An Adult Coming-of-Age Novel.
Some roads bring you home.

The Road to Athens is an emotionally layered romantic drama and nostalgic book-club novel set amid college life in the late 1980s. Following Ethan Brooks and Jessica McCormick from Southern Illinois University toward Athens, Ohio, it explores first love, unexpected hardship, accountability, and the relationships that shape their futures.

Before smartphones and social media, conversations happened face-to-face, friendships were forged in residence halls and coffee shops, and every Illinois-to-Ohio road trip held the promise of an unforgettable adventure. It is a college and alumni story about faith, forgiveness, and finding your way home.

“The best stories don’t simply entertain us—they remind us who we are, where we’ve been, and why the people we meet along the way make every mile worthwhile.”— Karl Cordes