Road Trip Shenanigans • Reunited

Reunited by Hilary Weisman Graham

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: June 12, 2012

Source: Borrowed from the library || Hardcover

Three ex-best friends - Summer, Alice & Tiernan - go on a road trip to see the one night only reunion show of their favorite rock band from their younger years. Along the way, there are a few bumps in the road, a moment or two of revelation and a whole lot of moments to remember.

Reunited made me nostalgic for my days in high school, and I wished (for the briefest of moments ) that I could jump back in time and experience it all over again. I was definitely one of those girls who loved boy bands in their big heyday, just as the three main characters of this book were, and I definitely shared my obsession with my best friends. 

(On a completely different note, just so you guys know, I would totally jump on the NSYNC + Blue + Westlife bandwagon all over again in a heartbeat. But I’ll go into detail on that later!) 

This book is primarily about friendship, not romance, and I found that utterly refreshing. Don’t get me wrong – I love a good romance. It was just nice, however, to have the romance relegated to the background in this book. Putting the focus on friendship was a charming idea, and I loved it because I think friendships are one of the most important relationships you’re going to have in your life! 

The friendship that Summer, Alice and Tiernan share only exists in the past when the book begins. There are hints of a major event blowing their solid relationship apart, though we only find out what really happens nearly at the end of the novel. The story reminded me of how complicated friendships can be, especially in high school, but there’s always something to be said for a shared history and understanding of one another. 

Obviously, apart from the friendship, I absolutely adored the fact that this is a road trip book. I have said, over and over again, how I love when a book involves a road trip. It was fun to tag along with the girls and be a part of all the crazy shenanigans they got involved in. The places they visited were definitely off-beat, but I think that just added to the charm of the entire novel. 

I love the fact that Reunited left me with some strong feel good vibes, and the urge to give my own high school best friends a huge hug. It’s a very cute story, and I could totally see this being a summer read or something you’d read if you wish it were still summer. If you like music, road trips, good friends or all three, well, you’re definitely in for a treat. 

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Because Reunited reminded me of my own days being a huge fan of the boy bands NSYNC, Westlife & Blue, I thought I’d share one of my favorite songs from each band and a little of the reason I loved them so much back in the day – and still do! 

You’re probably familiar with NSYNC, the band pitted against the Backstreet Boys time and again. I fell in love their No Strings Attached album (which is still the BEST one, in my honest opinion) after hearing Bye, Bye, Bye. Their dance moves are amazing, and I used to be obsessed with them singing a capella. I’m still upset that I never got to see them perform in concert. 

Check out their video for It’s Gonna Be Me! 

Westlife is the first of the two UK boy bands I’m featuring today, and they hail from Ireland. Their song Swear It Again was a big hit over in the Philippines, and it was hard to resist their good looks, lovely voices and swoon-worthy Irish accents. I’m happy that I’ve gotten to see them once in concert, and it’s even more special to me as they were the first concert I ever got to see. 

Check out their video for Bop Bop Baby! 

Blue is the second boy band from the UK, and they hail from England. What really stood out to me about them is that they sound so unique – they’re pop, sure, but there’s something different there. I really liked their song If You Come Back a lot. I've never seen them in concert either.

Check out their video for U Make Me Wanna!