For a 40 something bloke, this teen novel was a pleasant change from the usual Stephen King, Clive Barker literary diet I'm used to. It's a bit cheesy, with an overtly simple view of 'the perfect American family', spending the last year of their grandma's life on the kind of vacation most people could only dream of. With saying that though, it's cheesy in a good way. You walk away from reading this book feeling good about life, the end, and the fact that some books are there for a feel-good read!