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    13 Little Blue Envelopes
    13 Little Blue Envelopes
    13 Little Blue Envelopes
    Audiobook6 hours

    13 Little Blue Envelopes

    Written by Maureen Johnson

    Narrated by Emily Durante

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson’s funny, heartbreaking, and utterly romantic tale gets a great new cover!

    Ginny Blackstone never thought she’d spend her summer vacation backpacking across Europe. But that was before she received the first little blue envelope from Aunt Peg.

    This letter was different from Peg’s usual letters for two reasons:

    1. Peg had been dead for three months.

    2. The letter included $1000 cash for a passport and a plane ticket.

    Armed with instructions for how to retrieve twelve other letters Peg wrote—twelve letters that tell Ginny where she needs to go and what she needs to do when she gets there—Ginny quickly finds herself swept away in her first real adventure. Traveling from London to Edinburgh to Amsterdam and beyond, Ginny begins to uncover stories from her aunt’s past and discover who Peg really was. But the most surprising thing Ginny learns isn’t about Peg . . . it’s about herself.

    Everything about Ginny will change this summer, and it’s all because of the 13 little blue envelopes.

    Look for the sequel, The Last Little Blue Envelope!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateDec 21, 2010
    ISBN9780062067814
    13 Little Blue Envelopes
    Author

    Maureen Johnson

    Maureen Johnson is the bestselling author of several novels, including 13 Little Blue Envelopes, the Truly Devious series, the Suite Scarlett series, and the Shades of London series. She has also written collaborative works such as Let It Snow with John Green and Lauren Myracle and the Bane Chronicles with Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan. Maureen lives in New York and online on Twitter @maureenjohnson or at maureenjohnsonbooks.com. 

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    Reviews for 13 Little Blue Envelopes

    4/5

    205 ratings148 reviews

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    • 4/5
      A treasure hunt for 'Little Blue Envelopes' takes a young women around Europe and helps her find her voice. Coming of age story in a fun and flirty format.
    • 4/5
      Ginny Blackstone embarks on a journey across Europe. Her aunt, who has recently passed away, sets into motion a series of events that not only lead Ginny to solve a mystery but into greater self discovery as well. Ginny’s Aunt Peg is a wild, whimsical woman who despite passing away is still managing to be ever-present in Ginny’s life. There’s a bit of adventure, humor, and even romance in this book. Major recommendation from me for this one.
    • 4/5
      this was supposed to be a throw away beach read for me in the middle of more complex books that I'm reading but I really enjoyed the book.

      I enjoyed the travel, the characters, the adventure, the anticipation of the next envelope. It is a flawed book - whole sections made no sense and had no purpose but at the end of the day the characters was great and I looked forward to picking it back up and reading it.

      It's not Dickens but it was enjoyable.
    • 5/5
      The Little BookwormGinny received 13 blue envelopes from her deceased aunt with specific instructions on what to and what not to pack in her backpack and how to follow the instructions in one letter before opening another. These letters lead Ginny on a trip around Europe and to the greatest adventure in her life so far. This is my second read. I read this about when it came out around 2006 and had positive memories about it. The sequel is coming out this month and I decided to re-read this one in order to have a fresh memory about the main character and her travels. And, while I like this book and I like Ginny, it struck me on this read-through how passive Ginny is about the whole thing. She doesn't question anything and doesn't seem to have much emotion about it. She just goes along with whatever happens. She does what the letters tell her to and anytime anyone suggests something, she goes along with it too. I don't want to spoil the book, but the boy in Italy, anything Keith says, the family in Amsterdam, Ginny just goes along. I wanted her to take some active interest in what was going on. Maybe show a little emotion or something. It is a charming book and I enjoy Ginny's trips around Europe following her aunt's letters and trying to figure out her aunt's life and why she ran away from New York before she died. The settings are beautifully written and it (kind of) makes me want to go out and visit Europe with just a backpack and a vague idea of what I'm doing. There are some really funny scenes and a few touching moments as well.
    • 4/5
      Sixteen-year-old Ginny's artistic aunt, dead from brain cancer, leaves 13 blue envelopes to open that lead her on the path her aunt took through Europe. Ginny, who's usually shy, funds a performance artist she ends up caring about, stays in youth hostels and takes more than one boat ride while her aunt's and her own journeys unfold.
    • 4/5
      I loved Aunt Peg right from the first letter. Even though everything the reader knows about her is through the letters and the memories of those she knew, she still seemed like an amazing and quirky person to be around. Ironically, she seemed more "alive" than the the main character, Ginny. Ginny's shyness and withdrawn personality seemed to hinder a connection with the reader for a large portion of the book. The letters from her Aunt Peg seemed to draw her out of her shell as she forces herself to complete the strange and uncomfortable tasks listed in the letters.Of course, what sane person wouldn't want to travel all over Europe for a month on some else's dime? Even though the tasks sometimes made no sense, and Ginny often had to miss out on the typical tourist destinations, the memories that she created and the life lessons that she gleaned from these abstract travels are invaluable. In addition, she gains a family member, a romantic relationship, and the freedom to go where she wants and be who she wants to be without feeling constrained by the life she had led previously to this adventure.I was slightly disappointed with what happened towards the end, but the way that Ginny deals with it actually makes it better than it probably would have been otherwise. This ending also shows how well she truly knows her Aunt Peg, even after Peg's death. Her Aunt Peg was able to leave her with the roadmap to a lifetime of lessons and adventures, all stamped with Peg's unforgettable style.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this book. The premise was really intriguing, I liked the characters, and when the book was over, I wanted more. I hope my students enjoy it, as well.
    • 3/5
      I wanted to like this book more than I did. The premise was fantastic, and the first half of the book seemed as if it would be a great one. But by the time I closed it, I was very disappointed.Some very mild SPOILERS in this review.Ginny's Aunt Peg was one of those eccentric, flighty artist types that always appeal to kids because they are as un-parental as can be. When Aunt Peg passes on, she leaves Ginny 13 (say it with me) little blue envelopes that include instructions leading Ginny on a wild adventure across Europe. The rules are fairly simple - Ginny must embark on her own (no friends or family), without any communication or technologies tethering her to home (no cell phone or computer), and she can only take what she's able to carry in the backpack she wears on her back. Oh, and no cash or credit cards.First off, this very premise requires a very heavy helping of suspension of disbelief because Ginny is only 17 years old. No parent in his or her right mind that I know of would ever agree to let their child fly across the ocean with no contact expected, no cash or back up credit cards, heck, no known destination. The discussions and agreements Ginny must go through to get her parents to agree to this crazy scheme happen off screen, but you really have to wonder that her parents ever agree to this at all.So Ginny sets off for London with instructions (enclosed in the first envelope) to find a strange man named Richard. This she does, and thankfully Richard does not prove to be a skeevy perv child molester because it makes absolutely zero common sense for a 17 year old girl to stay with a complete and total stranger.This was a key problem I had with this book - several times Ginny is instructed to hunt down complete strangers. While this is charming in a sort of antiquated Mayberry sense, it constituted what I consider too stupid to live behaviour almost every time Ginny followed along. Sure, she's only 17 and doesn't have a lot of experience or wisdom, but didn't her parents ever drill into her head those horror stories about strangers? In fact, on one occasion when Ginny is instructed to pick up an Italian boy and ask him to have cake with her, she's nearly raped. Another time, Ginny gets on a houseboat with a complete stranger male and the house boat starts moving! I expected at any second the book to turn into a horror novel with Ginny as tragic victim. The whole scenario frustrated me to no end. Why would her aunt tell her to do something so entirely dangerous? And I couldn't help but question Ginny's intelligence because she followed the instructions without question. She should have been screaming "hell to the no!"While on her first assignment, Ginny meets Keith, a whacko performance artist slash prior juvenile delinquent. Keith proves to be a part-time love interest, but I never got enough of a read on him to think him hero material. He tends to pout and his bohemian ways don't make him seem very reliable. I just never got what Ginny saw in him.Another annoyance that I had with this book were the plot points that were left dangling completely or never explained at all. For example, the incident when Ginny had to use the bathroom desperately but couldn't understand the signs on the bathroom doors to know which was the women's room. Never did we find out if she was allowed to pee, and I was left feeling sorry for her for pages. Another time, Ginny ends up staying in a youth hostel with an American family and is forced to spend 5 whole days sight seeing with them. I never did understand why she didn't just leave - why was she stuck with them for 5 days? This was never explained.In another instance, Ginny and a fellow traveler/friend she's met along the way have their belongings stolen. While Ginny managed to hang on to her passport, her friend wasn't so lucky. I worried how her friend would ever solve such a horrible problem and make her way back home, but Ginny ends up leaving before there is any resolution. We are left feeling so sorry for that poor girl and only assuming that she eventually gets back home. Some of Aunt Peg's instructions - okay, well almost all of Aunt Peg's instructions - didn't make any sense to me. Granted, they often didn't make any sense to Ginny as well. But I kept waiting for a Big Reveal to tie everything together, to make the entire journey a complete experience. In the end, I never got that Aunt Peg's forced adventure was anything more than shoving her niece out of her comfort zone. Thing is, while this premise is a great one in general, the story was simply too dark for it to work for me. I was expecting a light-hearted, fun romp through Europe. Instead, the tone was more somber and depressing. Rather than experiencing freedom and independence and a sense of adventure, Ginny's journey seemed designed simply to force her to face her aunt's death. Not exactly a beach read.
    • 4/5
      Ginny's Aunt Peg was always an eccentric, wandering artist. Shortly after receiving notice that her aunt passed away from a brain tumour, Ginny gets a package containing thirteen blue envelopes filled with notes from her aunt, that instruct her to go from her home town of New York to London, where she begins her serendipitous journey through Europe encountering people and places she never would have thought of going on her own.At it's heart, Johnson's novel is a love letter to European travel. Ginny's journey, guided entirely by her odd aunt's directives in each numbered envelope, leads her through a variety of cities in different countries in which she meets a strange assortment of individuals, my favourite being Keith, the young artist with his musical about Starbucks. The novel doesn't make the experience glossy and perfect, Ginny encounters scary hostels, the grunginess that comes from living out of the contents of her backpack, the thieves that prey on tourists, and the occasional moments where foreign travel is just underwhelming. But at the same time she really grows as an individual, going from the shy, awkward girl who avoids standing out to the shy, awkward girl capable of traveling around Europe on her own. A fun read that will have you itching to grab your passport and head off to the wonders of Europe in short order.
    • 4/5
      Ginny is an average girl. Quiet, shy and as normal as you could be. So when she sets off to London under the direction of her recently deceased runaway aunt, it takes her by surprise. This is completely out of the ordinary, but then again it's right in line with what she should expect from Aunt Peg, who ran off to Europe years earlier. Following the directions of letters in blue envelopes that her aunt wrote before she died, Ginny goes on a tour that starts off in London and takes her across the continent. Along the way, she meets some old friends of her aunt's, some new friends of her own, and a fun and funny English guy, of course.

      I loved reading about Ginny in all the different countries; in fact, I was swept away immediately when she first set foot in London. Having spent a semester there, I fondly remember many of the places and sites Ginny saw and visited. It's also great for people who haven't been to any of these places, since Johnson does such a great job at setting the scene. It's a European tour from your bedroom (or backyard, or wherever you're reading it).

      Johnson has a very gentle tone to her storytelling, and it was a nice change. Most of the YA I've recently been reading has been, for lack of a better word, tense. But the third-person narration (also a nice change) was unhurried and relaxing. That's not to say nothing exciting happened; it was just written in such a way that lacked urgency, which I found to be a good thing.

      All of the characters were great fun to read about, whether it is the mischievous Keith, the nutso artist Mari, or the houseboat-dwelling Knud. I found myself smiling a lot while reading about them all.

      Throughout, there is also the sadness Ginny feels about her aunt, who disappeared without so much as a goodbye. Because she was absent so long, her death doesn't quite feel real to Ginny at first, and we see the progression of her grief as she travels around Europe.

      I'm looking forward to the sequel, The Last Little Blue Envelope, which will be released on Tuesday. I'm eager to see what happens to Ginny in this last adventure her Aunt Peg will send her on.

      Also, for a limited time, 13 Little Blue Envelopes is a free e-book for both Kindleand Nook. I'm guessing it's free for Sony too, but I'm not sure where to look for that link.

      Disclosure: I got this e-book for free from bn.com.
    • 5/5
      really good Book!!! I love Maureen Johnson and her writing!!!
    • 2/5
      I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would, oddly enough. it was a travelogue, but I found it feeding to too many Dumb American travel cliches to be truly gripping. The story premise was cute and original, but not enough to sustain me gladly.
    • 5/5
      I loved Ginny's adventures through the 13 little blue envelopes!! Knowing that her next destination was in the next letter from her aunt was so captivating. I especially loved Richard for his unconditional love, and Keith's quirkiness was to die for. Ginny learned a lot about herself and her aunt's seemingly secret life. I can't wait to share this with my students. :O)
    • 4/5
      This young adult confection is pure fun. Seventeen year old Ginny has a collection of sealed envelopes from her aunt. She is to travel to Europe and then around Europe following the instructions in the letters, not opening a new letter until she has completed the task set forth for her in the prior letter. Ginny's beloved aunt had runaway from the settled predictability of her life in order to pursue her art several years before and she wanted Ginny to have a taste of the spontaneity and experience the joy of travel that she herself felt in her last years (she has recently died of a brain tumor). Making a huge leap of faith, Ginny does indeed buy a plane ticket and head off to Europe to fuflfill her aunt's hopes for her, meeting special people in her aunt's life and people who become special in her own. She opens her envelopes one at a time, sometimes understanding the reasons behind the instructions and other times being baffled but always trying to enter into the spirit of the adventure. She learns a lot about herself through her trip through Europe and perhaps learns even more about family, love, and belonging. This is written for high school aged readers but there's very little that might be inappropriate for younger advanced readers. It was a cute read and one that almost makes me wish I had done something so completely out of character like spinning off to Europe without set plans. The ending is a bit of a surprise and while I initially wanted more, upon reflection, I think it ended just as it had to end. A sweet book and one that I'll stick on a shelf for my daughter to discover sometime.
    • 4/5
      Virginia is a shy Jersey girl who only really lets go and is loud and spontaneous when she’s with her Aunt Peg. After her aunt dies suddenly, Ginny receives a package from her with 13 little blue envelopes containing instructions. Following these instructions, she travels all through Europe, having on adventure after another. Along the way she finds new friends, a special boy, a new relative, and a sense of adventure and spontaneity that she thought she lost along with her aunt. Johnson has created a fun and easy read with 13 Little Blue Envelopes. She taps into everyone’s desire for fantastic gifts, mystery, and adventure. Ginny is a round, well thought out character and is easy to relate to. The book is almost strictly written for a female audience, but would have a broad appeal with almost all girls. My only issue with the book was Johnson’s perhaps inadvertent glorification of smoking when she mentions the beautiful sophisticated women in both Paris and Rome as all being smokers. Other than this slip, I believe this to be a very engaging book, sure to please almost all teenage girls.
    • 4/5
      Children's LiteratureEveryone dreams of adventure: traveling the world, doing crazy things, and meeting interesting people. Ginny's adventure starts the day she received the first blue envelope. Shortly after her eccentric aunt, who disappeared over two years ago, suddenly dies, Ginny receives the first letter instructing her to travel to the Chinese restaurant below her aunt's old apartment in New York. There she receives a packet of twelve other letters. These letters send Ginny on a whirlwind tour of her aunt's last few years. Each one contains instructions (get on the night train to Paris or ask an Italian boy to eat cake with you) as well as insight into to why Aunt Peg left. As Ginny faithfully follows the instructions, she slowly comes out of her shell and begins to understand Aunt Peg. This is a fascinating novel. Ginny, although a little too pure and naive for a modern high-school grad, is a likable character and readers will be envious of her trip. The letters are intriguing and propel the reader through the novel; you want to know what she will have to do next. This is a girl's book, though. Boys will find the males in the story a bit silly, but girls will find it delightful. 2005, HarperCollins, Ages 14 to 18
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed reading this, because for one, it started out quick and explained a lot in that time. I thought the whole concept of the book was also really interesting, that this girl's dead aunt would send her these letters telling her to literally have some fun in her life. I absolutely loved Keith, how "out there" he was, and how almost energetic he seemed. 13 Little Blue Envelopes is definetly on my "Need to Own" list! 
    • 5/5
      Romantic, interesting, tender, and enviable: Ginny Blackstone’s journey of geographical and self discoveries in 13 LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES is one that we all dream of. Who wouldn’t want to be sent on a backpacking trip across Europe and do things we’ve never thought we were capable of doing?Ginny’s free-spirited artist aunt, Peg, died from a brain tumor. After Peg’s death, a package containing 13 sealed blue envelopes is delivered to Ginny. They send her on various missions across the seas in foreign lands. All of a sudden, Ginny finds herself lugging a heavy purple-and-green backpack onto a plane and into the London flat of a man named Richard.Peg’s instructions in the envelopes further mess with Ginny’s once passive existence as they instruct her to, for example, find a struggling artist whose work she admires to give money to. How does Aunt Peg seem to know that Keith, the artist Ginny chose, would be so cute and steal her heart like that?Despite the crazy, un-Ginny-like adventures she’s having, Ginny still has doubts every once in a while of what the heck exactly is she doing in Europe. Will Ginny ever come to terms with the fact that she IS capable of everything her aunt had once done?13 LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES is more than a fun ride through several European countries. It’s a journey of self-discovery for Ginny, as a shy girl learns exactly what she is capable of. For those of us who do not have a wild aunt who will send us on an adventure through Europe, we can live through Ginny. I have read this book twice, and both times I could not put it down, preferring to lose sleep rather than wonder about what happens to Ginny.
    • 5/5
      My Summary: Ginny has always been a quiet, well-behaved girl - the polar opposite of her aunt Margaret, who's always been the 'black sheep' of the family. Ginny loves her aunt, despite what her family thinks - she thinks she's more interesting when Aunt Peg is around, and life seems a lot more fun.Until Aunt Peg disappears, leaving Ginny and her New York apartment behind. No one hears from Aunt Peg after that, until 3 years later, when they get the call: Aunt Peg passed away after a long, difficult battle with cancer.Ginny can't believe her vivacious, lively Aunt is dead - she refuses to, preferring to live in a state of denial. Then, a few months after the funeral, Ginny receives a letter giving her instructions to pick up a package at her Aunt's favourite restaurant. Inside the package are 13 letters written by Aunt Peg, the first of which is instructing Ginny to buy a plane ticket to London.Soon Ginny is off on a whirl-wind adventure, doing things she would never have done without the letters: she donates hundreds of dollars to charity, asks a total stranger out for coffee, and spends the night on a park bench in Paris. Thanks to the letters, Ginny breaks out of her shell... but what will she do when there are no more letters, and her final connection to Aunt Peg is gone forever?My Thoughts: I've heard a lot of mixed reviews about this book, but I absolutely LOVED it. The moment I read the synopsis, I knew it was the book for me - who wouldn't want to read about travelling across Europe, mysterious letters, and hot European boys? Add to that the awesome, flawless writing of Maureen Johnson, and you've got yourself a great summer read.Ginny was a great character - you really see her grow up over the course of the novel, and she does become more confident and adventurous - just like her aunt hoped she would be. I also loved Keith - he was a bit of a jerk at times, but you knew that underneath, he really cared about Ginny. Final Thoughts: There's not much more I can say about this book without giving away too much, so all I'll say is this: if you're looking for a great light read perfect for enjoying by the pool, you should defiinitely check out 13 Little Blue Envelopes, and the sequel, The Last Little Blue Envelope (which I've already ordered and am waiting anxiously by the mailbox for, just so you know).
    • 4/5
      A charming coming-of-age story with an interesting plot that contains good twists and will leave the reader wondering what will come next. The author does a good job in describing setting, places, and people. By the end, I found myself itching to go on a trip to Europe. What I feel this book was lacking was depth to the main character's relationships with others. While the absence of such deep relationships further enhances the main character's individual growth and change, it leaves the story itself feeling a little flat and underdeveloped. Overall, this is a good read, especially for those who are interested in what it takes to "find yourself."
    • 4/5
      Read on the nook. Very sweet, easy-to-read book about Ginny, a girl whose dead aunt has sent her thirteen blue envelopes. Each letter contains instructions on a task to complete, which means Ginny is traveling abroad all alone. While I was interested in this book from the start, I initially thought it was just a nice story. The closer I got to the end, I realized how much it actually impacted me. It's very sweet, yes, but also very telling. It made me want to give up everything that wasn't important and necessary, just to travel and learn more about myself.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed my time throughout the story.
      The reader's voice was lovely and fun.
    • 4/5
      I'm not exactly sure if this really earned four stars. The writing felt a little too easy. The story was a jaunt around Europe, and at times felt like a travel guide with narration. The narration was third-person, which I personally find harder to get into as opposed to first-person. The character of Ginny's deceased aunt actually had more personality than Ginny herself. So, why four stars? Because it was simplistically brilliant. And it made me cry. I now want to read absolutely everything Maureen Johnson has written.
    • 4/5
      Summary: Ginny Blackstone's Aunt Peg was always a free spirit, an artist, and a traveler. She died a few months ago, but she's left behind something for Ginny: a series of envelopes. The first one contains $1000, and instructions to get a passport and buy a ticket to London, with strict guidelines: she can only bring what she can fit in a backpack, no guidebooks or maps, no cell phones or credit cards or cameras, no communication with anyone back in the US. Once she's completed that task, she can open the second envelope. Ginny's not a world traveler, and is extremely shy around strangers, but as her aunt's letters lead her on a series of increasingly strange lessons around Europe, she (very slowly) starts to come out of her shell.Review: Yet another book that it seems like a lot of people LURVED, and I just liked. It was definitely a fun read, and I tore through it in less than a day. It's well-written, it's funny, it's got a good ear for dialogue, and it definitely inspired a serious case of wanderlust - I want to go backpacking through Europe! Where's my rich eccentric aunt? The romance angle isn't really the main focus of the story, but was cute nevertheless. But despite it being enjoyable overall, I had two problems that kept me from getting totally involved in the story.First, I wasn't crazy about the decision to start the book right as Ginny embarks on her trip. Because we don't get the chance to know anything about Ginny pre-travel (although we can infer from things that happen later), it makes it harder to see how she's changing over the course of her journey, and thus I never entirely identified with her. Second, where the hell were Ginny's parents? From what we're told about her mom's relationship with her Aunt Peg, there's no way in the world her mother would be like "So, you're going to Europe alone, with no cash, no means of communicating with home, and no idea of where you're going to be or where you're going to be staying, and you'll be gone for some indefinite amount of time, all because your dead aunt said so in a letter? Sure, honey, have fun!" It may be a relatively minor point in a book that's really all about Ginny's adventures along the way, but it still bugged me, because I am a) old, and b) apparently turning into my mother (who, for what it's worth, would probably have let me seventeen-year-old me go alone to Europe, but would have demanded regular phone calls.) 3.5 out of 5 stars.Recommendation: So, overall, I enjoyed it, but there were a few sticking points that kept me from being head-over-heels about it. Recommended for people who like contemporary YA and are planning (or daydreaming about) a European vacation.
    • 2/5
      I've been meaning to read this book for a long time and it was a good book but I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more four or five years ago.
    • 5/5
      13 Little Blue Envelopes is full of a wide range of emotion. I went through intense bipolar episodes while reading through Ginny’s adventures. I felt Ginny’s love for her Aunt Peg, her fear of following the instructions in the envelopes, her wonder of Western Europe as she travelled through it, and her loss along the way.While I think it would be easy for the reader to blame the runaway auntie Ginny doesn’t and that is what matters. Peg was flighty, Peg did things no one else did, Peg has the confidence Ginny doesn’t yet have and Ginny understands her aunt and her mentality. Sure, she wishes she had more time with Peg, and that Peg was there to do many more bohemian things with her but she ‘gets’ her aunt and doesn’t blame her for her faults.Johnson paints such a rich portrait of Western Europe and as I have been to most of the places Ginny traveled multiple times I was able to have such a lush picturesque vision of Ginny on those same streets completing the tasks in each blue envelope.The details are many in this book, from what illustration is on the envelopes to the way the canals in the Netherlands smell in summer. Even with the stunning details, the book travels at a fantastic speed allowing for the reader to reach the conclusion in mere hours.The ending is sad-making but I was lucky enough to have read the book when book two The Last Little Blue Envelope launched. I sped drove carefully to my local indie to obtain book two and spent another lovely day with Ginny and friends.If you haven’t read the series please do. I cannot put into words how amazing/fun/sad/hopeful it makes you feel as you are reading, and isn’t that what we read for people? To feel.
    • 4/5
      A favorite aunt has sent you on a quest around Europe - what's not to love about that. This book was so fun to read, all the time she was alone in the different countries, it was like you were on the missions with her - trying to complete each task, so that the next little bit of the puzzle could be opened. Yes, this book is also sad, but it's one that is about the journey and not the ending.
    • 3/5
      Reason read: TIOLI challenge, ROOTI’ve had this book on my nook since 2011 and glad to finally read it. It’s a sort of quest book and definitely young adult and not even believable in my opinion (and its not fantasy). It’s looks at loss and also coming of age and she is basically a good person so all in all, its a good little story.
    • 3/5
      teen fic. The whole premise of this book would be unforgivably presumptuous if Ginnie's aunt hadn't been dying of a brain tumor at the time of her writing the letters. Everything does turn out all right in the end, though in real life it could easily have gone the other way. That all said, this was a quick and enjoyable teen read.
    • 1/5
      The idea of the book seemed promising, however i was expecting a more in-depth 'lesson to be learned' from following her aunt's path. So I was rather miffed that the ending seemed bare, as if all the efforts were just random.