Book Review: The Geography of Lost Things by Jessica Brody

A few years ago, I read The Geography of Lost Things by Jessie Brody. The plot interested me, so I began to read it. Since then, I decided to get rid of books I no longer want to own and read anymore. Even though The Geography of Lost Things made it into the pile of books to get rid of, I decided to reread it and see if I really do want to keep it. After reading it, I decided to write a review post about the book and why I decided to donate it. (Spoiler Alert: It isn’t because it is a poorly written book. It because the plot hits too close to home!)

The book’s blurb from Amazon is as follows…

A lot can happen on the road from lost to found…

Ali Collins doesn’t have room in her life for clutter or complications. So when her estranged father passes away and leaves her his only prized possession—a 1968 Firebird convertible—Ali knows she won’t keep it. Not when it reminds her too much of all her father’s unfulfilled promises. And especially not when a buyer three hundred miles up the Pacific coast is offering enough money for the car to save her childhood home from foreclosure. There’s only one problem, though. Ali has no idea how to drive a stick shift.

But her ex-boyfriend, Nico, does.

The road trip gets off to a horrible start, filled with unexpected detours, roadblocks, and all the uncomfortable tension that comes with being trapped in a car with your ex. But when Nico starts collecting items from the quirky strangers they meet along the way, Ali starts to sense that these objects aren’t random. Somehow they seem to be leading her to an unknown truth about her father. A truth that will finally prove to Ali that some things—even broken things—are worth saving.

I liked its pacing and the way the story unfolds. The way it is written paints a pretty realistic and believable story. The reason why Ali decides to sell her father’s Firebird is not explained in the blurb, but it is in the book. It gives perspective on how her boyfriend sees her in contrast with the rest of the school. Also, the way they entertain themselves on the long trip is pretty cute and leads to more interesting situations, as well as allows them to afford more gas money.

It is also a clean young adult book. Not a lot of swearing, and if there is it isn’t as bad as other young adult books do, but in many young adult books, each new experience leads Ali to learn more about her father and herself.

Even though the book has a lot of good aspects for it, I still have one major problem about the book: It deals with immature parents and a child who grew up being the adult of the household. As someone who experienced it growing up with one of my parents, books that deal with this topic is hard for me to enjoy. It has a lot of similarities with my own life without it being an exact copy of it. For an example, Ali’s mother didn’t seem to phased by the fact the house she and Ali lived in was in foreclosure. It also didn’t phase Ali’s mother that this was happening so close to the end of her senior year of high school. As someone with a parent that did multiple things near the end of my own senior year, I had a hard time reading the book.

Although I have problems with the book, I know it is something that is a problem for me. I don’t want anyone to read the book after reading this review with the assumption that it means the book isn’t a good book. I believe if I didn’t have such a sad past I wouldn’t be so triggered by the situations in it. I personally believe if someone had immature parents, it may be hard to read the book the whole book. Still, it is a great book to read that paints a picture of a teenager experiencing radical changes in her life, coming to terms with what happened in her childhood, and moving into adulthood. Rico is a good influence on her and is written in a believable way. Sometimes the supportive boyfriend (Or ex boyfriend like in this book) in books are too good to believe, but his reactions and the way he deals with Ali’s family problems and Ali’s emotions is realistic.

I recommend this book for someone looking for a cleaner young adult book that deals with family issues and how important it is to surround yourself with people who actually love you. For people like me, it may be hard to read the whole way through. Yet for anyone who didn’t have the kind of family problems in the book may find it a good book describing how the actions of parents can effect a person’s life negatively, yet they can still rise above them and put everything into perspective.

Well, that’s all for now! Thank you for reading!