Book Synopsis:
Nineteen-year-old Christy Miller has been on her own for nearly a year, studying at an international university in Basel, Switzerland. Despite her great experiences so far, she can't help but look forward to a visit from her two closest friends, Todd and Katie. The two of them are on their way to Basel to pick up Christy and head off on a three-week whirlwind tour of Europe.
But their trip soon gets off to a rocky start, and Christy wonders if the once-close connection between her and Todd is still there--especially since Christy can't get a minute alone with Todd to discuss their relationship. As the three friends explore from the fjords of Norway to the canals of Venice, Christy makes an unsettling discovery about the value of keeping her promises. Her jealousy of the time Todd spends with Katie has Christy constantly second-guessing herself, and she is overwhelmed with the realization that she will soon have to say good-bye to him all over again, not sure of where they stand. Will her most precious hopes have to wait until tomorrow?
My Review:
5/5 stars. I loved this! After taking a break from ready about Christy Miller while I read the Sierra Jensen series, I was excited to go back to reading about Christy and her friends again, especially now that they're older. This book was so cute and had a lot of great messages. I'm going to start reading the second book in the college years series right away because of how this one ended.
Early on in my reading, I wouldn't have rated it five stars. Todd's behavior was really irritating at the beginning, which is what would've brought the review down. He was being so casual about his and Christy's relationship and not even acknowledging it in front of people. I felt for Christy's frustration in those moments. There's an explanation given in the book about why he was acting the way he was, but it was still annoying.
Luckily, Todd became less annoying. Besides the parts I just mentioned, Christy and Todd were so cute in this book. They were always holding hands or leaning against each other, and they had some adorable kisses. There's a moment at the very end that's especially adorable. Their relationship in this book (minus Todd being annoying in the beginning) gave me all the warm and fuzzy romance feelings.
The pacing felt just right in this book. This book is longer than the previous RJG books, but I got through it in only ten days because it was never boring. The characters were traveling around Europe so fast that it never felt too slow, but the events also weren't happening so quickly that the book felt like a big blur. There was a good balance of pacing. Some parts were slower, emphasizing the important moments, and some less important scenes went by quickly so as not to bore the reader.
I always enjoy books about travel, and this book was nothing but travel. Christy, Todd, and Katie went to so many places and saw so many things. (Side note, I need someone to mark the path they took on a map and all the stops they made in order, because their route felt very inefficient.)
The main thing I loved about this book was just reading about Christy and her friends being older. It still felt like a young adult book, but the characters didn't have many irritating teenager tropes. The problems they go through are more serious and real, and that was enjoyable to read about.
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