The Long Ride Home

by Tawni Waters

After the loss of her mother, Harley can barely handle her grief. But the start of summer marks new beginnings, and Harley leaves for a cross-country road trip to scatter her mother's ashes with Dean, her friend (with benefits). The two ride by motorcycle, reconnecting with people who knew her mother along the way.

But it's not long before Harley realizes she's pregnant...with Dean's child. And as Harley learns that her mother faced similar choices during her own pregnancy, Harley must come to terms with her mother's past to make a difficult decision about her own future.

Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Teen

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 5, 2017

Reviews

[Hristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review is also on my blog illbefinealonereads

Road trip books aren’t my cup of tea, but I keep giving them a shot because it’s a favorite YA trope to many of my fellow reviewers. Sometimes this trope is very well done, but there was something about it here that I didn’t like. I picked up this book expecting more from it. The entire text seems too short for the intertwined plot it contains and the heavy subjects it touches on. I found Harley kind of hard to connect to, and I really don’t like all the questions it left me with.
It’s a quick read that’ll help you spend the afternoon, but I feel like it could be so much better. Maybe it just wasn't for me.

*Copy receiver through NetGalley
*Original rating: 2/5 stars

[Mridu aka Storypals · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 stars!
I am glad I picked this up from NetGalley for a quick read and review <3 (Thank the stars and above for NetGalley forever providing with great reads and ARCs <3)

I purely requested this book because of the mention of a road trip! (Yes, call me shallow or whatever I want to read anything and everything about travel and self-discovery) I was kind of disappointed when the trip was not really the main plot of the book and the story was a little different not entirely but yes some points here and there, but that's okay.

So, first thing first, What the book is about?
It is about Harley( You have to read the book to know her real name :D), who lost her mother 6 months ago, we see her grieving and trying to move past the accident and that's when she decided to go for a road trip with Dean her best friend (with benefits, well hmm -she loved him from the start of the book and it is pretty evident so let's, not friend zone him, shall we?) for reconnecting, for self-discovery and for being able to grieve a little more for her mother and try to move on. I think adding any more to the description is just plain spoiling the whole book for you, So I am gonna stop right here. 

So my initial thoughts while reading the book were wow it's done pretty well, kudos for picking up this book, it is actually great!
There is anxiety,  dealing with the loss, at some parts I also felt she was going through anorexia (did anybody else feel that too? The notions set by her for food and her not eating properly) and what not but then later on - 50% down the book I was like where the hell is the arc?
You know the arc where the story takes a turn, the characters develop? Yeah, that doesn't happen until so 75% of the book is done - which is where I say it was a bit overdone.
For Harley being so self-destructive, Dean being so nice (aah too good to be true), and there wasn't any solution for the problems that were shown our protagonist was dealing with.
At one point she is self-destructive, in the other she meets a certain people and voila she is a better person now, she understands stuff. No, don't do that to the character.

What did I like about the book?
- The mother- daughter relationship, that aspect was so beautiful, the moments spend together, that life. Good A+
- How her Harley's mother's friend (I kind of forget her name :() was handling the situation and her daughter, she was there for her, without any questions asked.
- The kind of hardships her mother herself went through during her birth.
- Dean- WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SOUL, I WANT TO MEET YOU, I WANT TO BE LIKE YOU.

What didn't I like?
- Unnecessary self-destruction
- No solution to the problems created - like how what- the anxiety? hello? Please talk more about it? Don't leave it -Like she is crying and then we cut that off and go to another issue? Please elaborate, please let us feel what she is feeling, please just let us!
- Hello, Dad? You are nice but you were an alcoholic so mum left. Never cared to track her down buddy? Oh, and how did you know she was dead and not know about your daughter? Hi, confused here? 
- The ending? Too fast? Explain, make me feel more? 

I feel if the ending didn't do justice to the plot. The story, the way it was building, the voice of our protagonist, it was going for a greater good but somehow the whole thing got lost with our protagonist just being very self-destructive.  WHERE ART THOU?

I was promised a road trip- WHERE ART THOU?
I mean we know she is on road but something more, please? she is just riding her bike and staying at cheap motels with rude staff- That's all you want to give? :(

I so wanted a better self-discovery than she getting to know stuff about her mum and hating her mum? I wanted her to deal with her own issues, to reconnect with her best friend she mentioned in the starting of the book, to talk it out properly with Dean, to do something, anything.

But anyway - It's a quick read.

It gets 3 stars only and only because the mother-daughter relationship was so damn great!

Yours and yours faithfully,

Mridu <3

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Review copy from the publisher.
A hardcore angsty, angry (but ultimately hopeful) story of a girl dealing with the death of a parent. Not an easy read, but one which I think will resonate with young adults in similar circumstances.
A good choice for bibliotherapy if in a school library collection.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

you can find my full review on my blog:
https://coffeelovingbookoholic.com/20...

[Lauren]

DNF @ 50%

The Long Ride Home started off well. I was excited for the road trip aspect. Harley was okay. Dean was adorable. Unfortunately, the further I got the more I began to lose interest and the more I began to dislike Harley.

Why The Long Ride Home didn't work for me:

1) Harley: At first I gave Harley a break for her behavior. She had been through a lot so I could understand why she would be angry and distant. Eventually, I just couldn't stomach her nastiness anymore. I hit my breaking point. I kept waiting and waiting for her to become more bearable. She didn't even need to be likable (I'm okay with unlikable characters) but I just wanted her to be more human, more aware of the choices she was making. The way she treated Dean was not okay. She was cruel in a way that I just couldn't fully forgive, and honestly, the moment at which she complete flipped out at him was the moment I was done with the book. I continued on for a little bit but I just couldn't root for her anymore as horrible as that is to say.

2) The Writing: The Long Ride Home is written as if Harley is directly talking to the reader, and I couldn't get used to it. However, I feel like this is a me thing more than anything - these type of writing styles almost never work for me.

3) The Rants: Harley would go on rant after rant about anything and everything, and they almost never added anything useful to the story. Sometimes they made me forget what had even been happening before she went off on her rant.

Overall, The Long Ride Home just wasn't my cup of tea. It's hard for me to like a book when I can't root for the main character.

As always my opinion is one in a million. If The Long Ride Home seems like the book for you go for it! Some people have really enjoyed this book.

*Note: I originally gave this book 1-star; however, since I technically stopped actively reading at 50% and then skipped to the ending, I felt that a star rating wasn't fair.*

*ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

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[Emma Iz]

I DNF'd this after a couple chapters because I couldn't really get into it and skimmed over the rest. Just wasn't right for me. I think the story and plot in this book are important but I wasn't a huge fan of the execution and of exactly how it was handled, but that is me personally—everyone is different.

[royale_sarahx · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay no hate.. maybe I finished this book in a hurry.. but for some reason this just wasn’t a match for me

[Elli · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started this I did not expect to find nyself sobbing at 3am and yet here I am.
full review on my blog

[Vlora · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free review copy of this book (thanks Sourcebooks Fire!). This does not influence my opinion in any way.

The Long Ride Home is about Harley, a girl who just lost her mother in a fire and is now trying to deal with the aftermath. She’s staying with a close family friend, but when summer comes she decides to go on a cross-country roadtrip with her best friend/love interest Dean to spread her mom’s ashes.

Let’s talk about the good things first. I liked the book’s focus on Harley’s relationship with her mother and how devastating it was for Harley to lose her. Harley was traumatized and not doing too well, which sounds depressing, but it’s a pretty depressing thing to go through, so I liked that the author didn’t shy away from that. Harley’s voice was fairly distinct and snippets from her past were revealed throughout the book.

Now to the things I enjoyed less, of which there are a little more. I didn’t particularly like the book’s stance on taking medicine when you’re not feeling okay. Harley doesn’t take them, which is obviously fine, and she does say to each their own, but it just seemed a little too judgemental for me overall. Harley does use a method she learned in therapy when she starts to panic, but therapy overall isn’t depicted in the best way possible either, and Harley was even suicidal at some points in the book. I would have like a more positive and inclusive approach to therapy and meds.

At the beginning of the book, Harley doesn’t believe in god, but then later on there are more and more Christian themes, and Harley thinks her mom is watching from above. Obviously a lot of people do find solace in religion and maybe I’m being disrespectful, but it all kind of seemed a bit… too easy at the end? I just didn’t expect the book to take this route, and I felt like it let the beginning down. I can totally understand believing your mom is watching out for you, but suddenly Harley saw all these signs, and I don’t know… If it had been a serious discussion of belief, I expect I would have felt different, but it was all hastily thrown in towards the end, and it just didn’t really work for me here.

Sadly, I also didn’t enjoy the romantic aspect of the book. If the book hadn’t mainly been about Harley’s struggle with grief, I would have stopped reading after chapter two. Dean was bland and perfect without at least offering anything that would have made it entertaining to read about him. In fact, reading about him from Harley’s perspective was taxing. I was happy that she had something good going on in her life, but I honestly couldn’t have taken more schmoop. To be fair, their relationship becomes slightly more interesting later on, but still. Meh. I would have been so much more involved if we had seen their relationship develop from the beginning and Dean had been more of an actual person.

Some parts of Harley’s journey were glanced over too quickly. I don’t want to spoil anything, but there are some pretty major life events that the author just skims over. It does make sense that everything else takes a backseat to Harley’s pain over losing her mother, but I’m not talking papercuts here – these were really intense experiences. They would have been interesting to read about, but we didn’t get to see any of them in detail. It would have been fine to not have these elements in the book, but as it is the story seems all over the place.

This just wasn���t a me book. It’s not horrible, but it’s not great either. It’s somewhere in the lukewarm middle: I didn’t hate it, and I was even touched by some aspects, but overall this is not going on my favorites shelf. If the description sounds interesting to you, you might want to check it out anyway though.

2.5 stars.

(This review was also published on my blog, Reviews and Cake

[Carrie G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“This is more than a road trip. It’s a quest, a pilgrimage.”

This book is a trip, quest, pilgrimage, and more! I LOVED this book! This is the book I’ve been waiting all summer for. I absolutely devoured “The Long Ride Home” – read it cover to cover (well, digital cover to cover, that is) is 3½ hours; it was that good!

In “The Long Ride Home,” Juliet (who prefers to go by her nickname Harley) sets off on a cross-country motorcycle trip to return the ashes of her recently-departed mother to their favorite beach in NYC. So that she doesn’t have to go alone, Harley brings along her only L.A. friend, Dean. But Dean is really more than a friend. He and Harley slept together once, and now she’s fighting the growing feelings she has for him – after the death of her mother, she can’t let anyone else get that close. But Harley may have to let Dean in because he would be the father of her “maybe baby.” But events on this run-of-the-mill road trip quickly take a decidedly disastrous turn (or turns), and Harley is left feeling even more lost and alone than when she left.

Why did I love this book so much? Well, for one, I love road trip books. I’ve never been brave enough to take a cross-country trip myself, so I enjoy the vicarious thrill of the ride through the characters of books. But the fact that this book was about a road trip is only what got me to crack the cover. As Harley says, this is about much more than a mere road trip. While Harley does stop off at two places of significance to her past, this book departs from the traditional road trip plot of a set of characters who make multiple, increasingly significant stops along their way to a destination. No, in this book, Harley mostly makes stops because it’s dark out, and she needs to rest. This trip is a soul journey – a quest to find the strength to keep living after a devastating loss and deal with the tough situations popping up in the present. This book is about so much more than a trip.

I adored the character of Harley. Ok, admittedly, I got a little tired of reading about her crying and being upset over the death of her mother. But then I slapped myself and said, Hey! This girl just lost her mother! Give her a break! Harley’s voice was honest, raw, and real. And snarky! God, I loved the snark! So typically teenage! I also appreciated how real the author made Harley’s actions and reactions. She does some really “bitchy” things (to quote Harley, herself). She lashes out, hurts the people around her, and makes some exceedingly poor decisions. Just like a teenager faced with this scenario would. I think young adult readers will really identify with Harley because of how authentically she is portrayed.

This book was an emotional roller coaster! I laughed, I cried, and I outright bawled like a baby for the whole last chapter. But, even though this book deals with some very real, very heavy topics, it still felt light and hopeful and optimistic. All of these reasons are why I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED “The Long Ride Home.”

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this book when a friend who's a friend of the author asked for my expert (ha!) opinion...which can be a little stressful because I'm not the type to pander to people. I read a lot and have high expectations and if I'm not immediately drawn in, it's tough to get me on board and THEN I feel a little like garbage giving a less-than-glowing review. That said, let's do this! lol

As soon as I saw the male lead's name I was almost out...it's been 17 years and a few quality (and some not-so-quality) relationships since my divorce but when the male lead shares my ex's name I still roll my eyes a little...which is terrible since my oldest son's name is the same but then that brings a whole different weird issue with the male lead of a contemporary romance (likely with graphic sex scenes!) having my SON'S name so I just end up ignoring the name wherever possible. Ugh. I'm such a weirdo.

Okay, moving right along. I had a hard time at the beginning of the book. Harley just wasn't immediately likeable to me and the writing style threw me off a little bit. I felt like Harley was just trying too hard to be a badass. Understandable really, given that she's just been through an unthinkable tragedy which becomes more and more unthinkable as she reveals more details. There were a couple of places that I could have used a better transition from scene to scene, just to paint a better picture for my vivid imagination.

At around 14 pages in I was just really hoping that it'd get better and start flowing a little better with the addition of Dean once they got on the road. And it did. Truthfully, I could've done with a lot more of the two of them together...I'm a dialogue whore and when it's written well, I'm all in.

I feel like there's not a lot I can say without spoiling major points of the story and I really don't want to do that...not even with a "hidden" spoiler 'cuz I don't want you to be tempted to spoil yourself...you're so impatient! (yes, I know I'm an idiot)

Bottom line? I gave this 3 stars 'cuz I'm a tough critic but as I've been writing I'm on the verge of switching it to 4 stars...so, 3.5? Okay!? Done.

There were a couple of little things that really won me over. As a Canadian, Waters' reference to Nickelback as an "epically talentless boy band" made me actually "lol" & now I just wanna hang out with her.

There's a conversation surrounding the word "tangential" that made me squee a little bit and I don't squee easily. (That's not a euphemism.) I love the word & have used it to describe my own story-telling style only to be accused of using it to "sound smart." Ummm, no sir. I don't "try" to sound smart and I think we're done here. (done with that guy & totally rambling, I mean...not the review...yet)

The last thing I'll say is that I hated and loved the ending. There's a reveal that negated my earlier irritation with the style...made it make sense. And, I may have teared up a little. Whatever.

Definitely worth the read.

[Dani St-Onge · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://literary-lion.tumblr.com/

Disclaimer: A free copy of this book was received through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Harley has just lost her mother in a house fire and had been forced to uproot her whole life and move to L.A. When she and her only friend, Dean, go on a road trip to scatter her mother’s ashes in New York Harley has to make some tough decisions. She’s keeping a huge secret, and one way or another she’ll have to tell Dean eventually.

This book is both funny and beautiful. The relationship painted between Harley and her mother through memories is cute, loving and silly. Harley’s mother is the mom everyone wishes they had. Harley has positive relationships with several women throughout the book, from doctors to random old ladies and that’s just as wonderful. It’s great to see a book that focuses mostly on the connections women can make with each other. Unfortunately her connections with men weren’t as well written.

The relationship between Harley and Dean doesn’t feel quite believable. They even point out at one point that they barely know each other at all but they’re drop dead in love? Dean puts up with all Harley’s shit, because she’s in pain and suffering, but that’s something you do for a loved one not a girl you’ve known for a few months and who hasn’t been speaking to you. It feels idealistic and unreal. This isn’t to mention the way her dad is glossed over in about four pages, at which point why include him at all.

I also feel like although the trauma of losing a parent is addressed beautifully, the other catastrophes that Harley suffers during her road trip are cast aside. These things should leave lasting scars on Harley’s psyche but she recovers instantly from them because she has bigger problems. Unfortunately, your mom’s death doesn’t negate the way a sexual assault should affect you at least a smidgeon.

All that out of the way, Waters has a fantastic voice for writing teens and the narrative style of the book is creative and allows for a great little twist at the end. Harley is swimming in grief, and it’s written in a very realistic way. It’s rare that a picture of grieving is so well painted.

This is not an excellent romance novel, but it is an excellent novel about a woman going through a difficult time and struggling to find support, and it manages to be funny too.

[amber [ cozynaturereads] ☁️&#x1f31e;&#x1f497; · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t know what I was expecting going into this book but it’s not really what I was expecting. If that makes sense.

You meet Julia or Harley as she prefers to be called and her mom just passed away. She is moved in with her mom’s best friend mother named Mercy. At a whim Harley decides to take her mom ashes back to her hometown by motorcycle and taking her boyfriend? Dean. I don’t know what they were their dynamics was awkward to me.

As the trip goes on Harley realizes that she never got her period and suspects she must be pregnant. The majority of the story is Dean and Harley bouncing from place to place, Harley overrreacting to EVERYTHING Dean does, and Dean just going along with it cause he loves her.

Dean was really annoying to me. I can’t explain it but I didn’t like his character. Towards the end he sort of became likeable. Throughout the trip., Harley learns things about her mom like she didn’t really want her and she meets her birth father.

Lately the pregnancy books I have read the baby is given up or aborted at the end. I understand the characters are young but maybe it’s just me and my own experience who wouldn’t be able to give to their child after carrying it for 9 months.

This was a pretty fast read. It went too fast and I feel like something was missing from it but I can’t put my finger on what it was. I just didn’t connect with the characters (besides the pregnant young) but other than that Harley was annoying. She kept saying weird stuff about Dean talking about how delicious he looked and she wanted to lick him like a popsicle. Just weird stuff.

*THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY FOR GIVING ME A COPY OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW*

[Marlow York · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel was a surprisingly good mix of tragedy and comedy. Although I was expecting a bit more road-tripping here, the protagonist, Harley, takes the reader on an emotional road trip more so than a physical one (though motorcycle travel is involved). This is a character-driven story about how a teenage girl must deal with two massively life-changing events at the same time, neither of which would be easy for anyone to handle. Harley is sarcastically funny and at times difficult to side with, but considering the amount of emotional trauma she’s endured, you can easily empathize with some of the things she says and actions she takes.

Though I don’t always think Harley is fair to her friend-with-benefits Dean, I also don’t think he is a realistic character. Yes, he’s the “nice guy” and I love a nice guy, but I found it unrealistic for him to fall in love with Harley so quickly considering the fact that sometimes she’s a huge bitch to him. Yes, I easily forgave her most of the time because she’s got the whole emotional trauma thing going on, but I don’t see a guy just being her punching bag so readily, especially one who doesn’t fully understand why she’s being so mean. I also found the ending a little too good to be true, but the resolution was a fairly satisfying one.

Despite the few things I didn’t quite enjoy about this book, I still breezed through it in about a week, which is saying a lot considering my crazy busy schedule. I laughed, I teared up, and I thoroughly enjoyed riding along with Harley during her emotional adventure.

[Lafourche Parish Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever felt so stressed out with life that you think an escape on the open road alone will help you find all the answers to your problems? That is exactly how Harley felt in The Long Ride Home by Tawni Waters. Harley’s mother recently passed away, and she is absolutely torn with tremendous grief. She even blames herself for her mother’s death. When the weight of all life’s burdens become too much for Harley, she decides to hop on the back of her motorcycle to embark on a soul-searching journey from California to New York. Her main mission is to return her mother’s ashes back to her home state of New York. Along the way, Harley will discover things about her past and present that will make huge impacts on her future.

I seldom read young adult fiction, but this book captured my attention immediately. I was hooked before I finished the first chapter. This is definitely a must-read!!! To find out more about Harley, her adventures, and her secrets, you’ll need to read The Long Ride Home by Tawni Waters.

ARE YOU AND THIS BOOK A GOOD MATCH?
DISCOVER MORE WITH NOVELIST APPEALS!

GENRE: First Person Narratives; Realistic Fiction; Road Novels
CHARACTER: Sarcastic
STORYLINE: Character-Driven
PACE: Fast-Paced
TONE: Emotionally Intense
SUBJECT: Cross-Country Automobile Trips; Grief; Grief in Teenage Girls; Loss; Mothers; Motorcycles; Pregnant Teenagers; Teenage Boy/Girl Relations; Teenage Girls

- Crystal, Area Librarian

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a soft spot for road trip stories. And this one has a super angsty premise that drew me in from the get-go.

Harley (not her real name) has a lot going on in her life. Her mother died a tragic death, she moved across the country, there aren't many people in the world she's close to, she has a friend-with-benefits she doesn't know how she feels about, and she has to figure out what to do with her mother's ashes. Oh, and she's pregnant (spoiler alert, but only if you didn't read the blurb).

That's a lot going on! Harley and Dean set out on a cross-country road trip to take her mother's ashes back to their favorite spot. In typical road-trip-story fashion, there's love, fighting, and revelations coming out the wazoo. There's a lot of grief here while also trying to navigate very real and adult situations. 

Harley (I won't spoil her real name for you) is a tough cookie. Her voice could be off-putting to some readers, but I enjoyed her. She's a smart character, capable of looking back on her actions and realizing how and when she screwed up, but also unable to keep herself from doing the screwed-up thing time and again. With that said, many threads also wrap up a little too nicely.

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Get the full review at What She's Read

[Rachel Saylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tawni Waters effortlessly creates a true depiction of what it feels like to go through grief and trauma in The Long Ride Home. If you’ve ever wanted to better understand others facing these issues, or want to feel like your heart is understood as someone who has lived through these heartaches yourself, this is the book to read. No matter what your age, you will be able to connect to and feel for the 18-year-old protagonist, Harley.

Harley is facing grief over the loss of her mother. She sets out on a cross-country trip from L.A. to NYC with her mother’s ashes in her saddlebag on the back of her Harley Davidson. She also brings her best friend and complicated lover, Dean, on the back of her motorcycle. Secrets unravel as the trip unfolds. Harley is faced with making tough-as-shit decisions, sometimes going back on what she’s decided.

Keep a box of tissues close while you read Waters’ heart poured out. Let your mind be opened up to hot topics such as religion, sex, single parenthood, abortion, among other things, explored through a teenager entering adulthood. You are guaranteed to learn about yourself and where you stand on debatable issues as you read The Long Ride Home. Waters' book is bound to expand your perspective as it whispers new insight into hard issues through a personal, powerful narrative.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

The Long Ride Home by Tawni Waters is a poignant yet surprisingly sometimes humorous young adult novel about a teenager's road trip to scatter her beloved mother's ashes.

Six months after the death of her mom, Harley is still deeply grieving her loss. In the aftermath of her mother's death, she moves from New York to California to live with her mom's best friend, Mercy. Angry, hurting and suffering from anxiety attacks, Harley's only friend (with benefits) is Dean and when she asks him to join her on her cross country trek to spread her mom's ashes, he agrees without hesitation. However, Harley is keeping a big secret from Dean and she is quick to lash out in anger when she feels overwhelmed by the events that have occurred in recent months.

Harley is incredibly prickly and antagonistic but it is impossible not feel empathy for everything she has recently experienced. She uses sarcasm and snark as a defense mechanism when things become too emotional for her. She also shuts down instead of discussing important issues and she is also quick to run away from her problems instead of facing them head on. Her road trip to take her mom's  ashes back to New York quickly turns into an emotional journey in which Harley learns some unpleasant truths about her mother's past. However these negative discoveries are offset by the realization that Harley is not as alone as she believes and that there are people in her life whom she can count on. Harley makes several impetuous decisions that are somewhat self-destructive but some of her choices are also unexpectedly healing.

The Long Ride Home is an emotionally compelling, gritty young adult novel.  Tawni Waters deftly handles difficult subject matter with sensitivity and she brilliantly balances the more sorrowful moments with humor. With a realistic storyline, a feisty lead protagonist and an endearingly charming hero, this thought-provoking novel is well-written with an unexpected ending.  An excellent story that I highly recommended to adult and older teen readers.

[Tiffany Westlund · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well.....I was got again.....I received The Long RIde Home by Tawni Waters as a goodreads giveaway. I only enter giveaways for books that look like they hold promise...and I make a point of not entering of any that are Christian based. But once in awhile one slips under my rader. This is such a book.

It started off well..reads like a young adult novel about a girl going from teenager to young woman...while simultaneously dealing with death of a family member, being an orphan, loneliness, quilt, falling in love for the first time, teen pregnancy, choices, betrayal, fear of intimacy..just to name a few. I started feeling the Christian overtones by the second chapter...and they just kept getting stronger....and the stronger they got, the weaker the story got. Any sense of depth of character to insight disappeared. Oh yea,,,,and the weaker the writing got. Ended up being an empty, preach-y, judgemental tale void of substance or real feelings. Formulaic writing of the laziest kind.

I finished it...angry at myself for wasting my time reading it and sad for the author, Tawni Waters. At the beginning of the book, it seemed like she was going to deal with some real issues...but it was all just a bunch of BS. Pathetic. Whitebread. Empty.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Long Ride Home. I voluntarily chose to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

After the devastating loss of her mother, Harley is understandably grief stricken. Living with her mother's best friend on the West Coast, does not give Harley enough separation from the life she had. Will a cross country journey provide the answers Harley seeks and help her heal?

Harley is a young woman struggling with both grief and guilt. Her life has changed immeasurably and Harley is having trouble dealing with everything. Her relationships with Dean and Mercy provide the stability that Harley needs, even as she falters. Although I did not like some of the plot, nor did I think that it was always realistic, I did like the way that the characters were written. In older times, Harley would be described as a character who is plucky, as she shows courage in the face of adversity. There is a bit of humor and charm in the writing, taking a difficult subject matter and giving it a bit of levity. Overall, I liked The Long Ride Home, but I do wish that it had been a little less transparent. A quick read with good characters, I would recommend this novel to other readers.

[Danielle (Life of a Literary Nerd) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited for this because I love a good roadtrip story, unfortunately, I just didn't connect to the characters in this one.

I wasn't a biggest fan of the narration style. It was written like a letter, which I didn't mind at all, but it felt a little like successive info dumps in the beginning. The information wasn't as naturally integrated as I would have liked. I also don't feel like I got enough background on Harley and Dean to care about their relationship, or their friendship. I didn't find Harley to be a likeable character, I sympathized with her for her loss and guilt, but I never actually liked her. Some other emotional scenes didn't really have an impact on me, because we didn't get to spend enough time in the scene - there wasn't enough buildup to have a satisfying payoff.

I did appreciate the strong emotional ending, and it felt like a great place for our characters to end up. This was a nice read, but I was never invested.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harley lost her mother a few months ago, and she hasn’t even begun to recover. But it’s summer now, and summer is a time of change. So, Harley sets off on a road trip to come to terms with her loss, find out more about her mother’s past, and scatter her mother’s ashes. Her best friend, Dean, goes along for the ride, but Harley doesn’t know what to do about their relationship—which caused her to shut Dean out when they became more than friends.

Soon enough, Harley realizes she’s pregnant with Dean’s child. Hiding her secret as she learns more about her mother’s life, she realizes her mother faced the same choices she now does. If she is ever to know what the right decision for her is, she’ll have to find out the truth about her mother’s past.

From the first page, Harley’s voice drew me into this story. She’s hurting so badly from her loss, and she’s shut everyone out as a result, but she wants to change. Her internal journey is as compelling as it is painful, and the reader is dragged along for the ride, over the bumps and through the bruises, until Harley finds clarity.

(Galley provided by Sourcebooks via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

More reviews at Tomorrow is Another Day

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the premise of something sounding like a mix of an eighties movie written by John Green, 'The Long Way Home' tackles so many issues that are all too real to today's youth. Harley makes her mark as a troubled heroine, burdened with her mother's death, her interactions with her best friend, Dean, and her legal guardian. But by driving cross-country, in an attempt to rectify her past by spreading her mother's ashes, you realize there's more to her story than just the scattering.

'The Long Way Home' is definitely a tear-jerker for a sensitive reader as I, considering I broke down during my math class while I finished the book. But to find a book that has managed to make me genuinely cry with genuine voice within the story.

I recommend this story for those who like a fictional story, but feels like a non-fiction. It's voice is so clear and real, that sometimes you can swear you'd hear the music within the story.

[Kierstin Carnahan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was quick in a good and bad way. I love books I can read in one sitting but this one sacrificed some of the major plot lines in order for it to be quick. Harley's mom dying is a huge plotline yet it's hit or miss on the details surrounding her death. The book seems to start in the middle of the story and doesn't necessarily fill in all of what happened before that. I liked Dean and Harley's relationship even though it was messed up it was perfect but that plotline too seemed to be missing a lot of background. I'm glad it had an epilogue and I feel satisfied with the ending. This book offered a real glance at the choices surrounding unplanned pregnancy which I wasn't really expecting. Overall, it was a nice book but needed more details in many areas to make it a fully rounded plot.

I received this arc from netgalley in return for an honest review.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever read a book that can be so raw in emotions that you feel as though it changes you? That even though you can’t decide wether it’s a good book or a bad one you know it will stick with you?
I honestly don’t know how I feel about this book. In truth I doubt I will ever read it again. But, it left me with a feeling of being human. How happy endings are not always what they seem. If you want so sappy love story... look somewhere else. If you want a raw story that is told by a writer that I feel grasps the human feeling of grief and doubt. Read this book.
I put five stars because if your reading this review your probably looking for reasons to read it. I’m not giving you a reason to read it and I’m not promising you’ll love it. You might actually hate me after you read it. But, I honestly don’t care. Just read it!

[Cellowren · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried reading this, and it unfortunately didn't work for me. I got sick of Harley by the first few pages. After reading 25 pages, I got sick of Harley to the point that I skimmed the rest of the book. From what I caught, which was a lot of the book, I didn't like anything I read. I didn't appreciate her snarky attitude, her being drunk, or hooking up with one or two guys she didn't really care about, especially unprotected. I know it probably isn't true, but it kind of felt like the book was a lot about Harley making really enormous, careless mistakes. I know Harley's life was hard, and I know she doesn't deserve to have such a hard time, but I didn't feel like rooting for her kind of unlikable attitude and her EXTREMELY stupid choices.

[Angel - Angel Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like The Long Ride Home, I did. But, I was unable to connect with the story like I wanted it. I really enjoy teen pregnancy. They are normally really hard to get through, but I do enjoy seeing what people do in these sorts of situations.

With The Long Ride Home, it wasn't really the pregnancy that didn't sit right, but everything else. I wasn't a massive fan of the protagonist. I felt very disconnected with her. I felt that she was naive at times and

The writing style also really wasn't for me. I finished with The Long Ride Home because I wanted to see where the story went, however, I was disappointed.

Overall, The Long Ride Home is a heartbreaking tale of survival, teen pregnancy, and grief. It's a harrowing story that explores what you do when you don't believe you are fit to be parents. The Long Ride is a hard read and not for everyone.

[Karah Bentley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book because it was a short read and i just read a 700 pages book so I need to read something small. When I picked up this book I thought it would be like Amy & Rogers epic detour but it wasn't. I probably won't recommend this to anyone
SPOILER*****


I didn't like how Harley had sooooo many panic attacks at the beginning of the book. She blow up on Dean like 10 thousand times for no reason. I get that her mom died and that can be really hard for a kid but like really come on. I did kinda start to enjoy it close the end. I just didn't like how she was yelling at everyone for no reason.

[Creatyvebooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

While The Long Ride Home tackles some major issues, such as abortion, this book was an okay read. I just couldn't get into like I wanted too. I really felt no connection to any of the characters. I didn't care what happened to them one way or the other.

Secondly, while reading this something was bothering me but I can't quite put my finger on it. I'll skim through to see what it was and update this review.

Again while the author tackles some tough issues this book lacked emotion. At least in my opinion.

Thank you Netgalley.

[Shirin · Rating 5 out of 5]

So touching and beautiful

There aren’t many books I rate as 5 Star. It’s not that I am super picky; it’s just a good story needs to inspire and bring on the feels. This book does it all. The struggles are real and there are real emotions that go with them. This is a must read when your are going through or have been through an emotional journey.

Find yourself
Learn to deal with pain
Lose yourself
Struggle with life’s challenges
Feel the pain
Let yourself heal
Find yourself again.

This book brings it all