Book Review :: Two Roads from Here, by Teddy Steinkellner

Two Roads from Here by Teddy Steinkellner
ISBN: 1481430629
Published by Simon & Schuster
on 2018-07-17
Genres: Young Adult
Pages: 448
Source: Simon and Schuster
Find at Simon & Schuster AUS
Goodreads

Five high school seniors. Two different roads. One life-changing decision.

Should Brian play in Friday’s football game, even though his head really hurts?
Should Allegra commit to college now that her mother’s illness has returned?
Should Cole cheat on the SATs for a chance to get into his dream school?
Should Nikki go all the way with her boyfriend? Should Wiley tell his best friend that he loves her and risk losing her completely?

These five seniors are about to have an opportunity people only dream about: to experience two potential outcomes of a life-altering decision. When it’s all over, will they still recognize their futures?

Last updated on 14 October 2023

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What is Two Roads from Here by Teddy Steinkellner about?

Five seniors in high school, Brian, Nikki, Wiley, Cole and Allegra, all come to the point where they have to make a decision; one that could alter the course of their life. Brian could play the homecoming game even though he’s seeing stars, or he could sit on the bench. Nikki could sleep with her boyfriend despite her horrific past experiences, or she could walk away. Wiley could profess his undying love for his best friend, or he could save their friendship and never tell her. Cole could cheat on his finals and get into Stanford, or he could get through on his own merits … or not. Allegra could accept her chance to go to Stanford, or she could stay home with her ill mother.

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by.” – Robert Frost

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My thoughts on Two Roads from Here

Two Roads from Here had a lot more potential than I think it delivered. While it was a light-hearted read with differing plot lines and an interesting layout, I felt it to be lacking somewhat in places and overdone in others. Let me explain.

The characters

As the story went on, I was really hoping that one of the characters would redeem themselves, or I would grow to like one. But alas. I didn’t connect with any of them, I didn’t even like any of them, and found myself getting angry at all of them, a lot of the time. They were mean, they were crass beyond measure, they were bitchy, they were cruel. Even the ones I thought I might like – maybe the theatre kid Cole, or hard-working smart-kid Allegra – were ridiculously harsh; with their peers, their families, with themselves. They didn’t have a lot going for them, and that really irked me.

Two Roads concept

However! The concept of two roads, two possible outcomes from one decision, two paths that life could take you … I really enjoyed that.

The format was a little confusing at times – it begins with a Road One Fall section and has a chapter for each kid, then it moves to the possible Road Two Fall … then Road One Winter etc – as it was jumping not only between characters and their personal stories, but also from one season to the next, and also Road One and Road Two. I found myself having to flip back to remind myself what storyline I was in, and if I didn’t read the beginning of each section properly, well then confusion reigned. Having said that, I think it would have worked if there were either fewer characters to follow down their paths and ones that didn’t connect with each other as much, or perhaps if Road One was the first half of the book, and Road Two was the second. The idea was great and I did really like it, it just wasn’t wonderfully executed.

Plot

No one has more drama than a fictional American high-schooler in their senior year. No one.

Each of the kids in Two Roads from Here has their ‘thing’, their stereotype, their trope. Brian is the (American) football jock (not to be confused with real football, aka soccer) who is considered a bit of a meathead; Nikki is the babe, the popular one, the one all the guys lust after; Wiley is the boy-next-next door in love with his best friend; Cole is dramatic, flamboyant theatre star; and Allegra is the smart kid who’s definitely going place. Everything that happens in their storylines is your typical cliched plot, but it’s woven together with the other four. All the events in the story lead up to graduation day (because don’t they always?) and there ends the story.

Verdict

So! Two Roads from Here was a very mixed bag. I like the idea, the concept, and I even didn’t mind seeing the five stereotypes interact with each other (and I love that cover, and you guys know how much a good cover makes a difference to me picking up a book!); but I didn’t like the crassness of the writing (and there was no way in a bajillion years this was written by a woman), nor the characters, and the format hurt my head. For this Young Adult fiction, I’m going to give it 2.5 stars, which, using the Goodreads rating system, is somewhere between ‘it was okay’ and ‘I liked it’.

If you’d like to check it out, you can find it on the Simon and Schuster website or check it out on Goodreads.

Have you read Two Roads from Here? What did you think? 

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I received this book for free from Simon and Schuster AUS in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.