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North: An Adventure
With a bag full of stolen money, a new friend she met while stealing his car, and an old adversary out to get her, Jayne heads north looking for a better life.
Along the way she encounters adventure, danger, freedom and something she never expected — love.
But before she can reach her destination she must confront something that’s been following her all along. When she least expects it, her past collides with her future and she must decide whether to keep running or return home to rebuild the life she left.
Along the way she encounters adventure, danger, freedom and something she never expected — love.
But before she can reach her destination she must confront something that’s been following her all along. When she least expects it, her past collides with her future and she must decide whether to keep running or return home to rebuild the life she left.
- GenresAction
254 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 4, 2016
17 people are currently reading
1093 people want to read
About the author
Amanda Linehan
26 books116 followersAmanda Linehan is a fiction writer, indie publisher and INFP. She has published three novels and a couple handfuls of short stories. Her short fiction has been featured on Every Day Fiction.
She lives in Maryland, likes to be outside and writes with her cat sleeping on the floor beside her desk.
She lives in Maryland, likes to be outside and writes with her cat sleeping on the floor beside her desk.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 24, 2016
Jayne is no stranger to trouble and she knows what it takes to stay one step ahead when she feels it breathing down her neck. (Her father is a drug addict and her mother deserted the family a long time ago, and then there are her frequent run-ins with the law, in particular, with one Officer Savage, a police detective who seems to have a personal vendetta against her.) One evening, Jayne decides she’s had enough. She robs the shoe store where she works and decides to head north. She steals a car, and its owner, a young man named Jack, insists on coming along. So begins a fast-paced and entertaining tale about a very savvy girl on the lamb. I found a few details that (at least for me) didn’t add up, but they were not significant enough to interfere with my enjoyment of this suspenseful and very engaging story.
January 18, 2017
Jayne is a great character. She’s both tough and vulnerable. She’s both smart and foolish. She makes you ache for her while she thinks she’s cunningly playing her hand to win. Savage, her nemesis, is a compelling character too. I admired Linehan’s ability to create so much tension and suspense without anyone being a real villain. Savage is a cop who often does the wrong thing, but only because she has complex feelings too. Then there’s Jack, another fully realized, sort of messed up character. I was completely caught up in this trio, pulled deep into their story—until the end. But I’m afraid at the end I had to say, maybe this isn’t five stars for me. Why didn’t I see this coming at all? Shouldn’t there have been more foreshadowing? Still, North is a great ride, and I’m not saying the end isn’t right, just maybe more abrupt and surprising than I wish it had been. So now you need to read the book to find out for yourself how it ends.
December 20, 2016
"Jayne looked at the money in the cash drawer and in an instant knew exactly what she was going to do. She was going to run."
So begins the lightning-paced story of a 19-year-old girl whose frequent scrapes with the law have made her a canny thief with a chip on her shoulder. Savage, the policewoman who has taken her down so many times before, won't catch her this time. Jayne will just steal a car and head north. Of course, life has a way of interfering with even the best of plans.
Reading Linehan's crime thriller is like binge-watching a favorite series on Netflix. You just can't stop until it's done. The prose is as lean and quick as the young heroine. The plot has enough twists to keep you reaching for the popcorn and potato chips. My only quibble, and it's a minor one, is that I felt Jayne was too savvy and street-smart to have fired that pistol in the empty apartment.
That said, forget about eating dinner tonight or getting to bed on time.
Jayne is on the run.
So begins the lightning-paced story of a 19-year-old girl whose frequent scrapes with the law have made her a canny thief with a chip on her shoulder. Savage, the policewoman who has taken her down so many times before, won't catch her this time. Jayne will just steal a car and head north. Of course, life has a way of interfering with even the best of plans.
Reading Linehan's crime thriller is like binge-watching a favorite series on Netflix. You just can't stop until it's done. The prose is as lean and quick as the young heroine. The plot has enough twists to keep you reaching for the popcorn and potato chips. My only quibble, and it's a minor one, is that I felt Jayne was too savvy and street-smart to have fired that pistol in the empty apartment.
That said, forget about eating dinner tonight or getting to bed on time.
Jayne is on the run.
April 16, 2017
This was a fun read. At first, I found it a little hard to get into, but as I continued, I enjoyed the fleshing out of the major characters and the way the suspense kept building to the point I had difficulty putting it down.
Jayne is a sympathetic character, in spite of the trouble she's in. She has plenty of reasons to have turned out the way she has and through little fault of her own, which is why I felt so protective of her throughout the plot. In spite of her resourcefulness, I suspected her luck would run out sooner or later, but the author had a few surprises up her sleeve as to the ultimate outcome.
My only criticism is that the last couple of chapters felt a bit rushed, and I would have liked to have read more about Jack at the end. I also wondered if there will be a sequel to find out how Jayne and Savage fared with their plan. I would be interested in reading more from Amanda Linehan.
Jayne is a sympathetic character, in spite of the trouble she's in. She has plenty of reasons to have turned out the way she has and through little fault of her own, which is why I felt so protective of her throughout the plot. In spite of her resourcefulness, I suspected her luck would run out sooner or later, but the author had a few surprises up her sleeve as to the ultimate outcome.
My only criticism is that the last couple of chapters felt a bit rushed, and I would have liked to have read more about Jack at the end. I also wondered if there will be a sequel to find out how Jayne and Savage fared with their plan. I would be interested in reading more from Amanda Linehan.
December 20, 2017
Jayne is on the run. After stealing money from her department store, she nervously clutches her bag, hoping the bundle would be the answer to all her problems. After coming home to a desolated and dark house, where she found broken glass and blood stains, Jayne panics and flees. Phantom blood?
Shortly after, she finds a gas station and steals a car…with the owner in it. A thief and a kidnapper, huh. Who would’ve thought? Of course, it wasn’t her plan to take him, but she wasn’t going to stop now, not with stolen cash and a bloody scene. So it’s Jack and Jayne on a road trip…heading north.
Meanwhile, a pair of cops are investigating the scene and looking for Jayne, because, quite frankly, it looks like she might’ve committed a murder.
Story was simple and interesting—well-written, for the most part. I thought it was pretty good, but it might’ve been a little slow for me. Plot was informative of Jayne’s domestic and criminal background as well as the history between her and the cop, Savage. The story shifted constantly between the perspective of the two runaways and the two cops. As the cops got closer and closer, the runaways were driving further and further. At times, the back-and-forth pace got a little annoying, and I just felt like I was getting the run-around by each side. Story just didn’t feel like it was moving forward. I also didn’t buy the chemistry between Jack and Jayne—just two runaways lumped together.
This would’ve been better had it gotten to the point quicker. Like I said, this was pretty good, but could’ve been better.
Shortly after, she finds a gas station and steals a car…with the owner in it. A thief and a kidnapper, huh. Who would’ve thought? Of course, it wasn’t her plan to take him, but she wasn’t going to stop now, not with stolen cash and a bloody scene. So it’s Jack and Jayne on a road trip…heading north.
Meanwhile, a pair of cops are investigating the scene and looking for Jayne, because, quite frankly, it looks like she might’ve committed a murder.
Story was simple and interesting—well-written, for the most part. I thought it was pretty good, but it might’ve been a little slow for me. Plot was informative of Jayne’s domestic and criminal background as well as the history between her and the cop, Savage. The story shifted constantly between the perspective of the two runaways and the two cops. As the cops got closer and closer, the runaways were driving further and further. At times, the back-and-forth pace got a little annoying, and I just felt like I was getting the run-around by each side. Story just didn’t feel like it was moving forward. I also didn’t buy the chemistry between Jack and Jayne—just two runaways lumped together.
This would’ve been better had it gotten to the point quicker. Like I said, this was pretty good, but could’ve been better.
July 10, 2017
3 stars
Copy provided by author in exchange for an honest review
“Jack, shut up,” Jayne said, as she wildly backed the car up and threw it in drive, squealing the tires as she did so.
“Now was that necessary? I did a lot of work on this car. I don’t need some amateur car thief messing it up.”
North was an entertaining reading that started with excitement, leading us to immerse in Jayne’s road trip, in which we learn why she’s the way she is and why she made the decisions that lead her to this road trip with this interesting guy named Jack, the owner of the car Jayne stole, and her new partner-in-crime.
The first part of this book was very solid; I found myself captivated in the story and felt like I was in that car with them, enjoying the trip, and I was loving it. The thing is, there was a point in which the story went down, and I stopped feeling it. Many meaningless scenes, lot of blah blah blah, Savage being impossible to understand, Jack winning my heart and interest but without getting the space he deserved in the storyline… really, this makes me uneasy, because while Jayne was stealing a bath suit and talking about why she doesn’t like drinking coffee, or Savage was eating “onion-flavored corn puff in the shape of rings” (things that could be omitted), Jack was just there, sleeping on the beach, lying on the sand, not talking, not doing anything. And he was such a precious character!! He deserved more space and importance in this book.
And, although I understand this is not a YA story focused on romance, maybe some romantic scenes would have been nice.
The ending chapters were really abrupt and felt rushed, like nothing was happening and then BAM everything happened, so I got lost a bit. The end was good but I felt there was something missing…
But well, it is a good book, an easy reading and takes the reader to this short, messed up and funny adventure on the road.
Copy provided by author in exchange for an honest review
“Jack, shut up,” Jayne said, as she wildly backed the car up and threw it in drive, squealing the tires as she did so.
“Now was that necessary? I did a lot of work on this car. I don’t need some amateur car thief messing it up.”
North was an entertaining reading that started with excitement, leading us to immerse in Jayne’s road trip, in which we learn why she’s the way she is and why she made the decisions that lead her to this road trip with this interesting guy named Jack, the owner of the car Jayne stole, and her new partner-in-crime.
The first part of this book was very solid; I found myself captivated in the story and felt like I was in that car with them, enjoying the trip, and I was loving it. The thing is, there was a point in which the story went down, and I stopped feeling it. Many meaningless scenes, lot of blah blah blah, Savage being impossible to understand, Jack winning my heart and interest but without getting the space he deserved in the storyline… really, this makes me uneasy, because while Jayne was stealing a bath suit and talking about why she doesn’t like drinking coffee, or Savage was eating “onion-flavored corn puff in the shape of rings” (things that could be omitted), Jack was just there, sleeping on the beach, lying on the sand, not talking, not doing anything. And he was such a precious character!! He deserved more space and importance in this book.
And, although I understand this is not a YA story focused on romance, maybe some romantic scenes would have been nice.
The ending chapters were really abrupt and felt rushed, like nothing was happening and then BAM everything happened, so I got lost a bit. The end was good but I felt there was something missing…
But well, it is a good book, an easy reading and takes the reader to this short, messed up and funny adventure on the road.
October 12, 2016
I liked this a lot. It's a nicely layered road-trip adventure, a gripping tale with interesting characters. What it really is, I think, is a serious novel about the role of family in one's life. In Jayne's case, her family is broken, distant, and then partially rediscovered, but this doesn't prevent that same family from becoming the magnetic field that sets the direction of her compass needle to 'North'. And 'North' is the right direction for her to engage life fully.
Nineteen year-old Jayne is a wonderful character - sassy, riddled with issues and questionable decisions, yet so likeable, I rooted for her all the way as she struggled to find her answers. Jack was, for me, a little bland, but Savage was great! The pace is good, and although I felt at times that there was a little too much 'telling' going on, it didn't keep me from enjoying a great story.
Maybe I should add a caution: there are references to drug use, theft, gambling, sex, crime, and violence, although almost none of this is explicit. Except the poker playing!
Nineteen year-old Jayne is a wonderful character - sassy, riddled with issues and questionable decisions, yet so likeable, I rooted for her all the way as she struggled to find her answers. Jack was, for me, a little bland, but Savage was great! The pace is good, and although I felt at times that there was a little too much 'telling' going on, it didn't keep me from enjoying a great story.
Maybe I should add a caution: there are references to drug use, theft, gambling, sex, crime, and violence, although almost none of this is explicit. Except the poker playing!
January 7, 2021
I received a free copy of this book from the author.
Update August 2020:
I reread this after like three years and yep, it's still good! I'd lent my copy to a friend last year and she didn't like it so I thought maybe it was one of those books that don't age well but no, I still enjoyed it. Very coming-of-agey and cute at times. A fun read!
First reading May 2017:
This book was a pretty fun read. It was full of adventure until the end. Jayne (the protagonist), fed up with her old life wants to start anew up north fully armed with a stolen car and stolen cash. Problem is, the guy who owns the car is in it too. We follow her through her journey - full of surprises and A LOT of bad decisions. I thought this book was pretty nice because it was funny but also touching.
Update August 2020:
I reread this after like three years and yep, it's still good! I'd lent my copy to a friend last year and she didn't like it so I thought maybe it was one of those books that don't age well but no, I still enjoyed it. Very coming-of-agey and cute at times. A fun read!
First reading May 2017:
This book was a pretty fun read. It was full of adventure until the end. Jayne (the protagonist), fed up with her old life wants to start anew up north fully armed with a stolen car and stolen cash. Problem is, the guy who owns the car is in it too. We follow her through her journey - full of surprises and A LOT of bad decisions. I thought this book was pretty nice because it was funny but also touching.
December 26, 2016
North jumps into fast-paced action from virtually the very first sentence, and rarely lets up. Sometimes this occurs by way of the plot, the chase, the unfolding of the odyssey of Jayne, the protagonist. Other times the speedy narrative takes us inside the mind, the thoughts, the past and the fears of Jayne, as she makes sense of the circumstances of her life, and the world around her.
It all leads to a bit of a twist ending that is surprising yet satisfying.
A human story of fear, love, adventure and eventually introspection, North both describes a journey, and takes the reader on one as well.
It all leads to a bit of a twist ending that is surprising yet satisfying.
A human story of fear, love, adventure and eventually introspection, North both describes a journey, and takes the reader on one as well.
January 11, 2018
This was a very good book. I am not quite sure how to describe it without giving too much away while still giving it what it deserves, but I will try. So this girl steals some money and runs. She is going North, but where to? Along the way she meets a friend who helps her grow in ways she wouldn't by herself. At the end is a bit of a surprise, so keep reading. I would recommend this book as it is a cute story and a very easy read.
August 2, 2024
This was a fast-paced, interesting read, that I found I did not want to put down! Great, multi-faceted characters. Vivid descriptions. I was glued with anticipation to my Kindle screen the whole way through! Kept me captivated from the first page to the last. A uniquely-cool read!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.
May 22, 2017
I have gotten out of reading YA novels lately (I guess this book falls into the YA category?), but won this from a goodreads giveaway and gave it a shot. This book has GREAT characters. The obvious selling point of this book is the fast paced plot, but I really recommend it for a character read.
April 9, 2019
Audiobook:This story was really good!It sucked you in and kept surprising you all the way through.I would have liked it to keep going! Suzanne T. Fortin was a fine narrator.
I was given this book by the narrator,author or publisher free for an honest review.
I was given this book by the narrator,author or publisher free for an honest review.
October 17, 2024
I really enjoyed this book. But it never explained where Jack (a main character) was from or why he was just traveling along. It left me scratching my head about where the rest of the story was.
Still, it’s a good book.
Still, it’s a good book.
June 2, 2017
Fun and quick read -- perfect for reading on a short flight to somewhere fun! Not too serious but engaging.
November 12, 2016
North is a sweet story about a young girl with a mile-long police record, an unpredictable addict for a father, and an absent mother. But all that comes before. We join Jayne on the eve of a rather profitable day at the shoe store when she makes a decision that sends her on the run from everything she knows.
I loved the budding relationship between Jayne and Jack the best. He’s along for the ride, nothing to lose, and she’s a mess, starting to realize she can’t keep doing what she’s always done. It’s a plausible relationship in an unlikely situation. No instalove, though a few days is all it takes for love to come into the picture. The way it develops, that few days is believable.
Everything seems to build towards Jayne’s evolution. The kid, Chase, her father’s unknown status, the crazy-ish cop that’s followed her across state lines. These all add tension and substance to what could have been a straight up girl on the run story.
I guess the only thing I didn’t care for was that the climax of the story seemed a bit contrived. It was just bam, bam, bam action, answers given, and story wrapped, then the fast forward to see how folks fared well after the adventure.
Overall, I really liked this story. People who love modern stories where the characters aren’t all shiny and perfect will likely enjoy this one. There’s a decent amount of suspense, some sweet romance, and a few surprises.
I received the review copy of this book from the author and wrote this review for the blog at PureTextuality.com.
I loved the budding relationship between Jayne and Jack the best. He’s along for the ride, nothing to lose, and she’s a mess, starting to realize she can’t keep doing what she’s always done. It’s a plausible relationship in an unlikely situation. No instalove, though a few days is all it takes for love to come into the picture. The way it develops, that few days is believable.
Everything seems to build towards Jayne’s evolution. The kid, Chase, her father’s unknown status, the crazy-ish cop that’s followed her across state lines. These all add tension and substance to what could have been a straight up girl on the run story.
I guess the only thing I didn’t care for was that the climax of the story seemed a bit contrived. It was just bam, bam, bam action, answers given, and story wrapped, then the fast forward to see how folks fared well after the adventure.
Overall, I really liked this story. People who love modern stories where the characters aren’t all shiny and perfect will likely enjoy this one. There’s a decent amount of suspense, some sweet romance, and a few surprises.
I received the review copy of this book from the author and wrote this review for the blog at PureTextuality.com.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews