A touching coming of age story set in the South just after WW2. Part adventure, part family drama, with a clean, tender romance. A fifteen year old is determined to follow his father's legacy in a long solo bike ride down the coast to Key West in an attempt to connect with him.

I enjoyed this Southern style tale with an epic trip full of self discovery and life lessons. Peyton is a blessed young man in many ways, and his kind, big heart opens up further as he embraces people along his journey. The theme seems to be centered on finding your own path, following your dreams, and loving people. He is certainly met with some divine appointments as he makes his way south. His mom has her own side story told in parallel, highlighting her memories of a young love and better times. Aunt Gert is a hoot and my favorite character. She seems to have a lot of wisdom and grace, embracing the joys of life and encouraging others too. I enjoyed the epilogue that rounded out the story so well. This was a satisfying read.
Readers who enjoy Southern fiction will want to pick this one up. It would be a good beach read. Recommend!

I found this to be an absolute delight. This coming-of-age story centers on fifteen-year-old Peyton, who is making a long bike ride down the coast of Georgia and Florida as he sorts through changes in his family. Throw in themes of found family, young love, and a host of likable characters, and you're in for a treat.
I loved the "wholesome" nature of this book. While it contains the complexities of family and heartache, it leaves out the unnecessary drama. The story moves forward with adventure and fun encounters with interesting people. There were times that the "coincidences" were teetering on the edge of credibility, but for me, it made the reading experience more fun.
I would recommend this for fans of southern fiction, heartwarming stories, and coming-of-age stories.

This was a very sweet coming of age story! We follow Peyton, a 15-year old boy with a close knit nuclear family but some serious drama with the extended family, as he recreates a trip his father took at his age from George to Key West. Set in the 1940s, the air is heavy with a lot of post-war angst, but the book really focuses on the every day people Peyton meets and gets to know along the way. This book is definitely not typical of my normal reads - a teenage boy protagonist, set in the south, etc., but I definitely really enjoyed it. The characters were sweet and memorable. Thanks to Netgallery and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC; this is my honest review.

A sweet and beautiful coming-of-age story. Thoroughly enjoyable! The characters are well developed and likeable, I loved this book.