Let's Bust a Recap : Departures

Good morning and a happy Monday to you! Today we're partying like it's 1999 which is the year our book of the day was first published. Departures by Robin Jones Gunn is the first of my new Robin Jones Gunn books that I've read, and let me tell you, it has taken some serious self-control to not move straight to the other two, but I've decided to use them as motivation to knock out some of the other books on my actual book list for the year. If I complete books from my list, I get to reward myself with Robin Jones Gunn. Pathetic? Maybe, but it works for me. 

Anyway, let's get to our actual recap. Departures is actually like two books in one (yay!), and I loved getting to discover these two lost little stories. Robin Jones Gunn has written entire series of books based off the characters Christy Miller and Sierra Jensen, and in Departures, we get an extra story about each of these girls. 

Our first story, "Now Boarding at Gate 10", is from Christy Miller's life, and if you've read the series, it takes place between books 11 and 12 right after Christy has just broken up with Todd and graduated from high school. Christy and her family are on a little weekend trip for the 50th wedding anniversary of Christy's grandparents, and this story is all about Christy going back to Brightwater, Wisconsin and thinking about how her life might have been different if her family hadn't moved to Escondido, California her sophomore year of high school. Christy also learns some important lessons about relationships from her grandparents which Robin Jones Gunn alludes to later in The College Series about Christy Miller.

Our second story, "In the Event of a Water Landing", is from Sierra Jensen's life, and if you've read her series, this story actually takes place right before her books begin. Her family hasn't yet moved to Oregon to live with her Granna Mae, and Sierra is on her own little weekend trip with some of her Pineville friends to their cabin in Montana. In this story, Sierra is being pulled between childhood and womanhood and trying to navigate all the tricky emotions and decisions that go with that. 

I read this book in two sittings: Christy's story in one sitting, Sierra's in the other. I loved every second of it. If you've read the Christy Miller or the Sierra Jensen series but somehow missed this little treasure like I did, I definitely recommend picking it up and giving it a read. Obviously, my recommendation shouldn't come as a big shock to anyone since you should all know by now what a huge fan of Robin Jones Gunn I am. This was definitely a welcome addition to my reading for 2016 although I must say, I've thoroughly enjoyed everything I've read this year. 

Have you read anything by Robin Jones Gunn? What have you been reading this year? Do you have any fond memories of a summer trip you took when you were a teenager? Is it totally ridiculous that I'm still so into these books even though I'm supposed to be a grown-up? #dontcare #foreverfriends