I generally don't put down books without finishing them. But it took me over a month to read a little less than 20% of this, so in the end I decided my time will be better spent with another book.

The premise of the book is quite interesting: a teenage girl (and later on a woman) who can hear Jane Austen's voice, and thusly gets to benefit from her wisdom. But the whole thing falls flat because ultimately Ellie's life is not changed at all by the extra voice in her head. Leaving aside the fact where I didn't quite get why would Jane get in the head of a random teenager (Ellie doesn't stand out in any way, she never even read Pride and Prejudice before it was a school assignment), I found hard to believe this arrangement would last twenty years (or seven, in the pages I read, but even that is too much). Had Jane really nothing better to do than share head space with this random chick for decades?

And the thing that bothered me the most is that Jane's presence doesn't bring anything at all to the table, other than a few quaint phrases. The whole character felt simply tacked on because the author wanted to share a bit of the popularity of the Jane-Austen-revival genre that was en vogue at the time. Maybe the story would have been interesting otherwise -- I have no way of knowing, since I gave it up so soon -- but I personally felt cheated because I expected to see a book where Jane makes a contribution, and all I got was a book about a whiny teenager instead.

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

The Road to You is part mystery, part suspense; a coming of age story of self-discovery with a bit of romance. It takes place in 1978 which I found to be interesting since it's not a time period I've read about often. Ms. Brant delivers a well-paced adventure as Aurora and Donovan follow a trail of clues in the hopes of unraveling the mystery behind the disappearance of their brothers two years ago.

Aurora's life was put on hold two years ago when her brother, Gideon, disappeared with his best friend, Jeremy. The local police did a shoddy investigation, and her parents held a funeral under the assumption he was dead. I don't think Aurora even realized that she was simply existing until she found Gideon's journal with a recent date marked on the page in Gideon's handwriting. She is convinced that not only is Gideon alive, but he left her a book full of clues to find him and solve the mystery of his disappearance. Aurora is extremely intelligent and a puzzle fanatic, so she's eager to begin the hunt.

Donovan left the Army and moved home when his brother, Jeremy, disappeared with Gideon. Like Aurora, he's merely existing in this small town, living with the uncertainty that comes from an unsolved mystery. He's reluctant to investigate with Aurora, worried that she'll get hurt. When he finally agrees, they're both embroiled in the mystery from the very first stop.

I loved the way Ms. Brant included handwritten pictures of the journal entry pages; seeing them helped draw me deeper into the mystery. This novel is full of intrigue and suspense, making it a real page turner. Aurora and Donovan travel along Route 66, unraveling the mystery bit by bit from pieces they discover in each town. In some ways it reminds me of a treasure hunt, the map being Gideon's journal. The ending was quite satisfying, wrapping everything up as neatly as possible.

I recommend The Road to You to everyone high school and up looking for an adventure/mystery with a touch of romance. There are references to sexual situations and some mature content in the form of crime, murder and death.