No Way Home by Jody Feldman has a great premise and setting, however, I didn't love it as much as I was hoping to. I don't read many YA thrillers but this one wasn't as exciting as some of the thrillers I have read. One of the strengths of the novel are the descriptions of Rome because I could actually picture being there from the descriptions. I prefer thrillers with more minor twists throughout but the big twist felt a bit lacking in this book because the ending felt a little rushed to me. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

No Way Home follows Tessa who was selected for a summer exchange program in Rome. Sofia her Itlian counterpart will stay with Tessa's family while she says with Sofia's family. One night on a video chat with Sofia, Tessa sees Sofia standing over her sleeping parents with a knife. Tessa is left with doing whatever Sofia's family wants or her parents will end up dead.

This was one that sounded really good but was so bad. I enjoyed the first 50 pages but then just got so bored. This plot had so much potential to be so good. But the author did not do a good job. I just do not see what the point of this book was. By the end I just did not care what happened to the characters. This was suppose to be a thriller and I did not get those vibes. I wanted this book to be good so bad.

Tess is so excited for the opportunity to be in an exchange program and go and study Italian in Italy. Her family is from Rome and she’s so excited to learn more about her history and the language. That is until she realizes that her host family is not who they say they are and they have every intention of hurting her, her friends, and her family back home unless she does exactly what they say. As somebody who has studied Italian in Italy I thought that this book was great I could picture myself in Rome, and it gave me a great opportunity to practice my Italian. It was a page turner until the very end and I was convinced that there were some more duplicitous people hiding in the wings. Definitely one that my students would enjoy.

This book was alright. Not my favorite and a YA thriller is hard but it was alright. I had mixed feelings through the story and reading. The beginning was intense and good but then it fell off.

I think the book starts of little.slow but bear with. It's an absolute adrenaline rush when it begins. So exciting and terrifying. Brilliant xx

Oh. My. Gosh.
This book was so freaking interesting. It did start off a bit slow and cheesy, but once Tess's dangerous situation was revealed, I was continuously on edge waiting for the next plot twist to drop. Smart, methodical, and gripping, this book follows a teenage girl who goes to Rome on a foreign language exchange trip, only to find herself as the unwilling pawn of an Italian crime family, the Rossi's. She has to find away to save herself and those she cares about, all whilst making sure the Rossi's don't find the treasure they seem so intent on obtaining. The twists in this book were well thought out, and I enjoyed every second of this.

An on the edge of your seat, suspenseful novel! I was able to feel my heart rapidly beating in my chest reading this! I really enjoyed the very intriguing concept of this book. The descriptions of Italy were amazing, it brought me right back there and I could visualize places in the book easily. This book is not dialogue heavy, it’s very inner monologue heavy, which I don’t normally like, but wasn’t bad in this book. The ending did feel a little rushed, but it did leave me wanting more. I really hope the author turns this into a small series, or at least gives us a sequel!

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the settings, the plot and the family dynamics. It kept me guessing and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I loved the communication barriers dues to the differing languages and the family dynamic was so unique, strange but amazing to read

No Way Home
by Jody Feldman
Pub Date 02 Aug 2021
SOURCEBOOKS Fire, Sourcebooks Fire
Mystery & Thrillers | Teens & YA




Tess Morelli feels like she’s living in a dream she was selected for an incredible exchange program in Rome, where she's spending a month taking in the beautiful sights and sounds and tastes of Italy. Her Italian counterpart, Sofia, is staying with Tess's family while she's away. Her parents may barely speak English, but they seem like they are cool people!





But one day Tess is woken up before dawn by her hosts who are on a video chat with their daughter. She’s shocked to see Sofia brandishing a knife over her sleeping parents on the screen-and Sofia brandishing a knife over them. Her hosts tell her that Tess’s parents will die unless she follows their exact instructions. They've taken her passport, credit cards and phone, and Tess, at their mercy, must commit a series of crimes that add up to a shocking plan. Now Tess must find a way to outwit these criminals before she-and her family-end up dead.



If you are or know someone who love to read Young Adult thrillers, I recommend No Way Home.




I give No Way Home five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

The premise of this book is so exciting and fun, I love the crime vibes it gives.

I liked the unexpected turn it took, also the characters and setting made it a quick read.

Not going to lie, I thought this book was going to be different to what it was. I wanted more dark and twisted then it actually was.
Never the less it was an easy read and the story wasn’t bad, just wasn’t what I expected. I liked that it was quick paced and nothing was drawn out which was great. Just overal not as much of a thriller as I had hoped for.

The characters in the book bring the story alive and leaves you wanting to hear more about them.
I am blown away by this book and the storytelling.

I can't lie, I love the premise of this one, and I genuinely thought that I'd rank it higher, and while the execution was good, it wasn't what I thought it was. It went the way I thought and then went further than what I thought it would, and I found myself getting a tad confused here and there. For a first shot at YA, it isn't terrible, and I think that I would read more from Feldman in the future, I just have to see what else she has out there.

(Will update with blog and social posts when live)

The premise of this book was exciting and gave me true crime vibes. And it was a fun read that kept my attention!

But―I expected more tension and stakes. While the premise led us to believe this book would be very high stakes and dark, it ends up more like a fun investigating adventure that reads like a young YA. Despite the threat of Tess' parents getting killed, I just didn't feel the danger enough.

I liked the puzzles aspect of it, but I also think it was all a bit convenient. Tess would say she has an idea, or she suspects something but never tells the reader what things, so that felt a bit like cheating storytelling-wise. I also feel like she solves everything fast and I lacked some more conflict that would prevent Tess from reaching her goal and put everything more at risk.

That said, I did like the unexpected turn it took despite a lack of twists. The characters were likeable, I enjoyed the Italy settings, and it was a quick read with lots of action.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review*

oved the concept but the presentation wasn't for me. at some point i got confused and didn't understand the huge reveal? it was interesting though and i enjoyed the setting.

Is it not every girls dream to go to Rome? I know, I for one have been dying to get to Rome. I will have to start working on my bucket list in between my enormous stacks of books I would like to read.

No Way Home, is just the right amount of thriller combined with a touch of Young Adult. This book has a plot that thickens over time and it can be quite intense at times. The buildup leading to the twists was on point and kept me engaged throughout the entire book. I felt every single emotion Tess was feeling and even gasped a few times. The character development was executed with precision.

This is a book that a wide demographic would enjoy, the writing style was engaging and fluid. I would recommend this book to all YA and Thriller lovers.

No Way Home

✨ YA mystery
✨ cultural immersion/foreign exchange
✨ girl power vibes 👊

This book had a lot of promise for me, and while I found it a little slow at times, I ultimately enjoyed reading it. As an American who lived in Italy briefly while I was a high schooler, I felt compelled to read the story in it’s entirety. Sometimes I felt it was slow-paced, but this simply could be that I’m not used to reading YA books at this moment.
The wholesome ending saved this book for me. No spoilers but I thought that Tess’s character development was touching.
I recommend this book to anyone, but especially for routine YA mystery readers!

Thank you NetGalley and SourceBooks Fire for this ARC read!

This was my first approved book through netgalley!

At first I thought this book started out a little rough. We dove right into a pretty intense plot idea without a lot of buildup or background knowledge. By the end I felt like maybe this was intentional because that was how Tess was feeling.

Tess just wanted to be a foreign exchange student in Rome- enjoying a cultural experience and learn some family history. Instead she is dropped in with the host family from hell.

Tess learns about her family history all right, in the most intense and unrealistic way ever. Her host family turn out to be not who they said they were and use threats to force Tess to help them carry out a criminal quest.

Tess teams up with a fellow exchange student, Devin, and the two Nancy Drew their way to a satisfying conclusion.

I like that this was a clean, interesting mystery and I could see myself encouraging young adults to read it.

2.5 stars

I read a lot of young adult (YA) novels, so I was excited to read this, as the study abroad element is something that caught my attention. Interesting premise, but it didn't meet my expectations. I had a hard time staying engaged and connecting to the characters. A bit too much telling at times, as well as being somewhat predictable. Younger readers looking for a mild thriller may enjoy this.

3.5 stars
Fast-paced and such a nail biter! The characters were all well developed and I really enjoyed reading from the perspective of Tess. Though, I did think that the plot was a bit predictable and the foreshadowing at the end of each chapter was a bit cheesy. It felt like the author was telling more than showing which got to be a bit distracting and frustrating at times. I think this is better suited for younger readers who want to get into the thriller genre!