Leaving Unknown: A Novel

Maeve Connelly has spent most of her mid-twenties drifting through life, unsure of what it has to offer beyond her collection of funky knee socks and her beloved bird, Oliver. She simply cannot find her place in the world around her—and is not sure she has one.

Then comes the spontaneous plan for a road trip across the country when she decides to move to Los Angeles from Charlotte, North Carolina. Maeve is determined to make a fresh start and prove to her parents that she can accomplish what she sets her mind to—all by herself. That is, until fate steps in and leaves her and her beloved car stranded in Unknown.

Unknown, Arizona, is a very small town, the kind of town where everyone knows everyone and where Maeve finds she can’t keep running from her past. She must learn to face it or forever be held prisoner by its limitations on her future.

Surrounded by the love of true friends and neighbors for the first time, Maeve feels she finally belongs. But is this newfound emancipation too good to be true?  Regardless of the joys she finds in Unknown, Los Angeles still looms large in her imagination as the ultimate goal. Will Maeve realize sometimes the destination is not as important as the journey? Or will she lose her chance at a life of love and happiness just to prove her point?

Reichs has really made an impact with Leaving Unknown. It shines with originality and is utterly readable. The best part of the book is what the reader does not expect and never sees coming. Twists and turns keep each page fresh and exciting. The book is full of rich characters, ripe with life and personality. Maeve is the perfectly quirky, fearless, hypochondriac heroine that a reader simply cannot help falling in love with.

Poignant, funny, and enticing, Leaving Unknown will have you wanting to take a road trip just to find out where you might end up.