Charlotte is 24 and looking for a change in her life. Things have not been easy for her up until now. She has an alcoholic, overbearing mother whom she lives with and takes care of. Sadly, her father left when she was a teenager. Her job and romantic life are not great either.

She takes a big scary leap and is on her way to visit her childhood friend Roxy in Cambodia! On her flight is an elderly man who tries to ease her discomfort during air turbulence.

And so our journey begins. For the next 300+ pages we are taken around Phnom Penh. This is an inspirational story of friendship, family, finding oneself, letting go and moving forward.

“One doesn’t discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.” Oh my, loved this!! I needed this advice so much.

I found myself searching the internet for rental spaces and flights to various third world countries. I want to experience what Roxy, Samnang, Charlotte, and SomOn. The beauty and harsh realities of far away countries. Thank you, Gabrielle Yetter, for your honest and detailed story. It left me wanting to know more and explore first hand.

There are a few sad elements to this story. They are necessary: Girlie bars, murders and the horrible events of Khmer Rouge, a brutal regime that ruled Cambodia. Don’t let these heavy subjects scare you away from reading this title. I was so glad I did.

You can also read a guest post by Ms. Yetter on this blog: Cambodian Anti-Trafficking Organization and Me. The author covered many topics in this book. I wish it were broken down into a few storylines and separate novels. Ms. Yetter, please write more!!