Book: Nowhere to Go but Everywhere by Jessica Rao
Reviewed by Anonymous
Rating: 4.5/5
Thank you @booksparks for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.
A bit of a nostalgia hit, with a story taking place in 1994, but with a somewhat timeless tale of a young person struggling to find their way in the world, and oh how I was rooting for her, even through all her questionable life choices. 🫣
All Helena knows is that college life is not for her, so when she meets a boy on a bus, who talks about wanting to leave it all behind and hit the open road, she decides it’s time for her to drop out, and start preparing for a life of wanderlust.
It’s a messy story. Helena kind of stumbles around a lot. Pretty darn impressionable as she works to find herself.
A fairly insular story, as we wander through Helena’s life alongside her. We see her thought processes as she stumbles through many poor decisions. But I was absolutely riveted, sometimes biting my nails in worry for her. There were definitely some tough moments, but by the end I was hopeful about her future.
Several memorable characters we meet along the way, that we get to know, somewhat, through Helena…👀
Definitely a book I was craving to pick up again and again, that even led to some late night reading. (Darn you short chapters! shakes fist but also, I love you short chapters. 🫶🤭😭🥱)
What this book is giving:
✅ Coming of Age Novel
✅ College Dropout
✅ Directionless FMC
✅ Saving for a Road Trip
✅ New Friends
✅ Three Men
✅ Set in 1994
Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ / 5