Departures!

Vacations are more than just that--- vacations. What may seem like just a trip to Wisconsin or Montana can turn into so much more.... and it can change everything.

"Departures" by Robin Jones Gunn is a combination of two stories of two different girls, Christy and Sierra, going on summer vacations and what they imagine to just be a weekend with family and friends turns into much more beyond their expectations.

Now Boarding At Gate 10
This short chapter story about Christy Miller is full of surprises and excitement. After Christy graduates high school, she joins her family on a trip to Wisconsin for her grandparents' 50th anniversary. She expects it to be kind of boring--- I mean, many teenagers would rather be on vacation with their friends on a senior trip than with their thirteen-year-old brother and parents. While there, she reunites with an old friend from junior high named Matthew. She'd moved away from Wisconsin and hasn't seen Matt in a while. When love and other surprises find her and Matt starts to show a romantic interest in Christy, she realizes that a vacation could change everything.

In The Event Of A Water Landing
Fifteen-year-old Sierra Jensen is going on vacation with her friend Jana, and can't wait to go to Montana with her! But when they arrive, it seems like Jana's only interest is in the guys there, Tim and Danny. (Gregg is also there, but he's her brother.) Sierra just wants to be friends with the guys and has a slight crush on Tim, but Jana constantly has plans to turn every tiny thing into a huge romantic experience. Plus, Jana is very moody. Their friendship begins to suffer, and Sierra starts to wonder if she should have come along in the first place.
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These two stories being combined into one book was a great idea! The book was very well-written and kept me on the edge of my seat, with the flashlight underneath the covers, with the book in my purse, and up until 3 a.m. reading... okay, maybe only 1 a.m. But, anyway, I believe that any teenager or almost-teen would love this book! Every girl I know would love this, I guarantee! This book had it's share of humor that had me laughing and people staring at me, and it included tiny bits of romance that any girl like me would love--- ESPECIALLY if you're an extreme girly girl, you won't be too disappointed.

I think any teenage/tween girl can relate to how Sierra feels in here, and I know I can. Her friend is "blossoming' when it comes to guys, while she just wants them to be her friends. I thin we've all been there! Christy's story is very fun and even had me thinking back to my life before everything that made me who I am, and what life would be like if I never moved from Utah.

If I have to complain at all, It's because the stories were too short. You feel what the girls are feeling, see what they're seeing, and almost do what they're doing. You feel embarrassed with them, excited with them, and mad with them. It was too short... I want MORE!!!! Also, Sierra's part at the beginning was a little boring, but it moved itself on up.

I want to give this book five stars because it was amazing, but i have to give it 4.5 because it was too short. I'm proud of the book, though... It rose HIGH above my expectations!

194 pages!
Publisher: Waterbrook Multnomah!

Thanks, Multnomah, for providing me with this amazing book. Without it, I wouldn't have bought it or noticed. Thank you for letting me have it for free. I love you!