Meet Me At the Summit was an average read at best. That's not to say it was boring in any way. The premise had a lot of potential, but the way it was executed left an unsavory taste in my mouth.
The story explores the themes of grief, loss of a loved one, and such, quite extensively, but it felt way too clunky with no finesse. It felt like the book would get into a topic but only skim the surface of it to make a point and never talk about it in depth.
The characters were also something I wasn't a huge fan of. Initially, I really liked the main character, but as the story went on she really got on my nerves with her stubbornness, the choices she made, and things she was willing to put up with.
The side characters, especially the love interest, felt like caricatures at best. The guy was almost too perfect and I did NOT AGREE AT ALL with the way he went about trying to "help" her through her grief.
I don't mean to sound this harsh, but this book just wasn't for me. It had a lot of great potential to be an emotionally charged read, but it fell flat and I never for the message the author was trying to put across.
But of course, if the synopsis sounds like something you would like, don't hesitate to pick it up.

I requested to read this book as I saw it as a women’s fiction book. However upon reading it the language was more suited to a younger person. This book is suited to late teens early 20s at most. Myself personally I was disappointed, that is however my fault as I later saw it was based for Ya. The concept/back drop of the book is good and can pull a bit on the heart strings, the language was too childlike though!

This is a #roadtrip novel. Not a spoiler to say that Marly’s parents died in a car accident and Marly is not coping at all. When offered an opportunity to travel in a newly refurbished #VW, she needs coaxing, but she agrees to do it (at her uncle’s request/ suggestion. What happens #ontheroad helps her come to terms with the unexpected changes in her life. This is a sweet read. Author Mandi Lynn provides links to all the stops 🛑 along the way & there will be a sequel. #5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

☆☆☆☆☆ /5
(english review below)

Ce roman m'a énormément touchée. Explorant les thèmes du deuil, de la culpabilité et de la reconstruction, cette lecture m'a faite pleurer comme une madeleine.
¤
Pour la plupart des jeunes de 19 ans, un voyage à travers le pays est une offre qu'on ne peut pas refuser, mais pour Marly, c'est la dernière chose qu'elle veut après avoir perdu ses deux parents dans un accident de voiture. Neuf mois après leur mort, Marly préfère rester à la maison à travailler dans le commerce de détail qu'elle déteste plutôt que de faire face à sa perte.
Ce n'est que lorsque sa famille et ses amis l'obligent à conduire le bus VW rénové de 1978 de sa mère de Washington au New Hampshire que Marly est forcée de faire face à son chagrin et de comprendre la culpabilité qu'elle ressent pour la mort de ses parents. Sceptique, Marly part en voyage, explorant avec prudence la vie que ses parents savaient qu'elle avait toujours voulue : faire de la randonnée en montagne et réaliser ses rêves de photographe. En chemin, elle découvrira des lieux et des gens qui mettront ses émotions à l'épreuve et un jeune homme qui cassera les murs qu'elle avait si soigneusement construits autour d'elle. Marly doit décider : peut-elle faire face à ses blessures les plus profondes et récupérer la vie qu'elle croyait disparue pour toujours ?
¤
L'autrice nous emmène dans une sacrée aventure. Alors que nous voyageons avec Marly à travers les États-Unis, nous voyageons également au coeur de l'esprit, de la personnalité et des souvenirs de la jeune femme. Endeuillée et s'enfermant dans une routine monotone, Marly souhaite par-dessus tout oublier ce qui la chagrine.
Je me suis beaucoup identifiée à Marly et je pense que beaucoup de personnes le peuvent aussi. Lorsque quelque chose nous chagrine, il est tout à fait normal et humain de vouloir ne pas y penser, rester dans le déni et se convaincre que tout va bien aller si on fait comme si de rien n'était... Parce que c'est plus difficile de se confronter à la réalité. C'est plus difficile d'identifier et de comprendre nos émotions. C'est plus difficile de s'adapter et de chercher des solutions. Ça prend trop d'énergie et à choisir, il est moins fatigant à court terme de faire semblant.
À travers son voyage et ses rencontres, Marly va se déconstruire pour se reconstruire. Et j'ai tellement aimé les rencontres et les interactions qu'elle a eu avec les autres personnages. Chaque rencontre aide la jeune femme à avancer et la change petit à petit. Les autres personnages changent également à son contact.
L'autrice transmet de beaux messages à travers son texte et de belles valeurs telles que l'empathie et l'espoir.
Ce roman est un coup de coeur.

-----------
ENGLISH REVIEW:

This book touched me enormously. Exploring the themes of mourning, guilt and reconstruction, this reading made me cry a lot.
¤
For most 19-year-olds, a cross-country trip is an offer you can’t refuse, but for Marly, it’s the last thing she wants after losing both her parents in a car accident. Nine months after their death, Marly would rather stay home working the retail job she hates, than deal with her loss.
It isn’t until family and friends corner her into driving her mom’s renovated 1978 VW bus from Washington to New Hampshire that Marly is forced to face her grief and understand the guilt she feels over her parents’ death. Skeptical, Marly goes on the trip, warily exploring the life her parents knew she always wanted—hiking mountains and living out her photography dreams. On the way, she’ll discover places and people who’ll test her emotions and a guy who pushes at the walls she’s so carefully built around herself. Marly must decide: can she face her deepest wounds and reclaim the life she thought was gone forever?
¤
The author takes us on a big adventure. As we travel with Marly across the United States, we also travel to the heart of the young woman's mind, personality and memories. Mourning and locking herself up in a monotonous routine, Marly wishes above all to forget what grieves her.
I identified a lot with Marly and I think a lot of people can too. When something grieves us, it's totally normal and human not to want to think about it, to remain in denial and to convince ourselves that everything is going to be fine if we act as if nothing had happened... Because it's more difficult to face reality. It's more difficult to identify and understand our emotions. It's more difficult to adapt and find solutions. It takes too much energy and it's less tiring in the short term to pretend.
Through her journey and her encounters, Marly will deconstruct herself in order to rebuild herself. And I loved the encounters and interactions she had with the other characters so much. Each meeting helps the young woman to move forward and gradually changes her. The other characters also change upon contact.
The author transmits beautiful messages through her text and beautiful values such as empathy and hope.
Finally, it's difficult not to give more than 5 stars to this reading.

The idea is great and some of the execution is well done, with the hiking scenes and photography process well described. However, there are scenes in which the writing feels like it was done by a child: we went here, then we did this, then so and so did this. It is jarring reading those scenes as the rest is not written in that style. There are also several times where the author says a sentence in the narrators head but then on the next page repeats it word for word out loud to another character. It just feels unnecessary as the exact repetition can be avoided.
Overall, a decent enough quick read but nothing to write home about.

This book has so much heart. It's YA but I really enjoyed the story, the deeper meaning, and how loss and anxiety are two of the main themes. Marly is dealing with the grief of losing both of her parents while she is in college. She lives in New Hampshire, loves to hike and take pictures. She is trying to find ways to move on and deal with her grief but she is having a hard time with anxiety and panic attacks. When she goes home to Washington state to visit her mom's family her uncle convinces her to take a cross country trip in a VW bus. Marly is skeptical but she reluctantly agrees. What she doesn't know is that there is a lot more behind this trip than she originally thought. I loved the writing, the descriptions of the scenery, the character development, and the flow of the story. Mandi Lynn writes with heart, humor, and tackles the themes of anxiety and grief very well. I highly recommend this book, and look forward to reading more by this author!

People say that when a child loses their parents, they feel their mortality.

We’re told that young experience life feeling immortal – allowing them to live life without worry. But what happens when that immortality comes crashing down? How does a person change if the realisation of your mortality comes at a young age? For most, this is not the reality, but for many it is. Losing one parent is difficult enough but losing both at 19 in a tragic accident would be devastating.

Meet me at the Summit is a story about grief and acceptance of a profound loss at a young age. Experience the life of Marly, as she embarks on a cross country road trip in a renovated 1978 VW camper van. You’ll travel with her as she explores the life, she, and her parents, always wanted – capturing her journey using her passion for photography. Marly’s road trip sees her travel to places and meet people who will push her to confront her emotions and the shield she has built around herself.

For the most part, Marly seems like a normal 19-year-old, but delving into her story you’ll soon see, and feel, the pain she has inside after suffering the deep loss of her parents in a tragic accident. In a fleeting moment, Marly’s parents are ripped from her life. Nine months after her parent’s deaths, Marly’s life has become stagnant as she tries to push away her feelings of grief. Without her parents’ guidance, Marly is caught in a cycle of standing still – unable to confront the grief and understand her guilt caused by their loss. Up until now, Marley has chosen to live a simple life avoiding her once hope-filled dreams and the house she grew up in. All the time, with her friends trying to help marly through her grief in ways that only make sense to them.

Mandi Lynn captures grief in a truthful and conflicting way, showing that sometimes people’s expectations of another’s experience of grief can cloud our judgement. Mandi Lynn uses the first person to remind us that we should support those around us and allow them to grieve in their own way, and when they are ready.

Meet Me at the Summit is a beautiful book about grief and in trying to build a life out of loss.

I loved Marly’s journey, both emotionally and across the country. The author is clearly very knowledgeable about the hiking world which made all of those parts of the book so wonderfully realistic.

The supporting characters were hit and miss for me. Her friends and family trying to walk the line of allowing and understanding her pain, while also pushing for her to rebuild a life and move forward, felt painfully real. Unfortunately there was also Dylan, the boy who magically fixed everything. Romance can be cute and helpful in a story like this but it really just came off as forced and ‘perfect’ in a way that hurt Marly’s character development.

What immediately grabbed me about this book was the cover, and the description sold me: a teenage girl trying to work through her grief by taking a road trip across the country? Yes, please!

MEET ME AT THE SUMMIT was a moving story about grief, woven throughout a book full of love and appreciation for the outdoors. Mandi Lynn's descriptions of Marly's grief -- sadness, guilt, anger, panic -- are absolutely gut wrenching, while her descriptions of the natural backdrop all of Marly's feelings unfold in are gorgeous. Think of Morgan Matson's AMY AND ROGER'S EPIC DETOUR, but with more hiking.

This title would be a good fit for older teens who may be feeling anxiety about not knowing what comes next, who they're supposed to be, or what they want to do with their lives. Marly is a nineteen-year-old college dropout trying to figure these things out, and she's a mess, and all of the people around her still love her anyway. This is certainly a book I could've used in high school or college.

Thank you to NetGalley and Stone Ridge Books for the ARC.

First, I loved this. My little fambam ks always planning some big adventure, and Vlogging it on our YouTube Channel: The Mearnsies. I needed to read this book to get my booty moving!
The perfect adventure novel and wake up call of “life is short, take the hike”
Marly Price is trying to find herself after her parents pass away. After months of blaming herself and going through the rollercoaster of emotions after a loss, she finds out that she’s inherited a VW Bus from her mom, and her best friend encouraging her to take the road trip from Washington to New Hampshire. Along the way she’s met with many obstacles, break downs, fears, but also happiness. Wanting to give up a million times, she begins to find her confidence (and also finds Dylan) who pushes her through this entire adventure. But in the end, she proved to herself just what she was made of, and how much life she had left to live.
While I was reading this, I booked and AIRBNB for our BIG roadtrip to Texas in November, and after finishing the last page, I began planning our next family hike.

This YA adventure about Marly's cross country road trip after losing both of her parents in a car accident was good enough to keep me reading, but it wasn't a standout. I liked the adventure of traveling across the country hiking - that part of the story reminded me of Wild.

The portrayal of grief was very heartbreaking and raw in a way that might be triggering for some. I think her friends, family, and love interest came from a good place, but some of their actions in trying to get Marly to go on this road trip (and continue on) struck me as manipulative. The characters weren't well developed, the romance wasn't one that I found myself rooting for, and the ending didn't provide the resolution I was waiting for.

Thank you to Stone Ridge Books and NetGalley for an ARC of Meet Me at the Summit by Mandi Lynn. Nineteen-year-old Marly, the main character, lost her parents in a car accident and is struggling both to come to terms with her grief and to decide what to do with her life. Her self-growth actualizes as she travels around the US camping in a VW van, hiking at different venues. I read this ebook while hiking a two-week backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail which made it even more enjoyable. I'm not sure if readers who aren't outdoorsy would understand and fully appreciate Marly's growth through her time hiking/outdoors, but I definitely recommend it to YA fans who like the outdoors!

Thank you Netgalley for the e- ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Meet me at the summit is a story of travel and overcoming loss with some romance.

Marly’s parents died a year ago in a car crash on their way to visit her at college. Since then she has dropped out, gotten a job she hates, and has avoided grieving. When she goes to visit some family in Washington, she is gifted a VW van. Originally her moms van to travel around the country in, Marly’s family push her to take the trip her mom never did.

This story follows Marly’s trip around the US, her journey through the grief, and the relationship she develops with a fellow hiker.

This story does a great job at shining a light on the struggles and stages of grief. We see how she struggles to come to terms with her parents deaths and she struggles to overcome the grief. I really enjoyed all the trips and hikes she went on! The descriptions made them sound like beautiful places! I thought it was a great touch to include a list of all the hikes and locations at the end of the book.

The romance was a great addition to the story and pushed Marly to continue the travels, face her grief head on, and return to her passion of photography.

My favourite aspect of this book was the descriptions of nature. Wherever Marly went, I felt like I was right there with her. I could picture every little feeling, from what it looked like to how the wind felt. Mandi Lynn put a lot of effort into researching these places and it really shows. I enjoyed the sense of adventure and considering I’m in lockdown, it really eased my cabin fever.

Marly’s grief in this story was handled really well. You could really see the impact of losing her parents and also how she learned to cope. From the panic attacks to defensive mechanisms, it was really well-executed. It didn’t feel forced or fake, and I really felt for Marly.

Beyond Marly’s grief, I couldn’t tell you much about her (exception: photography). Marly, like the other characters in this book, felt very two-dimensional. There weren’t any layers and they felt flat. I couldn’t relate to them and I didn’t feel attached. Dylan, the love interest, is very sweet and caring. He was really supportive of Marly and I appreciated that. It was enjoyable to read. But beyond that, he once again felt flat. The supporting characters also felt like they were only there to serve as Marly’s support system and didn’t have lives of their own.

The romance between Marly and Dylan was very quick to develop and ‘insta-lovey’. The extent Dylan goes for her, and how Marly responds to him, made no sense to me. It was really hard to believe their love story due to the quick development. There were definitely aspects that had potential. I’m a sucker for growing and healing with the support of another person, but this didn’t hit in the right spot.

I found the pacing to be quite slow as well. It took a long time for everything to happen. Though I loved Mandi Lynn’s description of hiking, I don’t think everything needed to be detailed. We spend a lot of time with Marly’s internal monologues. Like a lot. The massive paragraphs of monologue were really intimidating for me.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. If you’re looking for an adventurous books in the outdoors to compensate for your quarantining, this is for you. Ideal for those that enjoy slower books.

“Meet Me at the Summit” by Mandi Lynn
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.75)
Netgalley Ebook 📱
Release Date: 8/31
Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book. My favorite parts of this book are the traveling and exploring scenery along with the photography aspect. I’m not a hiker, but I taking nature walks and this book gives great descriptions. The hard part is this book is sad. Marly’s parents died a year ago in a car accident while she was in college and her life crumbles around her. Her life is continuing, but he’s one big repetitive motion. She gets up goes to work and goes to bed watching a movie. It’s been a year and she isn’t allowing herself to do anything fun or coping with her parents death. When she goes to Washington for a family reunion her Uncle gives her the keys to a VW bus he fixed up that once was her moms. She used to love to travel, hike, and explore. Her family encourages her to take the bus across county and explore on the way back. While they tell her it’s her decision they do remind her of all the things she loved in hopes she’ll start getting some pieces of herself back. Along the way their are hiccups and she has a lot of anxiety. Remembering is hard, but talking about her parents is harder. While in Colorado she meets Dylan. He’s an experienced hiker and a better listener. Their relationship grows fast and a bond forms quickly. Dylan is trying to get to know Marly for her and help peel back the layers that are holding her back. It’s a lot for a new friendship that turns into more. Parts of that storyline to me isn’t my favorite because it happens so quickly. I know that relationships can happen quickly, but it seems a wrong time scenario. I do like that Marly is allowing herself to be pushed while also saying “no this is too much.”

Meet Me at the Summit follows Marly, a 19-year-old girl, in her journey through her grief after the loss of both her parents, but at the same time in her journey of self-discovery and personal growth.

I found the story captivating and the idea of a road trip as a way for Marly to cope with the loss of her parents, to process her grief and to rediscover her passions extremely fascinating. The story and the writing are both very simple, but not in a bad way, just in a straight-to-the-point and raw way. I really appreciated it and I feel like it allows the reader to better experience and focus on Marly's road trip, along with all her struggles and difficulties.

I've read this book in one sitting as I was curious to see our main character's story unfold and I could not get enough of the descriptive sceneries the road trip kept on giving.

The cover is stunning and it really captures the essence of this book. It was the first thing to peak my interest, before even reading the synopsis.

Now waiting for the sequel with trepidation.

There were a few typos and grammatical errors here and there, such as the use of THEN instead of THAN or STARRING instead of STARING, just to mention a couple.

**Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and Mandi Lynn for the e-ARC of Meet Me at the Summit in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Meet me at the summit was an incredible heart wrenching book. I absolutely loved it and would pick it up whenever I had the chance. It was such a beautiful book to read which captivated the process of grief perfectly.
When I saw that there was going to be a second book, I immediately went to see if there was a release date yet however I will definitely be keeping my eyes out for this sequel.
AMAZING MUST READ!

Thanks to Netgalley, Stone Ridge Books and Mandi Lynn for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Meet Me at the Summit is a book about grief, coming-of-age, romance, and a journey to self-discovery. It is about 19-year-old Marly, grieving the unexpected death of her parents a year ago. After her life has almost completely fallen apart, a 1978 VolksWagen and a push in the right direction is all she needs.

I really enjoyed this book. The pacing was great and it kept me engaged the whole way through. The book focuses heavily on Marly's grief and the burden that she carries with her. Although the plot is nothing convoluted, that actually does it a favour. In it's almost simplistic ways, it allowed me to get sucked in. There was no mystery to solve, and instead it focused on the very real pain and anxiety that came with Marly's backstory.

Mild spoilers from here on out:
The romance is not the focal point of this story either, and rather than falling into the traps of the, often overdone, third-act drama between the two lovebirds, it is more realistic. There is a moment of tension between them, but rather than this staying unresolved due to a lack of communication, the main two characters actually speak to each other and sort things out.

There was a slight inconsistency with the character development, which could border on frustrating at times, but it also showed how grief is not a steady process.

This story both tugged at the heartstrings and made me feel warm and cosy inside, which I find is quite a hard feat. And it kept me interested despite the fact that I despise hiking (and considering that is 70% of this book, that's impressive). The descriptions were enough to allow me to visualise the setting without overdoing it.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. 3.75/5 stars.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It was an easy, summery read but definitely has heart. I didn't realize until the very last page when it said the story would continue in book 2 that this was going to be a series but I found myself filing it away for a future read. So 4 stars.

I really enjoyed Marley as a main character. She is well developed and realistic. She has her problems which sometimes get the better of her but she's always trying to do better. I enjoyed following her journey and wanted to see where it would go next.

The various hikes and parks were all fun and described in enough detail without bogging the book down too much. I thought the addition of the list of hikes and links at the end was a nice touch. I've been hiking once in my life and will probably never do it again but if you are someone who likes to hike, I can see this making you want to go.

There isn't a huge plot in this one, it's really more following Marley's emotional journey but it was enough to keep me interested and there was a cute romance and some good side stories. My only real issue with this one was the idea that her family convinced a grieving teenager to go on a cross country trip alone and hike mountains. Not even just that, they don't seem to be checking in on her (although her roommate does). I get that this was needed for the plot and it didn't bother me all the time but every time I started thinking about that too much, it really bugged me. Sending a depressed, grieving 19 year old up a mountain alone just doesn't seem like the best idea regardless of it helping her emotionally.

**I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

The synopsis of this book sounded interesting, but this book was extremely slow and I ultimately ended up DNF-ing at 27%. There were quite a few issues with grammar/spelling which made it difficult to read, and the characters and plot felt one-dimensional.