Synopsis: Making it to seventeen in one piece isn’t usually a concern for your average teenager, but if there’s one thing Isabella Moffit has never been, it’s average. Dragged through life by parents who couldn’t care less and surrounded by violence on a daily basis, Izzy reaches that epic birthday milestone in her life with only one person to thank for getting her there: her best friend and soul sister, Paris Hemsworth.
Vowing to stand side by side through thick and thin since they were four years old, the two of them have made it this far and are confident that now is their time to tackle the world head on, one shaky, naive little footstep at a time.
Except they have no idea what awaits them both on the other side of adulthood, and before either one of them can strap on their hard hat, they’re taking so many knocks and bruises that Izzy’s childhood suddenly seems like a stroll in the park.
Dodging as many bullets as they can along the way, Izzy tries to hold on to Paris’ hand for as long as possible without either one of them slipping away. But no-one ever told them how rough their journey would be. No-one told them that friends and family would change or leave along the way. And no-one told them that for every good intention they have, there’s a thousand people out there with bad ones, waiting to rip them apart.
Follow Izzy’s journey in part one of the Road to Wonderland series – a coming of age novel with a difference, where you’ll face tears, tantrums, laughter and heartbreak, but above all else, hope. Hope that no matter what life throws your way, it’s all part of setting you on the right path to your very own Wonderland and that, more often than not, everything happens for a reason.
4 Stars
I purchased this book after reading a review from a fellow blogger over at Books and Bindings.
What can I say about this book? It was deep, like not just parts of it, the whole bloody thing! Every chapter touched on a new emotional issue and how Izzy dealt with it, but it went into her mind in a detailed way and I appreciated that. It had some serious soul searching in it. A lot of heartache and a small dose of romance. Too small if you ask me. It seems to be a voyage and return plot book, and while I like those fine, I find that they are not exactly my cup of tea. I have no closure in these kinds of books as they are often left open-ended. And I hate that.
A great quality of this book is the psycological-ness of it. I get Izzy, I understood her feelings of heartache and abandonment. Her insecurity and her hopefulness, her feirce protectiveness of the ones she loves were described exquisitely. Her life was a rollercoaster of emotions that I will gladly ride again.
Favorite Quotes:
We are soul sisters, connected by heart if not by blood. I love her more that anyone else in the world.
Best friends don’t just ride through the good times side by side. They fall when the other falls, too. If she is going to get herself arrested, well then I’ll be right beside her, laughing the whole way through while Lori sits on the sidelines, shaking her head at us, no doubt laughing even harder.
Time takes away all those memories you try to cling onto, because new ones push past, bigger and brighter than the last and worm their way into their place. Time makes you forget. Time makes you question. Time isn’t a healer. It’s a destroyer.
Rumour has is that we, as a collective, should never say never. They say (whoever they are), to place that kind of restriction upon our lives will only limit our experience and cloud our judgement in the future.
I am desperate for Izzy to connect with Ethan – I totally get the lack of closure statement!
I’ll have to grab this one as well!