High Sierra

by Adrienne Quintana

When Jasmine Fuentes finds herself thousands of miles from home, forced to hike around in the wilderness of California with a bunch of juvenile delinquents, she’s convinced she doesn’t belong.

Forage for food, build shelter, make fire—Jasmine sets out to learn what she needs to do to ace the program so she can go home and salvage her summer vacation. But the more she tries to prove she doesn’t need wilderness therapy, the more desperate her situation becomes. Confronted with life and death, she comes face to face with her past and her imperfections. Will Jasmine ask for help before it’s too late?

314 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 28, 2019

About the author

Adrienne Quintana is the author of Eruption as well as several children’s books. When she isn't writing, Adrienne enjoys running, hiking, and matchmaking (Are you single? She probably knows someone perfect for you.) She lives in Arizona with her husband and four children, who give her love, support, and plenty of good material for Instagram.

Reviews

[Marnae · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was such a joy to help get this book out into the world. I spent a lot of time laughing out loud while editing this. Not only is the dialogue clever and often hilarious, but High Sierra is super inspiring without being preachy. 10/10 would recommend.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish more YA fiction was like High Sierra. It was so enjoyable and refreshing to read through the eyes of a teenage girl that didn't drive me crazy with her whining. Jasmine Fuentes is still definitely a teenager with the sarcasm and struggles that come with that stage of life, but she has wit and intelligence that help her to continue to function despite the unfairness life left in her path.

There are other teenage characters in the book who turn to more destructive coping strategies, but I love the hopeful message that those choices (whether severely dysfunctional or only slightly less than functional) don't define them (or us); change is possible, and these teens even at their lowest lows have a desire to change. They just need to see the way to get started, and patient and sincere guides to help them along the way. High Sierra portrays realistically that that kind of change requires hard work and time, but it can happen and is worth the effort when it does.

Wilderness is a great positive influence in my life. I have learned through experiences in nature about strength, confidence, hard work, peace, awe and wonder, and Divinity. So reading about teens starting their path to change through wilderness therapy was relatable and realistic. I appreciated that learning about our place in God's plan helped Jasmine, as my relationship with God is the most defining aspect of my life. But I also appreciated that High Sierra is not preachy. No one religion or agenda is pushed.

And I have to be clear that while High Sierra surpasses other YA fiction in strength of characters and depth of theme, it also does not disappoint in humor, excitement, and of course romance that I think we all have to admit we are looking for when we pick up a book from this genre. I look forward to giving this one to my daughters to read. I know that like me they will be entertained and enthralled, but also made better for having read it.

[Danice Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found "High Sierra" intriguing. Jasmine’s mother sends her to camp in Yosemite National Park during her summer break. The group hike and learn wilderness skills. At first, Jasmine feels that she doesn’t belong there with a group of troubled teens. After all, she is a straight A student, but gradually her own struggles rise to the surface. I liked that it showed what Jasmine thought and felt as she worked through wilderness challenges, and ultimately had to face her own insecurities. The author did a great job of showing what it’s like to be a teenager. Jasmine’s feelings, thoughts and inner turmoil made me stop and ponder my own challenges. It reminded me what my teen years were like. I highly recommend this book to young men and women who are looking for new perspectives on seemingly impossible problems. Although any age group can benefit too.

[Ham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this for free in exchange for a review. Since I don’t love contemporary YA, I thought I was doing the author a favor.
Ha!
I hadn’t even finished the ebook before I ordered a paper copy for my kids to read.
It’s wise, well-written, and super funny.
Not too romancy or churchy. Just inspirational and fun. Such a great story.

[Christie Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

I really enjoyed this story. I love how the religion and character development worked hand in hand. I loved survival stories as a kid, and I enjoyed how that aspect entertwined with the others.