(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Chloe is weeks away from college when she embarks on a grand European adventure with her boyfriend and two best friends. Their destination is Barcelona, with its promise of romance and mystery, but first they must detour through the historic cities of Eastern Europe to settle an old family debt.
As they traverse the unfamiliar landscape of the post-Communist world, Chloe meets a boy on a train who is going off to war. Johnny carries a guitar, an easy smile - and a lifetime of secrets.
The trip becomes a treacherous journey into Europe's and Johnny's darkest past - a journey that threatens to shatter the bonds holding together four lifelong friends.
From Riga to Treblinka to Trieste, Chloe must face her deepest desires colliding with the future she thought she wanted.
For Chloe and Johnny only one thing is certain: whatever their destination, their lives will never be the same.

I became familiar with this authors work after reading Tully. A genuinely stunning novel that I have read a few times since. Since then I have read everything Paullina Simons puts out. Not everything is a home-run (there has been one or two that were disappointing) but, for the most part, they are all solid books.

This one is no exception.

While it is a little similar in concept as Road to Paradise (friends travelling together across a country/continent, pick up a stranger who joins them for the rest of the trip and Johnny has secrets that could change all their lives - although there is romance in this one), it was a vastly different story.

Also, the book starts slowly - a lot of people have commented on it and, like them, I say - KEEP GOING!! It is so worth the read. By the time you get to the halfway mark, I suggest you will be riveted and would be unlikely to drag yourself away from the story of Chloe and her friends. And Johnny. Johnny really does make this story exceptional.

Is this the best thing Paullina Simons has written? Probably not (I find it hard to get past Tully as my favourite) but it is certainly in the top three. It is highly recommended!


Paul
ARH