Hi! Welcome to my review of Places We’ve Never Been by Kasie West. Thank you to Net Galley and TBR and Beyond for the E-ARC. I also have a playlist with songs that reminded me of the book as I was reading. 

About the Book & Book Links

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Publishing date: May 31st, 2022

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indigo | IndieBound

Synopsis:

A sweet and swoony contemporary Young Adult novel about a cross-country family road trip that puts one girl and her childhood best friend on an unexpected road to romance!

Norah hasn’t seen her childhood best friend, Skyler, in years. When he first moved away, they’d talk all the time, but lately their relationship has been reduced to liking each other’s Instagram posts. That’s why Norah can’t wait for the joint RV road trip their families have planned for the summer.

But when Skyler finally arrives, he seems…like he’d rather be anywhere else. Hurt and confused, Norah reacts in kind. Suddenly, her oldest friendship is on the rocks.

An unexpected summer spent driving across the country leads both Norah and Skyler down new roads and to new discoveries. Before long, they are, once again, seeing each other in a different light. Can their friendship-turned-rivalry turn into something more?

Review

Rating- 5 stars

Characters 

The characters in this book were delightful. I loved getting to know them and seeing their romance blossom. Norah and Skyler were so sweet, and I loved seeing them bond both with each other, and with their siblings. The supporting cast of characters in this book were sweet as well, and I love the fact that they had sibling dynamics in the book. The mothers in this book were excellent as well. 

Plot

This was one of the most unique plots I’ve ever read. I loved exploring the country with Norah, Skyler and their families.  I’ve never been out west, so it was so much fun exploring an area I’ve never seen.  The other plot in this book was the romance, best friends who hadn’t seen each other in years, and it was just so sweet, and so cute seeing them interact. 

Writing 

The writing in this novel was excellent. This novel had a mix of light hearted and heavy scenes. Light-hearted scenes were fun and gave me a break from the more heavy content.  Heavy scenes were very real, and very heartwarming even if they had heavy content. 

Romance 

I talked about this a bit before, but I loved the romance in this novel. Norah and Skyler were such a sweet couple. I loved seeing the two of them as a couple. 

Recommend For/ Enjoyment 

Places We’ve Never Been was an excellent read, and I loved it so much. This sweet summer romance had all the feels, and I was so here for it. I recommend this for anyone who loved YA, and romance novels. 

Playlist

Bubblegum KK from Animal Crossing OST for Norah 

Norah wants to go to school for art and video games. I think she would have a great time enjoying the vibes of this song from  the video game Animal Crossing. The songs from Animal Crossing are fun, and I believe Norah would have a great time listening to them. 

Brave- Sara Bareilles for Norah

I can see Norah loving this song, especially after Skyler left. Norah was alone, and missed her best friend after Skylar left, and I believe she would go to this song for comfort. 

What if It’s Us from Dear Evan Hansen for Norah and Skyler in 2022

This is a romance novel, so I picked one of my favorite romantic duets from Dear Evan Hansen for this playlist. I feel like both Norah and Skyler would both relate to the lyrics of this song given their current situation. 

Love Story- Taylor Swift for Norah in 2022 

As I was reading this, I was imagining Norah listened to a lot of Taylor Swift in her life. The vibes of Taylor’s music just fit Norah as a character for me. I imagine that Norah would listen to this song after she sees Skylar again, and those old feelings come back to her. 

About the Author & Author links

Kasie West is the author of many YA novels, including The Fill-in Boyfriend, P.S. I Like You, Lucky in Love, and Listen to Your Heart. Her books have been named ALA-YALSA Quick Picks, JLG selections, and ALA-YALSA Best Books for Young Adults. When she’s not writing, she’s binge-watching television, devouring books, or bury-ing her toes in the sand of the Central Coast. Kasie lives in Fresno, California, with her family.

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tinybooknest – 15 Reactions While Reading Places We’ve Never Been
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