Review: Careful by Randy Anderson (Tour Stop)

For two decades Tyler Gibbons has been keeping a secret from his family. At the tender age of sixteen, Tyler embarks on a student exchange program. Sent to the Andean city of Ambato, Ecuador, he finds daily adventure as he tries to fit in at school, connect with his host family, and navigate through a world of beaches, volcanoes, and jungles. But tucked deep inside this year are events so profound, so unexpected, they forever shape the man he will become.

Now, 25 years later, his mother pulls these soaring tales from her son, exposing, for the first time, the source of a deep unhappiness. While these memories contain the wounds of an unresolved past, they also possess the power to heal his painful present.

Thoughtfully crafted and boldly told, Tyler’s journey takes the reader on a wild South American adventure, while illuminating a mother’s unyielding power to heal her child.

Kindle
http://www.amazon.com/careful-novel-Randy-Anderson-ebook/dp/B00K08TXHS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1398871168&sr=1-1

Paperback
http://www.amazon.com/careful-Randy-Anderson/dp/1495484181/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_d_1

Nook
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/careful-a-novel-randy-anderson/1119365488?ean=2940149550463

Smashwords
Smashwords – Careful - a novel – a book by Randy Anderson

 My Rating

3.5

My Review

It's been a decent amount of time since a read a coming-of-age story, and Careful is both a good one and a unique one. Unlike most of novels of this genre, the book is takes place both in the present and the past - using flashbacks to get inside the world twenty-five years before. 

I absolutely loved being able to compare the teenage Tyler to the man that he became, as it allows the readers to grow a deeper connection to him in a shorter amount of time, which is interesting to experience. Like most people do, he grows and changes throughout the story, and his troubled mind only adds to his intrigue as a character.

In addition, I thought the relationship between Tyler and his mother was beautiful. The bond between mother and son is a strong one, but it isn't always the easiest to write about. I thought that Anderson did an excellent job of it. Tyler telling his mother everything that happened had a heart-warming quality to it that readers will love, and most of us can relate to emotional experiences with our parents. 

Books that involve international settings always excite me, as I feel that I can learn a little bit more about other parts of the world without actually leaving my bedroom or trying to figure out if an internet post is accurate or not. The parts that took place in Equador were highly interesting, as they create a change in setting while still having a basis in reality. It is always fun to see a good culture clash, and as an American who traveled internationally before, I could relate to Tyler.

Although I did enjoy the style of writing and the dialogue, some of the pacing was a bit slow, and the book may take a little to get into. Nonetheless, Careful was an entertaining ride that showed true meanings of love, adventure, family and healing.