The Miles Between by Mary E. Pearson

Destiny Faraday has made it her duty to keep a distance from anyone and everyone at school, as the reality is her parents will move her soon enough. She’s been at Hedgebrook Academy now for almost two years and everything has fallen into a routine, careful that it doesn’t include much time to really get to know people.

With one turn of the calendar page though, Destiny’s careful routine is thrown to shambles. First her Aunt Eddie can’t come to visit her and secondly she runs into a very mysterious stranger, a stranger who just happens to leave his car running in the school parking lot. Looking for just a day out Destiny hopes in said car, along with three classmates, and embarks on an unauthorized road trip to a location only Destiny knows the true meaning of. All have hopes to make this day a fair day – a day where the good guys win and everything is just so right.

This book was, hands down, one of the most original stories I have ever read. There were so many twists and turns that it kept me on my toes and wanting more with every period. I loved the unique characters and their complexity along with the breathtaking writing that truly transported me to the car along with the students.

Destiny’s character absolutely blew me away. She was so alive and heartbroken that I couldn’t help but connect with her. I enjoyed seeing her layers peel back as the story continued and loved the mystery of getting to know her. All the other characters were well developed and I desperately wanted them all to be my friends, so that I could participate in their crazy adventures. It was also really neat to see the relationships that the characters formed unravel.

As I mentioned before the writing was spectacular. Everything was so real, the wind, the trees, and the emotion. It was definitely one of the few books that really took over my imagination and transported me into their car. The ending was also superb. It was unexpected and left me wanting so much more, but tied everything that had occurred in the book together.

I highly recommend this book to any reader looking for a very powerful, real and emotional read. It was one of the best books I have read in a long time and will give any reader chills. It really showed the true power of friendship and the magic of chance.