Kissing in America by Margo Rabb #BookReview #Playlist #Dreamcast #Giveaway

Kissing in America
by Margo Rabb
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: May 26th 2015

I loved romances because when you opened the first page, you knew the story would end well. Your heart wouldn't be broken. I loved that security, that guaranteed love.

In real life, you never knew the ending. I hated that.

Sixteen-year-old Eva has never been in love. But when she meets Will, everything changes. With him, her grief over her father's death fades, and she can escape from her difficult relationship with her mother. Then, without any warning, Will picks up and moves to California. So Eva—with the help of her best friend, Annie—concocts a plan to travel across the country to see him again. As they leave New York City for the first time and road-trip across America, they encounter cowboys, kudzu, and tiny towns without stoplights. Along the way, Eva and Annie learn the truth about love and all its complexities.

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I adored Kissing in America, it’s one of those books that you can’t even completely describe the vibe you get from it. It’s a great story for so many reasons..the different types of love, the diversity and the travel.

I loved the plot of the book. There is nothing like a good road trip in my mind and I admit that I have actually road tripped to see a boy in high school. He was also my “kind of” “sort of” dating guy friend. It was similar in the aspect that I had convince my friends that we would go camping as well as seeing him, they needed a reason to make the drive. That is still one of my favorite trips and reading reminded me of it and I couldn’t help smiling.When Eva and Annie set out on the trip, they know that it’s going to be an adventure but they definitely didn’t realize how much they are going to learn about themselves and the people in their lives.

I liked that even though Eva’s father passed away a long time ago, she is still going through the grieving process. There is no time limit on grief and the book is such a great depiction of that. I’ve always thought of it for myself is that you never really get over it but you learn to live with it. It’s just another component of you. Eva never really had the proper closure that she needed and it has put a strain on her relationship with her mom and how she views the people around her.

Annie is the fantastic friend that takes the journey with her. Annie is always supportive and understanding no matter what happens with Eva. She is working towards an awesome scholarship and there is a pivotal point between the two girls that kind of show the give and take.It also proves Annie’s character.

The romance is also very well depicted. There were times when I thought it was cute how Will and Eva wrote actual letters and other times where I thought it was weird he didn’t use a cell phone.

The cast of characters that are from New York and that they meet along the way are brilliant. It’s such a fantastic book because of it’s diversity and age representation. We have everything from Aunt Gonorrhea to a Cowboy that wants more out of life then shoveling hay.

I really like Margo Rabb’s writing style. I described it to my husband as short sentences but that’s probably not the best descriptive. It kind of has that poetic quality. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t but with this story I think it really did. I also loved the little romance novel version of events thrown in since Eva is a big fan of them. Plus Margo incorporated so many cool poems and literary figures.

I really loved Kissing in America and I thought the book had one of those perfect endings. The kind that makes you walk away and leaves you with a satisfied vibe. Like wow that was a great read.

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I also made a playlist for the Road Trip Mix CD Will gives to Eva. You can see what songs are on it

HERE

You can go to the spotify playlist

HERE

EVA

Odeya Rush

ANNIE

Jun Ji Hyeon

Margo Rabb's stories have been published in The Atlantic Monthly, Zoetrope: All Story, Seventeen, Best New American Voices, New Stories from the South, New England Review, One Story, and elsewhere, and have been broadcast on National Public Radio. She received grand prize in the Zoetrope short story contest, first prize in The Atlantic Monthly fiction contest, first prize in the American Fiction contest, and a PEN Syndicated Fiction Project Award. She grew up in Queens, New York, and now lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and two children. A complete list of her published work can be found here.