Review: Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

Title: Wanderlove
Author: Kirsten Hubbard
Publication date: March 13th 2012
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Age group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover rating: 4/5
Content rating: 4.5/5
Buy: Amazon

Description: 

It all begins with a stupid question: 

Are you a Global Vagabond? 

No, but 18-year-old Bria Sandoval wants to be. In a quest for independence, her neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she signs up for a guided tour of Central America—the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists with fanny packs are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. When Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his outspokenly humanitarian sister Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path. 

My thoughts: 

Wanderlove is the first book by Kirsten Hubbard that I have read and it certainly did not disappointment! Even the cover of this book is hard to resist and the novel itself has the same breezy feel to it. Wanderlove is a gorgeous novel that had me captivated from the very first page and I couldn't handle the thought of setting it down! The premise of the book is fun, different and very inviting!

I loved all the characters in this book and found them fascinating to read about. I could completely identify with Bria and how she was feeling about the world. She decides she needs something new in her life so she signs up for a trip to Central America. Sadly, it doesn't end up being at all what she had thought it would be and ends up on a tour with people she has nothing in common with! Bria bumps into some 'real' backpackers and decides to take the plunge and head off with them, because she's ready for some adventure in her life.

I absolutely adored reading this book. Rowan was a really interesting guy to get to know bit by bit and Starling was just plain awesome! I loved that all the characters actually grow and change as the book goes on. The characters are certainly developed well and very believable. This whole book had a very light feeling to it yet at the same time, it dealt with some darker issues, too. And not to forget the descriptions! I felt like I was right there in places I've never even seen pictures of. It was awesome.

Overall, a really great story that I'm sure lots of people will adore and one I'm sure I will re-read.