In 2015, Matthew Hoagland and his fiancée were soaking up the quirky lifestyle of Asheville, N. C., having just gotten engaged during a road trip across America when they decided to move to one of the smallest towns in the state. They suspected they were in for a big lifestyle change and they were right. But in exactly the opposite way you’d think!

This memoir/how-to guide hybrid takes readers on the journey of how Matt and his wife not only managed to adjust to living in rural America, they found a much more meaningful life there! From creating their own wedding venue, to buying a house for just $39,000 and landing one of the most high-profile jobs in town, Hoagland uses his own experience to give a step-by-step tutorial of how struggling millennials can build their own meaningful life in “the middle of nowhere.”

In our post COVID-19 world, this book gives readers in their twenties or thirties a roadmap for success where they least expect it: rural America. Many millennials are college grads, have a drive to succeed, and a desire to be part of something bigger than themselves. But they’re also stuck with jobs that don’t match their degrees; paying just enough to cover rent but leaving them feeling unappreciated. Then there’s the record student loan debt! The solution to their problems may come from the lower cost of living, limitless career opportunities, and more meaningful connections found in rural America. This book shows them how.