This book is the story of a teen sent away to a wilderness therapy camp so that he does not turn out like his
"delinquent" sister. It is such a fantastic, funny, endearing tale of Daniel's journey on Quest Trail. Truly a 5 star read

I found that I didn't like this one as much as I was hoping. It reminded me of Holes, with the troubled teens sent away to a "camp" as an alternative to ending up in juvie, except also kind of mixed with Looking for Alaska, where they're snarky teens at an actual camp like scenario. I honestly found myself bored by the characters and their interactions, and irritated by their consistent snarkiness. It may once have appealed to me as a teen, although I'm not sure I was interested in stories like these when I was growing up.

This book hit right in the feels and brings along all the bittersweet emotions of growing up with an interesting twist rather than simply telling a coming-of-age story. I think the strongest aspect of this book is its voice- often sarcastic and witty but not too over the top. I didn't particularly love the plot, which more or less just plodded along for me. I expected this book to be this generation's version of Sachar's "Holes," and I'm interested to see its reception with the target demographic. A hit-or-miss read.

Interesting twist on the coming-of-age journey. Full of humour, it still strikes deep, reminding us that growing up can be painful.

Thank you to Netgally and the publisher for providing me with a arc of this book.
I liked the writing style and the voice of the main character. There were part of the plot that I didn't really but but overall I found this book enjoyable, fun to read, and funny. I loved the sarcasm and felt it really helped the teenagers actually feel like teenagers.

Off trail by Rick Polito 5 stars
This book will take you on a journey of self exploration. This young adult book (YA) was amazingly wrote to deal with the issues of modern society. To help teenagers turn there life around away from cannabis. It is wrote as an amazing fiction story that you just can't put down. The book is about teens who are sent to quest camp; a desert camp for these children who are making the wrong life decisions. To help them understand them selves better, to reflect on life through nature but when a turn of events happen they are taken on a different journey they didn't expect.
I loved the adventures in this book and the hidden humour behind it. The unpredictablity and the pace of the story. For a debut book this is definitely an author to watch out for. This book isn't just a YA book that only teens will enjoy adults will love it too. I did and im no spring chicken. I can not wait to read more from this author and thanking you for creating this amazing read.

Reading the description, the book sounded a bit like a YA version of Holes. Always looking for good YA books for my teen reading group, I was intrigued. However, the book just kind of prodded along, without anybgripping storyline. The characters weren't particularly engaging, and I was never reallybdrawn into the book. Havingbdiscussed many books with my teen group, I don't see this as being liked by them.

I enjoyed this, but it never really did click for me. Daniel feels like a blank slate, so I never really cared what happens to him. And Vera has a liiiiitle too much MPDG for my liking. However, Greg was hilarious and I always wanted more of him. Seems like a bit of a misdirected focus IMO.

This was a really interesting and enjoyable book. I think the plot was the absolute standout of the book and easily the best part. Definitely plot driven rather than character driven which was a refreshing change from what I have been reading recently. There is some character development but not as much as I would have expected. It reminded me a lot of Holes but I can’t pinpoint exactly why - maybe the plot parallels and similarities in story and settings.
I can imagine this being a fun summer holiday read to switch off the brain and get caught up in the action. I enjoyed reading it but it didn’t blow me away and isn’t a book I’m rushing back to read again
The writing was good and it’s clear Rick has technical skills. After reading the about the author section I can definitely see journalistic elements that came through in the characters voice and the wa the narrative is structured.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- Almost 5 stars!

I enjoyed this book so much! First, the cover is perfect! Apart from that, the writing was fantastic. It was well paced. The plot was charming, emotional, and hilarious. The cast of characters were likable. It was SO close to bei9ng a 5-star read for me. Unfortunately, I felt like the ending was rushed and a little abrupt. I wanted a little more fleshing out in that aspect. The other *tiny* issue I had is that I would have loved a few of the kids to have been more fleshed out. I actually wish that there would have been more than just Daniel's POV. That would have added even more to the story (for me). Even with those tiny niggles this was still a cracking excellent read!

**ARC Via NetGalley**

Daniel is sent off to Quest Trail after weed is found in his closet that actually belongs to his delinquent sister Jackie. His parents don't want him ending up like her.

He is surrounded there by other uprooted teens and they are forced to participate in preposterous self discovery exercises.

Being that the group is mostly made up of boys and only two girls, of course there is a rivalry between Daniel and wantabe bad boy Troy for Vera's attention. Vera is a wealthy, charismatic California beauty. She becomes the unspoken leader of their group.

Just as Daniel's settling in and starting to gain some confidence, complete chaos ensues.

I felt the book had a very authentic feel as to growing up as a teen. It was sometimes funny, sometimes emotional and full of the sarcasm of teens. It was a great coming of age story.

Thank you NetGalley and Wise Wolf books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The subject of this book held a lot of interest for me and I was excited to start it. The writing style is great— the teenager dialog rings true and doesn’t seem contrived or like an adult trying to write teens. The book itself is good, but just missed the mark for me personally.

I read a lot of YA, but this one in particular seemed geared towards high school students. Many reviews state it was a quick read, but I did not find it such. I had to push myself to keep reading about the teens and their next outing of swearing and interacting with each other.

I just wasn’t interested in the characters which all seemed predictable to me— the younger brother who is there because his older sibling is a problem, the rich girl who wants to be seen as deeper than everyone thinks she is, the friend who faded away but is really a good guy, and the asshole no one wants to listen to. Add in a good cop/bad cop pair of counselors and that is our story.

I really just think it comes down to not being the intended audience for this book— while many YA books cross the threshold for adults, this is one best left to the younger crowd.

3.5/5 This was a quick and funny read with the actual voice of teenagers and not what adults think they sound like, or wish they would. Set in the 80s, the teens spend all of their time interacting - albeit awkwardly most of the time - face to face instead of on mobiles, and there’s a realistic and healthy amount of sarcasm and swearing around every corner.

“We were merely walking into the desert and trading our freedom for some learningship and growments, which are, of course, moments when you grow.”

“‘Friends,’ he announced, the second time he’d used the word in the last 30 seconds. ‘I return today with gifts.’ I’d already taken a half step back. Normally ‘gifts’ would mean something cool, but PTG’s [Ponytail Guy’s] gifts were usually something like ‘delightenment’ or any number of cheery psychobabble bullshitisms from his fixation on gratitude.“

The author does a great job of setting up the initial situation and absolutely fills the reader with the injustice felt by our protagonist at being unjustly packed away to some outdoor retreat for troubled teens program. This ‘trickle-down parenting’ move filled me with rage as I read it and I found myself distracted a few times plotting how I would have gotten my revenge were I in Daniel’s shoes (before they were taken away).

Daniel, Vera, and Greg were all easy to like and invest in as we explored in their teenage insecurities and the plethora of mistakes, decisions, and statements they made while trying to survive the supremely inconvenient and embarrassing situation their parents all stuck them in. PTG and Ron were equally easy to hate, and Polito did a great job of making them comically insufferable and the perfect targets for teenage loathing and its accompanied verbal barbs.

With the exception of a couple inappropriate moments used to paint Daniel as a “typical 15 year old boy”the content was good and enjoyable. I’d prefer not to read about teen boys trying to touch girls’ breasts without consent or the other similar non-con type comments in here.

Overall, it was a good read and I think high school readers would enjoy it.

*Thanks to NetGalley and publisher WiseWolf Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Secretly I was hoping for a "grown up" version of Holes when I received this book and I have to say, I wasn't disappointed. The book is entirely its own creature but it still has enough of that Holes vibe to satisfy a reader who is familiar with the story.

Set in the 1980s, this book has that "modern historical fiction" flare that I enjoy seeing in books. It lent that slightly nostalgic air to the book which was a nice touch. I also liked the setting of the story taking place in the desert of Arizona. As a fellow Desert dweller, albeit not in Arizona, it's refreshing to be able to read something I can actually relate to like 100+ degree Fahrenheit summers and the ever-present sight of tumbleweeds. It gives a true picture of what it's like to live in the climate while being entertaining, kind of that vibe that you're learning new things without realizing you're being educated.

I enjoyed the ragtag group of characters this book had. While some of the side characters weren't very fleshed out, they definitely added some color and humor to the book. The main character, Daniel, was an interesting narrator and I enjoyed the way he liked to compare a lot of things in metaphors. Greg, Daniel's used-to-be-best-friend that gets shipped off to the youth correction camp with him, had me smirking more than once with the out-of-the-box things he said and did for attention or comedic effect. Vera, another member of the camp, was probably my favorite and I enjoyed her confident attitude that wasn't too overbearing and her unique way of seeing the world.

Although I wouldn't call it the fastest-paced book, the flow was still pretty good and it picked up a lot in its second half which I really enjoyed. And I absolutely loved the ending with the way the characters developed. The romance was also pretty cute and I liked that the characters read their age rather than too young or too old. Even though it might sound strange to say about a book featuring troubled youth, it has a lighthearted, humorous vibe which gives the book a great balance.

When Daniel’s parents find his sister’s weed in his closet, they send him off to a wilderness camp for delinquent teens to discover themselves. A group of teens in the middle of the desert quickly turns into chaos and drama for everyone.

This coming-of-age book surprised me in so many ways. I quickly grew attached the the characters and I loved their sarcasm. They felt real. I also appreciated the ending and how realistic is was, although it wrapped up a bit quickly and I could have used a little more there. This one gave me Holes vibes and overall I enjoyed it!

Thanks to Wise Wolf Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced ebook!

This was a surprisingly sweet story between the two teenage characters. I don't normally read this genre but I liked this one well enough. Thanks to Netgalley for the digital copy in exchange for a review.

I enjoyed reading this book. At times I could not put it down to take a break. I could feel the desert sun/wind on me. I have previously visited Arizona.

Novel showed growth for most of the characters.

My only wish is that it did not wrap up so quickly at the end.

“Off Trail” is a coming of age story that will certainly reward its readers. Funny, with characters young readers can relate to and a really good writing, it is without a doubt a book one will like. Personally I didn’t find that “je ne sais quoi” that would make it stand out, but, still, it is a book I could see myself reading when younger. Its pace is wonderful and I’m sure it will be one of the books one will see in many readers’ hands this summer. Overall, it definitely worths buying it!

Thank you #Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange of an honest review!

I requested this book as the plot summary gave me strong 'Holes' vibes. Daniel is a teenager who seems to be unfairly punished for the actions of his older sibling. His parents don't want him to lose his way like she did and when they find cannabis in his possession they sent him to a wilderness camp for wayward teens. Daniel meets an array of characters at the camp and learns a lot about himself and relationships. I found this book really hard to get into and a bit of a chore to finish. The writing is fine but not particularly gripping and I didn't feel much connection to any of the characters.

This was a good quick read for me. A bunch of kids meet up in the desert at a camp, basically for juvenile delinquents, and absolute chaos ensues.

Daniel is sweet, shy teenager who ends up thinking a lot about his recent teenage years and how he has behaved. Vera is a take no nonsense, I’m in charge kind of girl right off the bat and you can’t help but want these two to fall in love.

So what exactly happens in the desert between these two teenagers, and the rest of the group that are with them? You’ll have to read this book and find out. But I can tell you that it involves; sarcasm, trains, a lot of weed, fixed relationships, and a helluva lot of fun along the way. You won’t want to miss it.

This was a highly enjoyable read and I’ll be recommending it to all my friends.