing in the Venice Canal....peeing in the middle of the park in Germany, drinking excessively, they are hangover all through the book.
On the positive side, it was easy to read.

This was a really good and well told story of Kyle and Ashley's travels through Europe and Thailand. Kyle's descriptions of the areas they visited were very honest and relatable. It made me see some of the things in a different light, than perhaps I did when traveling in some of the same areas, years ago. That is the beauty of a travel story, as we all see things differently, and can appreciate different views. They had some pretty amazing experiences along their journey.
I loved the way that they related to each other as well, not having been used to being together 24/7 you could see the relationship mature as they learned how to deal with conflict and stress or how they boosted each others morale.
I love the way they sought out people connections and routine in a lot of the places they visited, which gave them a feeling of stability after moving around so much.
One thing he said in the book was: I wish instead of “what do you do” when meeting someone, that people would ask “so what makes you happy”
I learned about different modes of transportation, which I had never heard about, and that is good for future trips.
The only thing I could have read less about was the amount of drinking they did, but I guess that is their age.
Thank you to NetGalley and Inkshares for the ARC copy of the book

I unfortunately had to DNF this novel. I found it to be a random thread of thoughts from a traveller that did not excite me like other novels I have read and loved. I found there to be no flow and most of the days collections consisted of drinking beer and eating food. I found it to be rather boring.

I enjoyed Not Afraid of the Fall by Kyle James. The chapters in the book are short, which makes the 4 months of travel fly by. I appreciated Kyle's honesty about travel, that not everything is as perfect as an Instagram photo, but I could have used less drinking. There is nothing wrong with having a drink or two, but Kyle and Ashley drank so much that it didn't seem like they could enjoy their travels without a drink in hand. I would have loved to have an epilouge of what life was like for Kyle and Ashley when they got back home. Did they go back to Denver? Did their experiences help them find a job back in the U.S.? Did the ways that they grew and changed last once they got back into their average lives at home? I enjoyed this book and would reccommend!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy!

Kyle and Ash quit their Denver jobs, because 4 years of ‘real life’ has beaten them down, and decide to go backpacking for 4 months. Their grand plan is to have $6000 left in their bank account when they have to go back to the real world.

There itinerary can be summarized quite simply – say in an Airbnb, take a BlaBlaCar from city to city, eat and drink beer/wine. Ash's activity seems to be summarized as - shop at Zara and nap. Oh, they also go to a lot of beaches, jump off cliffs and complain about the air conditioning or lack there of. This book reads as a journal, but with way too much information (every type of bodily fluid imaginable seems to make an appearance). They spend so little time in many of the cities that the level of content and description of each locale is lacking. They never really get below the surface. Quality over quantity would have made for a much more interesting narrative.

The target audience for this book seems to be 20-somethings looking for inspiration to quit a job and go traveling. If you do, don’t use this as a guide. Take more time in a few cities rather than 38 cities in 114 days. Averaging 3 days per city checks a lot of cities off a list, but the depth of experience in those cities is limited. Especially when it seems like half their time was spent walking to find beer.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley.

Not Afraid of the Fall seems to have been the motto for Kyle James and his girlfriend, Ash, after they left their jobs in the U.S. to travel throughout Europe. James gives us detailed accounts of their experiences, good and bad, in each country, along with their ups and downs using Airbnb and BlaBla cars to get from country to country.

The countries the author visited kept my interest, as they were places that I have not visited, yet, and didn't know much about.. I also enjoyed reading about the unique things they did in each city, much more than I enjoyed reading about every different beer they drank, meal they ate, and every Zara that Ash went into (I love Zara, too).

James writing throughout was honest and sincere and his relationship with his girlfriend gave us a good indication of the type of thoughtful person he is. I recommend this book to those readers who enjoy stories of people leaving their jobs and mundane lives to experience new places and adventures abroad.

Mystery and Travel memoirs are my favorite type of books to read and this book was a great example of a fun interesting travel book. I loved to read about the different and various countries Kyle and Ash visited and learn about different cultures. It also gave me good ideas of places I may want to visit. A lot of good information on the areas they traveled to, how they got there, things to see, places to eat etc. all written in a humorous fun fashion. Great job!

I love a good travel memoir and one that starts with this romantic dedication had me excited to read!

I enjoyed the stories of this young couple as they traveled through Europe and Asia. The author's style is not polished, but this is a memoir and I like feeling like I can hear him as he writes.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. The only negative for me was the percent of the book where the topic was beer (or alcohol in general). Finding it, buying it, drinking it and recovering from it. It is, I guess the reality of their trip, but got dull to keep hearing. And it made me sad that they were seeing amazing places but were (minimally) buzzed throughout. like they couldn't have fun without a beer in hand.

Like I said, the memoir was enjoyable, just be prepared to spend a good deal of time talking booze.

First off, that is the sweet dedication I've ever read and I am hook by just reading the forward! I can't wait to see where this ride will take them.

The authors personality shines through and you feel like you are listening to a friend with a great since of humor. He had me laughing out loud so many times I lost count.

Here is a quote from the self proclaimed "Unemployed Backpackers": "I can tell this trip is going to be a life-changing experience because it’s only the first week and I am completely out of my comfort zone with no structure to my life right now."

I felt like I was there right beside them experiencing the excitement of jumping into the Adriatic Sea and several other death defying moments. I want to go on this trip and I too was so sad when the book ended. I thought it would he repetitive hearing about traveling for so many days but it didn't. I was on the edge of my chair waiting to see what the next day would have in store.

If you have ever wanted to go on a trip around the world or even just a trip away from the hum drum life, this book is for you. This has kindled my desires for world travel even more and I am looking forward to my next trip and plan to be more brave and try new things this time thanks to this book.

This is the ultimate armchair travel essay, it was a fun and fascinating read and there’s no way in hell I would want to do it myself. James and his girlfriend Ashley, quit their jobs and leave everything behind to see the world, or at least as much as they could see in 114 days. Crossing continents, boarding flights at the drop of a hat, they see some of the best and the worst the world has to offer. This is the kind of thing I love to imagine myself doing, but the truth is I don’t have the courage. It was a thrill to live vicariously through these two intrepid travelers