BOOK REVIEW: THIS ADVENTURE ENDS BY EMMA MILLS

4.5 stars



*dramatically wipes a tear from the corner of my eye* this book felt like one big, warm hug and i loved it so much

This Adventure Ends flawlessly pulls off the Trifecta of Endearing Contemporaries:

1) Characters + character dynamics. The characters are WONDERFUL. Without a doubt some of the best I've read all year. More than anything, they felt like family. I read this book 2 weeks ago now and I keep thinking back to this group of friends as if they were my own, as if what had happened to them was something I was a part of as much as they were. Sloane is a protagonist after my own heart. (Humour as a defense mechanism? Too relatable.) Probably one of my favourite, if not my favourite, contemporary female protagonist. Gabe is such a grumpy lil cutie. Vera is a ray of sunshine. And don't get me started on Sloane's dad—an absolute gem of a character. 

2) Humour. This book is, quite simply, hilarious. Listen, books rarely make me laugh. A smirk, a full smile maybe, but actual audible laughter? Highly unlikely. This Adventure Ends, however, charmed my socks off. Sloane is like sarcasm reincarnate. And her humour goes along with the other characters' humour so well—you really can't help but love the shit out of them all. I was LOLing all over the place reading this book, and that's definitely not something I took for granted. 

3) Writing/voice. Sloane's voice is so fresh. That's mainly owing to how great of a character she is, but also to how great of a writer Emma Mills is. I was so pleasantly surprised by how Mills was able to cleverly subvert YA trope after YA trope. That's why This Adventure Ends is cute and endearing without being saccharine or sappy: it's able to hits all the right notes at all the right times.

When it comes down to it, This Adventure Ends has a ridiculous amount of heart. It was an absolute joy to read, and I wanna reread it already. 

(not to mention the GORGEOUS book cover that is the cherry on top of this entire story)