[Review] Girls Love Travis Walker [Tour + Giveaway]

Welcome to my tour stop for Girls Love Travis Walker by Anne Pfeffer. This is a New Adult contemporary recommended for ages 16+.  The tour will consist of reviews, with a few guest posts and interviews.



Girls Love Travis Walker

Amazon | Goodreads

To nineteen-year-old high school dropout Travis Walker, women are like snowflakes--each one different, but beautiful in her own way. He can charm any girl he meets, and yet down deep he fears he'll always be a loser like his jailbird father. As the landlady threatens to evict him and his sick mother, Travis takes a job he hates and spends his evenings picking up girls at a nearby night spot. When he enlists in a teen program at the local fire station, he finds out he’s amazing at it. Then he meets the smoking hot Kat Summers, enlists Kat’s friend Zoey to help him woo her, and falls in love for the first time ever. But he keeps the details of his life secret. His girl will never love him back if she knows the truth about him….

Review

Travis was such a delightful character! As soon as I received this book, I dove right in. There was a lot to love about the book. Travis was a stand- up character. No, he was not perfect. He openly admitted that he lost himself in different women he found at clubs, because it was something fun to do that took his mind off his troubles for a while. He thinks love is this fleeting thing that lasts a night, before one of the people show their true colors. I cannot tell you how much I adored his character. I just can't. 

The entire book is told from his point of view. Travis Walker does not have it easy. He is having to repeat his final year in high school, since he had to work the previous year and failed. He is the sole bread- winner in his family. His father left a long time ago (jail) and never contributed much to the house. And his mother cannot keep a job and is becoming more and more depressed to the point where it is scaring Travis. He ends up having to stop attending school and gets s job doing labor. While looking for the job, he stops by a shelter and meets a hot girl, who he thinks is a welcome distraction from his life, which is crumbling into an unrecognizable mess. She is gorgeous, playing hard to get, and her name is Kat. Travis is resilient in his quest for the dark- haired beauty, even going as far as reigning in her friend- Zoe- to act as a go- between to get her to date him. Things get rough for him and he has to trade work at the shelter for food for his mom, with the added benefit that he may run into Kat. The only problem is, the more time he spends at the shelter getting to know the workers and the people, the more Kat seems like a distant memory. Could there be someone better right in front of him? 

While I adored the romantic progression of the story, it was not my favorite part of the novel. The book would not have been as awesome without it, but I feel like I still could have enjoyed it sans the romance. (I mean, you would not have been able to get me to read it without some kissy kissy action, but that's beside the point) Why? Because the romance is not exactly the main focal point of the novel. It takes a backseat to the other aspects of Travis's life, but that made it no less important. He just had to make time for everything that was going wrong or right in his life, and the novel had to portray that. 

My favorite part was the emotional journey Travis had to undertake when everything was all falling to hell. He had to reach inside himself and find the courage to go after what he wanted in life (even when all the cards were stacked against him) , instead of just barely surviving. The times when he was upset or angry at his mother for never helping and letting all the bills and worries of the world fall on his shoulder, but would still do anything and everything in his power for her, was heartwarming. He truly was a great guy. He hits a few really rough patched in this book, and I felt it. I guess the book really resonated with me, because it is harsh when something happens and the weight of bills, schools, and work falls on the kids shoulders. I know. I've been there. I still am there, so this book and Travis's story really affected me. I loved this book, man. Loved it. 

I absolutely love that this book highlights real problems. Being homeless, unable to find a job, self- doubt, and lots of other equally real and somewhat sad prospects.

I mean, Travis had his moments where I wanted to roll my eyes, but we all have moments where we are not at our finest (some more than most.). For the most part, however, Travis was a very well- developed character who had new-found hopes and aspirations who never stopped fighting to survive, even when all the cards were stacked against him. The story was very inspirational and emotional. And there was some cute flirting, which can never hurt. ;)

Final verdict? 

Loved it. 

5/5 

(the only problem I had was that I would have liked to get to know the love interest a little better. I mean, Travis learns a lot about her, but she still felt a little less real to me. So in reality, it is a 4.5. Then again, this is Travis's story for the most part and not solely a story about those two, so I will let it slide and round up to a 5. *shrug* 

Learn about the author at:

www.annepfeffer.com

Giveaway:
$25 Amazon Gift Card (INT)

a Rafflecopter giveaway