Field Notes on Love

Summary

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-college 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?

Prelude:

Fellas, I’m going to be honest, I’m a sucker for romance novels. I have been for as long as I started getting into reading and I’m not too sure why. Something about them always caught my attention and the book I’m about to review is no different. I haven’t had the opportunity to read many books recently due to how hectic school and general life has been, but out of curiosity I went to my school’s library and picked up a couple books, and the first one I read was this one. And I'm pretty happy to say I was not disappointed.

Review:

This book is a tad corny. And honestly I’m not too certain if the corniness is done on purpose or if I just found it that way. I found the book to be a tad corny in its descriptions between the two main characters, Mae and Hugo interacting, but also in their dialogue. However, in my humble opinion, the corniness adds to the novel and pretty much never subtracts from its overall value. All of the cheesy dialogue scenes enhance the characters and give a greater sense as to who they really are and the descriptions are cute, if a little generic at times. So, yes this is a teen romance novel but the actual cheesy elements you would expect from it don’t really take away from it which is surprising. However, I think I should get on to the characters and their developments.

Hugo’s a cool guy. To start off, he’s a teenager who lives in the UK who also happens to be a sextuplet. He and all his other siblings are going to college only a full ride scholarship due to their popularity as said sextuplets but Hugo isn't feeling it. At the same time his girlfriend Mae Campbell breaks up with him leaving their nation wide US road trip on a halt. Due to the fact that everything is registered in Mae's name he has to find another Mae Campbell to take with him and the story ensues. I like Hugo and objectively I feel he's a pretty good character. The thoughts he expresses throughout the novel are pretty realistic and his conflict may not seem to be very relatable but it in fact is. A lot of people yearn for something more, something more than their parents or guardians or anyone has envisioned for them. Maybe not even something more just something different, and Hugo acts on that. Just like many of us he has a goal, a vague one at that but still, and does what makes him happy. That's admirable, and while he's a goofball he's also prone to mistakes. Mistakes anyone can really make. So in terms of the relatability appeal Hugo is one of the best I've seen so far in all of the novels I've reviewed. And outside of that aspect he flourishes by being a character I want to see win. His charisma just makes him lovable and I want to see him rise up. So yea Hugo gets an A+ for character. Next, on to the Maes.

The Mae Campbells carry this story. Of course, they have to as the main conflicts are focused on them but throughout reading the novel you get the sense they're the backbone of it all. In order to make this not confusing I'll refer to the original Mae Campbell as simply Camp and the nation crossing one as Mae. Camp's presence in the novel was weird. She's not really an antagonist so to speak and the closest thing I can think that she is to the story is an overarching objection. She comes into the story break sup with Hugo and then leaves which may seem abrupt but really I think it fits. After all, there's not much else she could've done in the story as she couldn't follow Hugo to the US following their breakup. She does have some moments here and there throughout the road trip that gives you the "come on man" feels but it works for conflict. At first I wasn't the biggest fan of her, looking at the novel in a holistic view, but after more thought I realized her actions in the latter end of the story were justified. I won't say what exactly however, looking at the film in the view of a retrospective helped me sympathize with her a little more and how crazy the story may have seemed from her POV. She definitely holds the story down.

Camp, on the other hand, is definitely my second favorite character in the whole novel. Her development throughout the whole story is insane and makes me feel the same amount of care from Hugo's story to hers. From her film endeavors to her relationship to her two dads and her grandma to her overall drive, it's hard not to like her character. Her chemistry with Hugo really shines in the middle of the story and the way she tries to understand her concept of love is truly benevolent. Camp's a character who struggles with her self-esteem through some problems she had in the past due to her ambition being deemed as not enough and yet through it all she never gave up. Camp's a character that we should all strive to be, because at the end of the day she tries her very best and that's extremely admirable. Even outside of that the way she carries the novel is phenomenal through her interactions with those on the train and Hugo himself. Camp really sold this book for me and I feel many would enjoy this novel just for her. In fact, I'd say this novel is a great read for just the dynamic of Hugo and Camp which move the story forward with a grace I haven't seen in a long time. Of course the other characters in this book are great and honestly could get their own books themselves but the main duo made this a very enjoyable experience.

To finish off with the story aspect, I felt it accomplished what it sent out to do. The pacing in the beginning was a little slow as I was really waiting for the novel to "begin" but once it did it never stopped and left me happy for each and every chapter to come. The ending felt a little rushed in my opinion but that was probably due to the nature of the story. The last chapter could have been a little longer but in terms of the narrative structure it completed what it had to do. It wasn't what I was expecting and I appreciate it for keeping the readers on their toes. This whole novel is honestly immaculate. The story could've been a little stronger, as in I feel the locales used could have been extrapolated on a bit more to benefit the story, but I'm content with what I received. Jennifer Smith hit hard with this one and I appreciate that out of a novel. It had a light yet also sometimes heavy gravitas and that is imperative in keeping readers engaged. I'd give this one 4.5/5 diamonds. I would say it's definitely worth checking out if you have the time, and a pretty enjoyable ride from start to finish. Remember everyone stay safe and indoors for as long as necessary. Take care.

I await your train...