Thank you to Netgalley for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review...I requested this one because I loved the title, I loved the premise, and I LOVED the cover. I am very very interested in the nomadic life and living in simplicity so this one immediately drew me in...I am happy to say it was just as good as I thought it would be...it made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me jealous...and I love love LOVE that van...I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about a nomadic life or is even interested in giving it a shot themselves...if I were younger, I would totally be doing this.

This book starts out promising as an alternate lifestyle/adventure memoir, but my doubts began to creep in as to how much was total true and how much of the truth was twisted. At one point I googled the author and found a reference to a fundraising effort regarding a dog (the dog is ok). I don’t know Ms. Madia so I can hardly say what is true and what, if anything, is not. I chose not to finish this book so, to be fair and give the book the benefit of the doubts I am giving this book 3 stars.

As a fan of Madia, I loved reading about her perspective on he life. It made everything we see on Instagram feel more authentic and real

Loved this book to death. Loved the authors voice and adventurous spirit. Inspired by her untraditional take on life and how it's not required to submit to society's standards.

This was such a pleasant read! Reading about anyone's story is already interesting because it's a glimpse into their life, but with this memoir, the added adventure and wanderlust that the author includes so easily in the narrative makes this spectacular! I felt like I was taking these adventures with her! It made me want to go on my adventures! The attitude and reflective nature even helped me realize or reevaluate things in my own life. I think it's a great idea to read memoirs in general, and this particular memoir is smooth, adventurous, and gives you crazy amounts of wanderlust. I definitely recommend that you read this!

I learned some concerning things about the author while I was reading this. Learning those extrapolations on the truth or mistruths made me unmotivated to finish the book when I was 2/3 of the way through.

It's the new American Dream: get famous by way of social media and write a book. If that's the script, then Brianna Madia has followed it perfectly with her memoir Nowhere for Very Long: The Unexpected Road to an Unconventional Life. After amassing followers on Instagram by documenting her #vanlife in a gigantic orange vehicle named Bertha, Madia learned the power of a good story. Hers is a great one, especially for readers who have ever longed for a certain kind of freedom or a life of uncommon adventures. Madia writes, "All we truly end up being in this life are the stories we can tell. I intended to make them good ones."

Madia grew up on the edge of wealth in the New England suburbs, surrounded by models of financial stability and successful adulthood that were never quite possible in her home. When her parents ended their tumultuous marriage, Madia was left with a pervasive sense of loss and not only a desire to escape but also to make a different way in life. She did exactly that with her husband, Neil, and their dogs, living first on a boat and then moving across the country to Utah, a landscape that would become as much a part of her story as the van she would ultimately live in. Madia is a skillful writer and a talented storyteller. Every story has moments of crisis, and Madia's is no different. But her telling of it shines with a depth of reflection that may surprise and will certainly inspire readers.

I've been following Madia for longer than I can remember and when I found out she was writing a book I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. While she has mixed reviews of who she is I have always found her authentic and willing to work for what she wants. She writes about how she always follows her heart but doesn't shy away from showing the world that it isn't always easy. I adored her book and getting a bit of a closer look at who her heart is without a curated instagram photo behind it.

I got lost in this memoir. Madia is a good writer and I was totally engrossed in her story. I am endlessly fascinated with people who throw caution to the wind and live a bohemian, transient, minimalist lifestyle. Much of her book is about living in her orange behemoth appropriately named Bertha in the vast deserts of Utah. I envy her freedom, her lifestyle, and dogs. Some of the book is difficult to read, the claustrophobic crawl which I thought was nuts and Dagwood’s incident. I enjoyed the people she encountered out in the middle of nowhere and it proves there are good people all over.
I checked out her Instagram and looks like there have been some changes in her life. Rock on!

Brianna Madia knows that she doesnt want to follow the social norm at a young age. Seemingly raised by Grateful Dead hippie loving parents, she breaks the mold after college living on a sailboat, before living out of Bertha, her big orange van taking four day weekends and "wfh" camping all over Utah exploring each and every canyon she can squeeze her body into. Written in great detail, it makes me want to buy a plane ticket to explore for the week. (I can't hack it full time like that, but the people that can, write these books). After her marriage ends, she comforts herself with her three (and now four) dogs living on nine acres in Utah.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early read in exchange for my honest review.

I was given this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I have follow Brianna on Instagram for a few years. She is a vivid story teller and that is reflected in her book and also on her Instagram post. While reading the book I was transported into her world, and more than once I wanted to wrap my arms around her. It is like you are sitting around a campfire in the middle of the desert and she is talking right into your soul. Brianna is a beautiful soul and her book will leave you looking for more adventure in your life.

First off, this is the type of travel book that I absolutely yearn for. The author, Brianna, is an excellent storyteller and really gives the reader a peek at her life and thoughts without this coming across like a diary. It's just pieces of her story woven together into this wonderful book. I'd refer to this as a "travel" book even though throughout most of the book she technically isn't traveling all that far from home. And yet, her experiences really lead us to these uncharted places. To be honest, I'm jealous of the author. I love solo travel and I love nature but I'm not quite sure I have the stones to experience nature this way (but never say never). I think the most memorable parts to me were the part about the slot canyon and the incident with Dagwood. I almost cried at that because I could really relate to what happened. Anyway, this book was a joy to read. Thank you so much to Net Galley and HarperOne for access to this ARC.

This is a memoir written about the first 30 or so years of an average person’s life, and her attempts to not continue to lead that same average life. The author felt there was something more to life than getting a job, a house, and saving for retirement. She became determined to live life by her rules. Along the way, she learned that no matter whether your life is average or exceptional, your rules will affect others.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperOne for allowing me to review this book and give my opinion.

3 stars
Not at all what I expected. I do feel there is a audience for this book. It is not for me. Thanks for the ARC of this book.

I had a bit of interest in van life so I picked up this book to read. It did give me a feel for what van life could be like for one person. It read fairly well, but was a little scattered, perhaps a reflection of the author's life.

I was very excited to have had the opportunity to read and review this book. The premise and story line are "right up my alley" for lack of a better explanation. Van life has always fascinated me.
As I started reading I was immediately immersed in this grandeur, if not really reckless, journey with Brianna.
Here's where it took a turn -

Upon reading about some of the places she was exploring at the time, I started googling. Surprisingly, Brianna's book came up and so did a lot of negative reviews. Curiosity got the better of me and as I dove down the rabbit hole, I discovered that Brianna is a huge Instagram influencer and currently has her own website with merchandise available for purchase. Then came the horrible reviews (which she does discuss later in the book, but at the time I wasn't there yet...) and the accusations that much of what she was writing in the book was false.
Having never seen her instagram or website before, I decided NOT to investigate that portion of her life until after I finished the book. So...I kept reading.

As the pages kept turning though, I couldn't help but get the sense that a lot of the writing became more and more sketchy. Almost flighty and absurd - for it to be considered real; fake if you will. The writing stopped feeling genuine.
After finishing the book yesterday, I decided to take the time before reviewing to go into the Instagram world and her website to see just what people were so hateful for.
And - well - I get it. I don't agree with the hateful comments or the personal attacks, but I can see where others ARE upset.
In her book she talks about being a genuine person and not needing validation from others, and yet she is a social media influencer. She talks of feeling like a failure in the wake of an accident with her dog, but there's untruths and discrepancies between the book and her posts on Instagram. Ultimately, after diving in and doing my research - I felt deceived.
Does she travel with her three dogs in a van? Yes. Does she go on these crazy hike and adventures - possibly. But the drama, the excitement, the crazy mishaps..? Feel fake.

I suggest that if you're going to plan on reading this, do so and then do your research on the Author after. Make a judgement call on your own!

Brianna started her story at the end, kind of. From there, she takes the reader on a path from the beginning as a way of explaining the opening scene. I found this book, this memoir to be riveting and found myself whispering
,”one more chapter”, every time I thought I found a good halting spot. I found her story to be real, raw, and fresh. She unflinchingly describes her time battling depression; she retells the trials of entering adulthood post graduation and trying to find her footing in the world by following the expected, well worn path that society deems we follow; she shares with the reader truths that, at the time, she couldn’t say out loud to anyone.

I found the length of the chapters, which were relatively short, her grasp of imaginary, and her no nonsense reflections and revelations to be the main components of the cocktail that had me coming back for another sip. Before I even hit the end of the book, I found myself raving about it to my friends; I can’t wait for this to be published and in stores and libraries so I can finally let them know, “it’s here! The book I’ve been raving about.”

This is a compelling look into Madia's life as she lived on her own with her dogs. She deals with depression and faces challenges on her own. I didn't know she was a big Instagrammer with a big controversial following. But I did like her writing and the look into this part of her life.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

Nowhere for Very Long is a heartfelt, contemporary memoir by Brianna Madia who chooses to forego the house and mortgage route when she is in her 20s to live in the Utah desert in Bertha, a 1990 Ford E350 customized orange van. The story captures the adventures and misadventures of the experiences that she shares with her husband, and two dogs, Bucket and Dagwood. Essential to this read are the thoughts Madia shares about her time as woman alone in the desert, without her husband, but always with her dogs. Madia also includes stories of her free-spirited mother, remote father, and her struggles with depression.

An interesting book written by a fairly controversial person. I did find myself skimming parts at times, but found much of it to be quite interesting, if not totally plausible. For each reader to decide on their own.