ARC, 261 pagesRelease Date: June 4, 2019Published by: Roaring Books Press
Read from: May 29- June 2, 2019Stand-aloneSource: Publishers (I received a copy of this book from the Publisher in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)TW: SmokingFor fans of: Contemporary, Romance, Realistic Fiction, POC, POC on Cover, Own Voices, Rom Com, Stand-alones
"In a world where it's easy to lose faith in love, I WANNA BE WHERE YOU ARE is a brilliant burst of light. A dazzling debut." ― Nic Stone, New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martin and Odd One Out
When Chloe Pierce’s mom forbids her to apply for a spot at the dance conservatory of her dreams, she devises a secret plan to drive two hundred miles to the nearest audition. But Chloe hits her first speed bump when her annoying neighbor Eli insists upon hitching a ride, threatening to tell Chloe’s mom if she leaves him and his smelly dog, Geezer, behind. So now Chloe’s chasing her ballet dreams down the east coast―two unwanted (but kinda cute) passengers in her car, butterflies in her stomach, and a really dope playlist on repeat.
Filled with roadside hijinks, heart-stirring romance, and a few broken rules, I Wanna Be Where You Are is a YA debut perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Sandhya Menon.
*MY THOUGHTS*
I started and stopped this review so many times. I had so much to say, but I just had no idea how to say it. I have been waiting on this book for so long and I didn't realize how much I wanted or needed it until last year. See I asked on Twitter if anyone knew of any fluffy Black romances, and let's just say... There weren't any. In that thread someone told me about this book and since then I've sang it from the rooftops.
"...don't be afraid to kick him out of your car and leave him on the side of the highway. You're being nicer to him than you should be."pg. 33
Chloe thinks she's a bad daughter because she has only one thing in mind... Getting into the conservatory of her dreams. And she does anything she can to do it... Like lie to her mother in the process. Just as she was about to leave, she runs into an old... guy she used to know and his dog. He somehow convinces her to let him come with her. And along the way they come to terms with what happened between them so long ago.
"I've never known someone who could literally make another person nauseous."pg. 52
My favorite part of this was undoubtedly the characters. I loved seeing Chloe getting to try what she wanted even while it was hard. (Because trust me, if a Black mom says no, going against her is NOT easy lmao) And Eli was also awesome. I could tell he had so much we didn't know about him going on. When we finally did learn about it, I was surprised at so much of it. And of course there's Geezer, as the owner of a pitbull, there's no secret that I love pitbulls and I loved him. I also loved the other characters they met along the way. They all had some significance to the story even though they were only there for a short period of time. They all came together to make this a perfect road trip story.
"Sometimes people might believe in themselves, but it's not enough when they feel like they don't have any support. It's interesting [they] followed that statement with asking about Mom. Ballet is the only thing that makes me feel completely free, and now she's trying to keep me away from it and I don't understand why."pg. 154
I also loved the comedy. Normally when people tell me something's going to be funny, I don't find it funny at all. But this one was actually really funny. From asking about how she sleeps, to what happens when she first drives on the highway, I actually laughed out loud. And let me tell you, it's not something I normally do.
"He takes a deep breath. Then, 'Do you always sleep with that on your head? You look like a baker' I readjust my bonnet. 'Is that what you came in here to tell me?'"pg. 201
The only thing I had an issue with was the pacing. It got info dumpy in some places, but I counted it as being because they were in a close quarters and the book was short. (The ARC is only 261 pages.) But as the story got going, the pacing gets better and it gets better and better as they fall for each other.
"...despite what Eli said, I do't think of anyone is coming to save me. So I'll have to save myself."pg. 244
Even though I wanted more of them together, I still enjoyed this so much. It was everything I wanted and I can't say I'm really upset with anything that happened or didn't happen. I hope that everyone buys this, requests that their library buys this, requests it from their library, etc. It's definitely a story that should have been told a long time ago.
Overall, I give this
