Book Review: The Other Side of Lost
The Other Side of Lost
By: Jessi Kirby
Published By: HarperTeen
Publication Date: August 7, 2018
Page Count: 320
Buy it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or IndieBound
Source: ARC Kindly Provided by Publisher via Edelweiss
Young Adult - Contemporary
Mari Turner has the perfect life - at least online - but the price of perfection comes with a high price. Mari turned to the online community to find solace after her parents divorce. Social media platforms offered her a chance to reinvent herself as anyone she wanted to be. In the online world, she could be happy, healthy, and inspiring even when her actual reality was crumbling around her. So many of us hide behind computer screens these days rather than truly experiencing all that life has to offer. (Yes, I totally said that as I sit on my laptop and write this review. The irony is not lost on me.)
After the death of her cousin, Bri, in a tragic accident, Mari starts to question things, but its not until a box shows up on her eighteenth birthday that Mari truly begins to wonder if she chose the right path. How would things have been different if she had stayed close to Bri and embraced all the awkward beauty of real life? The more Mari thinks about her cousin and the sort of life she led, the more she wants to change who she has been and become someone Bri would be proud to know. Mari makes an impulsive decision to declare to the web her hypocrisy before heading off into the wild unknown.
Mari finds herself driving to pick up a hiking permit for the John Muir Trail. She plans to make the hike of a lifetime in honor of Bri and in order to figure out what she truly wants from her life. In many ways, Mari sees her life as symbol for living to the fullest in Bri's stead. Aside from her pack and supply packages at various intervals, Mari is largely unprepared to tackle a hike of this magnitude. She has no significant hiking experience and hasn't trained in any way. As a mother, this lack of preparation coupled with the fact that she rarely communicates with her family during her voyage of self discovery made me nervous and frightened for Mari. I applauded her courage, but cringed at her irresponsible behavior.
Thankfully, Mari meets up with a group of friends who is making the same journey and invites her to tag along. My mom radar dinged again at the thought of a teen girl joining a group of teens she doesn't know and all the dangers that could pose, but thankfully, this is a positive turn of events. This group will become the best friends Mari has had in a long time and I adored each of them. By the end, I was thankful that Mari was able to hike with them and still gain perspective.
One of my favorite aspects of the novel was Bri's journal. I loved getting to know her through her writing as well as Mari's memories. While Bri's death occurs prior to Mari's trip, I felt like Bri was with Mari every step of the way. She was a symbol for the life Mari could choose to have if she was brave enough to go for it. I also think Bri inspired me a little bit to savor the experiences and moments of my life more.
My biggest complaint was the ending. It felt poetic and right, but also lacked the resolution I was craving. I wanted to know more about the characters after that point. I especially hoped for a reunion between Mari and her mom.
All in all, this is yet another strong contemporary from Jessi Kirby that will have you craving a hike in the untouched wilds. There is also a little hint of Wild lingering in Mari's story if you're a fan of that memoir. I recommend this one if you're craving a vacation, but can't seem to shake off the dust of suburbia.
After the death of her cousin, Bri, in a tragic accident, Mari starts to question things, but its not until a box shows up on her eighteenth birthday that Mari truly begins to wonder if she chose the right path. How would things have been different if she had stayed close to Bri and embraced all the awkward beauty of real life? The more Mari thinks about her cousin and the sort of life she led, the more she wants to change who she has been and become someone Bri would be proud to know. Mari makes an impulsive decision to declare to the web her hypocrisy before heading off into the wild unknown.
Mari finds herself driving to pick up a hiking permit for the John Muir Trail. She plans to make the hike of a lifetime in honor of Bri and in order to figure out what she truly wants from her life. In many ways, Mari sees her life as symbol for living to the fullest in Bri's stead. Aside from her pack and supply packages at various intervals, Mari is largely unprepared to tackle a hike of this magnitude. She has no significant hiking experience and hasn't trained in any way. As a mother, this lack of preparation coupled with the fact that she rarely communicates with her family during her voyage of self discovery made me nervous and frightened for Mari. I applauded her courage, but cringed at her irresponsible behavior.
Thankfully, Mari meets up with a group of friends who is making the same journey and invites her to tag along. My mom radar dinged again at the thought of a teen girl joining a group of teens she doesn't know and all the dangers that could pose, but thankfully, this is a positive turn of events. This group will become the best friends Mari has had in a long time and I adored each of them. By the end, I was thankful that Mari was able to hike with them and still gain perspective.
One of my favorite aspects of the novel was Bri's journal. I loved getting to know her through her writing as well as Mari's memories. While Bri's death occurs prior to Mari's trip, I felt like Bri was with Mari every step of the way. She was a symbol for the life Mari could choose to have if she was brave enough to go for it. I also think Bri inspired me a little bit to savor the experiences and moments of my life more.
My biggest complaint was the ending. It felt poetic and right, but also lacked the resolution I was craving. I wanted to know more about the characters after that point. I especially hoped for a reunion between Mari and her mom.
All in all, this is yet another strong contemporary from Jessi Kirby that will have you craving a hike in the untouched wilds. There is also a little hint of Wild lingering in Mari's story if you're a fan of that memoir. I recommend this one if you're craving a vacation, but can't seem to shake off the dust of suburbia.
One Last Gripe: I still can't get over the lack of communication with her mom. I cannot even fathom how worried I would be if my child did this.
Favorite Thing About This Book: The dynamics of the "hiking family"
First Sentence: We lie on our backs on the trampoline, drawn into the center by each other's weight.
Favorite Character: Mari
Least Favorite Character: Ian
Girl Online meets Wild in this emotionally charged story of girl who takes to the wilderness to rediscover herself and escape the superficial persona she created on social media.
Mari Turner’s life is perfect. That is, at least to her thousands of followers who have helped her become an internet starlet. But when she breaks down and posts a video confessing she’s been living a lie—that she isn’t the happy, in-love, inspirational online personality she’s been trying so hard to portray—it goes viral and she receives major backlash. To get away from it all, she makes an impulsive decision: to hike the entire John Muir trail. Mari and her late cousin, Bri, were supposed to do it together, to celebrate their shared eighteenth birthday. But that was before Mari got so wrapped up in her online world that she shut anyone out who questioned its worth—like Bri.
With Bri’s boots and trail diary, a heart full of regret, and a group of strangers that she meets along the way, Mari tries to navigate the difficult terrain of the hike. But the true challenge lies within, as she searches for the way back to the girl she fears may be too lost to find: herself.
I can't imagine going on an adventure like this when I was 18!
ReplyDeleteMe either, but sometimes I wish I had been that brave back then!
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