Kumquat, by Jeff Strand

Todd is a young man living with his best friend who sits around playing video games all day. He's at a job he could care less for, and is bored with his life. One weekend he decides to check out the local film festival in Tampa, to see what all the buzz is about. Unfortunately, the buzz wasn't leading to much of anything, as he found himself in almost empty rooms, watching boring movies about things he couldn't care less about. That was, until he met Amy at one of the screenings. Now she was something to care about, a girl with his same interests, at the same crummy festival. But what brought them together? Red vines and soda, as a matter of fact.

Well, after some quality talking time, they decide to grab some food, and in the midst of their numerous discussions, they decide to road trip it all the way up north, to New Jersey, for a hot dog. Now this might not seem like the wisest idea in the world, but dammit, it's supposed to be a great hot dog! Todd calls in sick to work, and off they go, strangers born into friendship (and quite possibly more), road tripping it from Tampa to New Jersey. What exciting roadside attractions will come their way? The worlds largest ball of yarn? Crazy rest stop patrons? Maybe even some gummi bears? And do they ever find that oh so sweet hot dog they have been drooling for? All or none of this might be true, you'd have to read to find out!

Part road tripping across part of America, part love story, and full of laughs, Jeff Strand creates two wonderful new characters in Todd and Amy, with his newest book, entitled Kumquat (there might even be some in the story!). This pair of youngsters really has a great dynamic throughout, with dialogue you can see having with your best friend, your significant other, or a newly found stranger alike, as with this novel. The pacing of the novel is perfect, with fun and exciting events keeping you going along the way, to find yourself at the end of this story with a smile on your face. I read it in less than two days, and honestly wish it could have kept going, but the length did seem about right with the hilarity not getting too out of hand. In the end, I would definitely recommend this to others, whether you be a long time Strand fan or new to his writing, it's a good one to check out. Overall I'd give it a B+ and would like to thank Jeff for giving many of us readers a chance to snag it early!


Review by Kyle Lybeck