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Recklessly loyal.
That’s how seventeen-year-old Arden Huntley has always thought of herself. Caring for her loved ones is what gives Arden purpose in her life and makes her feel like she matters. But lately she’s grown resentful of everyone—including her needy best friend and her absent mom—taking her loyalty for granted.
Then Arden stumbles upon a website called Tonight the Streets Are Ours, the musings of a young New York City writer named Peter, who gives voice to feelings that Arden has never known how to express. He seems to get her in a way that no one else does, and he hasn’t even met her.
Until Arden sets out on a road trip to find him.
During one crazy night out in New York City filled with parties, dancing, and music—the type of night when anything can happen, and nearly everything does—Arden discovers that Peter isn’t exactly who she thought he was. And maybe she isn’t exactly who she thought she was, either.

I have a really specific pet-peeve of getting annoyed by books that claim they are road trip books, but actually spend a really small amount of time in a car. And this, sadly, turned out to be one of those books. You see, I really have a soft spot for road trip books, so I just find myself being left feeling disappointed when they don’t do what they claim to do.

I found myself simultaneously being annoyed by but also relating to Arden. I could see myself in her and understand why she acted the way she did, but she also made me want to throw the book at the wall. She is a frustrated teenage girl who is loyal to those around her, and realises she doesn’t get the same back. I can relate to this, but then she started really taking it out on those people around her, which I struggled to read about.

Love means sometimes sacrificing the things you want in order to make somebody else happy. 

Don’t get me wrong, I did like this book. In fact, I quite enjoyed it. It just seemed to bring out more negativity than positivity and honestly left me feeling a little let down, which is not the kind of book I want right now. Although I could appreciate the morals and values in this book, I found it hard to feel happy that Arden was learning them. It was just kind of hard to swallow.

The plot is kind of slow, but easy to read. I really got into the swing of it when I got to the blog posts, and I found myself being more engaged in them than in the book itself. The concept is actually really clever and definitely made me read ahead and want to get through the book quickly – I was very drawn into finding out about Peter’s life.

It means being there for them, even when maybe you don’t feel like it, because they need you.

There are definitely parts of this book I enjoyed, and I really liked the subject of Arden learning more about herself and learning to love herself. Seeing her grow throughout the story was probably the best part, alongside learning about Peter and the blog. I think one of the reasons this book let me down a little was due to the fact I was comparing it to Radio Silence, which I enjoyed much more!

★★★
3 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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