Reviewed by Cheryl

TITLE: On Chocorua

SERIES: Trailblazer  #1

AUTHOR: Robin Reardon

PUBLISHER: IAM Books

LENGTH: 299 Pages

RELEASE DATE: February 2, 2019

BLURB:

A mountain. A blizzard. A young man new to hiking and to love, making mistakes in both.

First year of college is a great time to re-invent yourself. Nathan Bartlett takes the opportunity very seriously–maybe a little too seriously. And he makes mistakes.

His mistakes? Falling for a straight guy who reminds him of his beloved older brother. Getting too invested in the substance abuse disorders of two other students. And climbing a mountain in a snowstorm for all the wrong reasons.

But he also develops friendships that will be his for life. He faces his inner demons and comes up with a plan. And he realizes that answers to important questions are seldom waiting on the surface but must be worked for, or struggled for, or suffered for–and sometimes all three.

Nathan is a trailblazer on his own journey. His success will be measured not by how well he follows someone else’s path, but by whether he can forge his own. This first book in a series of three novels gets Nathan started on a journey that will teach him about himself, about life, and about love.

Walk with him.

REVIEW:

Wow, this was some book. In one sense, it’s a college, coming of age, coming out book, but it’s so much more than that. In the beginning we’re told something that I can’t reveal as it’s a major spoiler, but it colours everything else that happens and throws it into a sharper perspective, helping us to understand some of Nathan’s motivations.

The book follows Nathan, as he heads off to college and a new start. The only person who knows he’s gay is his brother Neil who has been the closest thing to a father he’s known since his parents were killed in an accident when he was very young. His intention is that he’s re-invent himself at college, coming out and becoming the best version of him (a gay version) he can be.

During his time at college, he makes friends, has a crush, falls in love, experiences love and loss, almost dies on a hike, gets into fights and grows in every way. The book is very much a journey for Nathan, through good times and bad times, which we travel with him.

As with the previous books I’ve read by this author, the thing that strikes me the most is how natural and effortless the writing seems and how real the characters and situations are. One thing flows into another and the true relevance and/or significance of even small things only become evident later in the book. I suspect that it’s one of those books that if you read it for a second or third time you’ll find things you missed the first time that provide even more light to complex situations.

Nathan doesn’t have it easy and neither do we as the reader. There are light parts and happy parts, times when we cheer Nathan on with a smile on our faces, but oh God there are some gut-wrenching parts, unexpected horrors that grip us by the (metaphorical) balls and punches us in the gut. There are twists and surprised I never saw coming and situations that are both unbelievable and very real.

Although there are romantic connections in the book, I wouldn’t call it a romance. It’s a life adventure.

In the end, the book delivers exactly what it says and more. The story blazes trails through every college story you’ve read, twists it and serves it up with side of realism and the true joys and horrors life just drops in our laps whether we want them or not. As with the other books by this author I’ve read, the story—if we pay attention—will teach us things about ourselves, our motivations, friendships, morals and the world we live in.

I absolutely loved this book and will one-hundred-percent be looking out for the next in the series. If you follow my reviews you’ll know that I don’t give five stars lightly, saving them only for books that I feel are out of the ball park. This is certainly one of them.

RATING: 

BUY LINK:

Amazon