Plot:

Objectively, Sophie is a success: she’s got a coveted job at a top consulting firm, a Manhattan apartment, and a passport full of stamps. It isn’t quite what she dreamed of when she was a teenager dog-earing pages in exotic travel guides, but it’s secure. Then her best friend bails just hours after they arrive in Hong Kong for a girls’ trip, and Sophie falls for Carson, a free spirited, globetrotting American artist. He begs her to join him on his haphazard journey, but she chooses responsibility and her five-year plan. 

Back in New York, that plan feels less and less appealing. As Sophie recalls the dreams she’s suppressed, the brief international jaunts she sneaks in between business trips no longer feel like enough. Carson isn’t ready to let her go either, but as they try to figure out their relationship, Sophie realizes she may have to pursue her passions with or without him.

Review:

LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Just to sum up why I loved this so much, here are some life quotes which I especially agree with in this point in my life right now that were in this novel:

If it’s something you’re really passionate about , you’ll find a way to make it work

“In that moment, I realised I did have a choice. My life wasn’t something that happened without my input. I guided my life where I wanted it to go. There were two paths stretched out in front of me: the safe, sensible, no-nonsense plan and the wild, risky, unchartered territory. I only knew where one of those paths ended up, and it definitely wasn’t in a place that would make me happy.”

“Passion is worthless without the courage to see it through. So I pushed past all my fears and found a way to make it work.”

“That’s what courage is. Doing what you need to do even when you’re scared out of your mind. Changing your plans when they’re no longer working for you.”

“Stop being so afraid to fail that you never allow yourself to succeed.”

“Success means being happy. As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”

There are so many vivid descriptions of the sights and smells of Hong Kong, Macau, and New York City which made me feel like I was traveling the world right along with the narrator, Sophie. Her questions about pursuing “success” as others define it versus success on her own terms definitely is me this summer. The love story satisfying with obstacles that relate to how we merge our desire to love and be loved with our other life ambitions. It might be the case that all vacations must come to an end, but new experiences can shape who we are long after we have returned home.

Overall, this novel’s message is about embarking on new adventures and ultimately doing what it takes to be happy is one that will stick with me for a long time.

5/5 Stars