Destination Anywhere

As a Canadian, this was a delight to read! It took me on a tour all over Western Canada right from my room.
It was very entertaining, but I'd say a roller coaster of emotion. I wasn't bullied or anything, but whenever the focus is on Peyton's past, I keep aching for her - wish I could just hug her and tell her I can be her friend, a real one, not one who would just use her. Needless to say, the characters are very relatable, Sara established each character's backstory, and gave their friendship a fulfilling ending - you wouldn't feel like something's missing, or feel like they should've extended their time together to understand each characters more.

A great coming of age story, I love how Sara went about resolving the "whys" our protagonist has been searching for. The mom finally explaining her side and Peyton finally understanding why their side of the story. It shows us that even adults, much to their age and wisdom, can still come short of it. And Peyton came to accept it.

I'd definitely recommend this to my friends! (and visit all places mentioned in the book, probably).

Destination Anywhere is the story of Peyton, who decides to leave her troubled life in England behind to try and find her way while travelling in Canada. After years of being bullied and falling in with the wrong group of friends, she wants a fresh look at life.

This story hits on many of the poignant issues of being young and feeling lost. Peyton is bullied for years with neither the school nor her parents doing much about it. She finally finds the briefest flit of friendship in college and attaches herself to a group who don't have her best interests at heart. Her parents don't understand her wish to study art and force her into studying for something more reliable. The urge to just leave your life is one many of us have had I'm sure.

I initially picked up this book because I'm a Canadian and got really excited about a book set in Canada. It didn't disappoint. The parts of the story where Peyton is travelling with her new travel friends are really charming and heartwarming. The characters she meets are all written in a very real and honest way. Her life back in England is excellently told, showing us her slow descent into totally losing sight of herself. I felt all the characters were wonderfully written, each managing to feel like a real person with problems and personalities - not just YA tropes of side characters. The story itself was also great, I got sucked in very quickly and definitely had a couple emotional moments while reading it. I felt very invested in all of it right from the beginning.

I would highly recommend picking up this book, teen or not. I think the message in here is strong and holds true to people of any age. I will definitely be checking out more from this author.

I'll be honest, the first bit of the book didn't pull me in, but I'm glad I stuck with it. I loved how the main character grew and came into herself and her journey of discovering true friendship.

I also loved all the Canadian bits but I might be biased.

A great story for upper YA, but I enjoyed it as an adult as well.

Destination Anywhere is a beautiful coming-of-age story. Peyton never really had real friends and was bullied in High School so when something bad happens with her college "friends", she takes a plane to Canada. It really is an hommage to Canada, and being Canadian, it makes me want to discover my country. Really beautiful ending.

TW: use of drugs, bullying, underage drinking

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the free ebook copy in exchange of an honest review.