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Summary
Summary
"Utterly romantic." --Jenny Han, NYT bestselling author of To All the Boys I've Loved Before
The bestselling author of Windfall and The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight returns with a meet-cute romance about Hugo and Mae, two teens who are thrown together on a cross-country train trip that will teach them about love, each other, and the futures they can build for themselves.
It's the perfect idea for a romantic week together: traveling across America by train.
But then Hugo's girlfriend dumps him. Her parting gift: the tickets for their long-planned last-hurrah-before-uni trip. Only, it's been booked under her name. Nontransferable, no exceptions.
Mae is still reeling from being rejected from USC's film school. When she stumbles across Hugo's ad for a replacement Margaret Campbell (her full name!), she's certain it's exactly the adventure she needs to shake off her disappointment and jump-start her next film.
A cross-country train trip with a complete stranger might not seem like the best idea. But to Mae and Hugo, both eager to escape their regular lives, it makes perfect sense. What starts as a convenient arrangement soon turns into something more. But when life outside the train catches up to them, can they find a way to keep their feelings for each other from getting derailed?
"One of the loveliest, most touching romances of 2019 thus far that gets at the nature of something deeply buried in all of our hearts." -- Entertainment Weekly
"This warm, romantic, never overly sentimental story is told with humor and heart....A deeply satisfying read about a life-changing journey full of poignant moments." --Kirkus , starred review
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up--Hugo is the youngest of a group of sextuplets born and raised in Surrey, England. Mae lives just north of New York City and is the only child of two dads. Seeking adventure, the 18-year-old strangers decide to travel together by train across the United States with stops in Chicago and Denver. Mae is making a movie along the way, and Hugo is considering taking a gap year before college. On their journey, they encounter new people, suffer loneliness and loss, and begin falling for each other. Narrators Karissa Vacker and Anthony Mark Barrow alternate chapters with a believable mix of youthful wistfulness, humor, and angst. VERDICT Though occasionally the plot stretches plausibility, the work is so optimistic and refreshing both middle school and high school listeners will ride along cheering.--Barbara S. Wysocki, formerly with Cora J. Belden Library, Rocky Hill, CT
Publisher's Weekly Review
When Hugo Wilkinson and his girlfriend, Margaret Campbell-both from Surrey, England-break up before university, he's left with tickets for a rail trip across the United States that she had planned for them. But the trip is nontransferable, and all of the reservations are in her name, so Hugo can't go unless he can find a replacement Margaret Campbell. The timing couldn't be better for Margaret "Mae" Campbell from New York's Hudson Valley (she's just been rejected from USC's film school and needs a distraction), who finds Hugo's notice for a travel companion through social media. When the two first meet at New York's Penn Station, it's not exactly love at first sight, but after sharing close quarters, exploring new cities, and confiding their dreams and disappointments, passion begins to ignite. Told from the protagonists' alternating perspectives and offering a well-rounded cast of secondary characters (especially sextuplet Hugo's siblings and Mae's feisty grandmother), this novel by Smith (Windfall) gives a contemporary twist to the tried-and-true plot of two strangers falling in love on a train. A coming-of-age story as well as a romance, it offers authentic, complementary protagonists while capturing the thrill of exploring new territory. Ages 12-up. Agent: Jennifer Joel, ICM Partners. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Hugo's girlfriend dumps him right before their pre-college train trip across America. He's got the tickets, but he needs someone with his girlfriend's name to get him on the train. Mae answers his ad; unexpected romance ensues. Although Hugo is a British sextuplet looking for his own identity and Mae's an American film student, their alternating narratives share an appealing mix of reflection and buoyancy. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Hugo Wilkinson, one of the "Surrey Six" sextuplets from Surrey, England, has been looking forward to a train trip across America with his girlfriend, Margaret Campbell. It would be a rare moment away from his siblings and the public scrutiny that will only get worse when they all enter university on a scholarship from a wealthy alumnus. But Hugo is blindsided when Margaret breaks up with him and he realizes her name is the only one on all their nonrefundable, nontransferable tickets and reservations. Margaret "Mae" Campbell lives in Hudson Valley, New York, with two loving gay dads and a doting Nana and was rejected by her dream film school. Discovering Hugo's post seeking another Margaret Campbell to travel with, she applies to join him. After some initial awkwardness, the two form a connection. Hugo is loyal to his siblings, but he secretly wants something different for himself. Mae, who appears confident, has kept a part of herself hidden. As they travel, she interviews passengers, and their revelations spark a change in her. This warm, romantic, never overly sentimental story is told with humor and heart, the cinematic narrative easily moving between the two likable, charming protagonists. The well-portrayed supporting cast members, especially Hugo's siblings and Mae's Nana, appear in texts and video calls, providing insight into the protagonists. Hugo is biracial (black and white), and Mae is white.A deeply satisfying read about a life-changing journey full of poignant moments. (Romance. 12-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Hugo's used to not having anything that's really his own: as one of the semifamous Surrey Six, he and his five sextuplet siblings have secured a scholarship to the local university. But before he commits to the foreseeable future in England, Hugo's going to have one little slice of freedom: a train trip he's taking across America with his girlfriend. But then Margaret dumps him. And suddenly Hugo is left with two train tickets in her name that he can't use unless he finds another Margaret Campbell. Enter Mae, who has just been rejected from USC's film school. Hugo's ad seems crazy, but at her grandmother's urging, Mae finds herself lying to her dads and boarding a train, where she hopes she'll find material for a new film. Smith returns to the conceit that made The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight (2012) succeed: travel as a vehicle for romance. Both Hugo and Mae's alternating viewpoints are rich and introspective, and this will appeal to any teen that appreciates a thoughtful love story.--Maggie Reagan Copyright 2018 Booklist