Welcome to the blog tour for This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills! I loved this book, and I highly recommend you give it a chance. Read my review below, and let me convince you!
This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication Date: October 4, 2016
Rating: 4 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher
Summary (from Goodreads):
Sloane isn't expecting to fall in with a group of friends when she moves from New York to Florida—especially not a group of friends so intense, so in love, so all-consuming. Yet that's exactly what happens.
Sloane becomes closest to Vera, a social-media star who lights up any room, and Gabe, Vera's twin brother and the most serious person Sloane's ever met. When a beloved painting by the twins' late mother goes missing, Sloane takes on the responsibility of tracking it down, a journey that takes her across state lines—and ever deeper into the twins' lives.
Filled with intense and important friendships, a wonderful warts-and-all family, shiveringly good romantic developments, and sharp, witty dialogue, this story is about finding the people you never knew you needed.
What I Liked:
This book was everything I wanted, everything I expected, and then some. I thought I loved First & Then? I adored this novel. The two books are not related (both are standalones, completely different), but they are both amazing. Emma Mills writes such great contemporary novels - and you all know me, I struggle with YA contemporary most of the time. But this book... it was lovely.
Sloane and her family have moved from New York to Florida (for reasons you'll find out in the book). At her new school, Sloane makes friends with Vera, who has thousands of followers on a ton of different social media. As a friend of Vera's, she joins Vera's friend group, which includes Remy, Aubrey, Bree, and Gabe (Vera's twin). Sloane and Vera are good friends; one day, Gabe realizes that one of his mother's paintings are gone... and Sloane decides that she is going to find out who bought, and get it back for the twins. Finding the painting, navigating social circles, and learning about her new friends open Sloane up to new experiences, some of which Sloane never realized she needed.
Sloane has a corny sense of humor, slightly sarcastic and totally honest, but in a corny and funny way. She didn't have a lot of friends in New York, but here in Florida, she makes friends with a group of people. Sloane is used to being alone without being lonely, but she didn't realize how much she liked having people surrounding her until this group did. Vera is an amazing friend, and Sloane is a great friend to her. Sloane is so caring, despite her thinking that she is a little closed-off.
I liked Sloane a lot - you don't see types like her often, anymore. She's not a quiet kickbutt heroine, but rather, a quiet joke-telling one that likes solitude. I loved seeing her grow in this story. I loved seeing her push and pull with her new relationships.
The cast of characters is so well-written! Vera is a sweet and bubbly girl. Gabe is so serious and quiet, but his humor is similar to Sloane's. Laney (Sloane's nine-year-old sister) is cute and surprisingly not annoying. Sloane's father writes literary romance novels but he's kind of in a slump. Sloane's mom is your typical mom. Vera and Gabe's family is... effed up. Their mom has been dead for several years, and their family is vastly different now. The friend - Remy is such a sweetie. He is the one that helps Sloane track down the Fuller twins' mom's painting. He and Aubrey used to date, but then something happened and they're not together but are still part of the friend group. Bree is Bree, chill as a cucumber.
There are many wonderful relationships in this book. Vera and Sloane's friendship is so great, well-written and authentic. They get along well, they fight, they forgive each other. I also liked seeing Sloane and Remy interact - they are also great as friends. Sloane and her father have an interesting relationship, mostly revolving around her father's romance books.
And then there is Gabe and Sloane. I ship them so much and I adore Gabe. Gabe is serious and quiet and intense, definitely the strong silent brooding type. His mother's death hit him hard, and he wanted to keep her paintings, but his father started to sell them. Gabe isn't "broken", but he has his demons, as does Vera. I love seeing Gabe and Sloane interact. Their romance is soooo slow-burn in development, but totally worth the duration of slow-burn. I love the development, the way the romance buds. It's wonderful!
Overall, this book... it was fantastic. Definitely one that I would reread again and again. It's not just a cute contemporary novel with great romance and authentic teenage characters and plenty of humor. It's not a heavy book but there are issues that play important roles in this book. This kind of contemporary, the "real" yet uplifting type, is what I love.
What I Did Not Like:
I said the same thing about First & Then - I wanted more physical interactions and swoons from Sloane and Gabe! The romance is PERFECTLY developed, but I would have loved to see more kisses and swoons, even if it was like, ten of them, all crammed at the end. I would have been okay with this!
Would I Recommend It:
Even if you're like me and are not a fan of YA contemporary, try this one. It's a sweet novel, with humor and relationships and romance and growth and maturation. I highly recommend it! If you liked First & Then, or Kasie West's contemporary novels, then definitely try this one.
Rating:
4.5 stars -> rounded down to 4 stars. I can't wait to read more by Mills. With only two books, she has definitely become an auto-read author for me. I don't usually go for YA contemporary, but I am on board with whatever Mills writes!
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