Review: Reunited

Reunited
Author: Hilary Weisman Graham
Published: June 12, 2012
Paperback, 336 pages
5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

1 concert. 2,000 miles. 3 ex-best friends. Can a road trip restore harmony?

Alice, Summer, and Tiernan used to be best friends—as well as the self-proclaimed biggest fans of the band Level3. But when the band broke up, so did their friendship.

Now, four years later, they’ve just graduated from high school. When Level3 announces a one-time reunion show in Texas, Alice impulsively buys tickets and invites her two former friends along for the trip. Reluctant at first, both girls agree to go, each with her own ulterior motive. But old resentments and other roadblocks—from unintended detours to lost concert tickets—keep getting in the girls’ way. Will their friendship get an encore, or is the show really over?

High school's rough, especially for friends who lose touch yet still go to school together. Now in totally different crowds, ex-best friends Alice, Summer and Tiernan graduate without a thought of the others, until Alice finds out that the band they used to love together, Level3, is reuniting for one night only in Texas. On a whim, Alice buys tickets, hoping the others will be willing to go with her. So off they go on a road trip that may or may not restore old friendships. 

I love road trip stories. The hijinks are always fun with cars breaking down and things not going as planned. This trip certainly didn't disappoint. The fact that the girls don't really get along made it even better, the tension palpable and the memories of when they used to be friends slicing through it every once and awhile. The girls have so much history behind them and the Pea Pod, the green Volkswagen van they're driving, that it's hard to ignore how much they know about each other. It was great seeing how they try to stay civil and how some parts of their old friendship is still there. With Level3 music keeping them together, it was a joy ride to watch how they slowly began to be the girls they used to be.

Music played a huge part in this story. Each chapter started with Level3 lyrics (which were awesome) to set the pace for the chapter ahead. Level3 was the band these girls fangirled over in middle school and listening to the music brings back the good times they had together. It certainly keeps them going when they aren't sure they should continue their journey.

Each character has such a unique voice, that it was 
lovely to see the development in each one of them. Alice, a planner and straight A student, finds herself wait listed for college and suddenly to do things she never thought she'd do. Summer, the popular girl, realizes that being popular does not make you happy. And Tiernan, the rebel with dyed hair and combat boots, finds out that talking to her mom was all she really needed to do to be heard. I loved seeing their individual journeys while they were having a big one, and the ending just made me smile and laugh. This book was heartwarming, fun, and full of spirit. Certainly the best sort of thing to read in the heart of summer. And it definitely makes me want to go on a road trip with my girls and go see an awesome band!