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Don't Stop Now

3.44 of 5 stars 3.44 · rating details · 534 ratings · 138 reviews

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 sh

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Hardcover, 240 pages

Published June 7th 2011 by Feiwel & Friends

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Community Reviews

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Jan 06, 2012 Wendy Darling marked it as will-never-read

I guess all the calm discussions advocating respectful author-reader relations were for nothing, eh?

68 likes · like · see review

Jan 21, 2013 Skyla marked it as not-interested-due-to-reasons

Calling a reader a beyotch and saying you want to make fun of her biography just because she gave you a so-so review (it wasn't nasty or mean spirited in the least bit unlike you Julie Halpern), is not okay.

Reading is subjective. Just because someone didn't like your book is no reason to be nasty.

EDIT: Seriously?!

http://juliehalpern.blogspot.com/2012...

12 likes · like · see review

Feb 04, 2013 Steph Sinclair marked it as unlikely

Shelves: due-to-author

Whoops, there goes another one...

11 likes · like · see review

Apr 08, 2012 Katy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Another one? I wish I had known about the controversy with this author BEFORE I had read the book. I know authors have feelings too, but I don't understand why authors insist on publicly blogging to complain about reviewers. Vent away and set it on private or punch a wall or better yet, go read the good reviews to make yourself feel better. I've had authors kindly tell me I'm entitled to my own opinions, and that's a gracious way to handle it. Chances are, you are going to have more likes than d...more Another one? I wish I had known about the controversy with this author BEFORE I had read the book. I know authors have feelings too, but I don't understand why authors insist on publicly blogging to complain about reviewers. Vent away and set it on private or punch a wall or better yet, go read the good reviews to make yourself feel better. I've had authors kindly tell me I'm entitled to my own opinions, and that's a gracious way to handle it. Chances are, you are going to have more likes than dislikes, so take it with a grain of salt. Because those "beyotch" reviewers WILL tell their friends, and they can blackball you before you even begin thinking of a concept for your next book.

Having said that, this review and rating will be STRICTLY on the book and not influenced by the controversy.

Overall, I thought this book was just okay. I'm usually a sucker for stories about friends becoming lovers, but this book, quite frankly, was very unsatisfying. I mean, Halpern tells about what Lilian and Josh are going through, but I found it really hard to sympathize with their situation because I felt they spent more time whining about it and avoiding it and then putting each other through this yo-yo situation than actually wanting it badly enough to try. And the end? I spent the last two hours reading this book and the end makes me want to pull my hair out.

Now about the story itself. It's a bit unrealistic. Why are Penny's parents calling Lilian's cell phone if they're just sort-of friends and she tells them they're not really friends? And if Lilian is waiting to hear back from Penny, where she's already missed a few calls from her, why is she letting calls go through to voicemail? And they expect to find Penny by pure luck? No last name and no information about Ethan and they just happen to run into her? And just for the record, cell phones do not last as long as Lilian's did.

Overall, it's not a bad book - two stars for just okay. I wasn't expecting something mind blowing, but I was expecting to at least leave the book with a slight warm and fuzzy feeling, and disappointingly, this book did not leave me that.(less)

6 likes · like · see review

May 26, 2011 Danya rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own

Take the disappearance of a not-so-close friend.

Add a promise not to tell, some calls from the cops and FBI, and a spontaneous road trip with your best friend/crush.

Mix in some tourist attractions, metaphors, and close-to-the-heart confessions along the way.

The result? Don't Stop Now by Julie Halpern.

Characters:

Don't Stop Now is all about the characters and their relationships. Often if characters frustrate me a little but I keep on reading, that's a good sign that there's some great charact...more

2 likes · like · see review

Sep 25, 2011 Noelle rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-books, reviewed

So I typed out a whole review but then Goodreads went down and...well, I've wasted enough time on this book. By reading it. It is ridiculous! The only realistic thing about it is how annoying and self-centered the teenage protagonists are! Otherwise? What a mess. Why not make this a road trip book? Was the convoluted, unbelievable fake kidnapping plot really necessary? There are so many more realistic reasons to go on a road trip than to leisurely track down your maybe-fake-kidnapped friend (who...more

9 likes · like · see review

Apr 15, 2012 Natasa rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review also appears on my blog, What Makes YA Beautiful.

After reading The Story Siren’s review, I was very excited to get my hands on this book.

The verdict? Disappointment. I was expecting a light summer read, which admittedly, I got, but what I was not expecting was the bombardment of materialist and consumerist advertisements of half the tourist attractions in the USA.

I’d just get a travel guide if I were you.

Sure, in the beginning it was cute but by the end I felt I knew more about the f...more

3 likes · like · see review

Sep 21, 2012 Alicia rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: abuse, chicklit, humor, multiple-voices, mystery, romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 08, 2011 Wisteriouswoman rated it 3 of 5 stars

It was a delightful road trip story filled with kooky examples of Americana. Her Mom lets her go because of memories she has about the right of passage in the '70s of backpacking through Europe. There is little to compare the two experiences--no living on $5.00 a day, or roughing it in youth hostels, or developing camaraderie with other travelers or respect for the different cultures of the places visited.

The repartee is funny even though Lillian often tries to be 'snarky', what ever that means...more It was a delightful road trip story filled with kooky examples of Americana. Her Mom lets her go because of memories she has about the right of passage in the '70s of backpacking through Europe. There is little to compare the two experiences--no living on $5.00 a day, or roughing it in youth hostels, or developing camaraderie with other travelers or respect for the different cultures of the places visited.

The repartee is funny even though Lillian often tries to be 'snarky', what ever that means. One of the comments I laughed at was her take on the fact that Josh is generally attracted to women, not just Lillian.' What is it that gives guys the right to look at skanky women whenever they want to? Oh, right, it's the fact that skanky women are everywhere, a la Victoria's Secret whorehouse window displays so why would men think any differently? Really men are just poor, innocent victims of our advertising media.'

The BFF relationship was enviable and I kept hoping it would not be consummated despite Lillian's pheromone driven desire to mate. I felt that because the only sexual acts that are actually described are kissing and groping this book is okay for anyone over 12. Most of the times that Lillian and Josh are sleeping together it means that they are in fact sleeping. You never know for sure what else they might be up to.

The book was a bit shallow considering the two main characters are tall, good looking and don't seem to have a care in the world. Even though Lillian criticizes Josh for living off of his Dad's credit card she is just as much a moocher, never offering to pay her own way even though we know she has money saved up for the summer. She makes a big deal about the fact that she is going to college to study art but she never seems to think an artistic thought the whole time she is traveling across America. She also is concerned that he refuses to call his Dad but you get the feeling that she makes very little effort to contact her Mom, she doesn't even bother charging up her cell phone. Every meal seems to be a guilt free pig-out. As a matter of fact she doesn't seem to have much of a moral rudder. The road trip isn't really about saving Penny or doing the right thing. She basically lies to the police and avoids talking to the FBI even though there is no reason for her to be loyal to Penny.There are many potentially serious themes but the author never takes them anywhere.

Penny is viewed as a distasteful character, so much so that the reader isn't given a chance to feel compassion despite the obviously controlling and physically abusive relationship that she is escaping. I liked the interspersed paragraphs about how she feels about her relationship with her boyfriend Gavin and her relationship with Lillian. It was a good contrast to the relationship that Lillian and Josh are having that is filled with puppy fun, random adventures and kindred spirit patter. I wanted so much to have that type of relationship with someone, girl or boy, when I was in high school. Many girls only experience a BFF through novels.

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Nov 01, 2011 Colleen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Just out of school for the summer, the last thing that Lillian expects is to have a cryptic message from her friend Penny waiting for her on her phone. “I did it”, is all that the message says. It turns out that Penny has faked her own kidnapping. The only thing Lillian can think to do is hop in the car with her best friend Josh (who she also has had a huge crush on forever) and try and track down Penny on a road trip across the country. Complete with random stops at places like the Mars Cheese...more

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Oct 11, 2011 Louisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 99-problems, boys-on-the-side, girly-as-shit, i-love-awkward-teenagers-in-fiction, teenagers-in-peril, ya, road-trippin

Was "Don't Stop Now" as good as "Into the Wild Nerd Yonder"? Of course not. Was it absolutely mindless drivel? Nope. Frankly, there are two camps concerning Julie Halpern's new-ish book. Either it's amazing or it's the worst thing ever written. And truly, it's neither. It's both. Does the weird fake kidnapping of the main character's quasi-friend who is most likely the victim of parental neglect and domestic violence feel like a pretty under-handed plot device created in order to get said main c...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 17, 2011 Valerie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Lillian is somewhat friends with Penny, the troubled girl that has faked her own kidnapping. The FBI is even involved, and they seem to think Lil knows something about it. It could be because of the 3am message Penny left on Lil's phone. Either way, Lil grabs her best friend Josh, whom she happens to be majorly crushing on, and they take off on a cross-country car ride to Portland to find Penny. Of course they have to stop at all kinds of cheesy and corny places along the way, and possibly disco...more

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Sep 17, 2011 Deri David rated it 3 of 5 stars

Lillian has just graduated from high school with a sense of summer freedom and plans to attend college in the fall. Her best friend, Josh, a laid-back musician with unlimited funds from an inattentive wealthy father, accompanies Lil cross country to Oregon in search of Penny. Penny, not one of Lil’s top friends, but a hanger-on who won’t let Lil alone, fakes her own kidnapping to escape an abusive boyfriend and to meet up with a nice boy from Oregon she met during her senior year. Lil informs he...more

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Sep 11, 2011 Jody Sparks rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love all of Julie Halpern's books. This is no exception. Into The Wild Nerd Yonder is definitely still my favorite, so if you haven't read this author, I'd start there. But this book is wonderful, too. The cover is blah. If I didn't love the author I would have passed this by on the shelf. Her other covers are outstanding. Book covers matter a lot to me, I've realized.

What I loved about this book is the premise of girl and boy being best friends, but sending signals that indicate otherwise whi...more

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Sep 01, 2011 Sarah BT rated it 5 of 5 stars

About the Book: When Lilian receives an early morning phone call from her sort-of friend Penny saying "I did it" and Lil knows that Penny has faked her own kidnapping. Now the police are looking for Penny and asking Lil questions! Lil has an idea that Penny might be in Portland, so she enlists the help of her friend Josh to go on a quest to find Penny and bring her back. Josh isn't just Lil's best friend-he's Lil's long time crush. But Josh doesn't want to "ruin" their amazing friendship. Will a...more About the Book: When Lilian receives an early morning phone call from her sort-of friend Penny saying "I did it" and Lil knows that Penny has faked her own kidnapping. Now the police are looking for Penny and asking Lil questions! Lil has an idea that Penny might be in Portland, so she enlists the help of her friend Josh to go on a quest to find Penny and bring her back. Josh isn't just Lil's best friend-he's Lil's long time crush. But Josh doesn't want to "ruin" their amazing friendship. Will a cross-country road trip help Lil figure things out?

GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I really think Julie Halpern's books get better with each one she writes-which is saying a lot because I think all of her books are pretty awesome!! I swear Ms. Halpern looked into my road trip dreams and wrote this book. I've always wanted to take a massive road trip stopping at cheesy tourist attractions (we did this when I was a kid and I loved it!) I loved that she used real places for Lil and Josh to visit. Some of them I'd been to or heard about and the descriptions and banter between Lil and Josh made it feel as though I was there with them.

The banter between Lil and Josh is awesome. They are both witty and hilarious and I wanted to hang out with them. This isn't just a road trip book, this is a story about navigating that tricky time between high school and college and facing and uncertain future. How can your past self and future self collide and what will happen to the relationships in your past as you move on and grow up? The emotional ride of growing up and feeling in limbo is captured perfectly.

I really liked that while there is a romance aspect to the storyline, it's not the main focus of the book. This is more about Lil and figuring out how to move on. I also liked that the romance wasn't a fairy tale but instead felt very real-both are questioning what will happen to their friendship not only this summer but once college starts.

We get glimpses of Penny throughout the story and I liked this added element. This wasn't just a story about Lil and Josh, but Penny as well. I would have liked to see more about Penny-why was she so interested in Gavin? I liked the picture we got of Penny-she's such an interesting character and I wanted just a bit more. I also thought things ended a bit too easily for her.

Don't Stop Now is a perfect road trip, summer read. Add it to the top of your "read every summer to get into a summer mood" pile because it's one you'll want to read again!

Book Pairings: Amy and Rogers Epic Detour by Morgan Matson, Two Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt

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Aug 08, 2011 K rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: library

This was a fun read.

Lil and her best friend Josh have nothing holding them in town the summer after graduation when an impromptu road trip comes up. It’s so rushed in fact, that they stop for clothes and toiletries at touristy places on the way from Illinois to Oregon. Maybe ‘rushed’ isn’t the right word—they need to get outta Dodge to avoid parents, police, and FBI agents and leaving without telling anyone is the best way to do that. Their sorta-friend Penny has staged her own kidnapping, which...more

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Aug 07, 2011 Karina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Karina by: ARC from ALA 2011

Shelves: read-in-2011

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 06, 2011 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

I adored this book! Normally I read all kinds of fantasy fiction. But I picked this up because of the rave reviews by one of my favorite bloggers, Natalie Whipple, ninja writer, extraordinaire. (http://betweenfactandfiction.blogspot...)

The characters in Don't Stop Now are deliciously indie with juno-esque dialogue. There is lots of clever snark exchanged between two best friends, Josh and Lil, and plenty of falling-in-love-with-your-best-friend drama. I loved the road trip the two take and all t...more

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May 21, 2011 Nancy rated it 4 of 5 stars

My take:This is just one of those quirky books that you enjoy from the first word to the last and realize that not only was it an enjoyable read, there is a message that corresponds to Lil and Josh's Quirky Adventure. Life is not, after all, like a box of chocolates, "but a big, long journey with a whole bunch of bumps and twists, and freaky roadside attractions, that no matter what, lead us to somewhere." Huh. That would have been a really nice place to end this review. Alas, I have more.

"I hat...more

3 likes · like · see review

Feb 22, 2011 Rachael rated it 4 of 5 stars

It’s Lillian’s last summer before college, and the last way she expects to spend it is by searching for her sort-of-friend Penny who may or may not have faked her own kidnapping to meet someone across the country. But when Lil receives a message from Penny right before her disappearance, Lil realizes that she may be the only one who can figure out Penny’s true whereabouts. So she and her best friend Josh decide to take a road trip in pursuit of Penny. They figure with Josh’s car, his dad’s credi...more It’s Lillian’s last summer before college, and the last way she expects to spend it is by searching for her sort-of-friend Penny who may or may not have faked her own kidnapping to meet someone across the country. But when Lil receives a message from Penny right before her disappearance, Lil realizes that she may be the only one who can figure out Penny’s true whereabouts. So she and her best friend Josh decide to take a road trip in pursuit of Penny. They figure with Josh’s car, his dad’s credit card, and Lil’s phone and wits, they’ll make their sweet way over to the west coast, enjoying their time while also doing a good deed. But it’s not that simple. Lil has a massive crush on Josh, but he’s afraid of ruining the great relationship they already have. How’s Lil supposed to find Penny when she can barely sort through her feelings for her best friend? And when the police and the FBI start phoning, the friends could enter a whole new world of trouble. Can Lil sort through all these problems before the road trip and her last real summer come to an end?

Don’t Stop Now is a sweet and thoughtful story that deviates somewhat from the playful combination of seriousness and hilarity that I became accustomed to in Halpern’s earlier novels, Get Well Soon and Into the Wild Nerd Yonder. Though Don’t Stop Now is sprinkled with random fun facts about all the states Lil and Josh travel through that add some lightness to the story, I felt the overall tone was a lot more serious. Halpern skillfully deals with some very important social issues that many teens face, such where the line between friend and boyfriend falls, how to maintain good relationships with both friends and boyfriend, and the fear of putting oneself out there, to name a few. She portrays this wonderfully through Lil and Josh’s relationship as well as sparse narrations from Penny’s point of view. I really got to know Lil and Penny, and this connection to them made me appreciate their struggles even more. I feel like there aren’t very many novels that address the issues of the high school-college transition as well as Halpern does, and while I do miss the outright laughter I got from Get Well Soon and Into the Wild Nerd Yonder, and although Don’t Stop Now didn’t quite grab me in the same way those other novels did, this is very well written and worthwhile story to read. I do deeply love what Halpern has done with this book.

Fans of Get Well Soon and Into the Wild Nerd Yonder, also by Julie Halpern, should not miss Don’t Stop Now. This novel is also sure to be enjoyed by fans of Swoon at Your Own Risk by Sydney Salter, Beauty Shop for Rent by Laura Bowers, and Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian. I can’t wait to see what Halpern writes next.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com (less)

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Aug 30, 2011 Trisha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: humour, romance, ya-literature, dual-narrators

Each of the separate components of this story - the road trip, the mystery of Penny, the odd-ball tourist traps, the friend or boyfriend question - are all high on my must-have-in-books list. And it delivers.

Top of the list is the banter between Lil and Josh. They are true friends. And to know immediately, that Lil would like to push things further increases the anticipation, and the suspense. But Lil's voice is such a good one - she's quirky, she's honest with herself and she's putting herself...more

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Aug 31, 2011 Mickey (I'm A Book Shark) rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: YA fans, Summer YA fans

Shelves: 2011, arc, around-the-world-tour

I received this through the Around The World ARC tours, and here is my honest review:

3.5 stars

For a simple summer YA read, this has a lot going on! I can't put my finger on the true main focus of this novel. First there is Lil's friend (Penny) running away/faking her own kidnapping. Then there is the silly solution to find Penny with her best friend Josh. And that's the third major happening: she wants to be more than his friend. All of these were in the forefront the entire time, and I really h...more

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Dec 09, 2010 Kayla rated it 5 of 5 stars

DUDE. There is so much to love about this book. It's quirky and fantastic in all the right ways, with so many memorable, creative scenes. Lillian and Josh, the main characters, are likable and relatable—they have PERSONALITY, and lots of it (hence my shouty all-caps, hehe). Their chemistry is so…real, if that makes sense. Funny, too. The author, Julie Halpern, is pretty much a master at the are-we-just-friends-or-are-we-more? dynamic; along with that, the emotional pacing felt perfect. I hate sp...more

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Sep 08, 2011 Emma (BelleBooks) rated it 3 of 5 stars

I had not even heard about Don't Stop Now until it was offered up for loan on the UK Swap Shop Group on Goodreads. I read the blurb and it sounded pretty good, so I signed up to borrow the book.

Don't Stop Now follows the story of Lillian who has just graduated from high school and is looking forward to a fun summer of freedom before she goes off to college.
After receiving a 3am voice mail from her sort of friend Penny Lillian has realised what's happened. Penny has faked her own kidnapping!

Lil a...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Hannah Harvey rated it 2 of 5 stars

Is it just me or was the fake kidnapping plot not needed? To me it just made the book seem incredibly unbelievable, and maybe this is because we never get to see much of Penny's point of view, but it was just crazy. I was annoyed at how little focus this supposedly huge part of the storyline got, it seemed to me that it was written in the style of, 'Lil's friend is obviously in a bad place so she fakes her own kidnapping, but Josh doesn't like her as more than a friend, so let's focus on that fo...more

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Jun 30, 2011 Cynthia (A Blog about Nothing) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Posted on: http://mundiemoms.blogspot.com/2011/0...

When I started reading Don’t Stop Now I thought it was just going to be a fun light-hearted read, it was actually pretty funny and was making me laugh out loud with the hilarious conversations between Lillian and Josh but I soon realized that there was going to be more to the story, something more serious.

The story starts off pretty much on the light side, we have Lillian who’s had a crush on her best friend Josh since the first time they met bu...more Posted on: http://mundiemoms.blogspot.com/2011/0...

When I started reading Don’t Stop Now I thought it was just going to be a fun light-hearted read, it was actually pretty funny and was making me laugh out loud with the hilarious conversations between Lillian and Josh but I soon realized that there was going to be more to the story, something more serious.

The story starts off pretty much on the light side, we have Lillian who’s had a crush on her best friend Josh since the first time they met but Josh is unaware of her feelings and she’s never really acted on them. They embark on a road trip to Portland where they’re suppose to find Penny, Lillian’s friend because Penny has faked her own kidnapping and Lillian wants to get her to come clean about it, but she‘s also using it as an opportunity to spend alone time with Josh. Throughout the book we get snippets of what I assumed was Penny’s diary because they pop up in between paragraphs and the first time it happened it confused me, I wasn’t really sure if it was Lillian or Penny but it soon became clear and we begin to see how hard Penny’s life had been. I felt pretty awful for poor Penny, her parents never paid much attention to her or made her feel loved, they pretty much only used her as a babysitter and driver for her little sister, never really showed any interest in her life. Besides the problems she had at home she was also trapped in an abusive relationship.

I loved Josh, he was a fun and sarcastic, so oblivious to everything and made a joke about anything even at the worst times which lighten the mood in the story during the tense scenes and had me laughing several times. Lillian was like the other half of Josh, she had a great sense of humor which made the friendship perfect even though she had higher goals in her life they got along great, they seemed to have a deep connection, which made the story so easy to get lost in and a great read. I think what I would've liked to have seen a little bit more focus on Penny's problems, the ending seemed to resolved too easily for me, but she was more of a side character and the story focused mainly on Lillian and Josh. Don’t Stop Now had a bit of seriousness in it but it was also mixed with a lot of fun light moments and hilarious dialogue between the two main characters. It was a great story about love, friendship, taking on responsibilities, letting go. The writing was easy flowing, the characters likable and it had a deeper message than I expected which was a great surprise. I think older teens and adults will enjoy this one and seeing these character come to terms with the changes of life from high school to becoming adults.(less)

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Jul 03, 2011 Megan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-books, teen-reads, 2011

Don`t Stop Now makes me want to drop everything and go on a road trip with a guy I like...whether it be friend or boyfriend. It was really easy for me to put myself in Lillian`s position, because her situation with her best friend, Josh, is so relatable that I am sure everyone has been there. This book was definitely more character driven, mainly about Lillian and Josh`s relationship and their quest to save their friend Penny, then plot driven. Yes Don`t Stop Now describes many of the tourist at...more

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Jun 30, 2011 Brooke rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-own-a-copy, roadtrips, realistic-fiction

I've been in a road trip reading mood of late, and 'Don't Stop Now' didn't disappoint.

While it wasn't as deep as another road trip book I've recently read ('Saving June'), I found it to be very different in mood (much lighter, it that wasn't clear), which was exactly what I was hoping for.

While the story is described as being about a road trip taken by Lil and Josh to track down Lil's kind-of-friend-but-kind-of-not-friend Penny, the story is definitely focused on the road trip and their relatio...more I've been in a road trip reading mood of late, and 'Don't Stop Now' didn't disappoint.

While it wasn't as deep as another road trip book I've recently read ('Saving June'), I found it to be very different in mood (much lighter, it that wasn't clear), which was exactly what I was hoping for.

While the story is described as being about a road trip taken by Lil and Josh to track down Lil's kind-of-friend-but-kind-of-not-friend Penny, the story is definitely focused on the road trip and their relationship rather than Penny.

That being said, at the end of most chapters there were diary-like entries from Penny's point of view which, while they didn't really give the reader a chance to know her, gives a glimpse into her life. I felt so sorry for her at times, I don't think it's really a spoiler to reveal that she seems to be in an abusive relationship (which, seemingly, was a contributing factor to her running away), and the way her entries are written shows just how insecure and frightened she is. I just wanted to give her a big hug. Other times I found myself annoyed with her, I mean, take a stand! Get out! Don't just take it.

Lil and Josh were so easy to like. I loved their chemistry and banter, and they were two people I found so easy to imagine. They had a lot of fun together but there was a lot of awkwardness which, if you've ever had a crush on a male friend, was so easy to relate to. Lil was witty and clever, although she definitely had her snarky side, and Josh was fun, flirty and definitely a goofball - I loved both of them immediately.

Julie Halpern writes in a way that makes it so easy to become absorbed in the story, before you know it you've read 60 pages and just want to keep going. Her writing style was funny and light, and the humor had me chuckling constantly. I'm actually considering going back and marking my favourite quotes, but I'm a bit worried to do so as once I get started, I think the list is going to be huge. I've got to say, there was not a dull moment in this book! There was so much going on with Lil and Josh visiting so many awesome, quirky places that you just can't get bored. I noticed someone has reviewed on here and linked images of some of the tourist stops in the book which was awesome, some were different to what I imagined but others - spot on.

If you're looking for a road trip read that's fun, cute and something a bit different, I'd definitely give this one a go. While it wasn't overly 'deep' or thought provoking, the plot was so much fun that it didn't matter. I'm about to start 'Get Well Soon' by the same author, I have high hopes for it and I'm sure I won't be disappointed.
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Jan 06, 2012 Stefanie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: realistic-fiction, 2011, ya, washyarg-reviews

Lillian and Josh are BFFs who have just graduated from high school. When Lillian's sort-of friend Penny fakes her own kidnapping to leave a bad situation behind, they decide to go on a road trip not only to find her and bring her back, but to have one last hurrah before adulthood. For Lillian, it's also the perfect opportunity to make something finally happen with Josh. Josh and Lillian are awesome characters and this book is filled with hilariously ridiculous, snarky conversations that make you...more

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Aug 16, 2011 Laura Ashlee rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, young-adult

Review posted 8/16/2011 at Owl Tell You About It.

I'm at a weird place on this one. There are things I loved and things I didn't like so much. I loved Lily and Josh. They were great characters, but I wasn't totally satisfied by where their story went. It just left to much open for me. I was expecting a feel-good story with a road trip, and it didn't quite deliver.

Lily is a good character. She's quirky and laid back. Or, at least, she acts laid back most of the time, when she's really stressing ab...more Review posted 8/16/2011 at Owl Tell You About It.

I'm at a weird place on this one. There are things I loved and things I didn't like so much. I loved Lily and Josh. They were great characters, but I wasn't totally satisfied by where their story went. It just left to much open for me. I was expecting a feel-good story with a road trip, and it didn't quite deliver.

Lily is a good character. She's quirky and laid back. Or, at least, she acts laid back most of the time, when she's really stressing about whether or not Josh was flirting with the cashier at the convenience store or if he thinks she's pretty. She had the potential to be a really engaging character if it wasn't for her obsession with what Josh is thinking. I understand how that can be when you're young, but life doesn't revolve around boys. The good thing is, she has plans and she worries about how Josh will fit into them rather than how she can mold them to fit Josh. That's good. At least she has some priorities.

Josh is sweet most of the time. He can get a little cocky, and definitely self-righteous about his music. I can definitely relate to being the person who wants to drone on forever about stuff none of my friends care about (like books), so I tried to sympathize, but at some point you have to just take the hint and shut up about it. Or find a different outlet (like blogging). It was polite of Lily to let him talk about his musical interests, but I'd personally rather someone care and listen than let me talk while they're off daydreaming. It feels too fake, and I'm not into fake.

Penny is screwed up. I'll agree to that, but I think everyone was too hard on her. She was scared. Not everyone can be strong and assertive. There are people out there who are just a little weak and need help. Penny was one of those people, and I felt like everyone just whined at her about the trouble she was causing, which is selfish. Yes, she was being selfish, but it was a cry for help. I just think Lily could have been a little more understanding. I guess driving across the country to find her was a pretty big gesture, but se was so angry the whole time and it kind of ruined it.

It's a cute book, but it didn't deliver the way I wanted it to. I expected a little more from it. It happens. It's still pretty good though, so if you're in the mood for a road trip book this one is a good pick. The characters are quirky and the places they see are strange too.

Prude Filter: This book contains profanity and sexual references. I suggest 13 and up.(less)

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About Julie Halpern

Julie Halpern is the author of Get Well Soon, Into the Wild Nerd Yonder and Don't Stop Now, as well as the picture book Toby and the Snowflakes. In addition to writing, Julie is a middle-school librarian. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, lived in Australia for six months, and created a couple of zines before she started writing books, and realized she was and always has b...more

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