Really, what would you do? I like to think that I would be adventurous enough to take the envelopes and go, but in reality I know that I wouldn't be able to.
Maureen had me hooked from the first letter. I couldn't put the book down, and at first i was reading it on a tiny little ipod screen through the kindle app. I knew that I wouldn't get the whole effect, so I went out and bought the book. I loved how the letters from Aunt Peg were obviously set apart from the rest of the book text and I was anxiously waiting to see what adventure Ginny would get into next. From landing in London and finding Richard to buying out all of the seats to Keith's shows; I felt like I was right there with Ginny.
I may never get to do the traveling that I really want to, but through this book I have seen so many different places. Loved visiting Rome and the Vestal Virgins, the little Cafe in Paris and Greece were among my favorites.
I have read a few reviews of this book were people don't really believe that parents would let their child roam another country with no contact, but I believe that with Ginny being 17, most parents might be ok with that; looking at it as taking time before college to explore. I like to think that i would let my daughter go, especially if I knew that her Aunt had planned most of it out.
I was worried for Ginny during some of her trip and my heart broke for her at the end of the book. I can't wait to read the sequel to know what else Ginny can get into. ( )

13 Little Blue Envelopes is a fairly easy read, I finished it in one day. This should have been a book I loved. A teen girl traveling around Europe, it's the type of story I should love reading. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy it as much as I had hoped. With every letter Ginny traveled to a different place and with each challenge the trip seemed more pointless. Ginny didn't seem to get anything that her Aunt was trying to tell her, she didn't really enjoy anything, instead she went through Europe like a zombie. I know she just lost her aunt, but really, she should have some reaction to whats going on around her. The side character, Keith, was fun and quirky but Ginny was just flat, she really didn't seem like she had any life in her at all and that did not change by the end of the book. Her travels were interesting, the places she went, the problems she ran into but it would have been more interesting if she had some personality. The ending of the book is somewhat unsatisfactory but I guess that's life, and that's what the author was going for. So, after everything I'm giving this 3 stars mostly just because it's about traveling through Europe. ( )

Romance

I bought the Kindle edition of this book, my first Maureen Johnson novel, and I enjoyed it. Contemporary YA is not my usual genre so I didn't know how I'd take to it. It's a fun story and a pretty quick read, I finished it in a few days. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the ending - felt like it wrapped up a little too neatly and I'm not sure if I was fulfilled by it, but I also might be over-analyzing. Still, it was a fun story. ( )

Good for young people who still have the Euro backpacking dream. Nice references to specific works of art, museums, and cultural landmarks. ( )