Perfect Escape, by Jennifer Brown

Perfect Escape, by Jennifer Brown

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary

Rating: 4.5/5 stars










Goodreads Summary: Kendra has always felt overshadowed by her older brother, Grayson, whose OCD forces him to live a life of carefully coordinated routines. To Kendra, the only way she can stand out next to Grayson is to be perfect, and she has perfection down to an art -- until a cheating scandal threatens her flawless reputation. 

Behind the wheel of her car, with Grayson asleep beside her, Kendra decides to drive away from it all -- with enough distance, maybe she'll be able to figure everything out. But even in the midst of the road trip's flat tires, gas-station food stops, and detours to quirky roadside attractions, eventually Kendra must stop running and come to terms with herself, her brother, and her past.

Review:

 Jennifer Brown,

  Okay, I'm obviously kidding (but I bet you didn't know I was) but this book seriously was gorgeous and was such a special read and something powerful and unique. I recommend this to any lover of Sarah Dessen, or just to someone looking for a heart-clenching contemporary-fiction book.

   Summary: Kendra is hiding something, and is waiting to not be caught. She cheated on an exam, and did much more than you could think of. She's living a difficult life- having to deal with her older brother who has OCD is a tough job. Her parents strongly rely on her to help them keep her brother safe and try to get the OCD away. But as we all know it, that's nearly impossible to accomplish. One day, Kendra, with her sleeping brother in the passenger seat, drive out- out of the state and keep on driving. Kendra knows that she's risking a lot, but it's worth taking the risk to hide away from everything that troubles her. Her plan is to get to California and find her best friend who moved away because of her brother and her family. Here is an addicting road trip novel that sure will leave you wanting more from Jennifer Brown.

     The Hate List was the first book that I've ever read by Jennifer Brown, and it's the book that encouraged me to get the rest of her books. This is the one that I really wanted to read, so voila! From the beginning, I was absolutely captivated. The idea is so unique and unimaginable. Where did this brilliant author get this idea from? Who knows, but that's the magic of authors' heads. :')

      This was such a thrill ride. Suspense left me shocked after every single page. This idea has never been done before, and I am absolutely thrilled that I first encountered it with this book. Best idea I've read about in a while.

       Characters: Let's begin with the protagonist, Kendra. She was the reason I deducted a .5 from the 5/5 rating. I seriously would have given this book a 5/5 if Kendra had more sense in her. She was stupid. There I said it.

     I didn't like her. She took her poor brother with her, for goodness' sake. I understand that she wanted him to see Zoe and be better, but seriously when he counts rocks and is terrified of overpasses? You really have to be dumb to do that. A normal person would a) Go alone, (b) Confront her parents and ask them for her brother's medicine and don't say where they'll go, or (c) Go with her friends. There, done, ideas that make actual sense and have less risk. 

     I seriously loved Grayson. He was so adorable and at times I felt so bad for him, but I ended up really adoring him as a character and fighter. Jennifer Brown really does create amazing characters. <3 Rena and Bo were great side characters who made me laugh and who added some action into the book, not that there wasn't any already.

     For once here is a book that is contemporary that doesn't focus on romance. I find that there's too many of those out there! This is a contemporary novel that has a strong message and strong characters that relate to many people out there. This was a beautiful adventurous road-trip book that will stun and keep on stunning many people out there. I'd seriously go pick this up, now, tomorrow, or next year. x)