Isn't it ironic? Yes, The Father She Went To Find by Carter Wilson is absolutely ironic, in the way that only a psychological thriller with a character driven plot can be!

The idea for this book came to Wilson in the form of a female character, Penny, whom he thought about for months; it's clear that he developed her thoroughly, looking at every aspect of her personality in detail since she is such a fully formed entity. Penny has savant syndrome, meaning she is extremely intelligent, but also undeveloped socially. It was incredible to watch how she interacted with others on her quest to find her father, a man she hasn't seen since she was in a coma fourteen years ago.

I was constantly wondering where Penny's journey would take her, but instead of guessing, I just let the story unfold before me. The plot took many turns along the way, but none more shocking than how it ended! I could tell it was going to be this type of ending shortly before it unfolded, but watching it play out was a beautiful thing! This ending is perfection and I'm not sure I've ever encountered a finale that perfectly fit the main character and book so well!

I love what Wilson said about Penny's happiness in the Author's Note (especially related to the books ending). As a lover of character-based novels, Penny's story will be one that stays with me for awhile!

This audiobook is narrated by Gina Rogers and she did a phenomenal job embodying Penny. There was both empathy in her voice towards Penny, while still completely personifying the character. I really noticed the slight quietness that Rogers employed at times, emphasizing the importance of the specific scene.

I can't wait to read more from Wilson, after loving this one so much!

Thank you NetGalley, Kaye Publicity, Poisoned Pen Press and Dreamscape Media for the complimentary copies to read and review.

Penny is a savant- one of 75 in the world with her abilities. But she wasn’t born with them, she gained them after a tragic accident when she was young. After leading a fairly sheltered life, Penny decides to leave her school and the only place she has ever lived at age 21 to find the father that abandoned her the day of her accident. She sets off with no plan, food or transportation and very little money. She may be book smart but not overly street smart. She meets Travis who helps her with transportation and the two quickly become involved in dangerous situations on their journey out west.

I enjoyed this book, it was fast paced and was suspenseful the whole time, it did a good job creating tension and I couldn’t wait to see how they would get themselves out of the messes they got theirselves into. The audiobook narrator was easy to listen to and did a good job at capturing Penny’s unique spirit. I enjoyed finding out Penny’s brain worked, how numbers equal a color (I thought putting the color that correlated with each chapter number would have been really cool) Penny’s growth though out the book was great also, discovering how strong she was when she had to be

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media and Carter Wilson for the audio ARC in exchange for my review.

This book was a real mixed bag... There were parts that were clever, different, and unexpected. But there were so many things that I could have done without or just felt overdone..
The whole storyline felt like a case of "anything bad that could happen, will.". While I enjoyed Penny's special talents, I could have done without the synesthesia, seeing numbers as colors. It just seemed like one more thing and didn't necessarily help the story at all besides being a fun parlor trick that you couldn't really prove anyway, because anyone could randomly assign a color to a number..
I appreciated it being set in the 80s,as it was still modern enough without having all of the tracking concerns of modern technology. I did think that the use of strong language, especially in the first half of the book, felt so unnecessary and kept pulling me out of the story... It just didn't feel like it fit with the innocent, protected Penny...
The last thing I'll say is that I thought the ending was well done and I don't regret listening to it, even if it's not going to be high on my list of books to recommend to people.

Happy 21st birthday Penny!🥳

After a traumatic fall as a child, Penny was left in a coma. When she recovered, she was never the same. But in a positive way... she developed a photographic memory. She became a one-percenter...of brilliant minds.

Those near to her considered her a savant. As she studied at an academy devoted to those with brilliant minds, they also studied her.

But now at 21, with her mentor leaving the school, Penny decided it was the perfect time to venture out. It was time to find her father. The man who despicably left her the day of her accident. She needs answers and maybe some long needed closure.

This would be her first time out on her own. And so the road trip of a life-time begins. It will be filled with colorful characters, amazing adventures as well as many dangerous moments. Is Penny ready to see the world? Is the world ready for Penny?

Strangely addictive! Though Penny’s naivety gave this book a bit of a YA feel and some of the situations she got herself into were a bit OOT, I still had a hard time putting this one down.

I chose the audio version, and the narrator did a great job with Penny’s character but her inflections for the males were a bit odd at times.

My only other (minimal) criticism is the book title. I nearly passed this one up because of it. (But that’s just me). 💁🏻‍♀️

This is the fourth book I’ve read by this author and am looking forward to more!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media🎧

A intriguing story with some action sprinkled in.

I have to say, this book pleasantly surprised me. Penny, the main character, was unique and interesting to read about. While the plot did get a bit unrealistic at times, I found it to be quite entertaining overall. However, I do want to mention that the story's ending is left open, which might not be everyone's cup of tea. But if you're in the mood for a mystery with some thrilling action, I highly recommend giving this novel a chance.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Carter Wilson, and Dreamscape Media for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

Well done! I really enjoyed this one! Loved the quick and easy chapters. The main character doesn’t always make the best choices for someone being so intelligent but I liked that part of it. Many plot twists and lots of stuff to keep you intrigued!

I enjoyed the short chapters, but the book read a little choppy and was sometimes all over the place. The plot had some good potential, but I don’t feel it was executed well.

EXCERPT: July 13, 1987
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Monday

I remember everything.
This isn't an exaggeration. As the few who know me would confirm, I'm not prone to hyperbole. And when I say I remember everything, I'm not talking about the events of this morning. Or yesterday. Or the whole of last week.
I remember everything since October 7, 1973.

ABOUT 'THE FATHER SHE WENT TO FIND': A road trip to find closure… or a reckless chase that could turn deadly?

Penny has never met anyone smarter than her. That's par for the course when you're a savant--one of less than one hundred in the world. But despite her photographic memory and super-powered intellect, there's one mystery Penny's never been able to solve: why did her father leave when she was in a coma at age seven, and where is he now?

On Penny's twenty-first birthday, she receives a card in the mail from him, just as she has every year since he left. But this birthday card is different. For the first time ever, there's a return address. And a goodbye.

Penny doesn't know the world beyond her mother's house and the special school she's attended since her unusual abilities revealed themselves, but the mystery of her father's disappearance becomes her new obsession. For the first time ever, she decides to leave home, to break free of everything that has kept her safe and use her gifts to answer the questions that have always eluded her. What Penny doesn't realize is she might not be able to outsmart a world far more complicated and dangerous than she'd ever imagined...

MY THOUGHTS: If there is one thing The Father She Went to Find by Carter Wilson reinforces, it's that intelligence doesn't always equal common sense.

The entire narrative is from Penny's point of view. A savant, she is determined to find her father who disappeared while she was aged seven and in a coma. The only clues she has to go on are the birthday cards she has received each year from different locations and a treasure map relating to a road trip the two of them took when she was aged six.

Penny hasn't really lived in the 'real world' since she woke from her coma with her new abilities. She has been isolated and protected in 'The Institute' (a nod to Stephen King?) only returning home to check on her alcoholic mother. She has no friends and the only person she feels close to is a doctor at the Institute - that is, until she meets Travis.

I have to admit to having been quite fascinated by this story. I didn't always like it, but it did fascinate me. It's a real mix of a tender coming-of-age story with a crime thriller with bad guys, car chases, guns and bodies. Surprisingly, it mostly works.

The ending isn't going to please everyone. Personally, I liked it.

I recommend you go into this read with no expectations. I went in expecting it to be a certain type of read, and it was nothing like I expected. This may have slightly affected my rating, and this is something I can think on and adjust.

I was lucky enough to receive both a digital and an audio ARC of The Father She Went to Find by Carter Wilson, and I honestly preferred the written to the audio. This is no reflection on the skills of narrator Gina Rogers who did a perfectly adequate job of the narration. It is just a personal preference with this book.

⭐⭐⭐.5

#TheFatherSheWenttoFind #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Born in New Mexico in 1970, Carter grew up primarily in Los Angeles before attending Cornell University in New York. He lived in Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Miami before moving to Boulder, Colorado in 1996. Throughout his life, Carter has journeyed the globe for both work and pleasure, and his travels have been a constant source of inspiration in his fiction.
Carter’s writing career began on a spring day in 2003, when an exercise to ward off boredom during a continuing-education class evolved into a 400-page manuscript. Since that day, Carter has been constantly writing.
Carter lives in Erie, Colorado in a Victorian house that is spooky but isn’t haunted…yet.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and Dreamscape Media via NetGalley for providing both a digital and audio ARC of The Father She Went to Find written by Carter Wilson and narrated by Gina Rogers for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

The Father she Went to Find by Carter Wilson is due for publication 2nd April 2024.

This is going to be hard to explain but this is one of the few books that would have been better as a a movie. I say this because it would have been better with some way to move the story along that didn’t concentrate on this main character’s inner monologue and conversations with a dad she doesn’t remember but somehow has elevated in her mind. The story was good. It read very much like a first draft of a very young writer. I am not sure how to explain it better than that. This would have been one of those oddball on the road meets crazy people on a journey. Almost like Poker Face with a teenager who is not at all world wise.

Thank you so much to Dreamscape Media for the free audiobook!

I was absolutely HOOKED on this from the moment I hit play! The first person narration and incredible narrator (Gina Rogers) really made this impossible to put down. I basically listened to the entire thing straight through.

I can't say too much without giving anything away and think it's best if readers go in blind, but suffice it to say things did not go the way I expected them to. When the major twist came, I was absolutely surprised and flabbergasted! The whole premise of this one felt fresh and original!

As a Wisconsinite, this gets bonus points for taking place in Eau Claire, WI!

I will say there was way too much cursing for my taste it almost felt like every other sentence and it became a distraction after a certain point.

Overall, I think this will be a huge hit!

3..5 stars rounded to four for GR

This will be available for purchase on April 5, 2024.

I like the way Carter Wilson tells a story. Even when things go so far out there that they should, by rights, result in eye rolls that threaten to dislodge my actual eyeballs, he somehow manages to hold all the pieces together long enough to bring me right 'round again, feeling satisfied and darkly amused at the whole ride. I'm not sure how he does it, but he does it time and again - and this book was no exception.

It starts as a sort of straightforward story, with a girl on a quest to find her father. But of course, as it's a Carter Wilson story, the girl is a savant who developed abilities after a mysterious fall (push?) down the stairs at age 7. And her father fled while she was in the coma that resulted. From there things only get crazier (seriously), with drifters and murders and cops-who-aren't-cops and car jackings and an increasingly desperate cross-country flight that takes the form of a scavenger hunt from her long-lost father. Sound crazy yet? Because it is. And as I'm trying to explain it, I realize that I should never have found the energy to finish a book with a description like that, let alone actually enjoyed it, and yet I did - on both accounts.

It's not going to be for everyone. It's fairly random and there's a LOT of (melo)drama going on, but it's a heck of a ride so just go in it, sit back, and enjoy the chaos!

Hmm.
I’m not really sure how I feel about the book. It’s unique, but I would say it shares the same vibe as the show Stranger Things, minus the monsters. If it weren’t for a couple of moments, I would have thought this was a book for adolescents.
Penny has special abilities and lives in a “facility”. When she turns 21, she decides to break out on her own and find her father. She joins forces with a couple of folks along the way and gets into some trouble too.

Likes- the unique storyline, the characters

Dislikes- the whole “talking to her father in her head” thing, her abilities not being used much in the storyline (the portrait drawings could have been used more and the number/colors could have served a better purpose), the ending didn’t do it for me.

Narrator- I definitely liked her and felt that she fit the Penny character, but she has a bit of a monotone voice, which caused me to have some trouble paying attention.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ARC on exchange for an honest review.

The Father She Went To Find (audio)
2⭐️

This was a bit boring for me. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of action, but not what I was expecting. The story itself felt all over the place: traumatic brain injury as a child, desire to find dad who ran off 14 years ago, roadtrip with strangers, loan sharks, shootouts, murders, mental conversations with “dad”…all while presented in 1st POV that is void of emotions which reduced the thrill for me. Penny basically never left her bubble until her 21st birthday and once she did every single out-of-left-field-worst-case-scenario is thrown at her. All the way up to the last chapter.

Narrator for FMC was flat which matches the character, but made it difficult to listen to and connect.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing this ARC. This review is being shared on NetGalley and Goodreads.

Pub Date 02 Apr 2024

This was a really good book. Talk about an adventure! I enjoyed the story although I found it a little odd how trusting people can be when they themselves trying to keep their own secrets. I enjoyed the narrator in this book.

First read by this author and I definitely enjoyed the writing. An accidental savant who’s been a bit too sheltered decides to practice her independence with a road-trip to find her father. Making some unexpected friends along the way, this has the feeling of a perfect summer read. Plot was easy to follow and narration was great. My only complaint is that the ending of the book was a little tedious to get through. Overall great read.

I've been a Carter Wilson fan since his first book and I've read every book since. I've watched his progression as a writer from 'really good' to 'excellent' to one of the absolute very best mystery writers out there! One of the things that appeals to me about Carter's writing is that his books are not just mysteries, they're also character studies and detailed stories about people. His exquisite use of vocabulary makes the book come alive for me and makes me remember his detailed descriptions long after I've finished the book.
Some of his books are deliciously creepy while others are more true-to-life. In most cases, the books hit a perfect balance between the two. That's the case with this book. The characters are realistic and interesting, the story - though not something most of us would ever experience - is fast-paced and gripping. Carter manages to make the sometimes unbelievable totally believable. This one is another page-turner for sure!!!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook. A thriller!!! This was an intense action movie in my head. I couldn’t imagine going through all of this to find a person. The ending was absolutely unexpected and twisted. The narrators voice was a little bland for me but it wasn’t distracting enough to take away from the book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥: 𝔸𝕦𝕕𝕚𝕠𝕓𝕠𝕠𝕜

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥, 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞, 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐤𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭-𝐩𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠! 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤?? 𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝, 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫? 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠-𝐨𝐟-𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲. 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐼 𝒸𝒶𝓃𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓇𝑒𝒸𝑜𝓂𝓂𝑒𝓃𝒹 𝒾𝓉 𝑒𝓃𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽.

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐨 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠? 𝓣𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓲𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐩!

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐁𝐥𝐲, 𝐚 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝟕𝟓 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬. 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬? 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐬. 𝐎𝐡, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨. 𝐸𝓋𝑒𝓇.

𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 "𝐠𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐬," 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞, 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲'𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐩𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐛, 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫. 𝒮𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓋𝑒𝓈 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓁𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃 $𝟣𝟢𝟢 𝒾𝓃 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓅𝑜𝒸𝓀𝑒𝓉, 𝓃𝑜 𝒸𝒶𝓇 𝓉𝑜 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓃𝒶𝓂𝑒, 𝓃𝑜 𝓅𝓁𝒶𝓃, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓃𝑜 𝒾𝒹𝑒𝒶 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒻𝒶𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒾𝓈. 𝐈𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫–𝐚 "𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐩"–𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐩 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫 (𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫).

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠-𝐨𝐟-𝐚𝐠𝐞. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐬𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐫!

𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐬: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓. 𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫.

ℝ𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝔻𝕒𝕥𝕖: 𝔸𝕡𝕣𝕚𝕝 𝟚, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟜

𝐻𝓊𝑔𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝒩𝑒𝓉𝒢𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎, 𝒞𝒶𝓇𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒲𝒾𝓁𝓈𝑜𝓃, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒫𝑜𝒾𝓈𝑜𝓃𝑒𝒹 𝒫𝑒𝓃 𝒫𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝑔𝒾𝓋𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓂𝑒 𝒶 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝑒 𝒶𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜-𝒜𝑅𝒞 𝒾𝓃 𝑒𝓍𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓃𝑔𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒽𝑜𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝓇𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌!

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an early audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Penny is a savant with perfect recall due to an accident as a child. Penny has had a very sheltered life spending most of her time being studied by doctors. She hasn't seen her father in years and after getting one of her annual birthday cards from him she decides to go find him. Lots of mishaps happen along the way (much more intense than I was expecting). Overall I enjoyed the book.

Gina Rogers did a great job narrating.

That road trip story I listened to was something else. It wasn't just about hitting the highway; it was an emotional journey, especially for someone like me, living with autism. The main character stepping outside her comfort zone to find her father was truly inspiring. It wasn't easy for her, but she did it, and that made me feel proud.

I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire audio. It was gripping, even though it didn't fit the typical thriller mold. But that's what made it stand out. It wasn't just about the twists and turns of the road; it was about the twists and turns of life. And let me tell you, I felt every single one of them.

Sometimes, stories like this can hit close to home, and that's exactly what happened here. It wasn't just entertainment; it was a reminder that anything is possible, even when it feels like the odds are stacked against you. And for someone like me, that message is invaluable.

So, yeah, that road trip story wasn't just a story. It was an experience—one that I won't forget anytime soon.