I wanted to like this book. It's exactly the type of book I would like. But instead I just... hated it. The main character was immature and a total asshole. His "girlfriend" was just... she tried too hard and I couldn't stand her. And all the "adventures" he got himself into was just because he was too stupid to think before he did things. I understand his dad just killed himself, but I feel like it could have been written so much better.

This is a young adult road trip story that deals with the stages of grief. Stiggy lost his dad to suicide and now his girlfriend had ghosted him. He's not really sure what to do, so he leaves on a road trip by himself to figure it out.

Stiggy is tired of being treated badly by people, and after one bad thing after another builds up, he can't take it anymore. One day he skips school, packs a few things, gets in his car, and just drives. He doesn't really know where he's going, but he knows he needs to leave. On the road, Stiggy meets many people and has adventures both funny and unfortunate. As he drives, he has plenty of time to consider what has gone wrong in his life, between his father's suicide, the breakup with his girlfriend, and the falling out he's had with his best friend. Eventually he will have to make decisions that will impact his relationships and his future.
I enjoyed some parts of this book, but I did have a hard time getting into the story and completing the book. I gave it four stars because Stiggy learned some important life lessons and began healing by the end of the book. I would have liked to see some loose ends tied up that weren't, and I didn't care for the profanity or some of the poor decisions the characters made. This was a sad book overall, but I was okay with the way the book ended. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys books about road trips and relationships.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. A positive review was not required, and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I will not be able to review this book because I didn’t realize that books downloaded to Adobe Digital Editions expire. I am giving it a star rating that is he Goodreads average.

Stiggy Gabel needed to get away. His dad committed suicide, his girlfriend left without any explanation, and he was angry. Grief inherently makes Stiggy a very unlikable character in the beginning of the the story. I'm talking, angry, rude, and making me want to stop reading level of unlikable.

I thought the road trip aspect of the story was fun, and added an interesting dynamic, but I just wish more happened to keep the plot moving.

The lack of action within the novel, or plot movement, made it a slow read and dropped it down to three stars for me.

Thanks so much to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

*long sigh* I really thought this was going somewhere. I really really did.

Road Tripped follows Stiggy, your average, (and I mean REALLY average), teenage boy on a seemingly aimless trip through the American Midwest. The trip comes about after his father's suicide, which has disrupted his relationship with his mother, and after his girlfriend has moved away and not bothered to contact him at all.

Now, I think it's worth noting that I went into this fully expecting to not see a ton of plot. I expected this to be mostly introspective and focus more on character development and Stiggy coming to terms with all that had happened. But OH MAN I was so bored. Not only does nothing happen in this story, (which is fine), but all of the characters are either INCREDIBLY unlikable or, (the women mostly), have absolutely no substance. I couldn't keep any of them straight because they all had no discernible personality, and generally just sucked as people. Also, the way everyone, including Stiggy, talks about women is just...gross.

By the time I had finished the story I felt like there was no point. I suppose Stiggy was a little bit more self-aware, but not enough for me to really consider it development. Also, it's worth noting that this is told in this non-linear way that jumps back and forth between the past and the present, but I found it generally confusing to tell these two timelines apart because nothing was happening in either time line.

I am definitely in the minority in not liking this book, but the whole thing just felt so Bro-y to me, in the same way Wildman felt. Just not my jam, apparently.

Trigger and Content Warnings: Suicide, death of a parent, mentions of depression and other mental illness, attempted rape/sexual assault, I think there might have been underage drinking but I honestly can't remember and I lost my notes, a weird incest comment that I still can't tell whether or not it was a joke????

Thanks NetGalley for the preview of this book!

I love the title and cover art for this book and that immediately drew me in!
I think Stiggy was a fun narrator but had the potential to develop into so much more. I was waiting for his breakthrough in his grief and for him to realize how terrible what he was doing was for his mom. I think the realization at the end was a little rushed and didn't get the development it deserved. I would have loved for some more personal growth from Stiggy. I enjoyed his inner struggle on which direction to go and what those decisions meant for his future. I loved that he got closure with Gaia but it seemed like he still didn't fully get it. I think Stiggy has a lot of growing up to do. Overall I liked the book but it didn't keep me hooked and I felt the ending was rushed.

Stiggy’s life seems to be in a downward spiral and he just feels the need to get out town. His father committed suicide a few months before, his mother is walking around in a fog and his girlfriend has left to stay with a friend. Stiggy takes his mom’s credit card and his father’s Mustang and decides to drive the Great River Road. He quickly finds out that life on his own is not any better than life at home and his road trip changes in ways he never expected.

Road Tripped is a stand-alone coming of age novel with a little bit of humor included. Stiggy runs into a variety of characters that challenge his way of thinking and encourages him to reassess why he isn’t at home. Hautman has taken the classic road trip story and given readers a new spin on teen issues. Road Tripped is a fun escape read that doesn’t take too long to finish.

Stiggy Gabel needed to get away. His dad committed suicide, his "girlfriend" left without any explanation, and everyone and thing were pissing him off. For a while, Stiggy would piss me off. He snapped at everyone, insulting them, including his friend Garf. I understand he was stuck in the "anger" stage of grief, but thankfully, as I suspected, he changed because of his week-long road trip.

A lot of people get like that: just wanting to pack up and leave and Stiggy did it. He just got in his dad's Mustang and drove. He didn't have a destination, threw his phone out the window, and used his mom's card for as long as he could. Most of this decision came from his "girlfriend" Gaia, who up and left without any explanation to him.

Along the way, he met an array of people and got into desperate situations, but each of them changed him.

I liked the message of the book and the different places Stiggy visited. I liked that the idea of coincidences was brought up and that everything he went through wasn't for no reason. It's just, sometimes, Stiggy himself grated on my nerves and he wouldn't understand why he'd upset those closest to him but like I said, he does change.

3.5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Road Tripped by Pete Hautman. The writing style of this author made the book enjoyable to read. Stiggy is not happy with his life and embarks on a road trip to get away from everything. He has some adventures along the way, many of them not positive. In the end he realizes his life wasn't so bad after all, and returns home.