Kristie J’s review of Trucker (Good Guys, Book 1) by Jamie Schlosser
Contemporary Young Adult published by Amazon Digital Services 18 Jul 16
I’m finding reading this author’s books is like riding on a seesaw – some I really like and others I struggle with issues that take away some of the enjoyment. I’m up on the seesaw with this book.
And I’m reading the whole series out of order. I started with the latest book, the seesaw was up; then the book before that one and the seesaw was down. Now I’ve gone back to start with the first book and the seesaw is back up again.
Travis is a trucker and a trucker who loves his job. He’s kind of an adopted son of the local garage owner in a small town. The business has recently expanded to both long-haul and short-haul trips and it’s the long haul that Travis is enjoying. He’s on one of his trips when he sees a young woman hitchhiking, and though he knows it’s not a good idea at all, he picks her up to make sure she doesn’t end up in a bad situation.
Angel, the young woman he picks up, knows the danger of hitchhiking but she’s desperate. She’s lived a very sad life. Her mother abandoned her when she was still quite young. Her aunt raised her with a lot of love, but she passed away when Angel was still young and was put into foster care. While it could have been worse, she still felt alone, and when she finds where her mother is, turns out Mommy Dearest is in prison. Angel leaves the home she’s at and sets out to see her mother, thinking she and her mom will reunite and Angel will have family again. That’s her plan when Travis stops to pick her up, They get talking and Travis talks her into going home with him because he’s got a run coming up soon, very close to where she’s planning on going.
It takes almost no time for Travis and Angel to form a bond that continues to grow and get stronger. Travis really is a good guy. The series is named well. Although he’s young, he does have a maturity about him, gained, I think, in dealing with his alcoholic mother. And Angel also seems older than her years, she’s not yet 18. She also falls for Travis’ hometown and she makes friends for the first time. She’s very conflicted as the time comes closer when she and Travis will be taking the long-haul trip and she will see her mother.
There’s not a lot really to the story, but it’s a warm and cozy type book that leaves the reader with a good feeling when the last page is read. If I had any suggestions, it would be to make the characters a few years older. I know from experience that a relationship is more difficult to maintain when one is younger. I married when I was barely 21 and if I had a do-over, I’d still marry the same guy, but it would be much later. I didn’t have the maturity at 21 that’s needed, I think.
On the other hand, I did get a much stronger feeling that these two stood a better chance of lasting than I did with the couple in Outcast. Next, on to Dancer.
Grade: B-
Summary:
ANGEL
I know what you’re whispering in the car as you pass me by.
Hitchhiker.
When you see me walking along the side of the road with my thumb out, you’ll probably keep driving without giving me a second glance. You probably think I’m foolish. Naïve.
You might assume I’ve made some bad decisions.
You might think I’m too young to be on my own.
You might be right.TRAVIS
I love my job, but driving an eighteen-wheeler comes with a certain stereotype. When you hear I’m a trucker, a specific image might come to mind. Uneducated. Dirty. Perverted. Rough around the edges and a little bit dangerous.
But the truth is, I’m not any of those things. In fact, I’m pretty far from it.
You’d be surprised to find out I’m one of the good guys.
No excerpt available.
Other books in this series:
