‘He said he was looking for me. He came here because he chose to be wherever I was.’
Swoon! That lovely quote is from a novel I read called: I Wanna Be Where You Are by Kristina Forest. I kept seeing this book around and finally, I decided to give it a chance, and from the first chapter, I was hooked.
I Wanna Be Where You Are follows Chole Pierce, a 17-year-old dancer who hopes to get into her idol’s dance conservatory to pursue being a professional ballerina. Only problem is, she’s gotta drive down to an out-of-state audition without her mother finding out.
When her annoying childhood friend-turned-enemy, Eli Greene, finds out what she’s up to, he’s more than happy to tell her secret. To keep him quiet, Chloe agrees to bring Eli and his old pit bull along for the ride so he can get to his father’s house.
Will the two teens be able to keep this East Coast road trip a secret? Will Chole make it to the audition? Will they be able to deal with the past while facing their new feelings on the road ahead?
Review
This book had a great heroine to follow and made me chuckle at times too. Chloe’s voice is believable and relatable as a determined yet nervous teenage girl.
I also loved that the author made it a point to describe the different shades of color the characters were. Chloe’s medium shade of brown is different from Eli’s light-skinned complexion, and Eli’s skin is a different shade than the ‘deep-brown’ complexion of Chloe’s idol, Avery Jhonson.
I was also empowered by Chloe’s journey to building her self-esteem back after an incident from the past. Watching Chloe’s belief in herself grow inspired me to believe in myself more.
Eli was both one of the best and worst characters. His hilarious antics paired with his sly and boisterous personality gave the book life. He was so detailed and real I could imagine seeing a boy like Eli at the corner store or high school.
But Eli could also be a let down, lying constantly and not following through on his promises. One of the things he promised might have made a particular scene better, if he had only followed through on doing what he said he would! Uh, I remember looking back on that scene and thinking, ‘What a missed opportunity for romantic tension.’
As much as I love the book, that’s not to say it’s flawless. Some events in the book I’ll admit felt way too taken care of. Some parts would leave you with so much suspense as to how the characters will get out of trouble only for things to just ‘work out’ in a simple way. Not to say the whole book was like that, and that’s just my opinion.
All in all, I Wanna Be Where You Are is an upbeat, funny novel about finding romance and following your heart. Totally worth the read if you like love, road trips, and self-empowerment.
Thanks for reading my opinions and review!
Hey there! I’m Shila! I’ve loved books since I could read, and decided I would write books I wanted to see written for others! Check my children’s book Imagination on Amazon!
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