Peak by Roland Smith

The only thing you’ll find on the summit of Mount Everest is a divine view. The things that really matter lie far below.
– Peak Marcello

After fourteen-year-old Peak Marcello is arrested for scaling a New York City skyscraper, he's left with two choices: wither away in Juvenile Detention or go live with his long-lost father, who runs a climbing company in Thailand. But Peak quickly learns that his father's renewed interest in him has strings attached. Big strings. As owner of Peak Expeditions, he wants his son to be the youngest person to reach the Everest summit--and his motives are selfish at best. Even so, for a climbing addict like Peak, tackling Everest is the challenge of a lifetime. But it's also one that could cost him his life. 

Roland Smith has created an action-packed adventure about friendship, sacrifice, family, and the drive to take on Everest, despite the incredible risk. The story of Peak’s dangerous ascent—told in his own words—is suspenseful, immediate, and impossible to put down.

So this novel is totally out of my usual romance genre but it is SO worth the read. I picked it up because I have always been intrigued by the idea of climbing the tallest peak(s) on Earth. This, even if fictional, gave a really nice insight on that. I enjoyed the more technical details that was carefully winded into a story about a boy and his estranged father. The "drama" and, well, life lessons going on between Peak and Josh is just enough story to go hand-in-hand with a very interesting setting (I think any insight on someone's journey up Everest is interesting enough let alone the nitty gritty details as to WHY they may be doing it). Peak's feelings are so raw and unyielding--I felt the author did a great job in conveying these emotions on paper. It made his character so relateable even if one would never attempt half the things he has! The story was rather inspiring. Who knew that climbing a mountain could be so life-changing?

If you're looking for a good break from too much romance (if that's even a thing), then go read this book!