Review : Joyride by Anna Banks

Summary (from Goodreads) 

Title : Joyride
Author : Anna Banks
Publication Date : June 2nd 2015
Publisher : Macmillan
Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble

A popular guy and a shy girl with a secret become unlikely accomplices for midnight pranking, and are soon in over their heads—with the law and with each other—in this sparkling standalone from NYT-bestselling author Anna Banks.

It’s been years since Carly Vega’s parents were deported. She lives with her brother, studies hard, and works at a convenience store to contribute to getting her parents back from Mexico.

Arden Moss used to be the star quarterback at school. He dated popular blondes and had fun with his older sister, Amber. But now Amber’s dead, and Arden blames his father, the town sheriff who wouldn’t acknowledge Amber's mental illness. Arden refuses to fulfill whatever his conservative father expects.

All Carly wants is to stay under the radar and do what her family expects. All Arden wants is to NOT do what his family expects. When their paths cross, they each realize they’ve been living according to others. Carly and Arden’s journey toward their true hearts—and one another—is funny, romantic, and sometimes harsh.  

Personal Thoughts

Joyride is going to go down as one of my favorite YA contemporary romance books ever. It was perfect for me, not only because it has one of the sweetest romances I've ever read, but also because it tackles the serious and controversial issue of illegal immigrants. After having read Joyride and experiencing Anna Banks' lovely writing, I certainly hope she will delve more into YA contemporary.

For me, the strength of Joyride lies in the main character, Carly. She was a beautifully fleshed out character, whose strengths and weaknesses are highlighted throughout the book. I loved how brave and hard working Carly was and how she did everything without ever muttering a complaint. Carly's circumstances were pretty horrible, what with her having to slum for hours in order to earn money so she and her brother could smuggle her parents back to the United States. It was heartbreaking watching her have to give up things that make her happy to solve a problem that her parents got themselves in. I just wanted to jump into the book and give Carly a huge hug and protect her from all the evil around her. I loved that Carly wasn't the perfect girl and that she came with her flaws, mostly in that she was a bit judgmental when it came to Arden, her love interest.  Given all the pressure her parents and her older brother put on her shoulders however, I could see where she was coming from. Arden, was also a protagonist I really enjoyed. He was a sweetheart and even though he tended to be a bit rebellious what with his pranks, he was still a lovely boy, who perfectly complemented Carly. Arden was also going through a difficult time, having lost his pranks partner, his baby sister. His relationship with his father was also incredibly rocky and I don't think I've hated a book father as much as I hated Arden's dad.

I was particularly glad that we got both Carly and Arden's POV in the book. I did find the switch from first person to third person between POVs to be a little bit daunting, but once I got used to the writing style, I was engrossed in the story.  The romance in Joyride was very sweet. It started off antagonistically because of Carly's preconceived notions about Arden and her reluctance to want to get closer to anyone, but it was also one that eventually blossomed into friendship and more by the end of the book. I loved how slow burn the romance was. Arden and Carly truly were made for each other and one of my favorite parts about their relationship was how they pushed each other to find happiness and think about themselves for once in their life. Seeing them come together was one beautiful experience for me. While romance was at the forefront of Joyride, it wasn't the only theme tackled. Anna Banks also digs deeper into issues of illegal immigrants. I might come across as ignorant, but I don't know much about about the issue. I did talk to my friend, Nereyda, about it while reading the book and she told me how realistically everything was portrayed. I'm so glad that Anna Banks decided to tackle it in Joyride because I personally learned a lot through it as well. Joyride also managed to surprise me with a few of its storyline, especially towards the end when it came to the smugglers.

Joyride was a beautifully written story, which stood out to me amongst YA contemporary books because of the content it tackled and the characters who I easily clicked with. This is a 2015 book you don't want to miss.

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 4/5

Thank you to Macmillan for the ARC of Joyride.