Wayward Son (Simon Snow, #2)

by Rainbow Rowell

Wayward Son, the sequel to Carry On, is the stunning YA novel by the bestselling author of Fangirl, Rainbow Rowell. With all of her signature wit and heart, this is Rainbow at her absolute best.

The story is supposed to be over.

Simon Snow did everything he was supposed to do. He beat the villain. He won the war. He even fell in love. Now comes the good part, right? Now comes the happily ever after .

So why can't Simon Snow get off the couch?

What he needs, according to his best friend, is a change of scenery. He just needs to see himself in a new light .

That's how Simon and Penny and Baz end up in a vintage convertible, tearing across the American West. They find trouble, of course. (Dragons, vampires, skunk-headed things with shotguns.) And they get lost. They get so lost, they start to wonder whether they ever knew where they were headed in the first place .

With Wayward Son, Rainbow Rowell has written a book for everyone who ever wondered what happened to the Chosen One after he saved the day. And a book for everyone who was ever more curious about the second kiss than the first.

Come on, Simon Snow. Your hero's journey might be over - but your life has just begun.

• ISBN10: 1509896880
• ISBN13: 9781509896882
• Publish Date: 3 October 2019 (first published 24 September 2019)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 19 December 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan
• Imprint: Macmillan Children's Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[Nessa Luna]

NGL I was super excited for this book but I was hesitant when the reviews came in.. I had picked it up myself a couple of times but put it back on the shelf because I just wasn't feeling it. In the end, I listened to the audiobook and I think that honestly helped a lot.

I was a bit sad there was only one narrator even though there were five POVs, but the more I listened, the more I realised the narrator was doing different voices for each of the characters. That being said, I don't know if it was really necessary to put so many POVs. I know the previous book had those as well, but I'd have been fine if there had been less (maybe one or two).

The story was great, but I do feel like there could have been more. It didn't really pick up for me until I was about halfway through. I did love the story and the characters enough to give it four stars though. I wasn't a fan of the way Simon and Baz interacted though, I mean I get that there might be some strain on their relationship but I just missed Carry On Simon/Baz. I hope the sequel will have more of them being adorable together, please just give me that.

[littleread1]

I have enjoyed these books and characters. It is a bit over the top, but done intentionally and done well. Bas is my spirit animal.

[Steph L]

I want to do a full review of this on my blog. I loved this story, and it was so much fun.

[yendysyerb]

When you write fanfiction for your own book (except the fanfiction is bad. Like really bad).

I adore Carry On but geez... this is a hot mess. Really lacking in the developed character relationships department (which is the most important part of storytelling sooooooooo... And odd, as the first book was all about developing a character relationship). Such a humdrum (get it?), superficial story. Do I care what's going on with Agatha and her cardboard cutout friend? I damn well do not. The antagonist is such a pile of nothing, I can't even remember what frat boy name he had. This entire book really lacked stakes, which made the conflicts feel so null and void. Worst of all, this book doesn't function well on its own. It adds almost no development of the characters or their relationships, and feels very much like a throwaway story. There is hardly any resolution, as the ending is basically an advertisement to buy the next book. Even on the basis of adding to the world building it does a piss poor job. How do you possibly make a tour across America, Route 66 style, boring? By forgetting to take a hot second and write about it. The story stampedes ahead with little to no room for pause, and becomes just a blur of hotels and restaurants. We hear mention of all the mythical wonders out there in America, but we hardly get a good look at any of it. There is just such a lack of depth to everything here.

That's all I got right now. Peace out!

[Stephanie]

I am VERY EMOTIONAL.

[alindstadtcorbeax]

Star Rating: —> 5 Stars