Erin Bowman

I absolutely adored Nina LaCour’s THE DISENCHANTMENTS. Colby is tagging along with best friend Bev and her band-mates for the summer. The Disenchantments are playing a few final gigs and then Bev and Colby are putting off college for a year to travel the world. But not far into the tour Bev says she’s calling off their trip, shattering all of Colby’s plans for the foreseeable future.

For Colby, the tour becomes torture. He is trapped with Bev, who he longs for even when he hates her for her betrayed, moving from town to town where he sees more and more people that appear “trapped” in a life they never intended to live. He worries he may now be one of those people, no college plans on the horizons and completely clueless of what he wants for his future. With a backdrop of country roads, sunglasses, amps, and tattoo parlors, Colby faces the great unknown, paralyzed and terrified of what comes next.

I feel like I’m not doing this book justice. It’s one of those coming of age stories that simply can’t be summarized. It has to be read, because it has to be felt. This book is filled with amazing characters. The voice is incredibly authentic. The writing is lyrical. It is simply put a refreshing and real YA contemporary. In tone and atmosphere it reminds me of Almost Famous, while the themes of friendship and future unknowns brings An Abundance of Katherines to mind. Either way, this novel is raw and gorgeous. Definitely recommend.

Originally posted here