Where the Road Takes Me by Jay McLean

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My rating: 3.5 stars

Book summary:

"Chloe has one plan for the future, and one plan only: the road. She’s made a promise to herself: don’t let anyone in, and don’t let anyone love her. She’s learned the hard way what happens if she breaks her rules. So she’s focused on being invisible and waiting until she can set out on the road—her dream of freedom, at least for a little while.

Blake Hunter is a basketball star who has it all—everything about him looks perfect to those on the other side of his protective walls. He can’t let anyone see the shattered pieces behind the flawless facade or else all his hopes and dreams will disappear.

One dark night throws Chloe and Blake together, changing everything for Blake. For Chloe, nothing changes: she has the road, and she’s focused on it. But when the so-called perfect boy starts to notice the invisible girl, they discover that sometimes with love, no one knows where the road may lead."

My first book by Jay McLean.  

Expectations? Sweet love story. Roadtrip. (I love roadtrips.) Probably predictable.

   

Reality? I got scared after I saw few not so positive reviews, but I still read it. I was right - it was predictable and full of cliches. I liked it despite that. Yes, it is melodramatic. Yes, some things were over the top. But if you liked, for example, Slammed by Colleen Hoover, I am sure that you will like this book as well.  

What I liked? Where The Road Takes Me is an emotional read. At least for me. I could relate to Chloe and her fear because of family medical history, ignoring something that everyone thinks is the most logical thing to do and choosing to live in blissful ignorance as long as you can. It is easy to "be smart" when you are not in that situation yourself. There is nothing more scarier than seeing "positive" at the bottom of The Paper - one word that has power to turn upside down your whole life. Chloe might seem like someone who tells that she wants to do one thing, but at times acts completely differently - that is one more thing I understand. You want to make yourself believe in something so hard because you know that it would be so much easier, and you are still not able to give up on small things that are taken for granted, so you tell yourself: "Maybe just this time. Just once. And then I'll move on." As I already said, roadtrip. Going from one place to another, diving in the car, stopping whenever you see something interesting, meeting new people that you probably won't see again, but still making an effort, sleeping in motels along the road, eating junk food, making out in the backseat of the car... So many things that I recognized as my own experience. It is probably cliche and predictable, but for me it was real because I have done all of those things.  

Things that bothered me... a little. Instant love, a lot of usual tropes you will find in any book full of teen angst and drama - I won't tell much more to avoid spoilers, but you will know what I am talking about as soon as you read the book. Also, I have a feeling like there are three overlapping stories and that some parts could have been more detailed. Some secondary characters (mainly Clayton) deserved more space, and because of lack of character development instead of using archetype descriptions, I wasn't able to relate to their role in the story.
  
Who should read this book? Fans of so called "emotional roller coaster" stories, hipster love songs and Slammed by Collen Hoover (if you compare this two books, there's nothing similar when it comes to the storyline, but they same atmosphere).

Happy reading,

 *Book provided by author in exchange for an honest review.*