When I Hit the Road by Nancy J. Cavanaugh
Release: May 5th 2020
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Sourcebooks Young Readers
Source: Netgalley
Synopsis:
Samantha is not exactly excited to spend what was supposed to be an awesome summer vacation with her grandma all the way in Florida. Or to be testing out her mom’s “Dear Me” Journals–writing to her future self just feels weird. But it turns out Gram has some not-so-boring plans up her sleeve…
Gram and her friend Mimi are going to audition for the Seniors Have Got Talent Karaoke Contest!
A road trip in Gram’s new Mustang turns into a series of hilarious mishaps that flip Samantha’s summer on its head. And to make things more awkward, Brandon, Mimi’s totally handsome grandson, is also along for the ride.
It looks like those journals just might be worth keeping after all. Because this summer will be one Samantha will never want to forget.
When I Hit the Road Review:
A BIG Thank You to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Young Readers for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of “When I Hit the Road” for my review.
What do you do when you get stuck in a crazy road trip with your karaoke loving grandma, her religious friend and a cute boy? I simple adored this book and thought it was the perfect light-hearted, humorous, middle grade novel. It is funny, crazy, emotional, and completely wacky. You have no idea where the story is heading and what is going to happen. I knew this book was going to be a wild ride as soon as the Grandmother mentioned ‘Widow’s Bucket List’.
The main character narrates the story through journal entries that Sam writes to her future self. Although telling stories through journal entries is not a new concept, I liked how her audience is her future self. The story has a lot of twists and turns that come out of no-where. It also has a few quirky, cute illustrations that complement the story along the way.
Sam is great as the main character. She is funny, awkward and so entertaining. The author wrote the supporting characters very nicely as well. I especially loved Mimi and thought she was adorable and hilarious. Initially Brandon felt clichéd, but I started to like him as well. I liked his friendship with Sam and how they had their ups and downs. I also loved the Grandmother’s carefree attitude and living life to the fullest. She was funny and inspiring in the story.
After reading this book, I want to definitely check out the author’s previous novels. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a breezy, feel good, light-hearted, summer read.
