This Adventure Ends

by Emma Mills

Sloane isn't expecting to fall in with a group of friends when she moves from New York to Florida—especially not a group of friends so intense, so in love, so all-consuming. Yet that's exactly what happens.

Sloane becomes closest to Vera, a social-media star who lights up any room, and Gabe, Vera's twin brother and the most serious person Sloane's ever met. When a beloved painting by the twins' late mother goes missing, Sloane takes on the responsibility of tracking it down, a journey that takes her across state lines—and ever deeper into the twins' lives.

Filled with intense and important friendships, a wonderful warts-and-all family, shiveringly good romantic developments, and sharp, witty dialogue, this story is about finding the people you never knew you needed.

Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance, Young Adult Contemporary, Fiction, Friendship, Realistic Fiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published October 4, 2016

About the author

Emma Mills is the author of several novels for Young Adults.

She holds a PhD in cell biology and is known for her YouTube channel, Elmify. She is also the co-creator and co-host of the "life skills" channel How to Adult, which ended in 2016.

Mills lives in St. Louis, Missouri.

Reviews

[♛ may · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review posted:

THIS. BOOK. IS. PERFECT.

If I could leave that as my review I think it would be sufficient bc like legit, its perfect. I feel like Emma Mills has ruined contemporaries for me because I’ll be comparing them to this perfection and they’ll always come short.



But I need to give y’all more incentive to read the book than just that. So im gonna try to write this out. . .

#1: Friendships
- NO GIRL HATE
- I REPEAT
- THERE 👏 IS 👏 NO 👏 GIRL 👏 HATE 👏
- And when the MC thinks bad things about another female character she RIGHT AWAY calls herself out on it
- GIRLS AND GUYS HAVE FRIENDSHIPS AND WITHOUT PINNING ON EACH OTHER
- EVERYONE NEEDS A VERA AS THEIR BEST FRIEND

#2: Sloane
- the best, most relatable, confused, HILARIOUS, normal mc you have ever come across
- you know that character that feels like a fictional embodiment of yourself ??? that’s Sloane to me
- shes just so effing relatable
- she covers up her insecurities with humour (me me me me me me me)
- shes the best big sister in the world
- she has this grade A relationship with her parents like OH MY GOD CAN THEY PLEASE ADOPT ME

#3: MICHAEL FINCH aka the Dad
- SLOANE’S DAD IS A LITERAL GEEK
- WELL FIRSTLY HES AN AUTHOR
- like a Nicholas Sparks kinda author
- and hes also just as hilarious as his daughter
- BUT HE’S A LITERAL GEEK AS I MENTIONED
- He reads fanfiction
- And prints out pages of fanfiction and forces his daughter to read them
- And join the fandom so they can geek out together
-

“I find my dad in his office when I’m finished. “So someone printed out a Were School fanfic and left it on my bed,” I say.
“Huh. Gee. That’s odd.”
“Seriously?”
My dad swivels around in his chair. “Did you like it? It’s one of my favorites. I’m compiling a rec list.”

#4: THE HUMOUR
- everyone in this book is a fricken comedian
- READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT
- I swear I was laughing so loudly I was afraid my brother would think I lost my marbles (which they probably already think but like who cares)
- AND LIKE it honest to goodness funny not like trying to hard or like lame funny
- Like
- JUST REALLY GOOD FUNNY

#5: Real Stuff
- Its not all laughs and goofs for these lovable children
- They all have their issues and they try to work with the hurt and pain they’ve experienced
- I really really really love the twin dynamic that Gabe and Vera have
- Its really well done how they can be arguing and namecalling but they got each other’s backs like you best not cross one of them bc youre butt is gonna get whooped
- There were parts where I genuinely cried, I felt that pain deep inside my heart
- But then the next minute Sloane cracks some lame joke and all is saved



And lots and lots and lots of beautiful friendship building and SLOWBURN and its just amazing please bring happiness into your life and pick it up !!!!!!

. . . and if youre still not convinced. . .then read it bc the naked hardcover is beautiful.

“Dreams don't have to be realistic- that's why they're dreams. You have to work to make them happen. Or else they would be...realities”

5 stars!!!

[Hailey (Hailey in Bookland)]

DNF @ pg. 70

I wanted to continue but I’m really trying to get myself to DNF books that aren’t working for me because I can’t possibly read everything. I gave this a fair shot but I just couldn’t get into the writing style. I own another book by this author and I think I will still give that one a shot, maybe I’ll feel a bit different about it!

[Chelsea (chelseadolling reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Frank Sanger has my heart 🧡

[chan ☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was cute! not something i'd add to my tbr in 2022 but i'm trying to get through my owned backlist and this suited my mood when i picked it up.

i'd recommend this to someone looking for found family, strong friendships, and main characters who are trying to figure themselves out. this wasn't romance heavy either which i know is something that readers are increasingly looking for in ya contemporaries. def a good summer read as well.

[Magdalena Miękińska (getbooky) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.85

[Nissa | Of Pens and Pages Book Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe there are people who love someone so much that when they lose them, they never want to be with anyone else again. But maybe there are people who love someone so much that it makes them want to find that kind of love again."

4 stars!

First of all, let me just say that this cover is gorgeouuus! I saw the hardback on Emma's Twitter handle, and I may or may not have pre-ordered a copy the moment I saw it.



I loved Emma's novel First & Then, and loved this novel just as much. This Adventure Ends is a fast-paced story contemporary YA with a bit of a slow-burn romance on the side. Plus, it has a lovable heroine and amazing friends and family.

This Adventure ends is told in Sloane Finch's POV. Sloane is a high IQ-low EQ transferee who finds herself getting tangled with a tight-knit group after defending one of them from a bully. In the group are Vera and Gabe Fuller, twins, Remy and Aubrey, exes, and the colorful Frank Sanger. Somewhere along the way, Sloane goes an adventure to retrieve an important painting for the twins.

I wouldn't say Sloane is weird, maybe just that she's not used to handling the more emotional aspects in life that when she's faced with it, she doesn't know what to do, so she makes light of it or finds a way to make fun of it. She's effortlessly funny, honest to a T, and incredibly loyal. She's this musically talented girl with a lovely family. Her parents are present in this story and are both supportive of her, but Sloane is closer to her dad, a best-selling romance author on a writer's block. She also has a baby sister who is more social than she is, pretty much like her mother.

Sloane's never had friends the same way she did now that she's in Vera's circle, so she didn't fully realize she was in until an argument ensued. She acted as a bit of a spectator than a participant at first, but was involved and attached as time passed.

I do agree with Lola @ Hits or Miss Books that the book tried to focus on too many things. This Adventure Ends is very character-driven and although the main focus is on Sloane, the secondary characters have their own conflicts and subplots. There was Sloane's goal to retrieve "The Dream", her emotional conflict and growth, Remy and Aubrey, Sloane's dad and his writer's block, Gabe's love life, and Gabe and Sloane.

Why did I give it 4 stars, then? The relationships in this book are all so positive, and the characters are relatable and are downright adorable! Sloane and Vera have a wonderful, positive friendship, and I'm so happy that they're ladies who uplift each other and are just there for each other. The twins have a great relationship, although they do argue from time to time––like all siblings do. And I love how Sloane is with her little sister. At the start of the story, I would think she was annoyed with her, but in truth, Sloane loves her sister very much.

And I loved the discussion of fandoms and fan-fiction! To think that someone as successful and popular as Sloane's dad obsessed over fan-fiction was an entertaining image, especially since I obsess over it, too!

I really did like the relationship between Sloane and her dad. They're so at ease with each other, even when something happened that made Sloane feel betrayed. What her father wrote about her seemed so accurate to what Sloane felt––without even Sloane knowing that it's what she really did feel––and it caused a bit of a rift between the two of them. Sloane's usually the type to observe others and to seemingly understand how others work or feel that she never took the time to know herself.

They're them. And you're you. But I wouldn't have them if I didn't have you."

There was a bit of romance on the side starring Gabe and Sloane, and although it wasn't the main focus, it was heartwarming to see them awkwardly find themselves together. Gabe is the more reticent of the twins, and Sloane isn't exactly the flirty type, so the two didn't really know what to do with their feelings. It wasn't smooth, but that's what I loved the most about it! They're two teenagers trying to figure out how to express their feelings for each other.

Sloane found so much more than what she expected when she went on to find the painting, something she never even thought she needed. And that's what's best about adventures––the good ones, at least. You go with a purpose, but get so much more than you imagined you would.

The story was fairly light, but it had its deeper moments here and there. The relationships and friendships are not perfect, but it's solid and true and wonderful.

*ARC given in exchange for an honest review

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[s · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've decided to settle down with 4 stars.

Anyways, this book was very sugar, spice and everything nice and I did enjoy it, but there were parts where I was left uninterested and sort of waiting for something to happen?

Review to come but in the meantime add this book to your tbr's because it's filled with all the wonderful friendships, love, family, loveable siblings and every healthy and perfect relationship with any person!!!!!! Like oh my god, this book is honestly a gift from god.

[emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

yuuuuup yup yup yup yup. emma mills is an auto-buy author for sure.

the cover? gorgeous. the content? readable in a few hours. everything else? tolerable.

the main character of this is both very funny and very annoying. the supporting characters are much the same. there are moments of entertainment and moments of absolute complete full-on boredom. you gotta take both sides.

emma mills books (judging solely based on this and First & Then) have: okay friendships; solid banter; really slow-burn romances that barelyyyy come into play until the last 5 pages; and, most importantly, GORGEOUS COVERS WITH GORGEOUS SURPRISES UNDER THE DUST JACKET. that's good enough for me.

caveat: this book is a little bit less likable than First & Then, because it contains phrases like "do the do," and also contains glaring holes (Sloane, our main character, gets hired for a job at the beginning of the book which she then NEVER GOES TO). plus we have a lot of friend characters, but we don't get enough of their stories in my humblest of opinions.

bottom line: again, my most passionate feelings about this book are those related to its aesthetic appeal. so if this sounds at all interesting to you, BUY A COPY JUST SO YOU CAN HOARD IT. seriously.

[Hamad · Rating 4 out of 5]

A recommendation from the Queen of Contemporary

Actual rating: 4.25 stars

O.M.G.
I should probably read more contemporaries!
Sara, thanks for the recommendation!



***Full review now posted***

I like to read a light contemporary novel from time to time when I don't want to be in the heavy world of fantasy. I saw this book on youtube book channels many times before, but always thought that it will be a Meh kind of book, but it turned out to be an underrated book!

let's just take a second to appreciate the good cover. The more I look at it, the better it is.

Anyway, what stood out the most to me was the writing style, it was special and very smart, you need to have a deep understanding of the writing process to be able to write something as good as this. It was nice to have a glimpse into the life of authors!

And the main character was a badass, you know that feeling when you are reading a book and the characters do the most stupid things and you want to yell at them and tell them to man up a bit. Our MC here was the opposite of that, her replies and answers were always on point, and there was a lot of burns (not literally) in this book!



So, good cover, good writing style and characters and it flipped many tropes on their head.
So what don't I like? I feel like this had a similar problem to Without Merit by CoHO, it tried tackling many problems in the same book. Though it was more obvious in the later, it was existent nonetheless in this book.

But overall, if you are looking for a nice, light contemporary read, then I do recommend this book strongly!

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, I adore this sweet Emma Mills writing for its slow-burn, gentle dose of romance, and great exploration of friendship and family. Sloane has just moved from New York to Florida, and is struggling to make friends. When she defends a boy from being bullied at a party, she finds herself adopted by a group, as well as immediately embroiled in their history. I loved the friendships here, the relationship between Sloane and her dad, especially, and also TheQuest!

The issue of parent remarriage was explored, and I like the way it was touched on in a gray way… very obviously an unideal situation when a parent marries a 22-year-old and promptly gets her pregnant when his kids are 18 and freshly grieving their mom, but the author wrote no one in this situation as entirely good or bad, which was a refreshing change.

[Elle (ellexamines on TT & Substack) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm sorry. So sorry. Don't mean to interrupt. It's just...are you for fucking serious?

This Adventure Ends follows Sloane, a high school loner who falls into an unlikely group of new friends. There’s Vera, an instagram influencer; Gabe, her twin; Remy, Sloane’s new lab partner; Aubrey, his ex; and Frank, the neighborhood party host. So, in other words, Sloane is essentially a loner, and has never had friends before, and her new friends open up her heart. This could probably be cheesy, were it not for the fact that this was, in fact, my senior year experience.

I mean, obviously I didn't try to buy back a painting for my newfound friends, and my father didn’t write metaphor-for-Teen-Wolf fanfiction. But you get it.

I always forget how incredibly funny Emma Mills is until I read any book by her, first of all; legitimately don't know any other authors who can write such consistently entertaining dialogue without it sounding fake. Dialogue is funny because of who says it. Her characters’ style of communication realistically varies: Vera types in simple sentences with returns, while Sloane types like she speaks.

It’s tricky to balance heartfelt with funny, in young adult lit: I think so many books I’ve read have fallen so far into being sad, and emo, that they forget to be entertaining. Emma Mills never falls there. Her books are nerdy, and fun, and endlessly entertaining, but always have deep-seated heart.

A heart that hit me really hard.

Going into my senior year, I kind of… had never allowed myself to admit I had close friends? Even when I’d had close relationships, I’d consistently given into the fear that I wouldn’t be liked. So watching Sloane feel that same way, and play the constant game of loving too hard, but not wanting to say it because she knows if she pushes too hard they’ll give up, and all the while finding genuine happiness with those same friends… I got this, and it hurt me.

This just reminded me of my friends, and how out of place our meet-cutes could’ve seemed, and the ways in which our weirdness draws us together. This summer, my friends and I have hate-watched Too Hot to Handle, talked extensively about Dragon Age, made extensive fun of horrible content on Ao3, played dungeons & dragons, read tarot, trawled through Spotify at three a.m., taken thousands of uquizzes, and started a group chat for Bachelorette theories.

If you said that sentence to me in sophomore year I probably would have locked myself in my room forever. Now, it just makes my heart hurt with how much I want to hug all of them.

It’s not a perfect book. Building such a large squad led to sacrificing giving several of the side characters’ arcs; while all members of the squad feel like real people, all feel one step away from an excellent character arc. The romance was particularly out of nowhere. Cute, and it worked, but a little out of nowhere. I definitely preferred my first Mills read, Foolish Hearts.

But overall, Sloane’s arc and the excellent humor won me over, and I’m excited to continue on my Emma Mills journey. Which... will happen. With less than a year's gap. Promise.

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[Kayla Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25* I think - this was incredibly fun and beautifully written.

Especially the characters were absolutely awesome.
I wouldn't say Mills got into depth with them but they're all so charming and relatable that I could not not fall in love with them.

Sadly, I just didn't really care for the whole fanfic part (sorry y'all that stuffs just not for me lol), it bored me a little tbh. And the ending was a bit too much for my taste.

[Alex.andthebooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

Tylko ja potrafię czytać książkę, zapomnieć ją tu wrzucić i ogarnąć to po 2 miesiącach xD

Ta książka Mills jest dojrzalsza — oprócz uroku ma też wewnętrzną przemianę i problemy bohaterów, z którymi możemy się utożsamić. To comfort read i książka idealna na lato, bez moralizatorstwa i patosu.

[beth ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating - 5 stars.

I read this in a day. I couldn’t put it down.

Emma Mills is an instant buy author for me now. Her books are just so easy and fun to read. It’s just what I needed after reading so much fantasy lately.

RTC (sometime maybe?) 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Korrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no clue what to expect of this book and it blew me away. The writing was great and the characters were hilarious and real. And the friendships, oh the friendships. It's everything you want in a group of friends. I loved reading their story.

[emi · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5 stars

Dreams don't have to be realistic- that's why they're dreams. You have to work to make them happen. Or else they would be realities.

So hi. You don't remember me, but my name's Emi and I used to write reviews all the time on this site. I loved it, and am proud of every review I have ever written, but things happened and I ended up in a slump that lasted about a year and a half. Quite tragic, really, but like some person once said, you gotta learn from your past. Was it Mufasa who said that? I think it was Mufasa.

Anyways, I am pleased to announce that 2019 is the year that I write reviews once again. I also said that about 2018, but 2018 me was a effing liar.

Also, sorry, but no gifs. I'm typing this entire thing up on my mother's computer, and she just doesn't have a vast library of them on her desktop for some strange reason.

And so, in this year of Emi posting reviews again, we are gonna start with this book. As you can probably read, I mean, if you are on this website, I am assuming you can read this book is called This Adventure Ends, alternatively titled Omieffingod When Will This Book End?

Nothing against this book. I understand why so many people have thrown 5 stars reviews at it and claim that Emma Mills is Shakespeare reincarnated. But as I grow into the ripe old age of my twenties, I'm starting to not believe in love and instead in artificial insemination. Not that I'm gonna give up my ya contemporary novels anytime soon, you'll have to pry those from my cold, dead hand. In fact, my future artificially inseminated children are gonna be named Morgan Matson and Eliza (and her Monsters).

No, instead I'm officially a cynic™. Contemporary books aren't gonna be holding the same power they used to have over me. Love at first sight and kissing in the rain aren't gonna woo me like they used to. I'm not gonna go around falling for every cute contemporary boy with long eyelashes and a dark mysterious past. No, I'm cutting myself off. From now on, only about 90% of those boys will I fall for instead of the usual all of them. And Gabe Whatever-His-last-Name-Was is not gonna be one of them. To be honest, I don't think he would have been one if I hadn't become a cynic™ because Gabe was a boring af male love interest. But we'll get to that later.

First, lets talk about the girl behind the book. Miss Sloane Finch. Who is so funny and so cute and so effing annoying. She's a singer, and supposedly really good, but she only sings like twice in the entire book and mostly as a way to convenience the plot. Because why else would she be in New York at the same time as the oh so important painting that we'll also get to later?

Now, Sloane is suppose to be this hilarious character, who hides her true emotions behind her humor. And like, same, but that's not the point here. The point is that, none of Sloane's jokes, much like my own tbh, made me laugh. Instead, I rolled my eyes and tried to pretend that she didn't say anything at all. Almost everything that came out of her fictional mouth was like 2014 try hard tumblr had said it instead. Part of my soul just completely died out after the third starburst candy joke.

Well, try hard Sloane just moved to Florida from New York and this is supposedly important to the plot but isn't bc I honestly forgot all about this detail until just this moment. She never talked about New York once. I don't even know if New York means the city or the state. Like most things about Sloane, her living in New York was important to the plot only once and quickly disregarded after that. But anyways, she moves to Florida and her dad is Nicholas Sparks and they moved to Florida for his books or some shit like that.

Oh yeah, her dad is Nicholas Sparks obsessed with Teen Wolf. Obviously, he and the show he liked had a different name, but I'm not gonna go look through the book for it. Even though he was literally the best character in the entire book, that's really the only important thing to mention about him.

Well, two weeks into her new school in Florida, Sloane gets invited to a party. Which is one more party then I was ever invited to my entire four years of high school. There, she gets into a fight with some stereotypical jock who really only appears in the book during this scene because plot device. And because she gets into this fight, this girl named Vera decides that her and Sloane are gonna instantly be best friends forever until the end of time.

Now, Vera is cool and all. I didn't hate her. But she's also the most unrealistic character I've ever read. She supposedly has enough social media followers to fill up a stadium or two, but lives the life of an average American high schooler. Idk, this could be realistic and I could be wrong, but I'm sure if you had as many followers as the book suggested Vera did, school wouldn't be your first priority. You'd probably be missing a class or two attending Vidcon or some shit with other popular social media scarlets.

But anyways, Vera introduces Sloane to her not internet famous friend group and Sloane immediately becomes friends with them too. Despite the fact she's suppose to have a hard time making friends as she didn't have any in New York (or so I assume bc she literally never talks about New York). Now, if you are like me and have read the masterpiece that is Six of Crows, you get overly excited for any group of teenagers. But, unfortunately, this friend group has the chemistry of a brick. I'd write more about them, but to be honest, I think writing about that brick would probably be more interesting. Besides, the entire group was only together like three times the entire novel. There's not much to talk about.

Now, Vera also had a twin brother called Gabe who serves as Love Interest. And the entire book, all he does is be moody, be sad over a painting that was lost but he didn't put away in a safe place, date some girl named Alice, then at the very end he asks Sloane out. That's all. I literally don't recall one conversation between Sloane and Gabe that made me swoon and believe in love again.

Oh, that painting that I mentioned, Sloane decides after knowing Gabe for an entire 3 hours, that she's gonna track down this painting and literally goes all over the country looking for it and her parents are just like, "okay, have fun sweety." She's 17. I couldn't care less about that painting, but it's important bc Vera and Gabe's mom painted it for them before she died, so the search for it is dragged out about one book too long. Luckily, there was a book written about Vera and Gabe's mom to help Sloane on the search.

That's right. Singer extraordinaire Sloane, daughter of Nicholas Sparks, moves to Florida where she meets social media star Vera, who's mother is famous enough to have a book written about her and her paintings. Totally believable.

I think it's about time I wrap up my first review of 2019, mostly because the more I'm writing about this book, the more I hate it. Anyways, thsi review probably sucked bc I'm a little rusty. But have a great New Year everyone and I hope it's filled with books that are much better than this shit hole and with that, This Review Ends.

[Sara ➽ Ink Is My Sword · Rating 4 out of 5]

✪✪✪✪

Can I marry Gabe? Or maybe Sloane's dad? Or Vera? Or just fucking everyone?!! CAN I JUST MARRY THE WHOLE CAST?

❝I would say sorry," she says simply. "A for real sorry. We learned that in class. Not like 'I am sorry your feelings were hurt,' because that's a fake sorry. Say, 'I'm sorry I hurt your feelings,' because that's for real. Mr.s Hutchens calls it 'taking ownership.'❞

💬
This book feels like a tight hug that warms the deepest corners of your soul. I knew I was going to love this the second time around too, justifying my purchase of a physical copy for my personal library.

I fell in love with the writing, the characters, the depiction of friendships, the slow-burn friends-to-lovers romance. Emma has a way to deliver fiction in a very realistic way without making it sour and horrid.

The characters are all multi-dimensional, we get to know every single fucking one. No matter if they are the teens, the baby sister or the dad, all contribute so much to the story. They have flaws but also so much good in them.

A book that makes me love humanity and humans so much.

F-R-I-E-N-D-H-I-P- should be defined by the one we get in here. I totally feel it depicts what real friendships are. Friends who support each other, open to each other, want the best for each other, are honest with each other, fight with each other, get over the fights.

I cannot lie, my thirsty for romance is going to always want more and more in YA books. Gabe and Sloane, almost fucking give an ulcer of how much I shook the book waiting for them to get together. At the same time, I completely agree with Emma's choice of actions and try to develop a well-founded friendship first. Besides I bow to the author for not ending with bull shit like "they loved each other forever," I just loved the freshness of "perhaps it will not last but it is all I want right now."

I have never felt the need or desire to have a dad until I read this book. Dear heavens, Sloane's dad is the fucking star of this book.

😻CHARACTERS, EVERYTHING, LOL
😾Just perhaps a tiny bit more of spark in the plot section.

“One of them says what they need to say, and the other one just listens, absorbs, acknowledges it. Lets their sadness have a place to land.”

📢
Recommendation. If you like contemporary, YA, good friendship representations, a bit of romance, lovable characters, fucking everything, then you will enjoy this book.

I want to know: WHO IS YOUR FAV CHARACTER?

💭1st-reading thoughts:

5 I WASN'T EXPECTING TO LOVE THIS AS MUCH AS I DID <3 Stars

Buddy-read-partners make the experience 100% better! Like you: Norah aka the best<3


OMG New favorite contemporary of the year, I don't even know yet why I love it so much. Perhaps the fact it was an awesome buddy read? ahahha. Is not a contemporary with an amazing plot, because that is not the focus, is all in the characters and how real it feels, how funny and cozy it was. Is for sure a book I will be visiting multiple times in the future. The flow and writing was so pleasant and easy, the chapters would fly everytime and so of course the "just one more chapter" happened every single time. Each character in this book has its own essence and as we discussed with Norah we would love a book following each of them. Emma Mills has become a go-to author :)

GABE, GABE, GABE & ALSO THE RELATIONSHIP OF VERA IS GOALS <3

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this basically in one sitting because it was SO. FREAKING. GOOD. Emma Mills just keeps getting better and better and BETTER.
This story was precious and amazing. I really enjoyed seeing someone who was a "social media star" from the outside perspective of someone who is not really in that world at all. The writing was on point always, especially the dialogue. I really loved seeing Sloane's journey throughout this book and I all around loved her as a character.

[Giselle · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Advance Reader Copy was provided by the publisher for review. Quotes pulled from the ARC may be incorrect and may be subject to change.

Sloane's the new kid. The New Yorker who came to Alabama with her author father, little sister and mother in tow. She's a little bit of a loner, her senior year until her mother encourages her to make new friends. At a party she befriends twins Vera and Gabe who seem like they have everything going and have no qualms about life. That is until she starts to get closer to them, she realizes maybe having friends isn't so bad. Maybe it's one adventure she was missing all along.

Sloane.. oh how do I describe her? Sarcastic to a fault. Uses humour to deflect. And has a lot of faults that she doesn't see. She was hilarious to read. Her smart mouth got her into a load of trouble and I couldn't help but watch her grow as the final pages were turned. I think some people will dislike her and that's okay too, but I liked her. She had a lot of sass that made me laugh out loud. Not to mention all of her friends. What a lovely group of people to have found at such a young age. They're truly great. I loved that there was always more to each character, having them become more multi-dimensional. I loved Vera and her girlfriend and her social media celebrity status. She was always so positive and kind to Sloane. And Gabe is a little stereo-typical broody love interest but I didn't mind it at all.

You're going to have to wait for anything to happen with the romance because this book focuses more on friendship and family. There's no story line really, it's day to day musings about the characters and their relationships. What little plot there is, well that was part of the journey Sloane takes and I thought it was rather sweet. Even if there was no main story, I wasn't bored and kept on reading. The banter and dialogue between the characters were just spot on. I could have seen this book be made into a movie with the cast of characters having great chemistry. The power of friendship is such a strong bond, and I can happily say this one is too cute of a read to miss.

Finally! A wonderfully written book about friendship, family, and a tiny bit of romance. So so so cute!

RATING 4/5

QUOTES

"I creep because I care." (35)

"My longest relationship has been with Netflix." (47)

"You can believe in something without making fun of it." (98)

"I would make you realize how much you matter to people." (175)

"Loneliness was a kind of wanting, but it was also this incredible freedom." (247)

"I guess I was trying to demonstrate the idea that something perfect can end, and something broken can endure." (253)

"Maybe there are people who love someone so much that when they lose them, they never want to be with anyone else again. But maybe there are people who love someone so much that it makes them want to find that kind of love again. Maybe they loved them so much, they can't live without that kind of love in their life. And maybe…it's a kind of love where you don't have to say it. Where they're such a part of you and you're such a part of them that it doesn't need to be said. Because you already know." (294)

[Fafa's Book Corner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mini review:

This was an enjoyable read! I liked Sloane and her family. I especially loved her and Vera's relationship. And I enjoyed the romance.

There wasn't really much of an 'adventure' but it was fun to read about nonetheless. All the family issues were tackled well and realistically. I loved seeing Sloane grow into herself.

Highly recommend.

[Romie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pause. “Sloane, I've written a lot about love. I have written tomes about love. But . . . in real life . . . I don't know if I can explain it. You just . . . know it, when it happens. Or maybe it happens without your conscious thoughts and you just . . . realize it, later.”

If I'm being perfectly honestly, this book wasn't the most perfect book ever written. What a way to start a review, right? But, and I think it's important, I read it the day I needed it. I don't know if it can be considered as luck, but I decided to read this book the day I would need it the most without even knowing it. So this book was there for me when everything went to shit today, and it was there to pick up the pieces, and make me laugh and smile. And this is why this book is a new favourite, but not only.

This book, at least the way I see, is most and foremost about friendship. We follow our main character Sloane as she's moved from New York City to this small town in one of the Southern states. One night, at the party, she finds herself defending Gabe, twin of Vera, and best friend of Remy and Aubrey. She didn't really know that standing up for Gabe would mean becoming friends with his entire group, but this is what happens. Without this night, there wouldn't really be a story.

Sloane has never had real friends, ones she would straight-up kill for, but somehow she finds them in this odd group made of broken souls. Suddenly she finds herself texting with people, spending her Friday nights with them, even studying at each other's home. She's not lonely Sloane anymore, she has people ready to fight for her, and that's a lot to take in.

Like I said, this story is about friendship, which means it's also about loyalty: to your family, to someone you loved but isn't part of your life anymore, to your friends, to a memory. Loyalty is at the core of it all. Loyalty made Sloane go on this quest to find the lost painting Gabe has been crying over, made her drive for hours and hours just so Vera could spend some time with her girlfriend when she's not feeling well.

I found myself a lot in Sloane, in this way she cannot care about something if she doesn't care about 110%, the way she naturally likes being alone because it doesn't necessarily means being lonely, but also her way of hurting. She made me cry. Several times. But she also made me feel understood.
I also loved her dad, how he's obsessed with this kinda Teen Wolf tv show, how he's so into fandoms and writing fan fictions, how he acts or speaks ... I just liked him so much.

I think this book is the ultimate Hufflepuff book, it screams my house to me.

4.75

[Stacee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Emma's other book, so I was excited to get my greedy hands on this one. Even more when I saw lots of people loving it.

Love love loved Sloane. She's snarky as hell and there are so many layers that she doesn't even realize she has. It was truly enjoyable being in her head. There's an amazing group of friends {and parents!} here. I love seeing truthful and supportive group.

I think my obsessiveness comes from the subject of fandom. It was so respectfully and accurately represented and STG if I ever meet Emma, I will probably lose my shit over that one thing. Being a part of a fandom is a unique experience that not everyone becomes a part of and Emma captured the feelings perfectly.

**Huge thanks to Henry Holt for sending me an arc in exchange for and honest review**

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star Rating: —> 5 Stars

This gut punched me so hard in the best way possible. I couldn’t stop crying for the last 100 pages because of a serious case of the feels over friendship, family, & finding love. Warm, fluffy, deep, & meaningful feels everywhere over here.

Plus SO SWOON WORTHY!

Just FYI- 100 pages is A LOT of tears. I feel like i’m probably dehydrated or whatever now.

Read with caution— and a couple of water bottles, because you know, the dehydration.

So yeah.

100% recommend this!

Emma Mills is a YA contemporary Goddess.

That is all.

💙

[Norah Una Sumner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buddy read with my bro Sara.

Emma Mills is killing me.

Even though I most definitely loved First and Then more than This Adventure Ends, this was still a beautiful and emotional ride. I adore Emma Mills's writing style, I think she has fantastic ideas and somehow she really manages to develop them well. I love well-developed friendships and Emma Mills provided me with this in the most enjoyable way. Even though the "adventure" Sloane undertakes isn't exactly so adventurous and has it's flaws, I thought it served as a great way to show the bond between all of the characters growing stronger. Sloane's relationship with her father is a great part of the story as well and shows us different sides of writers and their struggles.

Whenever I read a book and absolutely like it, I seem to be lost for words. What is apparent from my review is that this book is definitely worth your time and will take you onto an emotional roller coaster so be prepared for a great ride.

[solanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

was this the best book I’ve ever read? no. were the plot and pacing perfect? by no means. will I even remember I've read this in a month? probably not.

but maybe I’m just soft for happy endings and found family. and maybe that’s enough.

[Darcey · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was so damn precious, emma mills writes books that tear you apart and then wrap you back up in the warmest hug!! sloane was the most precious and realistic character, and i adored her friendships and her growth and her hilarious personality. the slowburn romance was too sweet, the embarrassing teenage mistakes and regrets too relatable. so gorgeous 💞

[Aj the Ravenous Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dynamic story of friendship, family and love from a narrative viewpoint of a girl named Sloane who always tries to make light of every situation, always ready to crack a joke. She’s someone who couldn’t seem to take things seriously, someone who seems so independent. As she eloquently describes herself, she’s a “hopeless, idiotic, defender” but for some reason she couldn’t do the same for herself as she is always denying herself of what she really wants and couldn’t seem to admit to people that she is a human being with human feelings. If she hadn’t met these wonderful people (Vera, Remy, Frank, Bree, Aubrey and Gabe) she wouldn’t have realized how much she needs them in her life and how much her friendship and loyalty are needed by them as well.

I really like the development of Sloane’s character and of all the other characters really. Their strengths and weaknesses are what made them relatable. I love that they were very open about these things. Like Sloan’s realization that she really is someone who deeply cares but she often comes off as indifferent and sometimes cold. Perhaps their perfectly imperfect portrayal is my only qualm about the book because sometimes, they come off as quite unrealistic.

Nevertheless, This Adventure Ends to me is a very refreshing read, funny, insightful and heartwarming. The writing is wonderful and the author’s creativity incredibly shines in the narrative by incorporating several sub-stories like the “Wereschool” fanfic and all the books written by Sloane’s dad who is obviously the fiction version of Mr. Nicholas Sparks but I bet Mr. Everett Finch is a lot funnier.

The book also tackles a deeper and closer perspectives of arts and fandom and it actually made me respect fanfic writers more. The romance aspect is honestly super cute and swoon-worthy. I have a new author to follow from now in Ms. Emma Mills.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Adventure Ends

Emma Mills


Oh my gosh! THIS ADVENTURE ENDS is such a cute and heart warming coming of age story! This is only my second time reading Emma Mills, but she sure knows how to warm my heart! I was instantly hooked on all of the characters and emotionally invested on their lives and troubles. Sloane has just moved from New York to Florida and doesn't have any friends.....yet! At a school party, she meets twins Gabe and Vera and her life is never going to be the same.


THIS ADVENTURE ENDS is a fast paced YA contemporary story with a lovable heroine and a great bunch of friends. When ever Sloane doesn't know how to handle her emotions or a situation, she makes fun of it and let me tell you, this girl is seriously funny. She had me giggling and snorting through out this lovely book, sometimes to the point where I had tears in my eyes. Her friends are hilarious at times too and you will find yourself wishing for more interactions with the ever so colorful Frank Sanger, just like I was. Sloane believes the twins have everything they could possibly want in life until she actually gets to know them, but she grows to care about them and realizes they are the one adventure her life was missing.


When a painting that the twins mom had done before she passed away, turns up missing Sloane takes it upon herself to find the painting called The Dream. THIS ADVENTURE ENDS takes Sloane to a few different states tracking down this painting. Sloane really grows throughout her travels and she becomes a true best friend. She is sarcastic but in a good funny way and her friends come to love her as much as she comes to love them. Something that isn't easy for Sloane.


I loved Emma Mills first book, First & Then, and THIS ADVENTURE ENDS is exactly why. YA contemporary is one of my most favorite genres and Emma does it so well. I find myself not being able to put her books down. She hooks me right from the very first page and never lets me go. I loved all the characters as well as the one liners and teasing they all took part in. All of Sloane's friends are very relatable and are exactly the kind of friends I would have loved to have had back in high school.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication Date: October 4, 2016
Rating: 4 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

Sloane isn't expecting to fall in with a group of friends when she moves from New York to Florida—especially not a group of friends so intense, so in love, so all-consuming. Yet that's exactly what happens.

Sloane becomes closest to Vera, a social-media star who lights up any room, and Gabe, Vera's twin brother and the most serious person Sloane's ever met. When a beloved painting by the twins' late mother goes missing, Sloane takes on the responsibility of tracking it down, a journey that takes her across state lines—and ever deeper into the twins' lives.

Filled with intense and important friendships, a wonderful warts-and-all family, shiveringly good romantic developments, and sharp, witty dialogue, this story is about finding the people you never knew you needed.

What I Liked:

This book was everything I wanted, everything I expected, and then some. I thought I loved First & Then? I adored this novel. The two books are not related (both are standalones, completely different), but they are both amazing. Emma Mills writes such great contemporary novels - and you all know me, I struggle with YA contemporary most of the time. But this book... it was lovely.

Sloane and her family have moved from New York to Florida (for reasons you'll find out in the book). At her new school, Sloane makes friends with Vera, who has thousands of followers on a ton of different social media. As a friend of Vera's, she joins Vera's friend group, which includes Remy, Aubrey, Bree, and Gabe (Vera's twin). Sloane and Vera are good friends; one day, Gabe realizes that one of his mother's paintings are gone... and Sloane decides that she is going to find out who bought, and get it back for the twins. Finding the painting, navigating social circles, and learning about her new friends open Sloane up to new experiences, some of which Sloane never realized she needed.

Sloane has a corny sense of humor, slightly sarcastic and totally honest, but in a corny and funny way. She didn't have a lot of friends in New York, but here in Florida, she makes friends with a group of people. Sloane is used to being alone without being lonely, but she didn't realize how much she liked having people surrounding her until this group did. Vera is an amazing friend, and Sloane is a great friend to her. Sloane is so caring, despite her thinking that she is a little closed-off.

I liked Sloane a lot - you don't see types like her often, anymore. She's not a quiet kickbutt heroine, but rather, a quiet joke-telling one that likes solitude. I loved seeing her grow in this story. I loved seeing her push and pull with her new relationships.

The cast of characters is so well-written! Vera is a sweet and bubbly girl. Gabe is so serious and quiet, but his humor is similar to Sloane's. Laney (Sloane's nine-year-old sister) is cute and surprisingly not annoying. Sloane's father writes literary romance novels but he's kind of in a slump. Sloane's mom is your typical mom. Vera and Gabe's family is... effed up. Their mom has been dead for several years, and their family is vastly different now. The friend - Remy is such a sweetie. He is the one that helps Sloane track down the Fuller twins' mom's painting. He and Aubrey used to date, but then something happened and they're not together but are still part of the friend group. Bree is Bree, chill as a cucumber.

There are many wonderful relationships in this book. Vera and Sloane's friendship is so great, well-written and authentic. They get along well, they fight, they forgive each other. I also liked seeing Sloane and Remy interact - they are also great as friends. Sloane and her father have an interesting relationship, mostly revolving around her father's romance books.

And then there is Gabe and Sloane. I ship them so much and I adore Gabe. Gabe is serious and quiet and intense, definitely the strong silent brooding type. His mother's death hit him hard, and he wanted to keep her paintings, but his father started to sell them. Gabe isn't "broken", but he has his demons, as does Vera. I love seeing Gabe and Sloane interact. Their romance is soooo slow-burn in development, but totally worth the duration of slow-burn. I love the development, the way the romance buds. It's wonderful!

Overall, this book... it was fantastic. Definitely one that I would reread again and again. It's not just a cute contemporary novel with great romance and authentic teenage characters and plenty of humor. It's not a heavy book but there are issues that play important roles in this book. This kind of contemporary, the "real" yet uplifting type, is what I love.

What I Did Not Like:

I said the same thing about First & Then - I wanted more physical interactions and swoons from Sloane and Gabe! The romance is PERFECTLY developed, but I would have loved to see more kisses and swoons, even if it was like, ten of them, all crammed at the end. I would have been okay with this!

Would I Recommend It:

Even if you're like me and are not a fan of YA contemporary, try this one. It's a sweet novel, with humor and relationships and romance and growth and maturation. I highly recommend it! If you liked First & Then, or Kasie West's contemporary novels, then definitely try this one.

Rating:

4.5 stars -> rounded down to 4 stars. I can't wait to read more by Mills. With only two books, she has definitely become an auto-read author for me. I don't usually go for YA contemporary, but I am on board with whatever Mills writes!

[jenny✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

as with other books i've read by emma mills that, this story made me laugh out loud (and weep a little)!

reading her books fills me with joy and champagne bubbles and butterflies, every single time. i ADORE mills' depictions of—and emphasis on—friendship. i love her rapid-fire banter and heart-warming camaraderie, her self-deprecating protagonists who struggle to find meaning and motivation (but who stumble on it anyway). and, of course, my heart flutters when i read her earnest romances—always tinged with just the right amount of angst!

i'm giving this one 3 stars bc while i do love these familiar things about mills' writing, it felt a little OVERLY familiar given that i just finished first & then last night. there is absolutely an emma-mills-YA-contemp formula that i can reliably trust to hit me in all my feels, which i cherish, but this same formula can also make the characters and themes seem too similar at times. so, that's on me! i wish i hadn't read the two books back to back.

lastly, in this adventure ends, there is also some pretty awesome queer rep—this novel overall was giving me hella bisexual vibes, and i. am. a. FAN.