Good road trip story, not great. Felt a little slow at times. Some of the characters felt like they lacked some depth to them.

I'm a sucker for a road trip book, its one of my favorite tropes. The problem with this one is that it didn't feel road-trippy enugh and the characters fell flat for me.

This was such an adorable story. I enjoyed every minute of it. It was exactly what I was hoping it would be. SO GOOD!

It was a fine story, but I found the pacing to be a little slow, and was interrupted pretty frequently by the inner monologues and ponderings that would happen. That being said, I haven’t read many road trip stories at all but this was easily the better of them.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review this book! I love Jessica Brody's style and this book didn't disappoint. I have a soft spot in particular for contemporary road trip stories with lots of heart that delve into family and relationships. Also, exes on a Pacific Northwest road trip together? Iconic!!!!! This book had so many great twists and turns like the road the main characters travel and I truly enjoyed it.

Hi friends! My hiatus is still in high gear, but I’m happy to pop in and be part of this blog tour for The Geography of Lost Things by Jessica Brody! I love Jessica Brody – she wrote a book I just adored that I reviewed last year called The Chaos of Standing Still (seriously, go read that one, it’s a fave of mine), so I was super excited for the chance to be part of another review tour of one of her books! Let’s dive in!

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In The Geography of Lost Things, Ali and her mom are about to lose their house to the bank, and it’s all Ali’s dad’s fault. Except she can’t really blame him, because he recently died. She thought he was going to be out of their lives for good… but then he leaves her his most prized possession: a 1968 Firebird convertible. She thinks, THIS is just what they need. She can sell it and pay the bank what is owed on the house. Except she can’t drive a stick shift, and she has to get the car five hours north of where she lives. But do you know who can drive a stick?

Nico, Ali’s ex-boyfriend. Ugh.

So Nico and Ali embark on the most awkward road trip of all time, and Nico tries to convince Ali to not sell the Firebird, but trade up for the money they need to keep the house. And that type of adventure may be exactly what Ali needs.

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3 Things I Loved
The writing. If there’s one thing that is consistent about Jessica Brody, it’s the quality of her writing. I feel everything when I’m reading her books. And the characters and situations are super complex and interesting, and she often writes so an entire book takes place over a since day or night. It’s so awesome to read. So yeah, highly recommend anything by Jessica Brody, and this book is no exception.
Ali. Speaking of complex characters… Ali is so interesting. She has these not-great memories of her dad and not-great memories of her relationship with Nico that are layered over the current storyline in a brilliant way. She’s our hero, but she’s kind of dark, and she’s totally self-deprecating, and she just wants to help her mom in the only way she knows how. I loved her. She was real to me.
Nico. Because of the structure of this book, the only consistent other character was Nico, and he was equally complex and fascinating. Reading as their relationship starts and unfolds and ends is so wonderful, especially since it’s told out of order and through memories. And the present-day Nico doesn’t always seem to match the memories that Ali has of their relationship, which makes both of them seem all the more real to me. They’re great characters, and they work well together in the frame of the story.
Dislikes/Problematic Content
Honestly, I was in love with the voice from the very first page, so I didn’t notice anything problematic in the book. I wish there were some more characters in this one, although Jackson and some of the others are very much alive in Ali’s memories. And pretty much everyone is straight, and race is never discussed one way or the other. But overall, I didn’t see any problems with this book.

Rating
A reminder of the rating scale:

Red = DNF, I hated everything
Orange = Ugh, no thank you
Yellow = I mean, I’ve read worse, but there were problems
Green = This was good!
Blue = Oh my gosh, I loved this book!
Purple = This is the unicorn of books and I will be rereading it until the binding falls apart and EVERYONE should be reading it!
The Geography of Lost Things was so good and fun and I will definitely be recommending it. I’m giving this book a BLUE rating. Go read it!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and Fantastic Flying Book Club tours for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion in any way.

Jessica Brody is one of those authors where I KNOW I am going to be immediately engaged and basically gobble up the book in a matter of days. The Geography Of Lost Things confirms this theory, my dear friends. I am forever going to be one of her fans, I think. I picked this book up in hopes of a palate cleanse as well as a chance to knock another book off of my Netgalley queue. What a treat my time with this book was — even the parts that got emotional and had me flipping ahead just to make sure things turned out okay.

The Geography Of Lost Things is a road trip book starring Ali, who has inherited her father Jackson’s 1968 Firebird Convertible. This is about the only good thing she has inherited from Jackson and she believes it will fix her problems. You see, the Firebird is worth big money and so Ali can save her house which is getting foreclosed on with the proceeds from the sale of the Firebird. There’s a problem though — the sale will take place about 5 hours away and Ali can’t drive stick, thus cannot drive the Firebird. Her ex, Nico, however, can drive stick. And so, the two embark on a trip to sell the Firebird. Along the way, Nico has the idea to trade up items in order to make the money Ali needs and to also allow for her to keep the Firebird.

Ultimately, this is a story of a father and daughter relationship that is far from perfect. It’s a story of acceptance and other people who are just doing their best, even when we cannot see that. It’s a story of forgiveness. I think that this book hit me hard, even though I have an awesome dad with none of the issues Jackson has. Brody writes in such a way that it was easy for me to connect with Ali. She was easy to care about.

Also, this book really did make me want to read the rest of Brody’s books that I have not gotten to yet. I guess that’s a good thing — to know that I have some excellent reads just waiting for me to pick them. I would 100% recommend this for people who are suckers for road trip tropes and character growth and vulnerability. It is definitely a superb book to ease into summer with.

I'm always on the lookout for an excellent teen novel and this book has all the making of a great read. The characters were likable, it had a road trip element to it and it was a quick read; easily a one sitting read, but it was just an okay read.

When I started reading this book, I expected an emotional read. I expected some tears, definitely, and I expected heartache. What I didn’t expect was this. I swear I started crying in chapter three, and I didn’t stop crying until I’d finished it. But it wasn’t even that sad. What made me cry wasn’t that she’d just lost her father, or that she was heartbroken after being hurt by her boyfriend. No, what made me cry was that Ali was so relatable, and when she hurt, I hurt. I really just wanted to climb into the book and hug her.

Ali is just such a sweet character. She’s very responsible for her age, since she grew up having an absent father and having to deal with the repercussions of him leaving her and her mother, several times. Because of her father, she’s scared of letting people in, but she’s really caring, too. While all of this made her really relatable, especially to me, what made me love her even more was that she grew so much through the book. By dealing with her grief and heartache, she could learn from her mistakes and really grow up. It was amazing to see her journey not only through the country, but her personal journey as well.

Nico, you guys. Honestly, my heart aches as much for him as for Ali, for reasons you’ll have to read the book to find out. While I love a bad boy with a heart of gold as much as the next fangirl, I have a soft spot for the boy next door. Sweet boys who are caring and sweet and don’t need any prompting to show those sides. I love a boy who isn’t afraid of showing his emotions, and who’ll put his girl first, no matter what. So of course I’d love Nico. He’s just… *swoons*.

The plot was great. I loved seeing all the different environments as Ali and Nico drove through the country, and the writing was captivating. What amazes me is how the author managed to catch the essence of each place, despite there being so many places. It really felt like you were there, because the author made it feel so tangible. This is one of my favorite things about reading; how the author can completely transport you through time and space, and make a place so vivid to the reader, even if that person has never been there.

“If you can supply something someone demands, then the monetary value is irrelevant. The item just has to have value to them.”

The Geography of Lost Things really broke my heart and then healed it again. I’ll admit it was tough to write a review for this book, because it was really emotional for me and at times, it felt like I was reading a story about me. It was painful and it hurt, and it’s a story that will stay with me. The Geography of Lost Things really reminded me why I love reading so much.

Brody spins a beautiful and poignant story of heartbreak, grief and forgiveness that will leave no eye dry.

Book Review- Geography of Lost Things by Jessica Brody

This was a good book. Ali has a dysfunctional relationship with her father. The author gives you flashbacks from Ali’s point of view. In present time he has died and left her his car. She can’t stand the sight of it and is determined to sell it. It sends her on a journey with her ex-boyfriend. He has to drive the car since she can’t. The author creates this awkward situation between them. Neither has trusted the other enough to reveal the secrets they keep.
The need for money to save her house is what drives Ali, however it forces her to face her fears and her will to forgive both her dad and Nico. The author really forces her to take a look at herself.
Along the way she and Nico learn to be together after they’ve broken up. Ali realizes how she really feels and has to decide what she really wants. Nico is a great character and you learn later in the book what was behind his behavior. It turns out that lack of communication and trust was the root at the problems in this story. Even her relationship with her father wasn’t what she thought. In reality Ali was the one who was lost. It was a great read. I give it a 4 out of 5.

Delightful road trip book about discovering the benefit of letting go and letting people in. I also loved the trading up concept, right up until it went south.

This book is a great balance of a character going through issues, growing through the novel and just the right amount of romance. Very good and interesting. The main character is dealing with the death of her absent father, a house foreclosure and a road trip with an ex. It was serious and yet had enough fun moments to make it enjoyable. Really good! 4.5/5

Review originally published on Forever Young Adult on 12/10/18.,

BOOK REPORT for The Geography of Lost Things by Jessica Brody

Cover Story: California Dreamin'
BFF Charm: Yay
Swoonworthy Scale: 6
Talky Talk: The School of Sarah Dessen
Bonus Factors: Road Trips
Relationship Status: On The Road, Again

Cover Story: California Dreamin'

Well if you WEREN'T wishing you could be taking a road trip through the Pacific Northwest, I bet you are now, eh? I love the trees, the glint of sunshine, the little road sign containing the "OF" and even the title treatment is top notch. Makes me want to hit the road.

The Deal:

Ali needs cash, like, stat. The bank is closing in and if she doesn't figure out a solution, they'll take away the house she and her mom have worked so hard to keep. When she finds out that her long-time-absent father has passed away and left her his prized possession - a 1968 Firebird convertible - Ali sees a light at the end of the tunnel. If she can sell her dad's car, she might be able to save her house. After reaching out to a classic car enthusiast on Craigslist, Ali is all set to drive up the Pacific coast after school one Friday, sell the car, and make it back home before her mother gets back from a work trip.

But when Ali's ex-boyfriend Nico catches wind of her plan, he has other ideas. She can't just drive three hundred miles alone to meet a guy she met ON CRAIGSLIST for God's sake. Plus, Nico's a little in love with this Firebird, and will do anything to convince Ali not to sell it. As the pair awkwardly navigate the Pacific highway and their unresolved feelings for one another, Nico teaches Ali the importance of trading up - start with something small, trade it for something a little bit bigger. If they play their cards right, they might just keep trading up until they can save Ali's house.

BFF Charm: Yay



Ali is tough and determined, but not hardened. I liked that she wanted to do whatever it took to save her house, and even if she was a bit stubborn about coming around to Nico's plan, she eventually opened up to the idea of it. She was funny and loving, and I totally related to the mixed emotions she held about her dad.

Swoonworthy Scale: 6

Ali's ex-boyfriend Nico was a total cutie who wanted whatever was best for Ali, and he knew when to push her but also when to back off. Brody slowly gives the reader little bits of Ali and Nico's backstory in an attempt to draw out the tension, but when I finally had all the deets, I found their history to be a bit...blah, and that kept me from really feeling the heat between these two. Plus, I have to deduct at least one swoon point for not properly utilizing my favorite rom-com road trip trope: a hotel with just one bed.

Talky Talk: The School of Sarah Dessen

This book reminded me a lot of a Sarah Dessen book in all the best ways. It's a heartfelt contemporary about family and first love. Ali is a super relatable heroine who alternately struggles with missing her dead father and hating him for leaving her behind to be a roadie for his favorite band. The premise may not be groundbreaking, but it's enjoyable nonetheless. Plus, I thought the "trading up" concept was original and exciting.

Bonus Factor: Road Trips



I'm always down for a road trip with a cute boy, doubly so if said road trip involves the Pacific Coast Highway.

Relationship Status: On The Road, Again

I enjoyed our trip together, Book. You made for good company, and I certainly don't regret heading down that road together. But honestly, I've been on lots of road trips with lots of books, and while ours was fun, it wasn't as memorable as some of the others. No hard feelings, it was tough competition!

Top 10 Reasons Why I Think You Should Read This!

Be sure to check out the original post here: https://www.bellesbookblog.net/single-post/2018/10/05/Top-10-Review-Giveaway-The-Geography-of-Lost-Things-by-Jessica-Brody

1. The Main Character is Addicted to Personality Quizzes

Okay, so this may seem a *tad* weird, but just think about it for a sec - when was the last time that you read about a main character who did personality quizzes? That's right, NEVER! As a person who is also very addicted to online/magazine quizzes, I appreciated this more than you could imagine!


2. It's a Clever Play on a Fun Game That I (Almost) Once Played

When I went to Paris for a pre-college program a little over a year ago, one of the options for relax time was to do this very game! The idea was the same: start with a small object (in this case, a potato) and exchange it for something more valuable. Unfortunately, it required us to converse with the locals en français, which unfortunately for me, je ne parle pas. I still really enjoyed seeing how it turned out though- not just there, but also in the book!


3. It's So Much More Than Just a Romance

So for any of you that saw the name Nico and immediatelty thought THIS BOOK IS TOTALLY ABOUT A ROMANCE well, you're wrong. It's much more about family (especially Ali's and surprisingly also Nico's), and how your family situation, no matter how hard, does not define who you are as a person.


4. However, the Romance in This Book is to Die For

But, with that said, there was romance. Nico is Ali's ex, but (surprise, surprise!) neither one of them is over the other yet. At first, I wasn't entirely sold on Nico, but by the end I had fallen head-over-heals in love with him. He has this charm and humor that just fits his character so well. I NEED MORE NICO WRIGHT IN MY LIFE!!!


5. The Characters Were Very Well-Developed

Another one of Jessica Brody's talents? Making book characters feel, well, real (hence me falling in love with Nico). Each character had a unique story, even the smaller ones and like magic, I felt a personal attachment to each and every one. For someone who has struggled with this in her own writing, I'm giving Brody an A+ and major kudos!


6. It Was (No Joke!) Laugh-Out-Loud HYSTERICAL!!!

After reading The Chaos of Standing Still last year (and bawling my eyes out at the ending), I actually wasn't expecting this to be as funny as it was! Yeah, most of the humor was from Nico, but still. If you're looking for a not-so-serious comedy, look no further than here!


7. The Addiction is Real!

Minor Warning: after starting this book, you are not gonna want to put it down! I stayed up until 2 AM last weekend reading it, and then finished the rest of it the following day! My recommendation: start this book on a weekend so that you aren't tired for school the next day and you don't bomb a quiz that you have in math 😂


8. The Characters Reminded Me of Percy Jackson Characters

Okay, so this doesn't go for all of them, only Nico and Ali's dad (Nico reminding me of Nico diAngelo, and Ali's dad reminding me of Smelly Gabe). And for those of you who aren't familiar with those characters and don't get the anaology, WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING READING MY POST WHEN YOU COULD BE READING PERCY JACKSON??? (JK but seriously, you need to fix that right now!)


10. The Ending of the Book Was Exactly What I Was Hoping For

So like I said above, the last time I read a Jessica Brody book (The Chaos of Standing Still) I bawled my eyes out at the ending. It was totally not was I was expecting, and I felt completely unprepared! No worries here, though: this ending was exactly what I needed without knowing I even needed it! Sure, I didn't expect it to turn out the way it did, but it still worked beautifully with the story :-)


Overall Rating: 4.5 stars! Definitely check out this book - I promise that you'll love it! <3

In The Geography of Lost Things, Ali is dealing with the aftermath of her estranged father’s death, a breakup, and a not-so-great financial situation. So when her father leaves her his most prized possession, a 1968 Firebird convertible, her first instinct is to sell it to the highest bidder, who happens to be someone 300 miles away. She can’t drive stick but her ex-boyfriend Nico offers to help and she finds herself unable to turn him down. The road trip is about as awkward as you would expect but I found myself wondering right away why these two break up. Especially as the trip takes an interesting turn with Nico’s suggestion to NOT sell the car but instead “trade up” items throughout the trip until they reach Ali’s monetary goal. The concept was actually really fun and interesting. It’s like that saying, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” and it was cool to see how the author used that to move the road trip along, introduce new characters and allow Ali and Nico to work through their issues. It also made me think about my own “junk” and what I’d like to get rid of. However, even though I was happy to be along for the ride, something was missing. I wanted to connect to Ali more and wished her mother had played a bigger role (she is absent in a way that didn’t make sense to me) plus the reason for Ali and Nico’s breakup felt strangely anticlimactic. That said, the book is still fun and I was pleased with how it all wrapped up.

Do I recommend? If you’re in the mood for a light contemporary and love road trip books, this could be worth checking out from the library.

When my ex’s unreliable, absent father died, he left him a pair of 1980’s speakers held together by some duct tape. They weren’t worth anything, but they were the most important thing in his life and he wanted his son to have them.
When Ali Collins’ unreliable and absent father passes away, he leaves her his most important thing too. Only, luckily for Ali, it’s a 1968 Firebird convertible worth quite a bit of money. And she desperately needs the money. Her mother has given up trying to afford their life where Ali has grown up, thanks to her father ruining her credit and her finances whenever he could get away with it. And Ali desperately wants to stay, needs to stay. She finds a buyer for the convertible but he’s 300 miles away and she’s got limited time before they are evicted.
The plan is to head out directly after school, drive all evening to sell the car that night, and then use part of the money for a hotel and a bus ticket home.
But nothing ever goes to plan. Right off the bat, Ali doesn’t know how to drive a stick shift. But she does know someone who can. So Nico, her ex-boyfriend, comes into play. Along the way Ali and Nico discover things about her father and unravel truths about his time away from her.
When the book opened, I didn’t relate with Ali very much. I guess it’s the grown up in me, but I sided with her mom on the foreclosure issue. If you can’t afford to be somewhere, it is less stressful and trying to try somewhere else than keep going the way things are. But as Ali began to describe the relationship she has had with her dad and her reasoning for wanting to keep the house, I started to warm up to her.
I really didn’t start actually liking her character until the road trip began though, which is where her character development really starts to gear up.
It was a book that I had a hard time putting down. One struggle and conflict leads into the next and you want to know what happens.

This will post on November 26th.
Thank you for the galley.

Ali's father has died, leaving her a lot of debt and his prized possession- his Firebird convertible. What becomes a quick sale soon becomes something more as Ali, with ex boyfriend in tow, go on the road trip she never knew she needed to take.

I am a fan of Jessica Brody and I was really looking forward to this book. But I have to say it was a little lackluster for me. Sure, Nico is cute and of course, they broke up and have some awkward moments, but he wasn't very interesting. Ali was a little annoying. She's trying to process her father's death while also dealing with her feelings of losing her home and possibly leaving her mom behind for college. I felt like the book was a little disjointed. There were a lot of flashbacks between Ali and her father, but none of them struck me as really meaningful. I understand some really altered Ali's life, but I wanted more from Jackson and Ali and their relationship. Ali flip flops a lot with all of these crazy emotions she's feeling and even at the end, I don't really feel like she's fully come to terms with everything that's gone on.

I liked the trading up idea Nico used to prolong the road trip. It was interesting and fun and unique. But like Ali, it felt unrealistic. It just so happens that everyone that wants what they are willing to trade is within driving distance? etc. etc.

I guess I wanted more heartfelt moments and/or more humor. I didn't really feel either.

Honestly, it just didn't hit home for me. But Jessica Brody is still a favorite author of mine and of course, I'll read anything she writes!

When I requested this on Netgalley I thought it was Adult Contemporary Fiction and when I started reading and realized it was YA, I braced myself for a slobbery romance overload, but it never raised its ugly head. Anyone who knows me knows I am allergic to romance, and even though this story does have it, it is not over the top in either amount or content. The author gets HUGE accolades from me for this.

There are a lot of heavy themes in this book: absentee parentism, addiction, and abandonment issues, but the author doesn't hit the reader over the head with them. The story felt real, like you could be reading a memoir. The relationship between the MC and her ex is believable. Everything that happens is plausible. These things are important to me in Contemporary Fiction. There is a solid growth arc, and a change arc and many things learned along the way. It is pretty much YA perfection in those aspects.

I have a problem with explicit sex scenes in YA because it is classified as being for twelve years of age and up, and what young readers might know and not know, and yes... what their parents might not want them to know varies widely between twelve and eighteen. The amorous moments in this story are written in a way where the reader is only going to visualize what they know. I like that.

The .5 deduction comes from a few musical element missteps. Characters who are musicians seem to be the popular thing in YA right now and if there are scenes or settings which involve the music business, and the author doesn't have firsthand knowledge, they should have someone who does read it over. There were some totally off assumptions.

There was a mystery of sorts in the story, too, and it was portioned out in just the right amounts and at the perfect pace. I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading this book.

I thought this was going to be a fun light predictable young adult romance. I was wrong this book is up and down with emotion. I felt like I was on the road trip with this ex-couple Nico and Ali. I rarely stay up late reading a book. I did with this one.

The Geography of Lost Things is, as the title suggests, a story about loss, lost things, and a road trip that teaches its main character about forgiveness and love. After her father passes away it seems the hits just keep on coming for Ali, first with her mother giving in to the letters left on their door and then with her dad's baby, his true love, his car, ending up in her possession. Ali doesn't hang on to things though and the car is the first thing on her list to get rid of. While a road trip might sound fun for some, Ali is dreading this one, especially when her ex-boyfriend points out that she can't drive stick and that he'll need to accompany her. Nico sets out to prove to her that they can take worthless items and turn them into money by trading up, hoping to convince her that the car's monetary value is not as much as the memories and lessons it holds. What starts as a mission to unload an ugly reminder of her past turns into an insightful journey that teaches her about her father and the impact he'd made on her life despite not being around for much of it.

The Geography of Lost Things is much more than the Young Adult storyline the blurb makes us believe it is. Jessica Brody has created characters who have experienced the same love and loss and hard lessons that many of us have. It's relatable and yet the story is incredibly unique. Ali is mature beyond her years, accustomed now at eighteen to having the same responsibilities as an adult. She works, is well aware of the financial struggles her absentee father put her mother through, and holds onto only the things and people she needs. What she doesn't realize though is how much her father's constant coming and going changed her, leaving her unable to trust and unable to leave the comfort of home.

Ali is so strong and stubborn, I loved every single bit of her as the narrator of this story. Nico, her not so welcome companion, is equally as stubborn and in many ways even more well-versed on the adult world each was thrust into oo young. The car, the one thing he leaves to her in his passing, holds more memories than Ali would like to remember in it and it is the answer to rescuing her mom from financial ruin. The majority of the story takes place on the road, with the one night trip turning into something much more as Nico trades one item for another, detouring them from their final destination, a car dealership. As they trade up the items Ali begins to realize that this road trip, the items, they're all things that remind her of her father and as she fights the love and memories she has for him Nico encourages her along patiently, standing beside her as she mourns a man she didn't know as well as a child deserves.

I loved that Jessica Brody explored family, forgiveness, love, and loss in The Geography of Lost Things, those emotions play such a massive role in every youth's life and the way they go through them is pivotal in growing up. Ali's father, though absent, shows immense love for his daughter in other ways and it is the journey that reveals that love to her. It was a fantastic novel and I highly recommend it to Young Adult readers.