Member Reviews
Unfortunately, this book wasn't downloaded to my Kindle, therefore was unable to give it a read. However, I can believe it was most likely a wonderful read, filled with lovely characters.
I enjoyed this book and it really spoke to me, especially the split Sophie feels about wanting to be successful but also wanting to be free and travel the world. Its vivid descriptions definitely had me wishing that I was exploring Hong Kong and wandering around the busy streets of New York. It brought all of those places to life and inspired wanderlust in me. Overall I enjoyed it. It was cute, fun and light which is exactly what I wanted. I loved travelling along with Sophie, sharing in her adventures and witnessing her blossoming love. I loved the whole 'opposites attract' trope in this story and how ultimately they brought the best out in one another. This book is exactly what I wished for on starting it; if only I could actually go travelling now!
This was a fun quick read. I enjoyed Carson and Sophie’s story of traveling. Sophie travels ALOT for work and while on her trip to Asia she meets a man. He is a free spirited guy,living on the edge. Sophie is very list oriented and goal oriented. It was fun watching their story unravel. I do wish there was more traveling involved in the story as the title leads you to believe she will be traveling the world. It was a fun light hearted read. Thanks @netgalley for the chance to review this book early.
Overall, I enjoyed this story. It was a light read and a fun escape. I myself am seeking a little more adventure in life, and travel has always been top on the list.
In this story, there’s a little bit of everything: adventure, love and real life. You’ll find yourself dreaming about where to next as you follow along with Sophie’s choices throughout The Wild Woman’s Guide to Traveling the World.
I realized after reading this book that I don’t read a whole lot of travel stories and that has to change. I’d highly recommend this story for anyone looking for a little getaway.
I was granted access to this book on the same day that it was archive so I was unable to download!!! :( Super sad, I was really looking forward to reading it!
I loved the title of this book. It was a light read, great for spring as it has a little romance and it lets you escape for a little while.
Thank you netgalley and publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of it.
My Highly Caffeinated Thought: A book that is entertaining, full of heart, and just the right amount of sass.
THE WILD WOMAN’S GUIDE TO TRAVELING THE WORLD is from beginning to end a thoroughly enjoyable book. My inner planner loved Sophie’s need to have everything laid out in front of her, but then my artist side would cheered as she begins to realize that maybe she should be doing something else with her life. The entire book is really a push and pull between what Sophie thinks she is and who she really wants to be.
In an effortless way, Rockaway captures the essence of her characters. She breathes life into Sophie and Carson by giving them real problems, inner struggles, and emotional outbursts. However, I loved it the most when I was reading about Sophie and her journey to discovering what she wants her life to be. Maybe it is the wistful dreamer in me trapped in a control freak's mindset, but I really enjoyed seeing her break out of her box. This book is honest, witty, and sincere. A wonderful debut novel!
And I have to finish this post with a well deserved shout out to my alma mater, School of Visual Arts. I actually laughed out loud when I saw it in the book. The perfect finishing touch to an already great read.
At first I wasn't impressed with this book, but I realized it wasn't the book, but the fact that the book I had read prior was so amazing that I wasn't allowing myself to really give this book a chance. After allowing myself to fully emerge I was drawn into this world fully engaged and experiencing everything she did. I felt the resentment, love, and insecurities she felt, because the author had fully developed her in a way you could feel it. I also hated the mother in law, which I think most will. Definitely full of surprises and definitely one I would recommend highly and will do so in a large forum!
Sophie has it all, or so she thinks, she has her precious five-year plan that works with her career, a savings account and a job that allows her to travel the world. She doesn’t realize what she is missing until she gets a taste of it then the real adventure begins.
From the title I imagined far away places but this story takes place in Hong Kong and New York City and is the perfect beach read (or for some of us snowed it) curl up under a quilt with a cuppa tea. Though a relatively quick read the author has written a tantalizing story that didn’t just entertain but presented a clear message - you’ll have to read the book to find out what it is.....
This is the author’s debut and I hope she writes a sequel with more adventures of Sophie and Carson. I loved the historical details of both locations and while the ending was a little predictable it was still a great read. There are a couple risque scenes which might not appeal to all, but this is chick lit and easy to skip over.
The Wild Woman’s Guide to Traveling the World is one of those novels you really wish was a travel guide, because Kristin Rockaway is so good at describing places and food, that you want to instantly jump through the pages to Hong Kong or New York, or… wherever.
Fortunately, her skills at writing character and plot are just as good, so you jump into the pages of her story as well. I really enjoyed following Sophie on her journeys – both the literal and the emotional one – as she navigated not just the world, but her own needs and desires, as well as her own heart.
It’s a scary thing to step off the path we’ve created for ourselves, and Carson was the perfect catalyst for Sophie to do just that. Rockaway has given us a couple that is passionate, funny, and may or may not be perfect for each other, which ultimately makes them both slightly heightened and supremely real.
I really enjoyed the way Rockaway balanced the comedic and serious moments in this novel.
I recommend it to anyone who longs for an escape, but isn’t sure they’re quite ready.
What a delightful and entertaining read!I read this book after a run of psychological thrillers, so this was the perfect light, fun read that I needed! I definitely identified with Sophie, as I am a planner and rarely one to take risks. Part of me definitely wishes I were more like Carson. I related to a lot of Sophie's struggles in this book for sure. But while the book dealt with some serious life issues (what makes you TRULY happy?), it was done with humor, wit, and an effortlessly entertaining writing style. I could not put this book down!
If you love a good travel romance, this book is for you! I don't know that I've read a modern chick lit type book set in Asia--so that was fun. I totally recommend this book for a fun summer read! I am excited to read more from this author in the future!
My Impressions: This book is pure, light-hearted escapism, written for armchair travelers and those with their noses to the grindstone who yearn to escape from their jobs for an adventure. Read my complete review via the link below.
Favorite Quotes:
Elena rarely left the tri-state area; her idea of an exotic getaway involved tanning on the Jersey Shore.
But with my focus on the future, I rarely immersed myself in the right now. My life was reduced to a series of check marks, ticking off each goal I achieved without taking the time to revel in my accomplishments. As soon as I hit one target, I was already reaching for the next one and contemplating the one after that. I rushed full speed ahead, my sights pointed sharply forward, never stopping to take a look at what was around me.
I can sketch in Hong Kong, in Australia, in New York. I can find an adventure wherever I am. The only constant I need in my life is you. So wherever you go, I’ll follow.
My Review:
Sophie loved to travel and plan travel and dream up detailed imaginary itineraries, although she had unfortunately chosen the wrong travel partner in Elena who decided on their first night there that she just wasn’t feeling the Hong Kong vacation that Sophie had planned and paid for and after a tense dinner of informing Sophie of all her unlovable and miserable flaws, Elena flew back home the very next day. Wow, this was the opening scene of the story and although I flinched a few times, I was hooked. Poor Sophie, I felt for her and was exasperated by her and also wanted to kick her more than a few times as I saw far too much of my twenty and thirty-something self in this character; it was rather eerie and more than a bit painful. I truly adored the character of Carson who proved that opposites not only attract, they can bewitch and fascinate. Carson was an artistic dreamer going through a nomad stage while Sophie was a highly structured and over anxious planner.
I was stunned to realize this insightful and well-written book was the author’s first; every single character was colorfully described with vivid environmental details and interesting facts also tucked into the narrative. The premise was unique and entertaining while writing was cleverly observant, wryly amusing, and delightfully steamy. Ms. Rockaway has a bright future ahead of her.
I gotta say...it's not all sunshine and roses, but I loved it all the more for it.
Picture it...Hong Kong, a girls only trip with your best friend (sorta), a city of new things to try, buy, and explore. Sounds EXCITING, right? Well it did...until that bestie decided her on again off again guy back home is on again and ditched her for the states. There's a reason the whole "hoe's before bro's" thing that has been retagged a hundred times You don't just ditch your gal pal for a fella that may or may not stick...ESPECIALLY in a foreign country! *shakes head*
While we get to explore the great big world with Sophie, it's not the sites that she visits that really hold a candle of memory...it's with WHOM the adventures take place. Our gal doesn't stay solo for long, but that's all he is...a fling...right? I will say that I like what this new connection does for Sophie. It grants her permission (in her own mind) to be her WHOLE self. It's rare that someone gets to see our entire self, and I'm talking more exposure than simply biblical. Someone really getting you...THAT'S truly scary territory...as Sophie finds out first hand...but once that connection is made and recognized, it's what follows that truly speaks volumes.
In the end, it was a story about traveling this great big world, and not simply uncovering the secrets of the past, but the secrets of our true selves. It's about unlocking the passions of our hearts, following our dreams, and living in the moment...while still remembering tomorrow will come, it's just how we greet it that counts. A great tale for those with a travelers soul, as well as fans of Women's Fiction in general.
Sophie has it all. Or so she thinks. A top notch job, an apartment in New York and free travel with her job. But she is starting to unravel though she really hasn't pieced it together yet. Her best friend dumps her on their first day in Hong Kong and Sophie, who considers herself an experienced solo traveller is suddenly lost.
An unexpected encounter with Carson, a free-spirited traveller, turns her world upside down. He invites her to question her life, including her five-year plan for a successful career and questions why she hasn't followed her dreams to travel. What? Sophie travels all the time.
Despite their different lifestyles, they begin to realize that the other fulfills them in a way they could not predict. However, the differences between them are tearing them apart.
This is a great read for anyone who loves to travel or who wants to bring something fun to read with them on vacation. Although a work of fiction, it does delve into deeper issues of insecurity and that sometimes we have to step back and re-evaluate what we need to do to be happy.
This is a fun light read about someone who opts to make a change in her life and goes for it with all she has. A feel good book that motivates any reader to do something more in life. That plus her romance made it an all around great read!
This book is tons of fun, filled with amazing descriptions of New York City and other places... that made me feel like I was right there in the story... seeing it as they did.
OH and the love story was hot and sexy! Couldn't forget to add that. ;)
If you're looking for a story to take you on an adventure and doing what takes to make you happy... this is the book for you!!!!
4 stars from me.
An easy, predictable read about following your passions. This will activate the travel bug; I'm glad I have a trip coming up!
A fantastic summer holiday read. Really enjoyable. Everything the character did made sense and it was very easy to follow. I'd love to read another book by Kristin.
In a story that hits a LITTLE close to home, Sophie did everything she was supposed to. College, career, savings account, following her life plan. She has a high powered job in New York and gets to travel! On a 'vacation', Sophie finds herself suddenly single and everything starts falling apart.
This is the story of picking up those pieces and finding true happiness.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book!