MY RATING:
Synopsis:
Miranda needs something to write about in her college application essays. But what?
Miranda has a plan: ace her junior year, get into an Ivy League school, and skip anything that doesn’t look good on a college application. But the pressure is getting to her, and now her parents have cut her off from every club, competition, and committee she’s a part of. Desperate to get back on track, Miranda sets her sights on the Texas Water Safari—a 260-mile canoe race her mom was set to do with her granddad. With her mom sidelined by an injury, Miranda joins her grandfather. It’s gruelling, messy, and scorching hot. Can a perfectionist survive the wild long enough to find out who she is outside of a college checklist?
- Pages: 352
- Genre: YA, Graphic Novel
- Publication date: June 16, 2026 by First Second
- Format: Paperback, Kindle, Hardcover
- Source: eARC, Toppling Stacks Tours, NetGalley
PURCHASE LINKS & BOOK TOUR SCHEDULE:
AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE
KOBO
IndieBound
SCHEDULE
REVIEW:
This is a graphic novel that follows Miranda and her family as they deal with her mother’s injury and what they learn along the way.
Because of her injury, Miranda’s mother is unable to participate in the canoe race with her father, so Miranda decides to take her place and join her grandfather in the 260-mile race.
It was refreshing to read about canoeing and learning that it actually involves so much was very surprising and informative. I really liked the relationship between our FMC and her grandfather, Thomas. The art style is pleasant, and I also like the colour scheme.
I really did appreciate that there were some heavy topics, such as dealing with addiction, trying to prove yourself, and complicated family dynamics. I would have liked to see more of Miranda’s mother and father’s backstories, as well as her sister’s.
Overall, this is a solid YA graphic novel that I enjoyed and have given 3.5 stars.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Sarah Broyles started reading graphic novels years ago with her kids and became hooked on stories told through sequential art. She has a dusty English degree from the University of Texas at Austin, where she continues to live in the city with her husband and their two daughters–who have, bittersweetly, long since outgrown story time with Mom. Finish Lines is her first book.
Lin's Perspective 
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