Sunday Rewind - Kristin Rockaway, Author of The Wild Woman's Guide to Traveling the World

It's been awhile since I've done a Sunday Rewind, so I'm happy to be getting back to it.  Today's post is about my interview with Kristin Rockaway on Episode 18 of the GSMC Book Review Podcast.  The day Kristin and I did the interview GSMC had just moved offices, so I remember sitting on the floor of an empty office with nothing but the phone and my notes.  Kristin is very easy to talk to, though, and her book was really enjoyable, so the surroundings didn't matter, it was still a fun interview.

Source

Objectively, Sophie is a success: she’s got a coveted job at a top consulting firm, a Manhattan apartment, and a passport full of stamps. It isn’t quite what she dreamed of when she was a teenager dog-earing pages in exotic travel guides, but it’s secure. Then her best friend bails just hours after they arrive in Hong Kong for a girls’ trip, and Sophie falls for Carson, a free spirited, globetrotting American artist. He begs her to join him on his haphazard journey, but she chooses responsibility and her five-year plan.

Back in New York, that plan feels less and less appealing. As Sophie recalls the dreams she’s suppressed, the brief international jaunts she sneaks in between business trips no longer feel like enough. Carson isn’t ready to let her go either, but as they try to figure out their relationship, Sophie realizes she may have to pursue her passions with or without him. (Source)

The Wild Woman's Guide to Traveling the World reminded me a lot of one of Sophie Kinsella's novels.  Sophie (the character, not the author) is a professional woman who travels a lot for work, but most of the other areas of her life are in a bit of a disarray.  She isn't completely content with her job, but it pays her bills, lets her travel, and fits into her neatly mapped out life-plan.  Then she meets Carson and her plan gets turned upside down.

Eventually Sophie begins making changes in her life, but one thing I really appreciated about the book is that she doesn't meet Carson and her life suddenly, and miraculously, turns in a new direction.  In fact, Sophie and Carson end up having an impact on each other in various ways, and each learns more about themselves from being involved with the other.  The book is romantic, funny, well-written, and gave me a serious case of wanderlust.

Genres:

• Women's Fiction
• Romance
• Travel

What I enjoyed:

• The descriptions of places Sophie and Carson visit on their travels.  If I can't travel myself, then reading a book set in an interesting location is the next best thing, and you can tell that Kristin herself loves to travel from the way she writes.
• As I mentioned above, Carson doesn't swoop in and save or rescue Sophie.  They develop a relationship and from that both begin to learn things not only about the other, but themselves as well.  Because of this learning curve each has to make some decisions about where they see their lives going and if they think the other might be a part of that future.
• The humor.  It's not zany or slapstick, but like Kinsella's novels, Kristin gets her characters into (and out of) some crazy situations that are guaranteed to make you laugh even if you might also be rolling your eyes.

Who should read The Wild Woman's Guide to Traveling the World?

• Fans of Women's Fiction.
• Fans of travel (or just reading about travel).
• Fans of romantic comedies.

Quotes:
You know I normally put some of my favorite quotes in this section, but sadly this is another book I loaned out and haven't gotten back yet so I can't look up those quotes.  (Note to self:  STOP lending out books until you write the quotes down somewhere!)

Where you can find Kristin online:

Website: http://kristinrockaway.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KristinRockaway
Twitter: @KristinRockaway
Instagram: @kristinrockaway
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/KristinRockaway/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Kristin-Rockaway/e/B01LYQTE1E/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1519000297&sr=1-2-ent
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15294188.Kristin_Rockaway

Author Bio:

(Source)

Kristin Rockaway is a native New Yorker and recovering software engineer. After working in the IT industry for far too many years, she finally traded the city for the surf and chased her dreams out to Southern California, where she spends her days happily writing stories instead of code. When she’s not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband and son, browsing the aisles of her neighborhood bookstores, and planning her next big vacation.

Her second novel, Start Me Up will be released from Graydon House/HarperCollins in the Summer of 2019. Her debut, The Wild Woman’s Guide to Traveling the World, is in stores now.

To hear the interview with Kristin please click here.