Almost California. Being Young Hurts Like Hell.

YA Edition (Or Dreams, Bruises, and the Backseat of a Ford.)

By: Robert Stanek

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

“Small towns, big secrets, love that hurts like hell.”

I grew up in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by good people doing bad things and bad people trying to be good.

That’s what Almost California is — a messy love letter to every kid who ever planned their escape route, who thought they could outrun guilt or grief, who learned you carry all that with you no matter how many miles you drive.

If you’ve ever loved people so hard it hurt, if you’ve ever felt stuck in the wrong life, if you’ve ever been terrified of your own secrets — welcome.

You’re my kind of people. — Robert Stanek

Bob’s whole life feels like a slow-motion mistake: a nowhere town, secrets he can’t admit, and friendships tangled up in guilt and heartbreak.

Jim’s the golden boy. Missy’s the dream everyone wants. Jess, Laura, Ed, Mike — they’re all hiding more than they’ll ever say out loud.

Senior year was supposed to be simple. Instead, it’s the season everything shatters.

Almost California is about the bruises we carry, the people who break us (and sometimes save us), and the quiet hope that maybe, somehow, we’ll still be worth loving.

Why Read?

For anyone who’s ever looked at the map and thought: anywhere but here.

Bob’s stuck in 1980s Wisconsin, in a town that’s too small for all his secrets.

His friends think he’s fine. They don’t see the guilt gnawing at him, the mistakes he’d do anything to bury.

But then there’s Jim and Missy, golden couple crumbling behind closed doors. Jess and Laura, who once pulled Bob back from the edge. Ed and Mike, hiding pain under dirty jokes and cheap beer.

By senior year, everything’s supposed to be easy. It’s not.

Because love is messy, loyalty is complicated, and sometimes running feels safer than staying to watch everything fall apart.

Almost California is a story about heartbreak, forgiveness, and the quiet courage it takes to keep showing up — even when leaving feels easier.