Because their mother is usually high, Essa, seventeen, must be responsible for her sister, nine-year-old Puck, but when Puck disappears during a hike outside of Boulder, Essa must rely on her newfound spiritual strength and boyfriend Oliver.

France's novel "Zen and Gone" features a multiple perspective storyline set in the real town of Boulder, Colorado. The two main characters, Essa and Oliver, are both struggling due to their rough family and home situations, and they are both set on staying sober.

It took me a while to actually get into this book. The beginning was slow and was more like any old YA novel: Main characters have normal teen family problems, they meet someone who is unlike anyone they have ever met before, and they fall in love within 2 weeks of knowing each other. But then we get to the second part of the story, which I felt had a completely different storyline than the first section. It was like I was reading two different novels. I finished the second part of the fairly quickly, due to the fact that I was intrigued by the mystery aspect. I do wish that Essa and Oliver would have interacted more in the second half. I felt like their romance could have developed a lot more than it did.

Overall, I did enjoy reading this novel. The Zen knowledge that was placed into the novel was really fascinating, and I feel France did a great job of capturing that true Boulder feel. ( )

Goodreads Synopsis:
Born and raised in Boulder, Colorado, Essence McKree feels older than any seventeen-year-old she knows. Ever since weed was legalized, Mom has been working in a pot shop, high more often than not. Lately it’s been up to Essa to care for her nine-year-old sister, Puck.

When Essa meets Oliver—a brainy indoor type, in town for the summer—she is cautious at first, distrustful of the tourist crowd and suspicious of Oliver’s mysterious past in Chicago. But Puck is charmed and pushes Essa toward him. Soon Essa finds herself showing Oliver the Boulder she has forgotten: the mountain parties, the long hikes…and at Oliver’s urging, the exploration of Buddhism at the local zendo.

When Oliver agrees to accompany Essa on a three-day survival game in the Rocky Mountains, she feels a lightness she hasn’t known in a long time. Then she discovers that Puck has stowed away and followed them into the wilderness. After spending a night stuck in a mountain storm, Essa wakes to find Puck missing. Now Essa must rely on her newfound spiritual strength if she is to save her sister’s life, and ultimately her own.

My Review:
Let me start off by saying how much I loved reading this book, and how much different it is than anything else I've read lately. This book made me feel really good reading it, up until probably three quarters of the way in but that was kind of the point. It's heartwarming for the most part, the characters are super relatable and realistic, and they grow a lot throughout the story. It's an easy read, and you should definitely check it out if you get the chance.

Essa and Puck are sisters, they live with their stoner mom who's pretty much absent in their lives. Puck is nine years old and a budding genius, also loves drama class. She wears tap shoes everywhere, although they can't afford lessons for her, because Essa is the main breadwinner for the family, even though she's just in high school. The book starts off with Essa waking up in the wilderness to find her little sister missing from her bed beside her. It then switches back before that time, to explain the backstory and introduce the characters. It eventually catches up to that beginning point, and passes it for the end of the story. I loved every moment of this book, and couldn't put it down because I was worried I would miss something. I read it in almost one sitting, that's how much I liked it.

The other character that the viewpoint switches between is Oliver. He's just moved to Boulder into his aunts house for the summer from Chicago, and doesn't expect much to happen. That is, until he starts working at the local kite shop with Essa. From there his life just goes up. Most of the book are the characters everyday lives, another new boyfriend for Essa and Puck's mom, a phone call from Oliver's sister Lilly, and above all, a seemingly hopeless crush. It's really just about learning to pay attention to the things around you, even if it seems like a disastrous situation. I'm glad I got the chance to read it, and I definitely recommend you check it out.

Here's a link to the book on Amazon, and another link to the Author's Twitter.

https://www.amazon.ca/Zen-Gone-Emily-France-ebook/dp/B07693MT36/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UT...

https://twitter.com/emilyfrancebook?lang=en

Thanks for reading! Check out this review and more at my blog.
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