Going Places

I found this book to be insightful and positive. When a teenager, Hudson, feels as though he isn't all that, then those around him help him realize that he actually matters and he in turn believes in himself.
However, I found the pace slow in the first half of the book, but Hudson is quite a relatable character and you cannot help but be on his side from the beginning. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An enjoyable read with heartwarming friendships. This was my first time reading something by Kathryn Berla, and I gotta say, it was a good experience. I also enjoyed the twist in the story and it had a satisfying ending, so the slow pacing was worth it, though it didn't bother me anyways. Definitely recommend this.

This is a story about friendly relationships, trapped in friendzone, relationships with older people and how to find your identity.
I don’t think this book has very important meaning, especially for relationships for Hudson and Mr. Pirkle. Also the end of the story is really strong, so the slow plot does not make me frustrate.
Hudson's character is like a teenager who is upset, has trouble with self-confidence, wants to be independent and knows what the best for the future but does not know what to do. Alana's character is a beautiful teenager who likes to take advantage of Hudson. Mr. Pirkle is old man trapped in war memories when he was young, losing his life and possibly also suffering from dementia. Fritzy is a lovely teenager who is fun, supports Hudson and ultimately helps find Hudson characters in the future.
Berla has already written this story very well. This is Berla's first book I read. The storyline is slow, so sometimes want to give up. But when it happen, I found the meaning and was very curious about Hudson. Is Hudson relationship with Alana could end happily? Is Hudson able to achieve his goals? Does Hudson prefer Fritzy over Alana? Is Mr. Pirkle really suffer from dementia? And so many other questions, I read this book with full of curiosity. In the end, I am very happy because the end of the story is very strong and reasonable. I also found the true meaning of “Going Places”. The story in this book can really make us more mature and see life real.

Hudson is going places. That's what one of his grade school teachers said about him, but now he's a senior in high school and unsure about what that means. He wants to home school in his final year of school, so he can relax, focus on his two businesses, and create a graphic novel. However, his senior year ends up being one of growth and friendship in ways he never imagined.

Hudson was a typical, awkward teen. He wanted what many seventeen/eighteen year old young men want... a girl and plenty of time to relax. I enjoyed that Hudson was so normal, and that he came from a loving family. His father died when he was young and that was hard on Hudson, but he was close to his mother. They had a great mother and son relationship.

This story focused on relationships. Hudson was friendzoned by the girl he loved, he met a sarcastic, sporty girl that taught him to be a man, and he worried and cared about his clients. Hudson ran two businesses, a dog walking service and one that helped elderly people who were on their own.

This story dealt with being young, but it also dealt with aging and the elderly. Since one of Hudson's businesses was geared toward the elderly, that introduced aspects of growing old, like loneliness and regrets.

This was an easy reading novel. A sweet, sometimes humorous, and relatable story about growing up.

What I really loved about Going Places was the chemistry between Fritzy and Hudson, they were partners in crime - kind of literally. Their friendship came in so natural and they really cared for each other.

Another thing that hooked me up was Mr. Pirkle; his background story and his mental illness really added some deep meaning to the plot. It also depicted how the company of someone who cares about you can improve their quality of life. If it wasn't for Hudson, Mr. Pirkle could have injured himself, or maybe never even visited a doctor.

All the characters within this book went through a major development, and it was something nice to read about.

If ever there was a young man who was going places, it’s you Hudson.


3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Another NetGalley find I was really excited about, but couldn’t really get into for a while. The book really took off for me in the second half of the story, and that was when I started to enjoy it.

I struggled a lot with the narrator here, I just don’t think I like male narrators in YA very much. The writing style felt a little dry and cold and I really didn’t enjoy Hudson’s personality, which is why I couldn’t enjoy the book as much as I wanted to.

However, I did enjoy the second part of the storyline a lot more, I thought Mr. Pirkle was intriguing and I loved finding out more about him. The story’s twist came a bit too fast and I wished there had been more attention paid to the details.

All in all, a bit of a disappointment, but a quick read nonetheless. I probably won’t be seeking out more books by this author, although I’m not opposed to reading something else by her (especially if there is a female narrator as I’d like to see her handle that).

Would recommend for: fans of coming-of-age YA like The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, maybe even John Green without the sarcastic young voices.

While there were points of interest and realism to the story, I found that the focus on Hunter and Alana's romance fell into cliche writing and stereotypes of both teen boys and girls that I would have hoped YA storytelling would have moved away from. The ending also felt slightly rushed.