Review: a great coming of age story
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 24, 2012
Nick has just finished high school, about to attend a college he has never laid eyes on, and is about to bury his crazy, foul mouth grandmother. He is a straight laced kid and about as boring as they come. That is until he meets a beautiful, homeless girl who is doing whatever it takes to make it to New Jersey. Celia flips Nick's neat and tidy world upside down and makes him dream of being a little reckless.The day his family lays his grandmother in the ground, Celia takes off. Nick does the most spontaneous (and possibly the most stupidest) thing in the world: he grabs his clothes from the motel, leaves his parents a note, and takes off with Celia on the road...with his parent's car I might add. If he thought the crazy night he spent in her arms was great...he hasn't seen anything yet. As soon as the money starts drying up, Celia resorts to less than savory ways to get it. Can Nick handle this side of Celia? Will the secrets she is hiding deep within slowly leak out for Nick to see? But most of all...can Nick make her fall in love with him by the time they meet their destination?Celia on the run was powerful, heartbreaking, fun, raw, amazing, terrifying, and crazy. It was all that and more. So much emotion gets packed into this little book you sometimes need a breather to collect your thoughts. The author describes everything so well you feel as if you are sitting in the back seat; along with Nick and Celia on their crazy, zigzaggity road trip. But keep in mind, this book is anything but rainbows and butterflies the whole way through. There are some rough scenes that may be hard on some people. For instance there is a rape scene and lots of sexual talk. So please be considerate when deciding if this is a book for you or someone else. Is it raunchy? Not at all. In fact, I found a lot of the sexual banter quite funny.Sarah gives us some really great characters...characters that will stay with you long after you are done. You watch Nick grow from a gangly teenager into a man in a matter of weeks. We see Celia soften her hard demeanor and slowly start letting Nick in more and more. These characters become a close friend to the reader...ones you truly care about what happens to them in the end. You will just want to hold them and tell them it will all be okay. At least that is the way I felt.Celia on the Run is a wonderful coming of age story for Nick and a shocking in your face story of Celia. It is about two completely different souls that get intertwined together on the greatest road trip of their young lives. And what happens on that road trip will change the two of them forever. I hope you will give Celia on the Run a chance.