Kissing in America by Margo Rabb

Kissing in America

by Margo Rabb

In the two years since her father died, sixteen-year-old Eva has found comfort in reading romance novels -- 118 of them, to be exact -- to dull the pain of her loss that's still so present. Her romantic fantasies become a reality when she meets Will, who seems to truly understand Eva's grief. Unfortunately, after Eva falls head-over-heels for him, he picks up and moves to California without any warning. Not wanting to lose the only person who has been able to pull her out of sadness -- and, perhaps, her shot at real love -- Eva and her best friend, Annie, concoct a plan to travel to the west coast to see Will again. As they road trip across America, Eva and Annie confront the complex truth about love.

Reviewed by bookishzelda on

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I adored Kissing in America, it’s one of those books that you can’t even completely describe the vibe you get from it. It’s a great story for so many reasons..the different types of love, the diversity and the travel.

I loved the plot of the book. There is nothing like a good road trip in my mind and I admit that I have actually road tripped to see a boy in high school. He was also my “kind of” “sort of” dating guy friend. It was similar in the aspect that I had convince my friends that we would go camping as well as seeing him, they needed a reason to make the drive. That is still one of my favorite trips and reading reminded me of it and I couldn’t help smiling.When Eva and Annie set out on the trip, they know that it’s going to be an adventure but they definitely didn’t realize how much they are going to learn about themselves and the people in their lives.

I liked that even though Eva’s father passed away a long time ago, she is still going through the grieving process. There is no time limit on grief and the book is such a great depiction of that. I’ve always thought of it for myself is that you never really get over it but you learn to live with it. It’s just another component of you. Eva never really had the proper closure that she needed and it has put a strain on her relationship with her mom and how she views the people around her.

Annie is the fantastic friend that takes the journey with her. Annie is always supportive and understanding no matter what happens with Eva. She is working towards an awesome scholarship and there is a pivotal point between the two girls that kind of show the give and take.It also proves Annie’s character.

The romance is also very well depicted. There were times when I thought it was cute how Will and Eva wrote actual letters and other times where I thought it was weird he didn’t use a cell phone.

The cast of characters that are from New York and that they meet along the way are brilliant. It’s such a fantastic book because of it’s diversity and age representation. We have everything from Aunt Gonorrhea to a Cowboy that wants more out of life then shoveling hay.

I really like Margo Rabb’s writing style. I described it to my husband as short sentences but that’s probably not the best descriptive. It kind of has that poetic quality. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t but with this story I think it really did. I also loved the little romance novel version of events thrown in since Eva is a big fan of them. Plus Margo incorporated so many cool poems and literary figures.

I really loved Kissing in America and I thought the book had one of those perfect endings. The kind that makes you walk away and leaves you with a satisfied vibe. Like wow that was a great read.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 19 May, 2015: Finished reading
  • 19 May, 2015: Reviewed