Review – Places We’ve Never Been by Kasie West (3.5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Length: 329 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: May 31, 2022
ASIN: B09K38Z658
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Borrowed ebook through Library
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
“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?”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I borrowed a copy of this on ebook from the library.
Thoughts: I have read a lot of Kasie West books at this point. My favorites remain her Pivot Point series which is very different from most of the YA contemporary romances she writes. Although, the contemporary romances are always fun too and she is a go-to author for me when I am in the mood for a light-sweet YA contemporary romance.
This book was very good and I really loved it right up until the end. This is kind of an enemies to lovers story but the twist is that Norah and Skyler were best friends for years before they fell apart.
I loved the families together on this road trip and the fun places they stopped. You really felt like you were on this cross country road trip with them. This isn’t just a romance, there are enough mysteries to keep the story interesting. What is going on with Norah’s mom? Will Norah get into design school? What happened to make Skyler so angry at Norah?
Norah and Skyler have a lot of chemistry together and I loved watching them relearn how to be friends (and a bit more). The way they interact with their siblings and moms was a lot of fun to watch as well.
My huge issue with the book is how abruptly it ends. Yes, there is a quick epilogue to tie most things up but some things are still left unanswered. After the emotional (and fun) journey with these two families the ending felt cold and sudden. It was like getting a door slammed in your face after hanging out with this fun, pleasant group of people for a few weeks. I was especially sad we didn’t get more resolution around Norah and her dreams of going to game designer school; that was a huge plot point and it was just abandoned.
My Summary (3.5/5): Overall I really enjoyed this story right up until the end. The characters are awesome and these families interact so well; there are enough mysteries going on to really pull you into the story. I loved the road trip and the fun places they stop. Norah and Skyler are adorable and I was rooting for them the whole time. The ending was just so sudden that it left me feeling very dissatisfied and a bit forlorn.
