Book Review: "Life in the Passenger Seat"

Note: Author Amanda Zieba generously sent us an autographed copy of her new book in exchange for an honest review.

"Life In The Passenger Seat" by Amanda Zieba is an inspiring and wonderful novel. It shows many different themes like identity, ambition, and aspiring for your future. In the tagline of the novel it says, "She's always been along for the ride–now it’s time to drive.” This metaphor used by Amanda Zieba and the title of the novel as well, shows what it means for a teen to move past challenges and to shape their future. 

The protagonist in the novel is a girl named Shelby. She has spent much of her life moving around, traveling from place to place with her mom, Gina. They have a nomadic lifestyle from evictions and financial matters that creates something that Shelby wants to escape from. Gina ends up deciding that they will move to Michigan so she could work at the Ford Factory, this feels like the first step towards a steady life for them.

The move isn’t easy though. They end up with no gas and no money. They end up at a motel, where they take cleaning jobs. The detour for Shelby surprisingly becomes the chance she never had. She could finally go to school and join a gymnastics team. 

The passion Shelby has for gymnastics is a view into her inner self and more than just a sport for her. Competing isn’t a minor thing for her; it is a sense of discipline, balance, and control, many things she lacked with Gina. Shelby trains, finds stability, and creates many relationships with her teammates and coach. She starts to see life defined by her goals and not her mother's life. Her coach is like a father figure to her that she never had, who provides reliability and stability. Her friendships grow and become important, her confidence and self-esteem are lifted, and she experiences the life of a normal kid.

The book is emotional when it comes to Shelby and her mother. Gina isn’t seen as bad, but chaotic, impulsive, and not able to take control of the damage her lifestyle puts on her daughter. When she isn’t there, Shelby still feels her mom's control over her life. Shelby has to decide when love becomes harmful and when she needs to set boundaries to get further in life.

Shelby is in fear that Gina will return and damage the progress Shelby has made on her life and future. This adds suspense to the novel, adding to many more themes of the story. Shelby is seeing the difference in her own life between a true found family and her biological family. All of the themes create the perfect showing of moving from the passenger seat to the driver's seat.

My overall impression of this novel is that it shows amazing themes, plot, characters, and the appearance of a teen moving forward to find her own future and life.

Written By: Mackenzie Siemsen

Edited By: Arya Sladen-Suarez