I really enjoyed this memoir, but I wouldn't recommend it to all because I feel like it appealed to me in a niche way.

I related a lot to Angie, who goes on a roadtrip across the United States and stays with a lot of people she'd met through online written roleplaying. When I was in middle/early high school, I roleplayed a ton too, and I also travelled right after graduating from high school with a lot of college credits. However, if not for these similar qualities, I'm not sure I would have enjoyed the book as I did.

This could have been cut quite a bit--there are a lot of details, and while it's hard to pinpoint any that are particularly boring, the book started feeling tedious and repetitive midway through. I found myself glossing over several parts. I also wanted more general details though, more talk about what the driving itself was like instead of examination of the people she was meeting. I wanted to be able to get a feel for what such a trip might feel like for me, but it was very specific to her.

I feel like the major part of the book was the incident that happened on her way back home, and I wish this had had more space in the book, that we could have seen the aftermath, because I think this was the part that could have had a powerful message.

Though the voice occasionally came off as being rather preachy, I enjoyed the tone overall. There were some interesting moments about spirituality that just missed being too overbearing. I enjoyed seeing Angie's mood swings and how she dealt with her highs and her lows.

I don't recommend this book if you're looking for the feeling of a US roadtrip; however, if the description of Angie appeals to you, then you'll probably enjoy this book.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Once Upon a Road Trip

by Angela N. Blount

I really enjoyed this book and looked forward to reading it. I like reading memoirs and really got into this one. Angela's writing technique here made it a very easy read with excerpts from her personal travel journal/log. I look forward to reading more from Angela and will be adding her books to my to-read list. I planned to write a longer review but I think I have summed up my opinion here and I myself like reading real short reviews once in awhile! PS I liked the added road kill tick off at the end, nice touch! ( )

In [Once Upon A Road Trip] [Angela N. Blount] tells of a coming of age/finding yourself journey for the internet age. Angeli at the age of 18 has no idea what she wants to do. She would like to be a writer or even a minister. Her desire to figure it all out takes her on a journey through the US stopping and staying with people she has met on the internet. Before you all get like all the adults and say she is crazy, understand she had a plan. Also it was families she was staying with not weirdos.

I loved most of the style and voice of this book. In fact I plan to recommended to a few former students who are going through similar angst. The ending was predictable though. Perhaps I should not have read the dedication first. ( )

There were several things I liked about this book and many I didn't. The biggest problem for me was the combination of narrative and journal entries. The fact that there was a combination was not the problem so much as the repetition this caused. I would have preferred that the journal entries be edited from what I assume is the actual journal kept to avoid repeating details already given in the story. I also had a hard time liking Angie. It is hard to comment on character issues knowing that this is a true story, but I do have to say that I rolled my eyes at her several times and often wanted to shake her and say "Calm down!" or "Get over it/yourself!", and this is coming from someone who suffers from an anxiety disorder. I am not sure I would have finished this book if I did not owe it a review. Having said that, the events described are, themselves, very interesting. They are what kept me going and made me pick the book back up every time. This is not a bad book at all, just not quite what I had hoped it would be. ( )

Once Upon A Road Trip (Kindle Edition) by Angela N. Blount

Angeli, eighteen just out of school decides she wants to take a road trip around America to visit her friends she met on the internet. Along the way she learns the truth of her friends, some are just what she thought they would be, others are not. She also starts to discover who she is , and what she may possibly want out of her life (her future). She does meet a few young men she likes and ponders the idea of a possible long distance relationship.

An intriguing memoir of real life, love , faith, trust and self discovery. I recommend to those who like memoirs and coming-of-age stories. A great read! ( )