In Fred Gracely’s The Road Beside, sixteen-year-old Willow Barnes lives in Warwick one year after her mother’s death, sharing a home with a robotic assistant as her scientist father is increasingly distant. On her birthday, a private message sends Willow to Dundell Park, where her father gives her a locked folio filled with research and tells her to destroy it. Before he can explain, Willow’s uncle arrives with armed guards, leaving her to flee through the city with the folio still in her backpack. A mysterious man named Hector appears to know why she is being pursued, yet Willow has little time to decide whether she can believe him. Her escape leads to Banglar Station, where an unusual ticket names Harmony Hollow as its destination, drawing Willow toward a place missing from every map she knows.

Fred Gracely’s The Road Beside is an incredible young adult fantasy, and Willow is fiercely independent, with a scientific mind that suits the mysteries surrounding Harmony Hollow. When she uses the community’s homemade lilac-and-cinnamon soap, she immediately wonders how cinnamon reaches the valley when the tree grows in tropical regions. I love Charlotte, whose openhearted nature gives Harmony Hollow much of its welcoming spirit. Soon after meeting Willow, she simply asks if they can be friends, treating friendship as something offered wholeheartedly. The world building is beautifully imagined through Harmony Hollow itself, especially in the totally visual descriptions of nature, from an apple orchard beneath a moonless sky crowded with thousands of stars, to a woodland pond where fireflies drift through warm night air. Beautifully written and bold, readers who enjoy fantasy set inside secret communities will adore this.

The Road Beside by Fred Gracely is a surprisingly upbeat coming-of-age young adult novel, opening in the dystopian city of Warwick. On her sixteenth birthday, Willow Barnes is not having a good day. She misses her mother, who was killed in an accident. Her father is the quintessential mad scientist, remote and emotionally unavailable. When she gets an urgent message from him, it leads her to an encounter with her evil uncle and two hired goons. An enigmatic stranger offers Willow a ticket to safety, which takes her on a train ride to the mysterious town of Harmony Hollow. At first she is suspicious, but the place is really as nice as it appears to be. Even as she settles in, Willow is discovering her true magical nature, and the dangers it poses for the only place she’s ever felt at home.

The Road Beside is a fast-moving, intelligent story about belonging, love, and sacrifice. Fred Gracely offers an original take on the theme of the teenager discovering her magical powers, more in line with the difficult real-life choices that must be made. Willow is a likable character who grows from a sulky teenager into someone who learns that her mission is to look out for others, not just herself. The characters, including Willow’s family, the people of Harmony Hollow, the magical beings, the robot, and the villains, all have depth and individuality. This is an entertaining, fun read that is also deeply unsettling, leaving the reader wanting to hear more about Willow and her adventures.

The Road Beside by Fred Gracely follows Willow, a sixteen-year-old grieving the loss of her mother and struggling with an emotionally distant father, when an urgent message pulls her into a dangerous mystery on her birthday. After secretly following her father to Dundell Park, she witnesses him being taken, which sets off a desperate escape and a mysterious folio her father needs her to protect. Her journey eventually takes her far from the city to Harmony Hollow, a strange hidden community filled with unusual people, magic, talking creatures, strange technology, and secrets about her own family. As Willow begins settling into this new life, she discovers that she has abilities she never knew about and starts experiencing visions that seem to warn her about the danger surrounding Harmony Hollow. When Osgood and his forces finally find the community, Willow is forced to make painful choices involving her father, Gaia, Charlotte, and the people who have come to feel like family.

I really enjoyed how much The Road Beside by Fred Gracely had going on. It starts with Willow as a lonely teenager dealing with grief, bullying, and a complicated relationship with her father, but it gradually opens into a much bigger fantasy adventure filled with magic, mystery, danger, and some really unusual ideas. Harmony Hollow was probably my favorite part because of the community, the strange creatures, the magical elements, and the feeling that there was always something new for Willow to discover. I also liked watching Willow grow from someone who feels abandoned and unsure of herself into someone much more confident, capable, and willing to protect the people she cares about. Her friendships with Charlotte, Oka, and Deckler added a lot of warmth to the story, while the mystery surrounding her family and her abilities kept me curious. There are some emotional moments too, especially as Willow has to deal with loss and difficult choices. Overall, I thought this was a very imaginative and entertaining fantasy adventure with a strong coming-of-age story at its heart.

The Road Beside by Fred Gracely follows the story of Willow, a lonely sixteen-year-old. Willow’s life turned upside down after her mother passed away. On what should be just another miserable birthday, she witnesses a man named Hector get murdered right in front of her. Desperate to get away from the assassins, Willow grabs Hector’s wallet and finds a mysterious train ticket to a place called Harmony Hollow. With assassins after her, she boards the train and finds herself pulled into a strange world far removed from the corrupt city she left behind. Getting settled in this new environment, she begins to discover some shocking truths about her magical side that she didn’t know existed. Soon, she realizes that this beautiful new world she's falling in love with may be one she's destined to destroy.

This is an incredible story of survival and resilience. I was hooked from the very first chapter and did not put it down until I finished it. Willow is a sharp and funny character. She is relatable and felt like an extension of me. I loved her relationship and the sarcastic exchanges with Toby, the household robot who's trying his best to understand human customs. The contrast between the dystopian city she starts in and the strange new world of Harmony Hollow gives the story such great momentum. The opening train chase had my heart racing right along with Willow's. I loved how the author builds Willow’s grief for her mother and her anger at her father into every part of her personality. It makes her so much more than just a girl thrown into a magical adventure. The mystery of who she really is kept me guessing, and the emotional stakes of loving a place you might be fated to destroy is such a heartbreaking hook. The Road Beside by Fred Gracely is a great story for anyone who loves YA novels with a strong protagonist who doesn’t quit.