This Adventure Ends

by Emma Mills

Sloane isn't expecting to fall in with a group of friends when she moves from New York to Florida -- especially not a group of friends so intense, so layered with private tragedies and secret codes, and so all-consuming. Yet that's exactly what happens. Sloane becomes closest to Vera, a social-media star who lights up any room, and Gabe, Vera's twin brother and most serious person Sloane has ever met. When a beloved painting by the twins' late mother goes missing, Sloane takes on the responsibility of tracking it down, a journey that crosses state lines -- and pulls her ever deeper into the twins' lives.

• ISBN10: 1627799354
• ISBN13: 9781627799355
• Publish Date: 4 October 2016
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 21 November 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Henry Holt & Company Inc
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[alindstadtcorbeax]

Star Rating: —> 5 Stars

This gut punched me so hard in the best way possible. I couldn’t stop crying for the last 100 pages because of a serious case of the feels over friendship, family, & finding love. Warm, fluffy, deep, & meaningful feels everywhere over here.

Plus SO SWOON WORTHY!

Just FYI- 100 pages is A LOT of tears. I feel like i’m probably dehydrated or whatever now.

Read with caution— and a couple of water bottles, because you know, the dehydration.

So yeah.

100% recommend this!

Emma Mills is a YA contemporary Goddess.

That is all.

[bestmessever]

I felt so seen and understood by this book. I totally related to all the fandom things throughout, in so many ways this book was a love letter to fandom and those in my opinion are always the best kinds. There is something truly magical about a book that so perfectly encapsulates how fanfiction makes people feel mainly because so much of that is just a very inelegant keyboard smash or pterodactyl screech. This book makes you laugh even when it is dealing with some hard hitting topics but it is never insensitive and I truly love that about it. I think this book is a godsend for all the fandom people out there laying in their beds reading fanfiction at 3am and knowing that the only thing keeping them alive is the next chapter.

[Sam@WLABB]

I can never really narrow down what it is that I love about an Emma Mills book. It's really a combination of everything, and the way it all makes me feel. Here's a hint: her books make me happy, and this book left me with a smile that totally reached my eyes.

Since I am bad at articulating my love for Emma Mills' books, I will just give you a list of five fabulous things in this book.

1. The friendship was the heart of the story. Sloane was sort of a loner back in NYC, which was why relocating during her senior year didn't seem to phase her, but luck brought Vera and her crew into Sloane's life, and they decided to "keep her". This group had their ups and downs, but there was so much love and affection shared between them all. Each of them served an important role as part of the whole, and Sloane fit right in with them. It was a beautiful thing to see.

2. The relationship between Sloane and her dad was pretty fabulous. These two definitely shared a special bond, and I loved their interactions. It was easy to see where Sloane got her wit and humor from too.

3. I loved the twins so much! Gabe and Vera were quite a pair. They played off each other so well, but they also were there for one another and supported each other. Both were still working through their grief from their mother's death, and I was just so happy that the universe brought them into Sloane's life.

4. The search for the painting was something I really enjoyed. I absolutely adored the excursions, which led them to more excursions as Sloane's obsession with the painting escalated.

5. Gabe and Sloane and the slow burn for the win. These two danced around each other for almost the whole book, but I enjoyed the way they were feeling each other out, and their banter was so, so good. They also were able to uncover parts of each other they kept hidden from the world, and connections like that are gold.

If you asked me what I loved about this book, I would have to say EVERYTHING! Once again, Emma Mills has won my heart, made me smile, and left me wanting more.

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[nitzan_schwarz]

To read this review and more check out my blog Afterwords!

This is a Frank Approved Book.

I can't tell you I fell in love with this book the way I did Mills's [b:Foolish Hearts|33275690|Foolish Hearts|Emma Mills|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1487081647s/33275690.jpg|53998283]. That book owned me--body and soul--from the very first pages. This one was more slow-burn; it started out rather cool, but slowly heated to the point of boiling. So if you want to know the verdict ahead of time... Yes, I recommend this book. Yes, go get it. Yes, you're not going to regret it.

What I truly find fascinating about Mills is how she manages to write people. Like, I know that sounds stupid. Doesn't every book does it? No, not really. Not like this. Not in the way her characters feel entirely too real, completely three dimensional and full of layers, the way real people do. They're not a caricature or the way someone thinks a person could or should be. They just... are. Complete with imperfect lives, and issues that remain unsolved, and some that stay unexplored. I like that. I like that a lot.

Reading Mills's novels is like being given a momentary peek into these people's lives. It's almost as if they will continue long after me, the same way the did long before me. It's slightly depressing, and yet entirely uplifting.

But who are those enigmatic people? The main is, obviously, Sloane, who tells this story. At first, I felt mostly removed from her. Looking back, I feel like that might have been because she's like that with other people. She is snarky, quiet and very forthcoming. She cares a whole lot, without ever realizing she does. She doesn't know how to do friendships and relationships and yet she somehow manages to stumble into quite a few of them.

By the end of the novel, I was crying when she was crying, feeling crushed when she was, and desperate to give her a hug and promise her everything will be okay.

Now, the theme of this book is FRIENDSHIPS in all caps. And you know, Emma Mills slays friendships the way Buffy slays Vampires, making it look as easy to write as cutting butter.

"Just so you know," I say, "I would straight-up kill for you"

Sloane moves towns. She meets sunshine girl Vera. She meets her strong-and-silent twin brother Gabe. She meets Remy and Aubrey, their best friends, who used to be the golden couple. She meets party planner extraordinaire Frank. And somehow, miraculously, she becomes part of the group. She expands the group. Becomes a central piece of it. Grows to love these people and be loved by them, Even if she doesn't see it.

And that process... that process is everything. It's a slow, steady, flowing river; one day you don't know each other. The next you may be friends. Then you're maybe possibly besties and then... then you are, no questions asked. My heart overflows at this.

Mills writes friendships in a way that is really hard to describe. She makes them awkward and quirky and real. So fucking real.

Everything about this book is real; how life takes time. How sometimes you can be so unsure of everything. How sometimes you can be 100% certain. How sometimes parents fight and have issues 'cause they are not perfect. How dads can lose their muse, and maybe a little bit of themselves with it. How people die... and how people move on. How it's hard to care, but even harder to stop once you've started. How relationships can succeed.. but they can also fail. How a family can be born, but it can also be made. How you can learn to love. How... everything.

It was just all so realistic and complex, and I loved it. Loved, loved, loved it.

However, if you're here to read a romance book, I would suggest picking up Foolish Hearts or a Kasie West novel, because THIS ADVENTURE ENDS doesn't get there for a loooong time. Mostly because, again, this book is about all caps FRIENDSHIP. But you do have a couple or two to root for, and it's definitely fun to see them form organically. And let me assure you right now, we do get kisses. I repeat: we do get kisses. Hang in there.

P.S. I need a book about Frank. That guy is pure, and great, and charming, and electrifying, and absolutely fabulous, and he NEEDS to be the hero of his own book!! Pretty please?


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___________________________________


Original Unedited Thoughts:
I can't say I fell in love with this book the way I did Mills's [b:Foolish Hearts|33275690|Foolish Hearts|Emma Mills|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1487081647s/33275690.jpg|53998283]. That book owned me, body and soul. And yet, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I recommend This Adventure Ends, because this is, without a doubt, a Frank Approved Book.

What I find truly fascinating about Mills is how she manages to write people.Like, I know, that sounds stupid. But she does. Her characters feel real, and three dimensioned, and layered, the way real people do. They're not one way or another. Their lives are not perfect. Not all their issues are solved. Not all their issues are even explored. I like that. I like the feeling like I am being given a momentary peek into this people's lives, but they will continue long after me, the same way they did long before me.

The people in question are vast. The first is, obviously, Sloane, who tells us the story. At first, I was a bit removed from her. I think it's mostly because she is removed from other people. She is snarky and quiet, and very forthcoming. She cares a lot without ever realizing she does. She is unfamiliar with friendships and relationships, and yet she somehow manages to stumble into quite a few of them. By the end of the novel, I was crying when she was crying, and just generally wishing to give her a giant hug.

That's the theme of this book, really. FRIENDSHIP. In all caps.

"Just so you know", I say, "I would straight-up kills for you."

Sloane makes friends. She meets Vera. She meets Gabe. She meets Remy and Aubrey. She meets Frank. And somehow, miraculously, she joins the group. Becomes a central part of it. She grows to love these people, and they grow to love her. Even if she doesn't see it.

Mills writes this so freaking well. This slow process, this one-day-you-don't-know-each-other-and-the-next-you-might-be-friends-and-then-maybe-besties-and-then-for-sure-besties
situation. I love it. It's safe to say I am kind of in love with Mills's friendships because they are precious and awkward, and quirky, and real. So fucking real.

Everything about this book is real. How life takes time. How sometimes you can be so unsure of everything. How sometimes you can be so certain. How sometimes parents fight and have issues because they're not perfect. How dads can lose their muse, and maybe a little bit of themselves with it. How people die, and people move on. How it's hard to care, but it's even harder to turn your back once you learn how to. How relationships can succeed, but they can also break. How a family can be born... but it can also be MADE. How you can learn to love. How... everything.

It was just all so realistic and complex, and I loved it.

If you want to read a romance, pick some other book, even Foolish Hearts. Because This Adventure Ends takes its sweet time with. Mostly because, well, it's about FRIENDSHIP. In all caps. But you do have a couple to root for, perhaps more than one, and it's fun to see them form. And thank you baby Jesus that we get kisses after all that way. I'm saying this for your own good. You WILL get a kiss. Hang in there.

Oh, and can I get a Frank book? I NEED a book about Frank. That guy is pure, and great, and charming, and electrifying, and he NEEDS his own book. Pretty please?

More eloquently put thoughts later when I process everything

[Jyc]

★★ // had a hard time empathizing with sloane. didn’t care for the romance. hated most of the people in the circle. i was team remy all the way.

[Bianca]

Alone didn’t always mean lonely, but sometimes it did, and even then, she reveled in it. Lunches in the music room. Afternoons reading in the park. Loneliness was a kind of wanting, but it was also this incredible freedom. Not having to rely on anyone or have anyone rely on her. No one to disappoint or be disappointed by. Alone was good and comforting and dependable.

— About friendship and how we struggle to open up to people we call friends, and this is something I really resonated with. A new favorite!