Book Review DON'T STOP NOW

Title: DON'T STOP NOW

Author: Julie Halpern
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Released: July 2011

Synopsis from Goodreads:
On the first day of Lillian’s summer-before-college, she gets a message on her cell from her sort-of friend, Penny. Not only has Penny faked her own kidnapping, but Lil is the only one who figures it out. She knows that Penny’s home life has been rough, and that her boyfriend may be abusive. Soon, Penny’s family, the local police, and even the FBI are grilling Lil, and she decides to head out to Oregon, where Penny has mentioned an acquaintance. And who better to road-trip across the country with than Lil’s BFF, Josh. But here’s the thing: Lil loves Josh. And Josh doesn’t want to “ruin” their amazing friendship.

Josh has a car and his dad’s credit card. Lil has her cellphone and a hunch about where Penny is hiding. There’s something else she needs to find: Are she and Josh meant to be together?


My review:  Lillian is prepared to spend her summer before college sleeping in, doing nothing except maybe hanging out with her best friend (boy crush) Josh.  At 4:00 AM, she gets a cryptic call from her sort of friend Penny.  The next thing you know, Lillian is being questioned about a potential kidnapping, and she reels in Josh in the quest to discover Penny's secret.  Making their way on a road trip across the US, Lillian and Josh get by on a parent's credit card, a beat up car, and the thickening romantic tension between them.  


This book was a lighthearted coming-of-age view of the blur that sometimes happens when you have a best friend of the opposite sex.  I loved the quirkiness of the characters, I loved that the trip that Josh and Lillian took almost had a life of its own; each location that they stopped was a character in and of itself.  I loved the souvenirs that they bought, and the kitschy motels they stayed in were a world completely separated from their reality.  The fact that Lillian sees a prophetic message on one of their stops made the whole story so worth it.  While the premise of making it to find out Penny's secret is a little far-fetched, the light and humorous book was just what I needed to read.  I loved it, it was cute, quirky, so very appropriate for that transition to adulthood, and a perfect, fun read.