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Stray: Breaking Free, Falling Hard and Growing Stronger
Not yet published
Expected 13 Jan 26What happens when the path you choose leads far from everything you thought you knew?
Shannon O’Brien leaves behind a life of routine to chase adventure across South America and Asia. With only a backpack and a restless heart, she dives into landscapes as beautiful as they are unpredictable. But what begins as a journey to explore the world soon becomes a deeper quest to explore herself.
She finds herself lost and dehydrated in Peru’s Colca Canyon, nursing an injured spider monkey in the Bolivian jungle, and inside a high-altitude jail. A crude hospital in Cambodia tests her limits, while encounters with a shaman in Vietnam and a dangerous brush with Moroccon drug lords challenge everything she thought she knew about trust and survival.
When a relationship turns violent and threats close in from unexpected places, the stakes are no longer just about where she’s going—but whether she can make it through.
In a world that constantly shifts beneath her feet, Shannon’s greatest challenge isn’t just survival—it’s learning how to keep moving forward without losing herself.
Shannon O’Brien leaves behind a life of routine to chase adventure across South America and Asia. With only a backpack and a restless heart, she dives into landscapes as beautiful as they are unpredictable. But what begins as a journey to explore the world soon becomes a deeper quest to explore herself.
She finds herself lost and dehydrated in Peru’s Colca Canyon, nursing an injured spider monkey in the Bolivian jungle, and inside a high-altitude jail. A crude hospital in Cambodia tests her limits, while encounters with a shaman in Vietnam and a dangerous brush with Moroccon drug lords challenge everything she thought she knew about trust and survival.
When a relationship turns violent and threats close in from unexpected places, the stakes are no longer just about where she’s going—but whether she can make it through.
In a world that constantly shifts beneath her feet, Shannon’s greatest challenge isn’t just survival—it’s learning how to keep moving forward without losing herself.
300 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication January 13, 2026
2 people are currently reading
3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
I’m captivated by memoirs about individuals who embark on extraordinary journeys. Shannon O’Brien’s memoir, Stray: Breaking Free, Falling Hard, and Growing Stronger, chronicles her remarkable adventure after college. Armed with her backpack and her best friend, they ventured into the unknown, traveling to Peru. There, she learned invaluable survival skills, including how to endure dehydration and exhaustion when they found themselves lost in a canyon.
Next, Shannon traveled to Bolivia, where she volunteered to work with native jungle animals, primarily spider monkeys. Her descriptions of this experience are both terrifying and awe-inspiring. She even visited a prison in Bolivia, an environment that demanded immense bravery. I was on the edge of my seat, hoping she emerged unscathed. Having worked inside a US federal prison for 23 years, I can confidently say that I would never have the bravery to set foot inside a Bolivian prison.
My favorite part of Shannon’s journey was her time in Nepal. As a student of Buddhism and Hinduism, it was an enriching experience to learn about the country from her perspective. Nepal has been on my bucket list, and these chapters were particularly engaging. Shannon’s ability to illustrate the cultural differences she encountered in each country she visited is truly remarkable.
The beauty of youth lies in our openness and willingness to embrace adventure. It’s a time when we’re most naive, and that’s certainly true for me. I’m also incredibly proud of those youthful decisions and reflect on them with gratitude for the lessons I’ve learned and the wisdom I’ve gained. Shannon’s bravery and courage in traveling the world with minimal supplies, including money, are truly inspiring.
Shannon O’Brien’s writing style is eloquent and captivating. Her mastery of adjectives drew me into her stories, making me feel as if I was right there with her. Her stories are intense and often suspenseful, keeping me up late more than once. The quotes she included throughout the book added depth to her narrative. She candidly shared her experiences with heartbreak and the pain of making decisions that were in her best interest.
I’m grateful for Shannon O’Brien’s invitation to read this book. She kindly provided me with a digital copy, allowing me to offer an honest review.
I have photos and additional information that I'm unable to include here. It can all be found on my blog, in the link below.
A Book And A Dog
Next, Shannon traveled to Bolivia, where she volunteered to work with native jungle animals, primarily spider monkeys. Her descriptions of this experience are both terrifying and awe-inspiring. She even visited a prison in Bolivia, an environment that demanded immense bravery. I was on the edge of my seat, hoping she emerged unscathed. Having worked inside a US federal prison for 23 years, I can confidently say that I would never have the bravery to set foot inside a Bolivian prison.
My favorite part of Shannon’s journey was her time in Nepal. As a student of Buddhism and Hinduism, it was an enriching experience to learn about the country from her perspective. Nepal has been on my bucket list, and these chapters were particularly engaging. Shannon’s ability to illustrate the cultural differences she encountered in each country she visited is truly remarkable.
The beauty of youth lies in our openness and willingness to embrace adventure. It’s a time when we’re most naive, and that’s certainly true for me. I’m also incredibly proud of those youthful decisions and reflect on them with gratitude for the lessons I’ve learned and the wisdom I’ve gained. Shannon’s bravery and courage in traveling the world with minimal supplies, including money, are truly inspiring.
Shannon O’Brien’s writing style is eloquent and captivating. Her mastery of adjectives drew me into her stories, making me feel as if I was right there with her. Her stories are intense and often suspenseful, keeping me up late more than once. The quotes she included throughout the book added depth to her narrative. She candidly shared her experiences with heartbreak and the pain of making decisions that were in her best interest.
I’m grateful for Shannon O’Brien’s invitation to read this book. She kindly provided me with a digital copy, allowing me to offer an honest review.
I have photos and additional information that I'm unable to include here. It can all be found on my blog, in the link below.
A Book And A Dog
Review of advance copy
A few years ago, my wife and I traveled to the portal town of Estes Park, Colorado, a portal because it feeds tens of thousands of visitors to Rocky Mountain National Park. One of the standout features in town is the Estes Park Women's Monument. One of sculptor Jane DeDecker's 12 statues is dedicated to Isabella Bird, a British writer in the late 1800s, who travelled to relieve her persistent health problems.
After our trip ended, my wife became keen to read all of Bird's works, including words on China, Tibet, Japan and, of course, the U.S., and became a literal fan a couple of centuries later.
While most of us now would probably have died from Bird's adventures, she seemed happiest under adversity, like when the winter wind would blow through her Colorado mountain cabin floor, or she had to ride a horse through waist-high snow without the benefit of a compass, a map, and, of course, no GPS.
But those stories are then, and this is now. Travel memoirist Shannon O'Brien travels because she is exploring terrains both outward and inward. Although she grew up in the comfort of Northern California, she repeatedly finds herself in jeopardy in the Third World: Dengue Fever in Laos; near rape in the holy Indian city of Varanasi; lost, much like Bird, in the deep Peruvian canyons. She finds love, loses it, and deals with her messy dad's relocation. And, she writes beautifully about her adventures.
What I wished for was a throughline, perhaps guardrails for her storytelling. I hoped her book's chapters would flow, one from the other, letting readers know what happened to the notable characters in her stories and holding fast to the elements that would remain the same amid so much change.
I think we'll hear more from this ambitious world traveler. She is off to quite an excellent beginning.
After our trip ended, my wife became keen to read all of Bird's works, including words on China, Tibet, Japan and, of course, the U.S., and became a literal fan a couple of centuries later.
While most of us now would probably have died from Bird's adventures, she seemed happiest under adversity, like when the winter wind would blow through her Colorado mountain cabin floor, or she had to ride a horse through waist-high snow without the benefit of a compass, a map, and, of course, no GPS.
But those stories are then, and this is now. Travel memoirist Shannon O'Brien travels because she is exploring terrains both outward and inward. Although she grew up in the comfort of Northern California, she repeatedly finds herself in jeopardy in the Third World: Dengue Fever in Laos; near rape in the holy Indian city of Varanasi; lost, much like Bird, in the deep Peruvian canyons. She finds love, loses it, and deals with her messy dad's relocation. And, she writes beautifully about her adventures.
What I wished for was a throughline, perhaps guardrails for her storytelling. I hoped her book's chapters would flow, one from the other, letting readers know what happened to the notable characters in her stories and holding fast to the elements that would remain the same amid so much change.
I think we'll hear more from this ambitious world traveler. She is off to quite an excellent beginning.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Shannon has lived more lives — and survived more near misses — than the stealthiest of cats.
This isn’t just travel. It’s the kind of journey that takes you to places even the most seasoned travellers would think twice about, and she takes the reader with her at full speed.
Moving rapidly between countries and experiences that are by turns shocking and enchanting, every chapter carries a hard-won life lesson.
It reads like the advice of that one friend who’s truly seen the world..... if Martin Scorsese had gotten hold of the story and decided to weave in South American open prisons, Moroccan drug lords, and Indian kidnappings.
I can’t wait for the sequel (you're writing a sequel right?)
This isn’t just travel. It’s the kind of journey that takes you to places even the most seasoned travellers would think twice about, and she takes the reader with her at full speed.
Moving rapidly between countries and experiences that are by turns shocking and enchanting, every chapter carries a hard-won life lesson.
It reads like the advice of that one friend who’s truly seen the world..... if Martin Scorsese had gotten hold of the story and decided to weave in South American open prisons, Moroccan drug lords, and Indian kidnappings.
I can’t wait for the sequel (you're writing a sequel right?)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 13, 2025
Stray is an honest and inspiring travel memoir that captures the thrill and challenges of exploring the world solo. Shannon O’Brien’s courage, resilience and fearless approach to the unknown make this a compelling read. Perfect for anyone who loves travel, self-discovery and stories that stay with you.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Thank you Shannon for an ARC of your memoir! I loved the pace of the book, almost as if you were taking these journeys from Vietnam to Morocco and Australia alongside the author. If you love travel and a good memoir, I definitely recommend!
December 4, 2025
A thrilling, incredibly written memoir that you won’t want to put down. The perfect book to bring with you on vacation and devour before you return home. Highly recommend.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews