Carpe Diem by Autumn Cornwell

Vassar Spore is a 16 year old girl who has her whole life planned out, right up to her Ph. D. and Pulitzer Prize. Her father is a time management consultant and her mother used to be a life coach but has been devoted to helping Vassar plan her life for the last 15+ years. Vassar was even named after the pretigious college, in the hopes that such a name would help secure her acceptance to the ivy league school, in addition to her years of planning and academic acheivements.

Her plans change when a mysterious package arrives from her equally mysterious Grandma Gert, and somehow her parents are blackmailed into sending Vassar on a summer backpacking trip through Southeast Asia. As they journey from Malaysia to Cambodia to Laos, Vassar is faced with many challenges to her planned and organized life—including a cute Malaysian cowboy bodyguard, and the truth behind the family secret that her Grandma used to make Vassar go on the trip in the first place.

The story is told by Vassar herself, who is also writing a thinly-veiled version of the events as a novel to fulfill an AP English requirement over the summer. She is also emailing chapters back home to her friends, who send back hilarious comments critiquing the actions and decision of her “characters.” I recommend this as an all-around delightful book for a teen summer adventure with some romance, college goals and family issues thrown in for good measure! I listened to the audiobook and recommend that version also.