The Distance from Me to You

By: Marina Gessner

Narrated by: Phoebe Strole

Wild meets Endless Love in this multilayered story of love, survival, and self-discovery

McKenna Berney is a lucky girl. She has a loving family and has been accepted to college for the fall. But McKenna has a different goal in mind: much to the chagrin of her parents, she defers her college acceptance to hike the Appalachian Trail from Maine to Georgia with her best friend. And when her friend backs out, McKenna is determined to go through with the dangerous trip on her own. While on the Trail, she meets Sam. Having skipped out on an abusive dad and quit school, Sam has found a brief respite on the Trail, where everyone’s a drifter, at least temporarily.

Despite lives headed in opposite directions, McKenna and Sam fall in love on an emotionally charged journey of dizzying highs and devastating lows. When their punch-drunk love leads them off the trail, McKenna has to persevere in a way she never thought possible to beat the odds or risk both their lives.

Critic reviews

Praise for The Distance from Me to You

"A wilderness adventure dashed with romance and danger . . . readers should find it easy to relate to McKenna’s desire to take risks, prove her independence, and finish the trail at all costs."--Publishers Weekly

"Gessner writes vividly of the trail and hiking . . . She brings McKenna and Sam to life as well-rounded characters, gradually building their relationship to a satisfying and realistic level. The star of the show here, however, is the Appalachian Trail and the adventures the teens experience on it.
Good romance, great wilderness."--Kirkus Reviews

"Readers will enjoy the compelling, well-paced depiction of the adventure and lore of the AT, and they will be glad to find such a tough-minded, capable heroine in a realistic novel."--BCCB

" A great add to YA collections, especially for those with a taste for the outdoors."--SLJ

"[Gessner] has created a romance and adventure tale in one."--VOYA

"This story combines adventure and romance in a great read, especially for anyone with an interest in hiking. Readers will enjoy this page-turner.."--School Library Connection

Loved it!

I loved the story of perseverance and the romance. It had a fantastic ending. Just got annoyed at the (very realistic) storyline of the young 18 year old being pressured to do dangerous things and giving in. In hindsight, it was a very realistic situation and ending so I commend the author for it.

A lush adventure.

I'm not the kind of person that enjoys nature, but this book almost makes me wish that I do. What an adventure down the AT, inside the minds of two teenagers who are trying to find themselves. It's a beautiful love story, a harrowing and adventure, and a perfect, if bittersweet ending. This story strikes every note just right. Definitely worth a read.