I am a new Suzanne Roberts fan, and grateful to NetGalley for introducing me to her writing.
Suzanne has a great writing voice - honest, articulate, and snarkily humorous - and a great eye for details of varied travel environments, and of herself at various stages in relation to men and what being a woman means to her.

Suzanne Robert's incredible skill as a poet is present all throughout this absolute ride of a book. On every page I found myself highlighting a phrase or sentence simply for its beauty. On top of that, many of the anecdotes she shares, especially early on, got quite a few chuckles out of me, which is quite the achievement. Before I reached the half way point I began to be worried what the point of the book was meant to be for the reader. And upon finishing it, I am not sure I am able to answer that question. Was I supposed to gain anything from it, or was it just supposed to be a fun, quick read to be enjoyed and then put down? If the latter is true, then it certainly fulfilled its purpose. Otherwise, not so much for me.

I read this book so quickly! It was such an easy and engaging read. I love travel and this book sounded just the ticket (pun intended).

Roberts has compiled a collection of essays journalling her travel (mis)adventures. The book doesn’t have a storyline as such, just recounts of her nomadic lifestyle. The theme of the book is the author finding herself and not needing a relationship or marriage to define her. It’s definitely got a lot of girl power.

4* for this read which was the perfect way to armchair travel during the current restrictions. The description of the places and factual/historical details were fantastic. I struggled at first with the fact the entries aren’t in chronological order and the narrator’s relationship/marital status seemed a bit jumbled. However, I feel this was done purposely to show the superiority of the travel, of which details were never blurred. This book was a perfect escape and a great read for those with wanderlust.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Bad Tourist: Misadventures in Love and Travel by Suzanne Roberts
#BadTourist #NetGalley

“The smoke hung in the air like a question.“

A series of essays telling of short, self-contained events - Bad Tourist may seem a lot like a compilation (we all love to hate those). The stories are sharp, funny, very self-aware and brimming with great details of each specific misadventure. Starting off each one, you’re given a year and a location. Roberts then proceeds to bounce all over physically and temporally. The challenge here is that Roberts’ self-awareness forces interjections about" "Why I’m a bad tourist" and at times, this seems tacked-on. Instead of letting her story breathe and organically offer the lesson, some of that feels off.

Does Tourist have a good narrative structure? About ten percent of the book in, I wasn’t really sure there would actually be a story to follow. And, true, there doesn’t seem to be one here, but I would say that these very tight, small essays are placed together well - as to fit and flow from theme to theme - like sex, for example. The vignette style does seem to get old fast however, and I just kept hoping for something to keep me hooked from story to story.

This passage early in the book had me thinking: “Nothing will force you to face the reality of your life, and what to do with your aliveness, like the fact of a burning body.“ There is much to behold in the travels of others.

Stories like “One Degree of Separation” are very short and, I felt, less satisfying. Other stories were longer and more interesting. But, as you can imagine the quality varies. “Scary Flyer” foils the perspective to decent effect. The Burning Man story is wild and at once scary.

In sum, I’m not quite sure I find Roberts a likable protagonist of this book. It IS called Bad Tourist, and, well I don’t find her tourist-ing all that bad and she just doesn’t seem terribly likable. Maybe it’s the nature of travel writing or her writing, but I needed to temper my expectations here.

If your favorite book is your passport, then Bad Tourist is the book for you! A combination of memoir and travel journal that is utterly delightful. Not only does the author describe some of her adventures from years of traveling around the world but she digs deep in to her own relationship issues, family complications, and personal growth. Parts of Bad Tourist are laugh out loud funny, other parts are nerve-racking, and yet others are incredibly deep. In addition to telling her travel stories, she touches on how tourism impacts the environment, what it means to be brave, how women frequently define their worth by the number of people who want them, savior complex, what tourism does to the cultures it touches, and what it is like to be a privileged American visiting a less affluent country. If you enjoy an adventure to far off lands then it is likely that you will enjoy this book as much as I did!

Due to Covid19 - one of my favorite hobbies are currently illegal. Travel. Travel is life and I can't exactly do that anymore. I had so many travel plans for 2020 but since that is out the door I've been reading travel books instead to pretend that I am!

Anyway, onto the review. I really enjoyed this. Bad Tourist is about Suzanne Roberts travels throughout the world and how she tries to find herself in men and her writing. She eventually comes to terms that she can be happy alone and travel by herself or friends without looking for love. I thought her travels were relatable and honest. I felt like I was right there traveling with her whether it was in Vegas, India, or Peru. I love how many different places she has been and this book made me super excited for when travel is going to be a thing again. The only thing that didn't work for me was that this wasn't in chronological order and I would forget which ex was who. It would've been more sufficient if it was in order - at least to me. Overall, I really did enjoy this and the cover is super adorable!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!

I was a few pages in when I realized that this book seemed familiar. I think I would have liked this a lot more if I hadn't read a book just like it: "What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding" is too similar to ignore. I enjoyed the small essays and the writing style, and obviously this is written by someone who has seen and been to a lot of places. I think the timeline of the story could have been more clear. I kept getting confused since the author skips around between years and trips. Overall, a quick read and I did enjoy it.

“Once I stopped projecting what I wished I was onto myself and faced and accepted the current version of myself, I learned how to be happy in my own company.” from Mating Season

Suzanne Roberts’ collection of travel essays tells the tales of wanderlust that can, well, be less than appealing. From getting caught naked in a lightning storm to taking “real” yoga in India to realizing she needs a divorce while watching a fellow skier almost die in an avalanche, these stories are revealing and personal. Roberts doesn’t hold back when she discusses the men she’s had in her life and on her excursions, which is actually refreshing in the way a successful woman CEO of a global and honorable company is refreshing: it isn’t quite expected, but we know that’s the problem in and of itself. Her lovers are many, but her track record with healthy relationships isn’t. This collection is a journal of self-discovery and forgiveness. It’s also a reckoning of past indiscretions, a lesson in cultural mess-ups, a gain in confidence and ownership of her own body, and a coming-to-terms with the life she’s chosen to lead.

Roberts is quick and funny and her stories are captivating. The stories involving her mother were some of my favorites. Her writing is thoughtful and honest. I found myself irked and uncomfortable by some of her choices and remembered that it’s because this is not a life I would want. This is her life. There were also times when her experiences seemed like punishment rather than adventure, which helped vary the narratives. She sees her privilege in the faces of begging children and in the generosity of a people with much less, but that is part of what opens her eyes to the importance of travel. There were moments when I wanted to rearrange the stories because the flow didn’t quite work for me. She has organized them into categories, but the years from one essay to the next can jump two, five, or even ten years back or forward. I had to remind myself who her husband is because of the leaps in time. It isn’t a huge drawback, just a slight annoyance.

This would be a good pick for anyone that loves travel, misses traveling in these days of quarantine, or would like something different. This is a collection of love stories to old friends, lovers, her mother, new friends from her travels, discovered lands and cultures, and to herself.

Bad Tourist by Suzanne Roberts is a collection of travel essays that will virtually sweep you away to destinations both near and far, and believe me when I say that this is one trip that you won't soon forget

Suzanne Roberts is a travel writer on a mission, not only to add stamps to her passport, but to undertake the most significant and profound journey of all, that of self-reflection and discovery. As with most travels, almost nothing goes to plan, but isn't that the true nature of adventure after all? The author keeps us laughing with recognition, and provides a much needed escape as we join her vicariously on this journey towards enlightenment.

Many thanks to NetGalley and University of Nebraska Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.