A travel guide if you like walking and hiking if not well there is a story to the book just not a very strong one. Telling the story of coming of age of a late teenager becoming a mixed up early twenties man, trying to come to terms with loss of close family member by seeking a solution but not knowing the question. There is a suggested romantic element but its more romance lost and replaced by no strings attached one sided affair. Overall a fairly good read but not one that I would reappear I don’t think.

Nathan Bartlett was orphaned at the age of one, and raised by his maternal grandmother with his sister Nina (a year older) and his eldest brother Neil who is six years older. In the first book, Nathan was a college freshman and he spent that year coming out, falling for the wrong guy, learning how to NOT hike mountains, and grieving Neil's sudden death in a hiking accident.

As this story opens, Nathan is a senior in college. He's still living with El Speed, his freshman year roommate, and their friendship is strong. Nathan has continued his quest to commune with Neil's memory by hiking nearby mountains. He's even convinced El Speed to make some hikes with him. Nathan meets Conroy, a seasoned hiker, on a solo hike, and they sort of hit it off. Well, they complete the day together and have sex in the brambles at the days end, but it's likely a one-off. Not so, it turns out as Conroy's housesitting a place in Durham, where Nathan attends school.

El Speed is pulling away-ish, preoccupied with planning his summer wedding. Nathan's free time leads him into no-strings hook-ups with Conroy--who's a relentless top. Turns out Conroy also plans and leads hiking trips as a business--a constant vagabond with no ties to any place. Nathan's desperate for connection, but his sister Nina warns that Conroy's not the right guy...again. And, Nathan's isolation only increases when he loses another of his two remaining family members. In a bid to find some peace, he signs up for one of Conroy's trips--to hike the dangerous and wild Kalalau trail on Kaua'i. Conroy has convinced Nathan that the journey will help him see the spiritual in the mundane, and grow as a human. It's Nathan's choice, but making the trip means he'll miss El Speed's wedding. Their relationship has been strained for months and missing the big day could signal the final snap severing their connection.

I really like Nathan, he's a decent guy, and his life is an utter emotional mess. He loses everyone close to him--and he continues to reach for people to fill the voids of family. His trip to Kaua'i is enlightening in many ways, and his infatuation with Conroy has run its course. The Nathan we have seen in the beginning of the story is still naive, and still boyish, but by the end he's a resolute man, willing to make the difficult choices. He's grown up and lived through devastation, and found he can get beyond the mundane issues and see bigger pictures and distant futures.

The descriptions of Nathan, his travels, his thoughts are very complete, and evocative of anyone in a journey to know their self better. And, the lush trails of Kalalau are rendered with as much detail as a quiet night spent saying goodbye to his childhood home. Nathan's childhood is over, and his adulthood--which sat so uncomfortably on his shoulders at the beginning of this story--is deep within his grasp by the conclusion. He will face changes, and adventure in the next book, I am sure. But, just maybe he'll find someone to walk his lonely trails beside him. Fingers crossed!

On the Kalalau Trail is very good at informing the reader about climbing. It's discussion of beauty and nature are quite good as well. But the thrust of the novel is about getting inside the mind of the protagonist as he ruminates on life, sex, love, death and so on. I found that it was hard to go along for that ride. Many of the ruminations are common to all humans. The author tries to set up some different scenarios to affect the protagonist, but I ultimately found it tiresome. The last couple of chapters just bored me. The incident with turmoil on the plane didn't seem real. The character Conroy seemed to be a sum of the novel, the good with the bad.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

This is the second book in the Trailblazers series by Robin Reardon. This book can be read as a stand-alone because there's more than enough background in it for you to understand what has happened during Nathan's life.

Nathan is processing a lot. He's finishing up his undergraduate degree but he's been through a lot of turmoil in his life. His parents and grandfather died in an accident when he was very young. He's processing the loss of his brother in a horrific accident. He's still aching from the loss of his first love, Alden who was a Fentanyl addict. Then early on in this novel, Nathan's Gram passes away.

I found myself wondering while I was reading this book if Nathan was feeling guilty because he hadn't been able to "be there" for any of the people that he's lost in his life. He hasn't been present at any of the losses that have occurred... and while I was reading I found myself thinking about the guilt that would add up based on that. I'm not saying he "is" responsible for any of the losses, quite the opposite, but I know what it's like to lose people and I know how that can build up when there are multiple losses.

Nathan meets Conroy on a hike at the beginning of this book. He seems to be charismatic and confident and draws Nathan in. Nathan follows his heart, it's what he did in the first -book and it's the same pull he feels in this second installment. The thing is, he already knows that he wants more. He doesn't want someone for a casual relationship, he wants something more important, deeper.

Overall, this is an interesting read. The descriptions of the hike were lovely and made me want to go to Hawaii! One of the things I love about this series is the way that Reardon describes the hikes and the amazing places that Nathan visits. It's clear that Reardon has a connection to the outdoors.

I didn't feel as connected to Nathan in this book as I did in the first one. I'm not sure what it was, except that his behaviors didn't seem to match the thoughts that were going on in his head sometimes. I feel like he's a character that comes across as fairly mature but then his decisions were often impulsive or without much thought.

Conroy is a character who says he is bisexual. I must admit I do get a bit tired of bisexual characters nearly always being depicted as only wanting casual relationships with people. I suppose it could be the books that I'm reading but my sense is that there's a lot of misunderstanding regarding bisexual individuals. Either way, Conroy was interesting in that he was very dedicated to what he did. He was a knowledgeable hiker and pretty clear upfront about his wants and needs.

I would definitely pick up the next book in the series as I'm curious to see how Nathan's past is going to help to shape his future. I really feel as though I've been getting to know Nathan as he has grown and changed. That's a lovely gift to be able to receive from an author!