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The Way Back
Colby Wyatt has had a rough year. Her dad disappeared, she doesn’t have a place to live, and she’s addicted to meth. Thankfully, her best friend Gigi’s grandma takes her in, and Colby helps out with the family business, selling stolen goods in Gram’s pawnshop--stuff that Colby and Gigi along with Gigi’s brother Milo steal when they break into people’s houses, which Colby is pretty good at. Now she’s pregnant. Colby doesn’t tell anyone who the dad is. Instead, she checks herself into rehab so she can get clean and figure out how to keep the baby. Though Colby isn’t sure how to make a family, she’s determined to make things work, and she’s sure she can save Gigi too. But sometimes, no matter how hard you wish for something, it just doesn’t come true.
168 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2014
4 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
About the author
Carrie Mac
20 books161 followersFour-eyed bookworm, tattooed queer, storyteller nomad mama to two unschooled earthlings, based in East Van, overlooking the shipyard cranes and always ready for the next most amazing giant tiny little big wonderful something to capture my attention.
Or:
When Carrie Mac was born, her right eye gawked off in one direction while her left eye looked the other way. Well meaning adults thought she was a changeling and so they wrapped her up and put her on the porch for the fairies to take back, please and thank you. It was snowing. It was dark. No fairies came. The same well meaning adults decided she'd catch her death out there. So they brought her in and kept her after all.
She's read millions of books, and has sat happily at the feat of a legion of storytellers. She is equally fascinated by disaster and grace. car wrecks, hurricanes, plagues, and genocides on the one hand, small and stunning everyday miracles on the other. She sometimes wishes she were a pirate. She'd often wished she'd run away and joined the circus when she had the chance. She spends a great deal of time in the company of her imagination, and when she isn't, she's wide eyed and awed by this planet and the people running amok all over it.
Or:
When Carrie Mac was born, her right eye gawked off in one direction while her left eye looked the other way. Well meaning adults thought she was a changeling and so they wrapped her up and put her on the porch for the fairies to take back, please and thank you. It was snowing. It was dark. No fairies came. The same well meaning adults decided she'd catch her death out there. So they brought her in and kept her after all.
She's read millions of books, and has sat happily at the feat of a legion of storytellers. She is equally fascinated by disaster and grace. car wrecks, hurricanes, plagues, and genocides on the one hand, small and stunning everyday miracles on the other. She sometimes wishes she were a pirate. She'd often wished she'd run away and joined the circus when she had the chance. She spends a great deal of time in the company of her imagination, and when she isn't, she's wide eyed and awed by this planet and the people running amok all over it.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
November 24, 2019
Could you imagine your mom dying, your dad disappearing, having an addiction to drugs, and your pregnant? Yeah, Colby Wyatt has been through it all. I read the book The Way Back by Carrie Mac. Colby lives with her best friend Gigi and Gigi’s grandma they call Gram. Colby helps out with the family business at Gram’s pawn shop. They steal goods and then sell them for money. Both Colby and Gigi steal stuff, as well as Gigi’s older brother Milo. Colby is pregnant and Milo, her best friend’s brother is the dad of the baby. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to keep the baby or get a abortion, but in the end she decided to keep it. She has to go through rehab to stop doing drugs. All of the people in the family help with her struggles. The author creates conflict through dialogue. “I’m not pregnant. But even as she said the word, Colby knew Gram was right. You totally are. Gigi gawked at her. Who? Gigi stared at her. You don’t even have a boyfriend.” This shows conflict because Gram and Gigi are trying to figure out what is really going on. Colby really is pregnant, but she didn’t even know it at the time. She had been getting morning sickness, but she just thought it was because of other reasons. I recommend this book to teens because it has older topics mentioned in it and younger kids may not be able to handle it. Lately, I’ve been reading shorter books which I like better. This book is different than most authors styles because it gets to the conflict faster. I like reading shorter books because I don’t have to stay with one storyline forever, which sometimes gets boring. Overall, I really like this book and I would read another book written by Carrie Mac.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 5, 2016
I liked this story, though it definitely could've been better. Colby was a good main character, but I thought it was shown to be too easy her transition to where she was at the end of the book. I also thought it was predictable who the father was, so I wasn't surprised by that at all. I didn't like the cursing. The rest of the story seemed kind of flat, but for some reason I still enjoyed reading it.
August 1, 2016
An okay book. Could have done without the cursing and the ending was a bit flat, but not a terrible book.
May 7, 2020
Continuing my exploration of the Orca Soundings offerings, which are books aimed at readers who are of an age to read about complex/dark subjects but are more disiniterested readers. The Way Back features a girl short on advantages: her parents are out of the picture, she makes money through theft and burglary, she's addicted to drugs...and now she's pregnant.
I think this was one where there were one or two more elements than could really fit in the book. The painful parts of things like are skimmed over, and Colby slides pretty seamlessly from 'disinterested delinquent' to 'A+ teen mom'.
Mr Horvath, though. Gotta love him.
The secretary waved. "Ready for you."
She pointed Colby toward a door held open by a slender man wearing a blue bow tie and blue-and-green-striped suspenders.
"That's a pretty gay outfit," Colby said as he ushered her through.
"That's the point." He led them to his office, decorated with framed art of foxes. Illustrations, paintings, even the print on the curtains had jolly little foxes on them. Colby sat. "Now, what can I do for you?"
Colby pointed to the row of ceramic and plastic foxes lined up along the front of his desk. "What's with the foxes?"
"Dapper and debonair. Like me. I collect them."
"No shit. Super gay."
"No shit, indeed. I'm Mr. Horvath, Super Gay."
"You're not old enough to be called mister."
"Then you can call me sir." (15)
I think this was one where there were one or two more elements than could really fit in the book. The painful parts of things like are skimmed over, and Colby slides pretty seamlessly from 'disinterested delinquent' to 'A+ teen mom'.
Mr Horvath, though. Gotta love him.
The secretary waved. "Ready for you."
She pointed Colby toward a door held open by a slender man wearing a blue bow tie and blue-and-green-striped suspenders.
"That's a pretty gay outfit," Colby said as he ushered her through.
"That's the point." He led them to his office, decorated with framed art of foxes. Illustrations, paintings, even the print on the curtains had jolly little foxes on them. Colby sat. "Now, what can I do for you?"
Colby pointed to the row of ceramic and plastic foxes lined up along the front of his desk. "What's with the foxes?"
"Dapper and debonair. Like me. I collect them."
"No shit. Super gay."
"No shit, indeed. I'm Mr. Horvath, Super Gay."
"You're not old enough to be called mister."
"Then you can call me sir." (15)
December 16, 2017
This wasn't a bad book, I just wished it didn't go so fast. This book is a fast pace book with not that many Clift hangers. It doesn't take you in to that much detail. The main character in the book is Colby and she gets help and with her addiction after she finds out she is pregnant. She goes to rehab and gets clean. After this point in the book there really wasn't any motivation to read any more it kinda got boring. And the ending wasn't that good as well. But if you are looking for a quick read then I recommend this book but if you want a book that you want to take your time reading and you wanted it to go it to great detail and want it to have Clift hangers and have it to were you can't put the book down then I don't recommend this book to you
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 3, 2017
The Way Back wasn't a bad book, however I personally did not really like it. It was like a short lifetime movie. It was very fast paced, the author could have added more things to make it flow better. It also was very unrealistic, or at least some. She made it seem like a teenager can easily go to a rehab and become clean after a couple of weeks with no issues. I just didn't like the story in general.
August 21, 2023
I think this book had some potential to be great. It was a very short and it seemed as though it just went along. There were bits and pieces that were interesting, but there were also times when it sped right through.
I did enjoy the novel and I think it shows very valuable meanings in it. For this, I am going to give it a 4/5.
I did enjoy the novel and I think it shows very valuable meanings in it. For this, I am going to give it a 4/5.
October 30, 2019
This may be the worst book I've read EVER. Zero stars.
May 26, 2025
Nobody kicks drugs that easily…
May 19, 2020
This was a cool read, definitely a quick read, being it took me 2 hours. The main character Colby was interesting. I enjoyed the way she made a new friend from rehab, just by putting some trust into her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 22, 2015
Review for DelMarVa Book Review
The Way Back is a high/low book, in the Orca Soundings series, which means that its protagonists are usually lower income teens facing problems that often face real teens in similar situations. Author Carrie Mac has set her protagonist up against some very long odds, as it is a rare meth-addicted unwed teen mother who turns into a success story as Colby manages to do. Nevertheless, the way Colby overcomes her circumstances and makes the best of them is realistic and not outside the realm of possibility for a young woman in her position. Not that this should be taken as an instruction manual, but there is a hopeful tone that keeps the dismal nature of Colby's situation from becoming depressing.
Colby is not having a great year. After her father's disappearance she moved in with her best friend, Gigi, and Gigi's family, which has turned out to be mostly a blessing, although it comes with a few risky lifestyle choices, like a side career in breaking and entering and an addiction to meth. Still, Colby is confident she can handle these things, since this is her life now, until it turns out she's pregnant, too, and the father is her best friend's gay brother, Milo. Yikes!
Electing to keep secret the identity of her child's father, Colby checks herself into rehab and does her very best to keep to the straight and narrow, even though she receives virtually no support from Gigi, who feels betrayed on many levels and mocks Colby's ambition to be a responsible parent. If not for the support from Milo and a friend she made in rehab, Colby would probably not be able to get by, but together they struggle to create a safe and caring home for her new baby.
The story is surprisingly gripping and the characters sufficiently authentic that even readers who do not feel they could possibly have anything in common with Colby will find that they are emotionally invested in her story and have a genuine interest in the outcome, and not in the voyeuristic way encouraged by television shows like Teen Mom, but in a real, thoughtful way.
The Way Back is a high/low book, in the Orca Soundings series, which means that its protagonists are usually lower income teens facing problems that often face real teens in similar situations. Author Carrie Mac has set her protagonist up against some very long odds, as it is a rare meth-addicted unwed teen mother who turns into a success story as Colby manages to do. Nevertheless, the way Colby overcomes her circumstances and makes the best of them is realistic and not outside the realm of possibility for a young woman in her position. Not that this should be taken as an instruction manual, but there is a hopeful tone that keeps the dismal nature of Colby's situation from becoming depressing.
Colby is not having a great year. After her father's disappearance she moved in with her best friend, Gigi, and Gigi's family, which has turned out to be mostly a blessing, although it comes with a few risky lifestyle choices, like a side career in breaking and entering and an addiction to meth. Still, Colby is confident she can handle these things, since this is her life now, until it turns out she's pregnant, too, and the father is her best friend's gay brother, Milo. Yikes!
Electing to keep secret the identity of her child's father, Colby checks herself into rehab and does her very best to keep to the straight and narrow, even though she receives virtually no support from Gigi, who feels betrayed on many levels and mocks Colby's ambition to be a responsible parent. If not for the support from Milo and a friend she made in rehab, Colby would probably not be able to get by, but together they struggle to create a safe and caring home for her new baby.
The story is surprisingly gripping and the characters sufficiently authentic that even readers who do not feel they could possibly have anything in common with Colby will find that they are emotionally invested in her story and have a genuine interest in the outcome, and not in the voyeuristic way encouraged by television shows like Teen Mom, but in a real, thoughtful way.
January 15, 2015
The plot: Seventeen year old Colby is basically a normal teen except that she is essentially orphaned, homeless, addicted to meth and now pregnant by her best friend's gay brother, Milo. Living with her best friend, Gigi, they make a living by stealing items for Gigi's grandmother's pawn shop. Learning she is pregnant, Colby decides to get clean. In rehab, she meets a new friend Jordan, who offers positive emotional support. Deciding to keep the baby and co-parent with Milo and to some degree, Jordan, Colby succeeds in making better life choices. However, Gigi does not follow this path.
The characters: These characters are painfully stereotypical and rather flat. Colby's transformation is not wholly believable since the conflict resolution occurs so quickly. Teen readers may identify with the characters; however, there are other authors and novels that handle these situations far better (i.e. Hopkins).
Overall evaluation: This is another high/low reader from Orca. I appreciate the issues explored within this novel; however, I think more could have been done with the plot, the characters, and the handling of the issues at hand. It is important for these types of YA novels to exist but I want and expect more.
The characters: These characters are painfully stereotypical and rather flat. Colby's transformation is not wholly believable since the conflict resolution occurs so quickly. Teen readers may identify with the characters; however, there are other authors and novels that handle these situations far better (i.e. Hopkins).
Overall evaluation: This is another high/low reader from Orca. I appreciate the issues explored within this novel; however, I think more could have been done with the plot, the characters, and the handling of the issues at hand. It is important for these types of YA novels to exist but I want and expect more.
February 14, 2017
Not a book i would pick up generally but one if my students was reading it a loud to me and i got hooked.
November 28, 2014
Colby Wyatt is on her own. Her dad has vanished. She has no place to live. She’s addicted to drugs. Fortunately, Colby’s best friend, Gigi, is there for her. Colby moves in with Gigi’s grandma and gets involved the family’s business: selling stolen goods in Gram’s pawnshop. The goodsare stolen by Colby and Gigi, and Gigi’s brother Milo when they break into people’s homes, and Colby finds she has a talent for burglary.
When Colby becomes pregnant she realizes that she needs to clean up her act. She checks herself into rehab to get clean and to figure out how to keep the baby. Colby can save herself. She can save her baby. But she can’t save Gigi. Once Gigi dies, Colby finds that saving herself is not enough; she needs to redeem herself with all the people she’s wronged.
Mac writes gritty, unvarnished urban fiction that doesn’t flinch from language or situations. The novella will resonate with contemporary readers due to the authentic voices of the characters.
When Colby becomes pregnant she realizes that she needs to clean up her act. She checks herself into rehab to get clean and to figure out how to keep the baby. Colby can save herself. She can save her baby. But she can’t save Gigi. Once Gigi dies, Colby finds that saving herself is not enough; she needs to redeem herself with all the people she’s wronged.
Mac writes gritty, unvarnished urban fiction that doesn’t flinch from language or situations. The novella will resonate with contemporary readers due to the authentic voices of the characters.
January 21, 2016
I did not enjoy this book much. I did, however, like the idea of the story. It was a very short book with a lot jammed into it. Some things did not seem believable, almost like a poorly written story on Wattpad. Maybe if this same topic/idea was rewritten by Carrie Mac herself or another author, it was be better.
January 2, 2015
I just finished this book in 24 hrs. It was very good and I didn't want to put it down. Some good surprises pop up throughout that I literally said 'What!!' outloud!! It is a short and quick read!
January 24, 2015
The characters weren't believable and neither was the plot.
May 20, 2015
2.5 stars
November 5, 2015
I liked how some thing that happens to her brings her back. It brings her back from her bad life that she really wants to fix.
April 5, 2016
Good book
July 10, 2017
Being a recovering drug addict myself I was excited to read this but was highly disappointed. If you're looking to read a story that accurately describes drug addiction and the life of a drug addict.... you definitely won't find that in the pages of this book. Carrie Mac has obviously never dealt with addiction personally.
Read
May 7, 2018Excellent book. Would like to read more of Carrie's books.
Read
February 6, 2019One of my favorites of the Orca Soundings series! Well written and realistic. I loved Colby and her journey to better herself and become a good mom.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews