We're Never Getting Home

by Tracy Badua, Jennifer Aquino (Read by)

Overview

HBO’s Insecure meets Dazed and Confused in this messy, tender YA novel about a friendship breakup, set against the backdrop of a chaotic night at a music festival, from rising talent Tracy Badua.

Jana Rubio and her best friend, Maddy Parsons, have an epic senior year finale queued up: catching their favorite band at the Orchards, an outdoor music festival a two-hour drive away. When a blowup over Maddy’s time-sucking boyfriend exposes a rift that may have already been growing between them, Jana calls off their joint trip and gets a lift to the festival from her church friend Nathan…only to realize Maddy and her boyfriend are along for the ride, too.

All Jana wants is to enjoy the concert and get home as soon as possible. But then Nathan loses his car keys crowd-surfing, and it’s up to Jana and Maddy to find them. As they navigate stolen phones and missing friends, scale Ferris wheels and crash parties, the two of them are forced to reckon with the biggest obstacle of all: repairing their friendship.

Will Jana and Maddy find their way home—and also back to each other? 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798212902588
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	04/16/2024
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 5.70(h) x 0.00(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Tracy Badua is an award-winning Filipino American author of books about young people with sunny hearts in a sometimes stormy world. By day, she is an attorney who works in national housing policy and programs, and by night, she squeezes in writing, family time, and bites of her secret candy stash. She lives in San Diego, California, with her family.

Jennifer Aquino is an American actor based in Los Angeles. She works in film, television, theater, and voice-over. She's known as the doctor who killed McDreamy on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy. Her theater background includes performances at East West Players, The Actors' Gang, LaJolla Playhouse, Theatre West, El Portal Theatre, Center Stage Theatre, Victory Theatre, and Lodestone Theatre. Her voice has been described as "grounded," "youthful," "refreshing," and "pleasing to the ear." Jennifer loves giving voice to young adults, and reading journeys of empowered women in romantic comedies, LitRPG books, fantasy/sci-fi novels, mysteries, and thrillers. Her background in theater and voice contributes to her narration in giving each character a unique life.

Editorial Reviews

05/01/2024

Gr 9 Up—Jana Rubio begged her parents to let her have one night away at an outdoor music festival to see her favorite band with her best friend, Maddy Parsons. After her mother's car accident and her sister's bumpy start at college, Jana has felt the need to be available for her parents whenever she's needed. She deserves some freedom before she graduates high school in a few months and won't let a fight with her best friend that leaves them not speaking with each other derail her plans. She secures a ride with her friend from church, Nathan Clark, and is ready to go. But, when Nathan arrives to pick her up, not only does he have his younger brother Ethan with him, but Maddy and her boyfriend Tyler are also along for the two-hour ride. Then, when Nathan loses his car keys crowd-surfing and he and Tyler become unable to help in the search for them, Jana, Maddy, and Ethan are left to search the festival grounds for the keys to make it home. The premise is promising, but at times the uneven pacing and unrealistic series of unfortunate events make for an uneven narrative. VERDICT Teens will enjoy the adventure.—Rebekah J. Buchanan

School Library Journal

2024-02-03
A group of teens get stuck at a music festival when the keys to their van go missing.

Ever since her older sister’s unexpected return from college, her mother’s car accident, and her father’s expanded work hours, responsible Filipino American Jana Rubio has felt pressured to be constantly available for her family. Before, she could always count on best friend Maddy Parsons, who’s had her own share of family issues, to understand when she needed to cancel plans or hang out less. Jana and Maddy were planning to see their favorite band at a music festival, but their plans changed after an epic argument, and they’re no longer on speaking terms. Refusing to give up this opportunity of a lifetime, Jana decides to go with church friend Nathan Clark—only to discover that Maddy, Maddy’s boyfriend, and Nathan’s younger brother are along for the two-hour ride. Jana’s determined to have fun and be home by midnight as promised, but chaos ensues when Nathan loses his keys. Jana ends up running around the festival grounds with Maddy, trying to find them. Jana, who’s unlikable at times, is a relatable protagonist who unfairly carries the weight of her family’s problems and also acts as Maddy’s “Emotional Support Jana.” The wild concert hijinks are well balanced with Jana’s introspective thoughts as she navigates her fragile friendship with Maddy and her need to control everything. Nathan and Everett are cued Latine; Maddy reads white.

An entertaining and insightful romp. (Fiction. 12-17)

Kirkus Reviews