Blog Tour: Your Destination is on the Left - Lauren Spieller

Your Destination is on the Left
Lauren Spieller
Series: n/a
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Dessa Rhodes is a modern day nomad. Her family travels in an RV, their lives defined by state lines, exit signs, and the small communal caravan they call home. Among them is Cyrus, her best friend and long-time crush, whom she knows she can never be with. When your families are perpetually linked, it’s too dangerous to take a risk on romance.

Instead, Dessa looks to the future. She wants to be a real artist and going to art school is her ticket to success and a new life. There’s just one problem: she hasn’t been accepted…anywhere. Suddenly her future is wide open, and it looks like she’s going to be stuck traveling forever.

Then an unexpected opportunity presents itself: an internship working with a local artist in Santa Fe. Dessa struggles to prove to her boss—and herself—that she belongs there, but just as she finally hits her stride, her family suffers an unexpected blow. Faced with losing everything that she has worked for, Dessa has a difficult decision to make. Will she say goodbye to her nomadic lifestyle and the boy she loves? Or will she choose to never stop moving?

In case you were wondering what this book was about, I was given this awesome gif story, which lays out some of the major plot points.

Your Destination Is on the Left tells the story of nomadic teen artist Dessa Rhodes, who wants nothing more than to settle down and go to college.

Unfortunately, she doesn't get in anywhere.

She thinks her future is ruined, until she gets an internship in Santa Fe. Dessa and the families she travels with jump into their RVs, and head west.

The journey is full of surprises--including a hot cowboy in a crowded Oklahoma City bar--but the only guy Dessa really wants to be with is Cyrus, her best friend who travels with her.

Things between them are going well (and I mean really well...did you see that gif?!), until late one night when they get into a fight, and Cyrus leaves. With Cyrus gone, Dessa focuses on her internship, but it's hard to break through her fear of failure, especially now that she doesn't have Cyrus there to help her through.

But Dessa refuses to give up on her future or Cyrus. Instead, Dessa must look inside herself for inspiration, and decide once and for all: is she going to let failure get the best of her, or is she going to start a new adventure on her own terms?

To find out how Dessa’s story ends—and what happens between she and Cyrus—pick up a copy of Your Destination Is on the Left!

REVIEW

The family motto was "never stop moving". Though they meant it terms of physical location, it applied to Dessa with respect to her emotional and personal growth.

Dessa's family had been living a nomadic life for the past five years, but Dessa had plans of her own. She aspired and worked towards the goal of going to art school and becoming an artist. She yearned for some independence, and not having all her life choices decided by a group vote. However, after countless college rejections, she believed she would be "stuck" in this life of her parents' making.

It seemed the universe had different plans for her, and she was awarded an internship with an artist she admired.

To me, this was where the story really began. It was where Dessa had to make some really big decisions about her life and her future. She was in a constant battle with her head and her heart. She loved her family, and there were many aspects of the nomad life she enjoyed, but she could not attain her dreams if she continued moving from place to place. She grappled with being loyal to her family, making the decisions she knew they wanted her to make, or choosing herself for a change.

My heart really broke for Dessa as this battle waged in her heart, and then because things weren't complicated enough, her romantic life kind of took off. Yet another thing Dessa would need to consider in her decision making process.

Though the romance wasn't the main focus of this story, you know I loved it. I adored the pairing, the tension, the wonderful things he did for Dessa, and the added layer of conflict it added to the story. And, well, a good romance always makes me happy.

In Summary

• Dessa was a great main character, and her journey towards fulfilling her own dreams and her personal struggle felt really honest. 
• Cyrus was all sorts of fabulous. I was a fan. 
• The peek into the art world was very interesting, and I really enjoyed it. 
• Lots of family focus, most of which really tugged at my heartstrings. 
• I was hooked immediately by this nomadic lifestyle thing, and wanted to know more. 
• The traveling was fun and I liked getting to visit different parts of the US. 
• I felt like everyone grew over the course of this book. 

Overall

A heartwarming and beautiful story of one girl's struggle to make her dreams comes true.

* ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BOOK LINKS

GOODREADS | AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY | B&N | IBOOKS | KOBO 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lauren Spieller is a literary agent who lives in New York with her husband. When she isn’t writing, she can be found drinking lattes, pining for every dog she sees, or visiting her native California. YOUR DESTINATION IS ON THE LEFT is her debut novel. Follow her on Twitter @laurenspieller.

WEBSITE | GOODREADS 
TWITTER |  INSTAGRAM | TUMBLER 

FOLLOW THE TOUR

June 20th

Pink Polka Dot Books- Welcome Post

June 21st

The Heart of a Book Blogger- Interview
BookCrushin- Gif Story

June 22nd

Bookmark Lit- Cover Colors/Outfit Collage
Belle's Book Blog- Book Style
That Bookshelf Bitch -Review & Favorite Quotes


June 23rd
Book Slaying- Review & Favorite Quotes
Another Book in the Wall- Review & Inspiration Behind the Story

June 24th
Vicky Who Reads- Review
A Dream Within A Dream- Inspiration Behind the Story

June 25th
We Live and Breathe Books- Review & Gif Story
Blushing Bibliophile- Review
Never Too Many To Read- Review

June 26th
It Starts at Midnight- Creative Post
Firstbooklove- Review
F A N N A- Review

Could you live the nomad life?

Let us know in the comments!