Release Date - April 21, 2015
Publisher Website - Harper Collins
Publisher Social Media - Twitter/Facebook/SavvyReader/Frenzy
Pages - 272 pages
My Rating - 4/5
**received for an honest review from publisher**
Here is the Goodreads synopsis
An evocative and compelling story of two sisters who would do anything for each other--perfect for fans of Thirteen Reasons Why and Speak. Joy Preble's stirring new novel explores the lengths to which sisters go to protect each other, and the winding road that brings two strangers into each other's lives.The bond between sisters can be powerful thing. There are sisters who will do anything for each other. Paris and Leo are exactly those kinds of sisters. When Paris ditches Leo outside of the Heartbreak Hotel Diner to send her on a wild road trip, it ends up being much more than it appears at first glance.
Sisters Leo and Paris Hollings have only ever had each other to rely on. They can't trust their mother, who hops from city to city and from guy to guy, or their gambler stepfather, who's moved them all to Las Vegas. It's just the two of them: Paris, who's always been the dreamer, and Leo, who has a real future in mind--going to Stanford, becoming a doctor, falling in love. But Leo isn't going anywhere right now, except driving around Vegas all night with her sister.
Until Paris ditches Leo at the Heartbreak Hotel Diner, where moments before they had been talking with physics student Max Sullivan. Outside, Leo finds a cryptic note from Paris--a clue. Is it some kind of game? Where is Paris, and why has she disappeared? When Leo reluctantly accepts Max's offer of help, the two find themselves following a string of clues through Vegas and beyond. But the search for the truth is not a straight line. And neither is the path to secrets Leo and Max hold inside.
Joy Preble's strength is the little character quirks that make them come alive on the pages. Paris' personality in particular stands out. From the signature Hello Kitty band-aids, to the science jokes, and everything in between, each of the characters has a little something special about them.
Fans of road trip novels will get lost within these pages. This road trip may be a shorter one, with the distance covering Las Vegas and parts of California, but it has all the vital element for a good road trip story. With fun mentions of songs listened to, the mandatory road trip junk food, and a feeling of excitement with the clues and mystery keeping you on edge, this is a road trip that will have you aching to hop in your car and drive.
The fun side of the road trip is quickly overtaken by the secrets and mystery of the novel. Once the secret is revealed and the why fully fleshed out, I was left with one last why. The why of the road trip. Why did Paris use this particular means to get Leo to the truth? Why not use another method instead? It's one puzzle piece that I wish had been included. Was it simply Paris' flair for the dramatic? Desperation? I can hazard a guess, and it seems the likeliest possibly is her desperation, but it's never fully addressed to my satisfaction. It's a minor thing, and one that did not detract from my overall enjoyment of the plot.
The romance is the classic movie style romance kind. I could see this easily playing out as a plot of a movie the entire time I was reading. The cute guy and pretty girl get brought together into a thrilling quest to find answers and go on a road trip while their attraction for each other grows. The deeper, and more gritty reality of what is going on prevents it from being overly sweet and allows the romance to be the light part of the story. There no insta-love happening here, despite the insta-attraction. The possibility of maybe floats through their interactions, and that's all either character can really commit to, especially once the truth is revealed.
The mystery is gripping. This is the definition of a one sitting novel, because of it's short page count, and gripping storyline. You'll be consumed with a need to find out Paris' secret. While it's not impossible to figure out, I didn't quite put all the puzzle pieces together. This story is one where the journey to the destination is the entire point, so enjoy the ride.
Finding Paris is a blend of sisterhood, secrets, a road trip to remember, and romance. The path to the truth may not be a straight line as the synopsis says, but the twists and turns make the journey all the more meaningful.
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