Don't Stop Now by Julie Halpern
Thursday, January 05, 2012
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date: June 7, 2011
Pages: 224
Source: rented from local library
Buy It: Barnes & Noble | Amazon
On the first day of Lillian’s summer-before-college, she gets a message on her cell from her sort-of friend, Penny. Not only has Penny faked her own kidnapping, but Lil is the only one who figures it out. She knows that Penny’s home life has been rough, and that her boyfriend may be abusive. Soon, Penny’s family, the local police, and even the FBI are grilling Lil, and she decides to head out to Oregon, where Penny has mentioned an acquaintance. And who better to road-trip across the country with than Lil’s BFF, Josh. But here’s the thing: Lil loves Josh. And Josh doesn’t want to “ruin” their amazing friendship.Josh has a car and his dad’s credit card. Lil has her cellphone and a hunch about where Penny is hiding. There’s something else she needs to find: Are she and Josh meant to be together?-- GoodreadsJosh and Lillian go on a road trip of a lifetime. They have been best friends since childhood and Lil wants to take an adventure before she leaves for college and he stays there for the rest of his life. When Lillian’s somewhat-friend, Penny, fakes her own kidnapping, they even have more of a cause to go on the road trip. They need to find her and bring her back home. In this summer read, the road is waiting for you to take a journey. Just Don’t Stop Now.
This is purely a summer read. Summer reads are meant to be fast and easy pieces that you read on the beach. This one was very easy to read. It took me about a day to finish and as much as I thought it was good, I’ve heard it all before.
It
was a road trip of a lifetime. As much
as a lot of the states and activities the two decided on were completely
random, I don’t think it had any chance to be anything more than a chick lit
meant for a good time. I liked that
about it.
Penny’s
kidnapping seemed like a built-up for nothing.
Those big cops getting involved were never fully explained and it should
have been. There should have been more
back story. I would have loved knowing
more flashbacks between Josh and Lil’s childhood. Or I would even love to know some more about
Penny’s life and more of her point of view of things.
I
loved the whole concept of the Don’t Stop Now signs thrown in the trip. The metaphor of both the trip and
relationship was very clever and I enjoyed the easiness of it.
Overall
it was a fun, fast read. It’s definitely
worth your time while you’re enjoying a cool lemonade on the porch during the
summer.
Rating:
Cover:
3
Characters:
3
Writing
Style: 4
Plot:
4
Ending:
4
Overall:
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