Review: Carpe Diem- Autumn Cornwell

“I’ve got my entire life planned out for the next ten years — including my PhD and Pulitzer Prize,” claims 16-year-old overachiever Vassar Spore, daughter of overachiever parents, who in true overachiever fashion named her after an elite women’s college. Vassar expects her sophomore summer to include AP and AAP (Advanced Advanced Placement) classes. Surprise! Enter a world-traveling relative who sends her plans into a tailspin when she blackmails Vassar’s parents into forcing their only child to backpack with her through Southeast Asia.

On a journey from Malaysia to Cambodia to the remote jungles of Laos, Vassar sweats, falls in love, hones her outdoor survival skills — and uncovers a family secret that turns her whole world upside-down.     

Vassar Spore can plan on one thing: she’ll never be the same again.

There’s a reason I chose to give away ‘Carpe Diem’ for BlogFest- It’s one of my all time favorites. Such a favorite, in fact, that I chose a lengthy extract as my piece for my first ‘Speaking of Verse and Prose’ exam. (You never choose an extra-long segment from a book unless you love it enough to learn the whole thing very easily.)

My mom bought it for me after we returned from our trip to Vietnam and Cambodia way back in 2006, and I couldn’t stop laughing. Between Hanks the Malaysian cowboy and bohemian Grandma Gerd, there are a lot of priceless moments—not including the ones Vassar gets herself into through a combination of over-hygienic tendencies and misguided attempts at doing the right thing!

The Big Secret is a huge part of the storyline, and there’s a satisfying answer that I certainly didn’t see coming. I didn’t expect quite a few things that happened along the way, from blackmail to arrests and even ransoming. In short, it’s a great read for anyone who loves to travel, or just loves a good laugh.

Enter by midnight on Sunday to win a copy of Carpe Diem via Book Depository- it’s International!

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