Don't Stop Now by Julie Halpern

Published: June 7, 2011 by Feiwel & Friends
Received: bought from Barnes & Noble

On the first day of Lillian’s summer-before-college, she gets a message on her cell from her sort-of friend, Penny. Not only has Penny faked her own kidnapping, but Lil is the only one who figures it out. She knows that Penny’s home life has been rough, and that her boyfriend may be abusive. Soon, Penny’s family, the local police, and even the FBI are grilling Lil, and she decides to head out to Oregon, where Penny has mentioned an acquaintance. And who better to road-trip across the country with than Lil’s BFF, Josh. But here’s the thing: Lil loves Josh. And Josh doesn’t want to “ruin” their amazing friendship.

Josh has a car and his dad’s credit card. Lil has her cellphone and a hunch about where Penny is hiding. There’s something else she needs to find: Are she and Josh meant to be together? {taken from goodreads.com}

I have a thing for books centered around road trips, especially if the road trip consists of a boy and girl with obvious sexual tension between the two.  When I read the synopsis for Don't Stop Now, I knew immediately it fit the criteria for a quick, enjoyable summer read.  If you're looking for something with just enough intrigue to hold you to the story, then this is the perfect book for you.  Lil's friend Penny has faked her own kidnapping, but it's Lil who knows the truth about where she's gone to.  Leaving Lil with this knowledge she feels the need to venture out west with her best friend Josh to bring Penny home.  It's not just a journey to save Penny, but also a journey for Lil to admit her feelings for Josh before the summer ends, and the two teenagers embark on new adventures in their own lives.

Their quest takes them through middle America.  Making stops a long the way at the cheese capital of the world, and the largest drug store in northern America.  They each buy tshirt souvenirs along the way, to remember their stops.  The easy going banter between Lil and Josh was believable and made me a laugh, quite a few times.  Though the purpose of their adventure was to bring Penny home, they soon realize this roadtrip stands for more personal reasons.  Lil knows it's now or never to confess her true feelings for Josh.  The poor boy comes across as a dense teenager; not realizing that holding hands, and playful kisses on the forehead mean so much more to Lil.  As the miles stretch on, so does the tension between these two.

Over all the story is one that I enjoyed; however, there were parts of the story I found to be unrealistic.  I didn't quite believe Lil having the ability to just take off and venture 5 states away for the summer, alone with a boy, and her mother being ok with this.  I know that wasn't the point of the story though, so I was able to look past it.  I knew there was going to be an amazing climax between Lil and Josh along their trip.  That anticipation kept me turning the pages.  Don't Stop Now encourages you to follow your heart, be brave, and go after what you want in life.  Though things may not necessarily turn out the way you hoped, in the end it has it's purpose for doing so.