Wildman by J.C. Geiger Pages: 336
Published by Disney-Hyperion on June 6, 2017
Genres: Young Adult, contemporary
“How can a total stranger understand you better than the people you’ve known your entire life?”
When Lance’s ’93 Buick breaks down in the middle of nowhere, he tells himself Don’t panic. After all, he’s valedictorian of his class. First-chair trumpet player. Scholarship winner. Nothing can stop Lance Hendricks.
But the locals don’t know that. They don’t even know his name. Stuck in a small town, Lance could be anyone: a delinquent, a traveler, a maniac. One of the townies calls him Wildman, and a new world opens up.
He’s ordering drinks at a roadhouse. Jumping a train. Talking to an intriguing older girl who is asking about his future. And what he really wants. As one day blurs into the next, Lance finds himself drifting farther from home and closer to a girl who makes him feel a way he’s never felt before—like himself.
Wildman by J.C. Geiger is a young adult story about growing up and finding yourself. I enjoyed this quirky tale about a teenage guy that seemingly had his life together. He excels at school and at music, he seemed to be well liked and he is on the path toward a great college. But then he gets stranded in a small town in the middle of nowhere and he starts a rather crazy journey which leads him to question everything he knew about friendship and life. I thought this book was interesting and overall I liked it. I didn’t love it, but I did like it.
Here is what I liked about the story:
Lance- I thought he is an interesting main character. I love a book from a male POV, and he really does change as a person throughout the course of the story. Especially towards the end, which is always rewarding to see. I thought him getting the nickname wildman was pretty hilarious, which brings me to point #2…
This book made me laugh. Some of the scenes were downright comical. And unexpected. Wildman was a really fun ride.
I also really liked the cast of secondary characters. They are kooky and crazy and really interesting to read about.
Here is what I didn’t like about the story:
Some parts didn’t hold my attention. I found myself wandering off or worse, skimming a few chapters until we got to a scene that grabbed my attention. It was weird, I was either super invested in the story or I wasn’t really interested at all. There wasn’t much of an in between for me.
I could not stand Lance’s girlfriend. She really bugged me. She is super selfish and didn’t really seem to care about Lance all that much. Now, I guess that is a good thing because Lance does meet another girl on his trip, but every time Lance spoke to his girlfriend she got on my nerves.
Bottom Line: Wildman is a fun quick read that will be great for readers looking for a quirky self discovery journey. There is great character growth and development. Overall this was a fun read. It just didn’t knock my socks off. But I can really see some people totally loving this story and relating to it.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Despite not completely holding your attention and the girlfriend, this does look good.
Sounds like a good beach read.
sherry @ fundinmental