A really lovely yet emotion filled story. I read this book in less than a day! The theme of having an amazing support system was really strong and important to the story.

Meet Me at the Summit by Mandi Lynn left me with mixed feelings. While there were elements that I enjoyed, the overall experience fell short of my expectations, warranting a three-star review.

The novel's premise promised a thrilling adventure set against the backdrop of a challenging mountain climb, and in that aspect, Lynn delivered. The vivid descriptions of the mountainous landscapes and the physical and emotional challenges faced by the characters were well-executed. Lynn's writing style is engaging and kept me turning the pages, eager to discover what awaited the characters at the summit.

However, where the novel faltered for me was in its character development. While the protagonists were likable, I found their motivations and actions to be somewhat predictable. The emotional depth that I had hoped for seemed lacking, making it difficult to fully connect with their journey. Additionally, some supporting characters felt underdeveloped, leaving me wanting more insight into their backgrounds and motivations.

The pacing of the story was another area of concern. At times, it felt rushed, with significant events occurring without sufficient build-up or explanation. Conversely, there were moments where the narrative dragged, hindering the overall flow of the plot. A more balanced pacing could have enhanced the tension and suspense that should accompany a mountain-climbing adventure.

Despite these shortcomings, Meet Me at the Summit is not without its merits. Lynn has a talent for crafting scenes that immerse the reader in the physical and emotional challenges faced by the characters. The themes of perseverance and self-discovery are commendable, even if the execution could have been more nuanced.

In conclusion, Meet Me at the Summit is a decent read for those seeking a fast-paced adventure with a picturesque setting. However, those looking for deep character exploration and a more finely tuned narrative may find themselves wanting. It's a book that falls in the middle ground, providing entertainment but lacking the depth that could elevate it to a higher rating.

Mandi captured the sense of grief, loss, and the depth of dark emotions through her writing. As a reader who have had lost parents at a young age (similar to Marly), the story hit close to the heart. Marly went through a beautiful journey to rediscover the purpose of life and what she wants from it.

Perfect summer read about coming of age
The author depicted grief and how it affects a person really well

Due to the many books that I have started and not finished lately due to the unrealistic, cliche or unoriginal, or lacking a faith base in a book from a Christian author or publisher. I've found too many and am just leaving this book as a did not finish due to my not getting into the book or it wasn't for me.

"Meet Me at the Summit" follows Marly's journey towards self-discovery and finding happiness after the loss of her parents. Encouraged by her extended family and a friend, Marly embarks on a cross-country trip in a camping van to revisit her family's favorite pastime of hiking. While the story includes a romantic element, it primarily focuses on Marly's personal growth. However, the first 100 pages of the book are slow-paced, and Marly's struggles are mainly internal, leading to a lot of telling instead of showing. The characters of Lori and Dylan, while likable, can also be pushy at times. Overall, the book was okay, but the reviewer is unsure if they will read the sequel.

This is a Captivating story that shows the journey of grief and overcoming the past so well. This story isn't my normal choice of read but I ended up throughly enjoying it! Would recommend.

Loved the character - I really felt like I was along for the ride. Touring the country is on my bucket list and this book added fuel to that desire.

i loved this book with my entire heart! i spent the entire week after reading it still wanting to be in the world i have grown to love! this book was a perfect story and i will read anything else mandi lynn writes !

Meet Me at the Summit is a coming-of-age story with a romance element. Marly’s been pushed on a quest to “find her happiness” by her extended family and her friend after her parents die. She takes a camping van across the country and tries to get back into the activity she loved to do with her family—hike.

I think the story is a good one and is very relatable, but I worked through this for months. I think the first 30% read very slowly, and a lot of Marley’s struggle is internal. She’s working through it and it ends up being a lot of telling.

I also liked/didn’t like Lori and Dylan. I think they push Marley a little too much in some cases.

Overall, it was ok. I don’t know that I will read the second one.

Thanks to Mandi Lynn, the publisher, and Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest opinion.

This was a very captivating read that I was impressed by. It hooked me and I couldn't put it down until I was done.

Unfortunately the e-Arc for this book expired before I was able to read it. Due to the length of time I didn't not have enough time to read it.

Very enjoyable summer read! Gives you all the vibes of going on a summer trip in a cute romance story. As someone who has done a good share of hiking it really made me want to lace up my boots and hit some of these landmarks. That atmosphere and descriptions were in my opinion the best part of the book. Thought overall the book was only ok. I had a good time reading it, but it's been a while since I read it (maybe a month) and it has not really stuck with me and I remember feeling like there were parts that got repetitive. If you are looking for a cute and quick summertime read it's an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon reading.

I enjoyed this book overall! I think the most enjoyable part for me was the atmospheric description of the hiking, camping, and photography. The overall travel vibe was great. As someone who loves both, it was fun to read about in a novel! Grief is a hard topic to write about, as many people experience it differently, but I feel like this was pretty well done.

This book turned out to be so different than I was expecting in a good way. I kept putting it off thinking it was a road trip journey that would explore Marly's feeling while also having cutesy, ridiculous moments meeting others along the way and while Marly did explore her feelings, it was far from the rom-com slapstickiness that I was trying to avoid. Marly loses her parents tragically and falls apart. Her family strongarms her into taking a road trip and she must come to terms with her resistance to be alone. What stood out to me in this book was the hiking. I love to hike and many of these trails were ones that I have wanted to do so it was nice to connect to the book in this way. I really enjoyed this story and reluctantly put it down twice before I finished it.

*Note: there were TONS of typos and grammatical errors in my copy that I hope were picked up and replaced before the release.

I was astounded at how well Lynn was able to describe so many different trails, environments, hiking-related experiences, etc. without making a non-hiker like myself feel lost (no pun intended), bored, or confused. While I didn't need to read about *another* kid who'd lost parents, I did enjoy how many people in her life were dedicated to helping her process that, and how Marly had to come to terms with the fact that she could enjoy her life without feeling sad or guilty doing the things she'd come to love before the tragedy.

Marly is struggling to recover from the death of her parents. She has no desire to work, go back to school, or socialize. However, she agrees to attend her mother's family reunion across the country, and this results in her taking an unexpected trip in her mother's old VW bus. Along the way, she meets interesting people who help her to process her grief and find a new direction for her life. This is a touching story about grief, love, and self-discovery, enhanced by descriptions of the beautiful places she visits.

Reading the book you can tell that the author has done their research. Growing up in the PNW I loved reading Marly's perspective as she hiked was amazing. I also really enjoyed that Mandi Lynn described van life in such detail that if someone was not familiar with camper vans they would have a firm understanding in how a camper van works. Overall the descriptions never felt over the top but more like the writing style.

A pro/con is the writing level it felt juvenile in some parts and I am unsure what age level this book is targeting. One thing that makes this a pro is that the book is inclusive to all readers and inviting to any reading level.

I felt that Mandi Lynn did a good job at describing our main characters anxiety and it was great to have that rep in the book. However, I wish there was more of a break through with Marly's emotions.

One thing that bothered me was the insistent mentioning that the main character dropped out of college. This is a book that seem like a coming of age story but I think many people who love coming of age stories are in that same life phase. If I was reading this after dropping out of college I would feel really gross knowing that every person in the book is disappointed in the main character for dropping out. People do not have to attend college to have a fulfilled and happy life.

Thank you to Netgally and the publisher for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This book is a beautifully written exploration of loss, grief, pain that demands to be felt, but also the way in which we can move on from those thing in a healthy way and in a way that respects the feelings we have rather than just "move on" from them. I found the MC really relatable especially in how she initially tried to move on from the death of her parents. The author did such a great job in crafting a character who felt real and genuine throughout her story arc. Though I did enjoy the romance and I liked the love interest for the most part,, there were areas of that story line that felt a bit forced/odd to me and one area that I was really not a fan of (not going to spoil it but I think its probably obvious to someone who read the book what I am referring to.) I actually would be interested in seeing how this type of story would play out without a romantic story line. Side note: everyone needs a BFF like the one featured in this book.
Lastly, I really want to stress that you do not need to be interested in or into "van life", roundtripping, or hiking to enjoy this book. While those things do feature prominently, that is not the point of the book and there is a lot to enjoy even if you know nothing about those things and have no interest in them.

I absolutely LOVED this book! The story follows a girl named Marly who lost both of her parents in a tragic accident and has been living life by going through the motions ever since. Her family and best friend convince her to go on a trip across the country to do what she used to love most: hiking and photography. She is hesitant and doesn't think it's going to do anything at all, but she finally agrees to go on the journey. And it's just that, a journey. This book takes you through everything Marly experiences along the way and is so vivid in its descriptions of everything from scenery to her grief and panic attacks. It is such a fantastic book and shows grief and loss in a way most books can only try to do. I absolutely would recommend this book to any and all contemporary book readers!