Review: Perfectly captures that transition from college to the rest of your life
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 21, 2014
Mari has done everything right, taking her studies seriously, avoiding parties while in school, and earning her college degree.  But now what?  Her degree isn’t proving to be very useful, she can’t get a job to save her life, and she’s left behind as her roommates head off into  the world to make something of themselves.  With no other choice, she heads home, not exactly thrilled to be moving in with her parents.  And just when she thinks she’s going nowhere…Jason is a musician and bartender whose world revolves around his family.  Between his sister, her son, his band, and his job, he’s got his hands full, but then he meets the girl with no verbal filter, who runs right out of his life just as quickly as she walked in.But...At times, the characters — Mari, especially — seemed a bit more self-absorbed than I could really relate to, and I kind of wanted to shake her and make her realize that life pretty much never turns out the way you planned.  Then again, that was the point of the story, so maybe I was on the right ride all along.Judging Covers...If I’m being honest, I have to admit that one of the main reasons I picked this book up is because of the cover.  Obviously, I read a lot of romance.  I’m probably a couple of romance novels away from turning this website into a Harlequin billboard.  But 75% of the covers are of some model couple, with another 25% being some girl facing away, either walking down a road toward God knows what, or staring off into some field.  Few step out of that mold, and this is one that just stood out to me.  The shot screams “I give up,” which fits perfectly with the synopsis and the title.  Sure, it’s just a photo of a faceless girl, but it was different enough to catch my attention.The Verdict...Despite my issue with fully relating to Mari’s way of thinking at times, I could certainly relate to her situation.  We’re told to study hard to achieve our dreams, but none of us are ever really prepared for how difficult that transition from school to career can be.  Mari is just as lost as most of us have been, and her lack of direction is utterly believable.Jason’s friendship, though, turns out to be the light at the end of the tunnel.  She’s no longer alone, meeting his family and his friends, and she lands a job with his sister as a nanny.  It’s not exactly the future she had planned, but it’s still a good one.  Of course, Jason’s not just a convenience, either, and their easy friendship soon leans toward something more — a scenario that forces Mari to face her own insecurities and figure out what’s really important.Going Nowhere is a nice departure from a lot of the new adult romances I’ve read lately, avoiding the typical way-too-convenient resolution and going instead for a dose of realism.  Sure, finding such a great guy isn’t always so easy, but every turn had me wondering what would happen next, just like life.  Fortunately, though the story through Mari’s eyes came to an end, the series has just started, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store.***FicCentral received this book from Itching for Books for free in exchange for an honest review. Even so, we're far too opinionated to let a freebie influence our thoughts or the contents of the reviews we post here.