Series: None
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Published May 30th 2019 by Macmillan Children's Books
Goodreads Synopsis
The bestselling author of Windfall and The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight returns with a meet-cute romance about Hugo and Mae, two teens who are thrown together on a cross-country train trip that will teach them about love, each other, and the futures they can build for themselves.
It's the perfect idea for a romantic week together: traveling across America by train.
But then Hugo's girlfriend dumps him. Her parting gift: the tickets for their long-planned last-hurrah-before-uni trip. Only, it's been booked under her name. Nontransferable, no exceptions.
Mae is still reeling from being rejected from USC's film school. When she stumbles across Hugo's ad for a replacement Margaret Campbell (her full name!), she's certain it's exactly the adventure she needs to shake off her disappointment and jump-start her next film.
A cross-country train trip with a complete stranger might not seem like the best idea. But to Mae and Hugo, both eager to escape their regular lives, it makes perfect sense. What starts as a convenient arrangement soon turns into something more. But when life outside the train catches up to them, can they find a way to keep their feelings for each other from getting derailed?
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
Hugo Wilkinson's whole life has been in the spotlight. The youngest sextuplet, he and his siblings have always been treated like a unit, and it's starting to grate on him. He's due to start university in the autumn, and though he's excited, he hates that the choice of university, and the independence, has been taken away from him; he has to go to the University of Surrey, with his 5 siblings, to get the scholarship that was left for them all. But, he has his trip across America with girlfriend Margaret to look forward to, and that's what's been keeping him going. However, when she breaks up with him, and leaves him the tickets, he needs to find another Margaret Campbell to go with, as the tickets are non-transferable. That's how he finds Mae. Mae thought she had it all planned, but when her audition film for film school at USC doesn't pass muster, she's floundering. Should she go on the trip, and keep it from her dad's, or will she always regret not taking the opportunity, and exploring the country, and herself?
This is a book where I didn't really know what to expect, but I really enjoyed it. I have liked other books by this author, and the premise of this one seemed fun, and it really was - though there were some hard hitting moments too. Hugo wants some freedom, and independence. He doesn't want to be known as the youngest Wilkinson sextuplet any more, and though he loves his family, he wants the space. Going from living with them all for 18 years, to having to go to the same university for the next 3 years, is a hard pill to swallow. Having his week in America, albeit with a stranger, sounds like heaven, and I loved seeing how Hugo embraced travel, and exploration. His development and growth was fantastic, and I really liked where he was in the end of the story. Mae's character I really like too, but I don't think she grew as much as Hugo. She's sort of always known what she wanted, and was supported by her nan and dad's, but never really put much of an effort in - just thought that she would be a shoo in for her admittance to college. Hiding the truth about her trip from her dad's, she was slow to take to the experience, but used the trip, and her meeting new people - including Hugo - to grow as a film maker, and discover herself, and her own feelings on love. The romance between Hugo and Mae was cute, but a bit fast I thought. I did like it, though, and felt like the ending was the perfect way for the story to end - though maybe a bit of an epilogue or something would've made the book all the better. All in all, an enjoyable read.
Dates Read:
April 6-7, 2021
Rating
4 Stars
