Out of Anywhere

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Pub Date 03 Aug 2021 | Archive Date 30 Jul 2021

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Description

Having lived as a nomad for most of her life, Shay Lane is desperate to find a place to call home. Yet, she follows in her estranged mother’s wandering footsteps and bounces from town to town, never settling down, because it’s the only way she knows. That is until her car dies outside Wishing, Missouri, and she finds herself stranded in a small town filled with nosy neighbors and too many questions.

Shay is eager to leave as soon as she can but when random gifts start appearing, her curiosity gets the best of her. Shay doesn’t know what to think or who to thank, or what they expect in return.

As Shay settles into a life in Wishing, she searches for the identity of her anonymous benefactor. With each new gift, the threads of her life and her mother’s begin to unravel. If she pulls the wrong one, she may never find her mother or the home she’s been searching for. 

Having lived as a nomad for most of her life, Shay Lane is desperate to find a place to call home. Yet, she follows in her estranged mother’s wandering footsteps and bounces from town to town, never...


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9781735332529
PRICE $14.99 (USD)

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Average rating from 37 members


Featured Reviews

It's the story of a young woman, Shay Lane, who lives the life she's always known, driving her car, Trusty Rusty, across the United States. However, the car eventually dies on the side of a road near the town of Wishing, Missouri. Shay, with less than $200 in her pocket, has no choice but to settle in this town while she earns enough money to decide what to do next. When gifts that meet her wishes start to appear, Shay can't believe that they are only due to the name of the town. She decides to investigate to find out who her mysterious benefactor is. Could it be her mother, whom she hasn't heard from in six years but regularly leaves voice mails to? What if the town of Wishing has more to hide than the identity of an anonymous benefactor?

This book, which I was lucky enough to read thanks to NetGalley, was a very pleasant surprise for me. The description had already made me want to discover it, but I didn't expect to be so invested in reading it. I couldn't put my reader down until the book was finished.
Through Andrea Nourse's writing, you quickly become attached to most of the characters in this book, you can easily relate to them, they could be any person living in a small town: your neighbours, your friends… Unlike some of the characters in other books, they feel ‘real’ and I really appreciated that.

Thanks to NetGalley and to Andrea Nourse for allowing me to discover this little gem.

As for me, I got very attached to Shay. Her emotions are very well translated in the book and you experience them along with her, whether they are negative or positive. You just want to be with her at every new step she goes through.

For me, he only negative point of this book is its end which seemed a little too rushed and which left me doubtful on certain points. However, this is just a matter of personal taste and doesn't put in doubt the author's talent.

I highly recommend reading this book.

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I come from an Asian household where blood family is one of the most—if not THE most important thing in life. No matter who you are, what you do, and where you go, at the end of the day family will always be there; the first ones when you are born, and the last ones when you die. In "Out of Anywhere," I encountered a solid story of found family and how a community can come together out of love for a common goal. And I gotta say, it was very refreshing to read.

I love stories like this where I feel like they're also small slices of the character's lives that I get to peer into. I followed the story of Shay Lane, a strong, independent, but very solitary girl who avoids attachments and putting down roots and is by far THE angstiest character I have read all year. Luckily, the angst rubbed off on me in a good way. Nourse built up our protagonist in a way that made sense, laying down the foundations that made Shay the woman we encounter in the story. I understood her motivations for the decisions she made, which is a major plus already for me! In that way, I ended up rooting for her until the end when we finally find out how things make sense.

Given the first person POV, we see how all the characters revolve around Shay's life. On the top, they might seem like simplistic depictions, but I personally felt like these characters had equally rich lives of their own off the page and out of Shay's POV. Everyone had a role to play in our MC's story, and I'm so glad they weren't just caricatures for the plot.

The juxtaposition of the internal monologues and flashbacks gave context to the present-day events of the book, helping the story move along swimmingly. There were some plot points that made me go "........okay??" but I approached it all with suspended disbelief and that made things work for me. Plot-wise, I actually figured things out by the first few pages, though jokingly because of course, we want to hold all judgment before the book ends. Interestingly as I continued reading, the unfolding events made me second guess a lot of my initial theories. It held enough mystery to keep me on my toes, hooking me in and letting me finish almost 60% of the book in one sitting. (Spoiler: my theory was right haha)

Given that, I love how the book was written, save for a few minor issues I was willing to overlook. These include a number of repetitive passages that tried so hard to reemphasize things, as well as some grammar errors that might just be because it's an advanced copy, but the writing was fitting of Shay's voice and character.

By the end, I was left pretty satisfied with how things turned out. It was refreshing to see that everything had an answer and a reason why it turned out that way. For some, it might be a bit too neat of an ending so that's something to watch out for. I rate this an honest 4.5⭐️ because again, I genuinely enjoyed it! It's a breather of a read that packs a meaningful story that's not all fluff, with a touch of mystery to keep you hooked until the end.

I know I've said this several times before but YAY MY FIRST EVER ARC!!! I was given an advanced copy for my honest opinion and I stick by what I said. Thank you so so much to NetGalley and Andrea Nourse for what I feel is a first major step into really investing time and effort in reading books. Catch this on sale on August 3rd!

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This book follows Shay, a 25-year-old woman who has lived her life on the road.
Motels and cheap sheets, gas station food and counting pennies. That was the life she knew with her mother, until one night she and her mother are separated, and Shay must learn to navigate life and the road on her own.

I really enjoyed this book! Growing up in a town with less than 1500 people, I appreciated the small town feel and sense of community that the author created. It felt homey and welcoming.

There is also the idea of generational trauma, and the ways we hold on to the past as a buffer for the present. Throughout the book, Shay unravels her story, along with her mother's, to find a place where she belongs. A place she can heal and grow, even if she must make that place herself.

There are a lot of inner monologues, which was a little much at points, but I prefer books with more dialogue, which is probably why that was my only 'issue'.

Overall, I truly enjoyed this book! If you are looking for a story of finding yourself and your place in the world, I recommend this book for you.

TW for mentions of r*pe and sexual assault.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this ARC!
My review will be posted on my Goodreads, along with my Instagram (@samwisereads). I will post my review on Instagram on August 3, 2021, to promote for publication!

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Wowowow! This book is a must read! It was so real and heartbreaking and heartwarming (yes both at the same time!) The story kept me guessing the whole time! It is so well written and relatable. I loved how the characters were developed and their relationships to one another. Amazing read!

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