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Stops Along the Way
Not yet published
Expected 19 May 26A sunny YA romance about a road trip and life’s unexpected turns from the author of Give Me a Sign.
Iris doesn’t trust the odds. Not when she has a 1 in 4 chance of inheriting the same vision diagnosis as her sister, Amelia.
When Iris travels to the east coast to help Amelia drive her things back from college, the last person she expects to run into on campus is Declan, her board game club rival, but he’s also there to drive his brother home for summer break. The unlikely occurrence results in the four of them caravaning together to Nebraska.
Iris and Declan are used to competing with dice and cards across a table, but the romantic feelings unfolding as they drive across the map are a total surprise. The odds of falling in love on the road seem low, especially amid car troubles and sister drama. Can Iris look past probability and embrace the unexpected?
Iris doesn’t trust the odds. Not when she has a 1 in 4 chance of inheriting the same vision diagnosis as her sister, Amelia.
When Iris travels to the east coast to help Amelia drive her things back from college, the last person she expects to run into on campus is Declan, her board game club rival, but he’s also there to drive his brother home for summer break. The unlikely occurrence results in the four of them caravaning together to Nebraska.
Iris and Declan are used to competing with dice and cards across a table, but the romantic feelings unfolding as they drive across the map are a total surprise. The odds of falling in love on the road seem low, especially amid car troubles and sister drama. Can Iris look past probability and embrace the unexpected?
256 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication May 19, 2026
2 people are currently reading
5037 people want to read
About the author
Anna Sortino
3 books475 followersAnna Sortino is the award-winning author of Give Me a Sign, On the Bright Side, and Stops Along the Way. Her stories center disabled characters living their lives and falling in love. She lives in Chicago with her dog. Find more at AnnaSortino.com.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 8, 2025
I was selected to receive an ARC of this book. Once again, I remain a huge fan of Anna Sortino’s writing! It was interesting reading about Stargadt’s and being able to share many characteristics of it as someone that has Usher Syndrome - so much so that I truly related to Iris.I absolutely love how the author has a deaf character in all of her books, along with introducing a new diagnosis into each of her stories. It’s a great way of showing awareness for a condition that others may have never heard of, along with creating relatability if someone ever does come across someone with that diagnosis at some point in their lives!
As for Iris’s relationship with Declan, I was rooting for them from the beginning and experienced the same roller coaster of emotions that Iris experienced during this book! However, my heart was full of joy by the end.
As for Iris’s relationship with Declan, I was rooting for them from the beginning and experienced the same roller coaster of emotions that Iris experienced during this book! However, my heart was full of joy by the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Anna Sortino’s books are always an enjoyable, mind-broadening experience for me. I appreciate the disability reps that are always present, at the same time not person-defining. Just folks living their realities, you know?
Stops along the way was a sweet read. I love how Anna wrote about teens navigating moving on to college, changing relationships (friends, siblings, etc), family drama, and of course, a budding romance. The characters felt very relatable. I will note, though, that even though I think the romance/their relationship was not the central plot of this story, I very much enjoyed the balance of it all.
Thank you so much for the ARC.
Stops along the way was a sweet read. I love how Anna wrote about teens navigating moving on to college, changing relationships (friends, siblings, etc), family drama, and of course, a budding romance. The characters felt very relatable. I will note, though, that even though I think the romance/their relationship was not the central plot of this story, I very much enjoyed the balance of it all.
Thank you so much for the ARC.
December 22, 2025
Iris and her gaming nemesis Declan get thrown together on a road trip home from college with their older siblings. Will their close proximity lead to more than friendship?
I typically love all of Anna Sortino's books. I appreciate her incorporation of disabilities (Sortino is hearing impaired and usually at least one of her characters is too), and in that way, Stops Along the Way is no exception. My issue with this book is the relationship piece. The relationship between Iris and Declan didn't feel authentic throughout the whole story. There wasn't enough there for them to truly be enemies, and the jump to "something more" came out of nowhere. I didn't really like the jump in time at the end of the book either.
I read an ARC from Edelweiss.
I typically love all of Anna Sortino's books. I appreciate her incorporation of disabilities (Sortino is hearing impaired and usually at least one of her characters is too), and in that way, Stops Along the Way is no exception. My issue with this book is the relationship piece. The relationship between Iris and Declan didn't feel authentic throughout the whole story. There wasn't enough there for them to truly be enemies, and the jump to "something more" came out of nowhere. I didn't really like the jump in time at the end of the book either.
I read an ARC from Edelweiss.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Another great contemporary YA fiction by Anna Sortino that continues to bring hidden disabilities with authentic representation! An unexpected road trip to bring their siblings home from college brings casual gaming friends, Iris and Declan together. The story lines between the relationships between siblings, family, friends as well as the intertwined development of a game was fun to ride along with on this road trip. I especially enjoyed the jump in the expansion chapter which gave a unique way to wrap up the romance of the story.
This will definitely be a preorder for me to add to my collection! Look for this book to come out May 19, 2026! Pre Orders are now available! Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy of Stops Along the Way!
This will definitely be a preorder for me to add to my collection! Look for this book to come out May 19, 2026! Pre Orders are now available! Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy of Stops Along the Way!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
4.5
An absolutely charming YA contemporary second chance road trip romance between two board game loving high school seniors about to head off to college. I loved all the boardgame nerdiness, the great disability rep (Iris, the FMC is hearing impaired, wears hearing aids and her sister has Stargadt's disease, which is a genetic degenerative eye condition). Iris herself has a 25% chance of inheriting the condition too and has to grapple with the possibility of having both hearing loss and vision loss. Emotional, moving and fun all at the same time and perfect for fans of authors like Rachel Lynn Solomon and Kristy Boyce!
An absolutely charming YA contemporary second chance road trip romance between two board game loving high school seniors about to head off to college. I loved all the boardgame nerdiness, the great disability rep (Iris, the FMC is hearing impaired, wears hearing aids and her sister has Stargadt's disease, which is a genetic degenerative eye condition). Iris herself has a 25% chance of inheriting the condition too and has to grapple with the possibility of having both hearing loss and vision loss. Emotional, moving and fun all at the same time and perfect for fans of authors like Rachel Lynn Solomon and Kristy Boyce!
October 3, 2025
Ok this book is literally wonderful. But I must warn you. If you read this on the subway, you will be giggling and squealing and the Brooklyn aunties will judge you.
Declan my heart my love my child, you can do no wrong. Ever. He and Iris were so so SO cute and I absolutely adored how sweet he is to her. His optimism even rubbed off on my cynical ass tbh. I also really loved the relationship between Iris and Amelia (I was here for the romance but the sister + sister was bonus).
There's a reason Anna Sortino is an insta-buy for me <3
Declan my heart my love my child, you can do no wrong. Ever. He and Iris were so so SO cute and I absolutely adored how sweet he is to her. His optimism even rubbed off on my cynical ass tbh. I also really loved the relationship between Iris and Amelia (I was here for the romance but the sister + sister was bonus).
There's a reason Anna Sortino is an insta-buy for me <3
February 13, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for the ARC!
This story had me internally squealing and kicking my feet. The romance that unfolded with the forced proximity and the tension had me smiling the whole time I was reading. The only downside for me was the third act conflict felt like it came on a bit quickly.
Anna Sortino is a new to me author and I was pleasantly surprised at the inclusions she made to include disabled characters. She did it in such a thoughtful way and I hope we can continue to see more representation in the future!
This story had me internally squealing and kicking my feet. The romance that unfolded with the forced proximity and the tension had me smiling the whole time I was reading. The only downside for me was the third act conflict felt like it came on a bit quickly.
Anna Sortino is a new to me author and I was pleasantly surprised at the inclusions she made to include disabled characters. She did it in such a thoughtful way and I hope we can continue to see more representation in the future!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4.25 stars! ty netgalley 4 da arc
i love a good road trip romance + bonus points for it being not quite childhood friends but i love it when they've known each other for years!! some of the time skips made sense but i do wish we could've seen more <3
i love a good road trip romance + bonus points for it being not quite childhood friends but i love it when they've known each other for years!! some of the time skips made sense but i do wish we could've seen more <3
January 14, 2026
I really enjoyed the story and the disability representation that Anna Sortino continues to show in her books! This is a very cozy read with an ending that had me holding my breath!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Good short romance story if you want a face-paced book. It was nice to have the medical disorders represented.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews