Review: Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard

Title: Like Mandarin
Author: Kirsten Hubbard
Published: March 8th 2011
Source: Won in a giveaway
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Buy: Amazon ~*~ Barnes & Noble
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Caution: May contain spoilers

It's hard finding beauty in the badlands of Washokey, Wyoming, but 14-year-old Grace Carpenter knows it's not her mother's pageant obsessions, or the cowboy dances adored by her small-town classmates. True beauty is wild-girl Mandarin Ramey: 17, shameless and utterly carefree. Grace would give anything to be like Mandarin.

When they're united for a project, they form an unlikely, explosive friendship, packed with nights spent skinny-dipping in the canal, liberating the town's animal-head trophies, and searching for someplace magic. Grace plays along when Mandarin suggests they run away together. Blame it on the crazy-making wildwinds plaguing their Badlands town.

Because all too soon, Grace discovers Mandarin's unique beauty hides a girl who's troubled, broken, and even dangerous. And no matter how hard Grace fights to keep the magic, no friendship can withstand betrayal.

My Thoughts:

When you read a synopsis like that, you know you're going to be taken on a journey. Those stories, to me, are amazing. A journey into a new perspective, a new take on life. That's what this one gives.

Grace is already to a point of frustration when Mandarin becomes part of her life. Grace is afraid of stepping out there, but Mandarin's carefree (and sometimes careless) spirit causes her to take a step. Grace is swept into a different world with Mandarin, one that takes her away from the world she once knew. While Mandarin has a new view on life, and a desire for something better outside Washokey, she's got this other side to her, one that is a little bit off-kilter. There's something dark about her, but at the same time you want to scoop her up because you know she's dark because of something. Grace tries to ignore it since she wants so much to be like Mandarin, but sometimes ignoring signs can have consequences.

Like Mandarin was very much in the style of Kirsten Hubbard--hard not to love. I could feel Grace's struggles of pleasing people and desiring to really live and go outside your box. It's a deep story with twists and it's just perfect in its imperfection.

My Rating:

Guest Author Video: Kirsten Hubbard reads from Wanderlove in Central America for you

Kirsten Hubbard's novel Wanderlove hits the shelves today! I had the privilege of reading it while it was available on NetGalley. I adored this book, as you can tell by my review (to sum it up: "I want my life to reflect the outlook of this story’s true meaning"). Here's the synopsis (taken from Goodreads):

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.

Bria's a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan's a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel across a panorama of Mayan villages, remote Belizean islands, and hostels plagued with jungle beasties, they discover what they've got in common: both seek to leave behind the old versions of themselves. And the secret to escaping the past, Rowan’s found, is to keep moving forward.

But Bria comes to realize she can't run forever, no matter what Rowan says. If she ever wants the courage to fall for someone worthwhile, she has to start looking back.

Kirsten Hubbard lends her artistry into this ultimate backpacker novel, weaving her drawings into the text. Her career as a travel writer and her experiences as a real-life vagabond backpacking Central America are deeply seeded in this inspiring story.

~ Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ The Book Depository ~

~*~

I sent her a message asking how I could help promote the wonderfulness of this novel. First off, one of the ways she's promoting Wanderlove is through a website dedicated to sharing the places we love. It's called, you guessed it, Wanderlove. The theme of the site, as it states under the title:

"...the places you get. the places that stick in your heart."

Kirsten explains it best: "In my time backpacking Central America, I've found that there are some places that hit you hard; places that grab hold of your heart and never let go. Sometimes they're an entire destination, and other times they're a specific spot, a corner of the beach or forest or a neighborhood nook you fall in love with. This site will be for celebrating these places – and for experiencing everyone else's."

Everyone has a place, one that they love, one close to their heart. And now you can share it with others, and discover all sorts of amazing places. Believe me, there are some stunning pictures on this site. It makes me itch to visit them! I haven't had the opportunity to travel much, but I have a place that is special to me. And for you, my lovely readers, here is a picture of mine:

Grand Rapids, Ohio, USA

It's near where my family used to live not long ago. It's so beautiful there, and in my mind there are so many memories (taking place over the course of many years) attached to that place that it makes it more beautiful. Now that spring is upon us here, I may be able to drive over there and take another walk by the canal real soon. You can see my picture on the site through this link. Want to submit one of your own? All you need to do is go to http://wanderlove.com/, click the submit button at the top of the page, and fill out the form. If you do, or already have submitted a picture, please share the link in the comments below. I would love to take a look!

~*~

Secondly, she has kindly offered me the opportunity to share something very special with you. It is a video of her reading from Wanderlove in Central America. Here is a description from Kirsten about the place and how it relates to the story:

I visited Lake Atitlan and the Chichicastenango Mayan marketplace on both my first and second backpacking trips to Central America. I loved them so much, I had to go back. Although certain villages around Lake Atitlan -- like Panajachel -- can be pretty busy, mostly the two places are total opposites. Chichicastenango is pure energy, a chaos of stalls, wares, Mayans and travelers, colors, sounds and scents. The lakeshore is total tranquility. Combined, the two destinations serve as the catapult for Bria's REAL journey... with the help of a certain backpacker boy.

Enjoy!

~*~

Isn't it gorgeous? Thank you so much for letting me share this, Kirsten! <3 This is just a sampling of Bria's journey. You know you want to read more.

~*~

Where can you get your hands on Wanderlove?

~Amazon~

~Barnes & Noble~

~The Book Depository~

Don't forget to add it to your shelf on Goodreads too!

~*~

About the author, Kirsten Hubbard

A travel writer and young adult author, Kirsten Hubbard has hiked ancient ruins in Cambodia, dived with wild dolphins in Belize (one totally looked her in the eye), slept in a Slovenian jail cell, and navigated the Wyoming badlands (without a compass) in search of transcendent backdrops for her novels. She lives in San Diego, California.

Her YA debut, LIKE MANDARIN, was published by Delacorte/Random House on March 8th, 2011. Her second book, WANDERLOVE, will be published on March 13th, 2012.

~*~

Where can you find Kirsten Hubbard?

Kirsten's blog

Kirsten's website

Kirsten on Twitter

Kirsten on Goodreads

Kirsten on YouTube

Contributor on YA Highway

~*~

Now that it is March 13th, I can't wait until my copy arrives in the mail. My shelf is demanding it. And I think yours probably is too. So go check it out!

~Jessica

Review: Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

Title:Wanderlove
Author: Kirsten Hubbard
Source: NetGalley
Buy (pre-order): Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble
Caution: May contain spoilers

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.


Bria's a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan's a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel across a panorama of Mayan villages, remote Belizean islands, and hostels plagued with jungle beasties, they discover what they've got in common: both seek to leave behind the old versions of themselves. And the secret to escaping the past, Rowan’s found, is to keep moving forward.


But Bria comes to realize she can't run forever, no matter what Rowan says. If she ever wants the courage to fall for someone worthwhile, she has to start looking back.


Kirsten Hubbard lends her artistry into this ultimate backpacker novel, weaving her drawings into the text. Her career as a travel writer and her experiences as a real-life vagabond backpacking Central America are deeply seeded in this inspiring story.

~synopsis from Goodreads

My Thoughts:

When I read the synopsis I was thinking, “Oh, this will be a cute story,” not really giving much thought to there being a deeper meaning or feeling obtained from reading it. After the first few chapters I was thinking,  “This is okay, I’m sure I’ll like it,” not expecting it to be super special or anything substantial. It wasn’t until a few more chapters in that thought, “I love this!” and realized the following: I want my life to reflect the outlook of this story’s true meaning.

Bria Sandoval, straight out of high school and straight out of a relationship turned sour, goes on vacation in Central America. She was supposed to go on a trip with her boyfriend, Toby, then when that ended, her two friends Olivia and Reese. But they backed out too. So she goes with a travel group. A few days into this completely planned trip, she opts to choose the road less traveled with newfound friends Starling and Rowan. The whole travel aspect in general, whether it’s with some lame group that does all the safe touristy things or of the true backpacker style, it sounds so nice. It makes me want to just quit my job and pack a suitcase and start driving with no destination. It has this whole scary yet exhilarating feeling that lifts you up and loosens your personal inhibitions about what normal is supposed to be.

Bria draws. Or at least she used to. Until the breakup. Toby was an artist who helped her along to grow in her drawing skills. After they were over, she stopped. When the trip starts, she has that aching, itching feeling to want to draw again. I get that. I’m always getting that feeling when it comes to artistic anything.

Starling has to go suddenly for work, which leaves Rowan and Bria by themselves. Bria is in her own world, slowly facing the cold hard facts of what the relationship with her ex has done to her. You know how they say “hindsight is 20/20”? I have a new term. It’s called Breakup Vision. When you can see how dumb you were and how dumb your ex was. It's while off the beaten path, experiencing life, enjoying herself everything comes full circle and Bria has to figure out what she wants for her future. Not what everyone wants of her.

I think you can tell that I really loved this book. Kirsten Hubbard is a traveler herself, and you can tell. She knows so much about these places, and she knows how to express it in a way that you feel like you’re there. And if you’ve never been there, you want to GO there. There were drawings included on the pages, all of which were awesomeness, and drawn by Hubbard herself. There were also lists and notes here and there between the narration and dialogue, which were a nice touch. Rowan is irritatingly likeable. That sounds bad, but it’s not. The journey, literal and figurative, is eye-opening for not only Bria, but the reader. It really gets you to think about yourself and what you want out of life. Favorite phrase used in the book: "Perpetual anticipation." Wanderlove is definitely a book I’ll be buying the instant it is available.

My Rating:

Exceptional: Stay up until at least 1 AM

~Jessica