Všade, kde sme neboli

by Kasie West, Oľga Kralovičová (Translator)

Nová kniha známej autorky románov pre baby Kasie West s názvom Všade, kde sme neboli je príbehom o odchodoch a stretnutiach, rodinnom road tripe, vzťahu dvoch kamarátov z detstva a, samozrejme, o láske plným vtipu, ktorým si Kasie West získala zástupy fanúšikov na celom svete.

Norah svojho najlepšieho priateľa z detstva Skylera nevidela už roky, odkedy sa jeho rodina odsťahovala. Písali a volali si čoraz menej, až kým sa ich kontakty neobmedzili na lajky na sociálnych sieťach. No ich mamy zostali priateľkami, a tak sa aj po rokoch rozhodli zorganizovať spoločné stretnutie rodín v karavanoch.
Stretnutie Norah a Skylera je spočiatku rozpačité. Oboch čaká štúdium na výške a zrazu každý z nich vidí toho druhého v inom svetle. A ako celý výlet skomplikuje neznáme rodinné tajomstvo? To si prečítajte!

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, Summer, Audiobook, Fiction, Young Adult Romance

320 pages, Paperback

First published May 31, 2022

About the author

I write YA and adult romance novels. I eat chocolate cinnamon bears. Sometimes I go crazy and do both at the same time. A few of my works are: SUNKISSED, PS I LIKE YOU, MOMENT OF TRUTH, WE MET LIKE THIS, and more. My agent is the talented and funny Michelle Wolfson.

Reviews

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kasie West knows how to create sweetest stories of lovely characters! She’s feel good YA romance whisperer!

Both Norah and Skyler are so much likable characters that you can easily get attached with. Even though Skyler acts like mean douchebag at the beginning of the book, you get to give him a chance: the boy has his own reasons.

Norah is so excited to family RV trip ( only mothers and children included) because finally she’s going to reunite with her best friend Skyler she hasn’t seen since they were 13!
Both mothers are happy. The siblings are excited but once upon a time: Norah’s close friends Skyler acts like he wants to be somewhere else!

Yeap, the book starts with enemies to lovers trope! What happened to Norah’ s bestie! Why he acts like she has contagious disease, staying away from her, giving curt answers to each questions. It’s normal to be get estranged and turn into social media friends in four years but Skyler might keep himself more than she expected!
I’m not gonna give much away! There are reasonable explanation, family drama, secrets to come out!

It was easy to read, sweet, soft, a little sad story! I wish it would end a little differently but I still enjoyed it as like the other books the author has written.

I’m rounding up 3.5 stars to 4 enemies to lovers, friends to lovers are best tropes I enjoyed to read stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s / Delacorte Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

medium.com
instagram
facebook
twitter

[Mika Auguste · Rating 4 out of 5]

if you liked the summer i turned pretty, then you’ll definitely like this!! it’s childhood best friends-to strangers-to lovers and it was such a cute and quick to read

[emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

GUYS WE HAVE A COVER, A TITLE, AND A PREMISE!! I DON'T THINK I'VE EVER BEEN MORE EXCITED FOR SOMETHING!!

Review 6/2/22: Well that was pure enjoyment :D

No one does contemporary romances better than Kasie West. It has been decreed!

This was pure joy printed on paper and wrapped in a breathtakingly gorgeous cover.

Norah and Skyler's chemistry was to die for and their relationship was so sweet. Some tough stuff was brought to light in this book and I think it was handled really well.

I can't wait for Kasie's next book!

[Snjez · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I loved pretty much everything about this book. My favourite part was Norah and Skyler's friendship, or rather their second chance at being best friends again and maybe something more. I loved the focus on family and friends, the sibling dynamic and their road trip.

There are a couple things that I guessed very early on. I liked one of them and could have done without the other. I don't think it was really necessary for this story and it reminded me too much of another YA book I've read. I would have been more than happy with just the drama provided by Norah, Skyler and their siblings. 😅 Their mothers could use some lessons on parenting, though.

Overall, it's a very sweet and enjoyable summer read. The book cover is so cute and it represents this story perfectly.

[Chelsea Humphrey]

Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Norah and Skylar's friends to lovers romance was adorable. I loved the road trip aspect and their second chance at being together and falling in love. Although I loved parts of the family aspects, I didn't love the drama of the multiple secrets everyone was keeping. Overall, this was a cute read and I enjoyed it.

Audio book source: Audible
Story Rating: 3.5 stars
Narrator: Jorjenea Marie
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: YA contemporary
Length: 8 hours

[exploraDora · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book felt very reminiscent of Jenny Han's The Summer I Turned Pretty, only that it was kind of better.

Spoiler: My only issue with it is the fact that it was a little ruined for me in the end by revealing that one of the moms has cancer. Pretty much from the beginning there's this loomy mystery/secret hanging over the story and I was sure of what it will turn out to be from the get go.
Why can't this type of book just have a cute, fun, summer plot? What's with the need to add some sort of tragedy to every book nowadays? Doesn't real life suck enough as it is? Can't we just have lovey dovey people falling for each other and that's it? I'm just a tiny bit disappointed.

I'm very much torn between 3 and 4 stars, but I'll settle for the latter for now.

[jenoodle✮⋆˙ · Rating 4 out of 5]

₊˚.🩵₊˚︵ “𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝗳 𝘄𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘂𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴.”₊🌸‧₊˚.

₊⊹⁀➴ 𝑺𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒓 𝑭𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 ୧ ‧₊˚🍨
┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

‧˚꒰ 🩷 ‎‧₊˚. 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐖𝐞'𝐯𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐞𝐞𝐧 ˙ ˖⋆⸝⸝ 🌊‧₊ .ᐟ
🚙 ︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹ 𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲: 12+ (𝗰𝗿𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀, 𝗸𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗼, 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁.), 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜: 12+ (𝙇𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙣𝙚, 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛𝙛), 𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩: 12+ (𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧, 𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙗𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙜𝙖𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙧 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠.) ‧₊˚ ⋅🎀 ༉‧₊˚.
⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢
╭ now playing: 𝘽𝙖𝙜𝙨 ⋆.💧˚˖࿔ ࣪
₊˚ʚ 🍞꒱ 𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙤
⌞ 1:22 ——◦———— 4:20 ⌝
↠ⁿᵉˣᵗ ˢᵒⁿᵍ ↺ ʳᵉᵖᵉᵃᵗ ⊜ ᵖᵃᵘˢᵉ ⋮ 💕₊˚⊹ ᰔ
. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖

◟ ˖┆꒰ "𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗺𝗲? 𝗜'𝗺 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴" .ᐟ ꒱ ּ֯. 🚙 ּ֯ ‧₊˚ ⋅

⸝⸝🍦‧₊˚ I have read SO many Kasie West books at this point that I would consider myself a PRO at what her best books are, And let me just say this one did NOOOT disappoint 🙈 I honestly had lower expectations when I first saw what the story was about. You know, the cliche road trip romance yada yada. BUT I STILL GAVE IT A CHANCE SINCE IM A SUCKER FOR A ENEMIES TO LOVERS. And I am sure glad I did because this is the type of book I would bring just to reread on a car ride or going to the airport 😛 SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO LET'S GET INTO MY REVIEW!



◟ ˖┆꒰ "𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲" .ᐟ ꒱ ּ֯. 🚙 ּ֯ ‧₊˚ ⋅

⸝⸝🍦‧₊˚ First of all I LOOOOVE the setting of this book. I mean when the characters were going through all these places I LITERALLY FELT LIKE I WAS THERE. And the fact that it was an always changing scenery kept the book interesting so you were never bored. ALSO CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE SUMMER VIBES?? THEY WERE AT AN ALL TIME HIGH WITH THIS ONE 😩 I literally wanted to get a van and go on a road trip EVEN IF IT MEANT GOING BY MYSELF BC HELLO EVEN BETTER MORE SPACE FOR ME!! I also loved the fact that we got to learn a little bit about each place they were visiting. BONUS POINTS FOR RANDOM FACTS THROWN IN 💯.

◟ ˖┆꒰ "𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂" .ᐟ ꒱ ּ֯. 🚙 ּ֯ ‧₊˚ ⋅

⸝⸝🍦‧₊˚ I also thought the plot of this book would be extremely boring considering they were going to be stuck in a car together and it was the classic you know, I hate you and you hate me but we fall in love anyway 🙂 BUT I WAS IN FOR A SURPRISE WHEN THEY WERE ACTUALLY FRIENDS BEFORE AND SOMEHOW BECAME ENEMIES SO I WAS LIKE OOOOPPP THE TEA IS GETTING HOT. Also the fact that he was actually such a man child in the first half of the book had me rage baiting but it was honestly fun because then he got sweet and I was like AWHHHH 🙈 (Ultimate switch??? not meeee.) Also can we talk about the fact that I ADORE THAT THEY ARE BOTH ARTISTS?? I loved that aspect of the book because I love art so much and reading this felt like I was in a Minecraft world in aesthetic mode with Lana playing in the background or something 😛 (maybe I am just delusional)



◟ ˖┆꒰ "𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲" .ᐟ ꒱ ּ֯. 🚙 ּ֯ ‧₊˚ ⋅

⸝⸝🍦‧₊˚ Also I LOVED the characters in this book and I honestly don't think I hated a single one. They all had their own personalities and interests and I found that adorable honestly. ALSO CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT THERE WAS A LITTLE MYSTERY THROWN INTO THIS BOOK ASWELL?? I mean listen I did NOOOOT expect that but was eating up every single aspect of it because it just made the book a whole lot interesting 😋 However there were a few cringe moments in this book that I thought were a little "Did you have time to say that guuurrrlll" #sideeyemoment which is why this isn't exactly a five star, BUT I DID ENJOY IT NONTHELESS!!

◟ ˖┆꒰ "𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗺𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸" .ᐟ ꒱ ּ֯. 🚙 ּ֯ ‧₊˚ ⋅

── . 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 ‧₊˚. 🫧 ⸝⸝

‧˚꒰👛꒱ ‧— ˚ ݁˖ 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐡: She was such a fun fmc!! I loved her passion for video games and art (LIKE HELLO TWIN IS THAT UUUU??) And her character does actually improve a lot through the story which I adored as well. HER AND PAISLEY WERE THE CUTEST DUO THOOO 😭 I loved their friendship so much.

‧˚꒰👛꒱ ‧— ˚ ݁˖ 𝐒𝐤𝐲𝐥𝐞𝐫: Ok in all honesty I hated him soooooo much at the start. I WAS LIKE IS THIS THE TYPICAL GAMER BOI, WHO'S RACIST, AND A BITCH IN GENERAL SERIOUSLY THE LOVE INTEREST?? 😩 But I was proved wrong when he actually showed his character and who he was and I was like awww so cute *insert that one speed audio* ALSO THE WAY HE WAS KINDA PROTECTIVE OVER NORAH?? OKKKK I SEE UUU LOVER BOYYY 👌🏻

‧˚꒰👛꒱ ‧— ˚ ݁˖ 𝐄𝐳𝐫𝐚: I loved his character too whaaatt 😭 He honestly brought so much humor to the book which I loved as well. AND CAN WE TALK ABOUT HIM AND AUSTIN?? PERFECT DUO SPOTTED 100000%

‧˚꒰👛꒱ ‧— ˚ ݁˖ 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐲: She was so adorable I actually cannot 😭 This girl was as innocent as a sunflower but not a dumb naive girl either. ALSO LOVED HOW SHE WOULD CALL OUT HER BROTHER RUDE BEHAVIOR 😩

‧˚꒰👛꒱ ‧— ˚ ݁˖ 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧: Girl I honestly forgot his personality because we rarely had anything from him 😭 BUT I KNOW I DIDN'T HATE HIM THATS FOR SURE.

◟ ˖┆꒰ "𝗜 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲" .ᐟ ꒱ ּ֯. 🚙 ּ֯ ‧₊˚ ⋅

⸝⸝🍦‧₊˚ 𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍: This was such a cute book and perfect for a quick read or on the go!! Loved the plot and the characters and also very fast paced which I ENJOYED!! Def would give this one a try if your in the mood for a romance that's on the road.

◟ ˖┆꒰ "𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻' 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝗴𝘀" .ᐟ ꒱ ּ֯. 🚙 ּ֯ ‧₊˚ ⋅

[Diya · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75 stars
i might have grown out of the kasie west phase

[rin ⋆˚✿˖° · Rating 4 out of 5]

that was short and cute

[⭒.˚esh عِشَل (hyunjin’s ver.)˚.⭒ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5 ★
Age rating: 12+
Spice: None
Genre: Romance

I wasn't exactly connected to the characters, but the way that the author wrote them made me feel all types of emotion for them. Norah and Skyler are so cute together. I didn't find this cringe-y as most YA romances turn out to be and it was definitely fast-paced so I would recommend this book if you want to get out of a slump, need a cutesy little romance, or just want to pick this book up to enjoy the summer-y vibes.

[Renae · Rating 3 out of 5]

MUSINGS ON EMOTIONAL NEGLECT, MISOGYNY, & BAD PARENTING

Once again, I find myself writing a review of a perfectly good young adult novel which has been unfortunately tainted by the utter failure of every single adult character to act like a fucking adult. No parent is perfect, nor are they expected to be so in fiction. But when a protagonist’s character arc is resonating with me very specifically due to her unaddressed emotional neglect and the rug-sweeping being committed by her parents/the author…it’s probably a bad sign? I dunno. Just a thought.

As always, I feel the need to disclaim that this is not a “review” of Places We’ve Never Been in its entirety, nor a full encapsulation of my thoughts, feelings, opinions, etc. of the text. (I liked this story.) Rather, the following is a commentary on very specific authorial choices made by Kasie West that I believe have unintended implications.

To provide context: protagonist Norah is gong on an RV trip with her mother, her older brother, and her mother’s best friend + her three kids, one of whom is Skyler, Norah’s former best friend who she’s fallen out of touch with since he moved out of state. (No dads are invited on this vacation). The roadtrip appears to be a long-planned event to bring the two families together at last. However, it’s clear from very early on that there are Other Reasons for the trip, and that it’s actually far more of a last-minute decision than the two moms are willing to say.

Additionally, a highlight of this roadtrip is Norah’s interview with the dean of admissions at her first-choice college, a small yet prestigious video game design program. More on that later.

A SELF-EFFACING MAIN CHARACTER

Norah is a character who many readers will identify with. Ever since she started high school, she has been made to feel that she is “too much”—too weird, too loud, too creative. So in order to maintain social relationships, to fit in, she has made herself small. She presents to the world an acceptable version of Norah and suppresses the bits of herself that trigger feelings of shame and rejection. Norah is a people pleaser, desperate to be accepted but certain that true acceptance is impossible.

I want to be clear that at no point am I criticizing Norah, nor the way Kasie West handles her character. People-pleasing behavior is not a flaw, but rather a survival mechanism that many with neglectful upbringings learn in order to get their basic needs met. Simultaneously, it’s a mindset that many children who identify as (or appear to be) female are taught from a very, very young age.

One of the core themes in Places We’ve Never Been is supposed to be Norah’s journey towards valuing her own uniqueness and asserting herself without fear. On a superficial level, it may appear that this narrative arc is fully developed and realized. However, I suggest that it is not.

LESSONS ON EMOTIONAL NEGLECT

As stated above, there is a Big Secret that is the impetus for the entire RV-roadtrip-with-former-friends. Norah accidentally learns this secret when she overhears her mom and Skyler’s mom talking. The Big Secret is something that does not concern Norah or her family, but which will directly impact Skyler and his future.

The moms command Norah to not tell Skyler (her newly reconciled best friend) so that his mom can reveal the Big Secret when she feels the time is right.

First of all, it is entirely inappropriate to make children your secretkeepers, particularly when it jeopardizes their relationship with their own support system. Norah’s mom and Skyler’s mom emotionally manipulate Norah into keeping life-altering information from her best friend, rather than deal with the emotional discomfort of revealing the secret “too soon.” They readily acknowledge that Skyler will be devastated when he learns Norah knew and didn’t tell him…but they don’t seem to find this to be concerning. This is bullshit. Both of these women are more concerned with their own emotional comfort than the fact that they are forcing actual children into a situation that will almost certainly rupture their newly healed friendship. Selfish, neglectful parenting.

But it gets worse. This is a Kasie West novel, so of course Norah and Skyler do more than reforge their middle school friendship; they initiate a romantic relationship. It’s very cute and sweet and tender. Not knowing this is happening, Norah’s mom corners her and says “hey, I think Skyler has a crush on you, so you need to do the right thing and make sure he isn’t emotionally devasted both by the Big Secret and his confused feelings for you.” Norah subsequently spirals into thinking she’s a “bad person” for having romantic feelings for Skyler and participating in a reciprocal romantic relationship with him.

The entire framing of the situation by Norah’s mom is so damaging. You are not responsible for others’ emotions. It is not Norah’s job to minimize Skyler’s crush so it doesn’t cause him pain. Skyler’s feelings are his own, and he is in charge of them. Teaching your teenage daughter to manage others’ emotions for them is just another way to teach her that she must make herself small for the comfort of other people, that she should feel shame for being her authentic self. Worse still, Norah’s mom doubles down on this horrible advice after she finds out that Norah and Skyler are in a relationship: she tells Norah that she’s disappointed in her choices and that being with Skyler under the circumstances is a “mistake.”

And there’s more. Norah has her interview at her dream school. During the meeting, she’s so busy trying to project what she believes is the dean of admissions’ ideal candidate that their interactions are inauthentic and disastrous. Norah is very reasonably upset afterwards, and she has the right to expect comfort and reassurance from her mother. Instead, her mom dismisses Norah’s distress with toxic positivity and insinuates that Norah shouldn’t “sulk” about her own issues given the Big Secret looming over Skyler’s family.

Yes, indeed. A mother looked at her distraught child and told her to suck it up because other people have it worse. That is emotional neglect. And all it does is push Norah back into the tiny box which delineates appropriate ways to exist in the world. Be smaller, Norah; make other people comfortable, Norah; don’t be selfish and prioritize your own feelings, Norah.

Look, I’m not trying to project all of my own shit onto this book, but…this is really bad. And it is not dealt with by the text at all. Actually, West very carefully manipulates the narrative so that Norah’s mom and her bullshit don’t need to be addressed, and she does so in way that makes the character arc feel ungenuine.

One character tells Norah that her mom “worries too much” and they both accept that’s just who the mother is as a person. “Worrying too much” is not synonymous with “negating your child’s right to take up space,” but okay. Sure. Then Skyler tells Norah that he knows their moms forced her to keep a Big Secret and that he understands, and he’ll be counting on her to emotionally support him whenever his mom actually reveals all.

The End.

Nope, not kidding! Places We’ve Never Been conveniently cuts off right when Norah should be arriving at the culmination of her inner journey. The reader never gets to see her fully comprehend that she shouldn’t have to edit herself to be worthy of love, that she deserves to feel her feelings as deeply as she wishes, and that she is not responsible for “fixing” other poeples’ pain. It’s implied in the one-year-later epilogue that she has done these things, but in no way is it actually demonstrated on the page.

“FEMINISM” MEANS MORE THAN JUST INCREASED REPRESENTATION

A consistent undercurrent in this book is the issue of women in the gaming industry. This is made clear both in Norah’s internal narrative, as well as the actions of other characters, including a potential love interest and the dean of admissions at her dream school. One of the more emotionally satisfying scenes comes when Norah loses her temper over the fact that the female dean of admissions is holding female applicants to a higher standard than male applicants, and she rightfully calls out the dean for that. It was a satisfying, rah-rah, girl power moment.

At the same time, I believe that the brand of feminism espoused by West in Places We’ve Never Been is not particularly nuanced, nor is it capable of identifying misogyny in anything but the most extreme and obvious of cases. Norah’s mom advises her to cut off any potential romantic relationship with Skyler because it might cause damage to him. The underlying message is that his emotional needs are more important than her daughter’s. This installs a 17-year-old girl as Skyler’s emotional caretaker and indicates it is good and correct that Norah suppress all of her own desires, wants, and dreams for the hypothetical benefit of this male character. Teaching girls to emotionally neglect themselves in service of boys is misogyny.

I find the conclusion to this novel troubling in several respects. The very surface level “girls can play video games and shouldn’t be held to impossible standards compared to men” message screams #GirlBoss white feminism, but the actual narrative demonstrates that simply hiring more female video game designers means nothing if they spend all their time filtering their personalities to be palatable to others. And I think that if West had be willing to confront head-on the way that Norah’s mom was contributing to the problem, rather than avoiding it, Places We’ve Never Been would be a much more satisfying story in every respect.

But seriously: how dare you tell your child she’s not allowed to be disappointed over her college interview because other people have real problems? How dare you.

📌 . Blog | Review Database | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

[lydia ‧ ia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was sweet. I like to dream that my childhood friends-that-were-boys will have a glow-up and we'll fall in love (I'm a hopeless romantic okay 🤭).

Also that cover is GORGEOUS. The colors are *chef's kiss* I am so here for Kasie's new cartoon covers instead of the real-people-without-heads-ones 💞

[Macy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Maybe I’ve just grown out of my teen romance loving phase, but this cringed me out. So predictable, so unrealistic, so blugh.

It doesn’t help that Katie West, formerly my fav clean romance author went woke. The brother of our main love interest was gay (which of course we mentioned and supported cuz ya know virtue signals anyone?) The MC was a total Brie Larson and a feminist. So stuck up and selfish. She complained about men being the majority of students at a video game school without bothering to consider that maybe, just maybe it’s got something to do with boys liking video game careers more than women, who are more likely to follow a career that helps/deals face to face with people.

I don’t know, man, if this keeps up I may give up West’s books because it’s just not worth my time or my peace. I hate that so many things are changing and I have to give them up, but sometimes it’s just not worth it.

[jaycee ann (to the man on the middle cross) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review contains a few random statistics, my personal thoughts, quotes, and a content review! 🩷

Book - Places We’ve Never Been
Author - Kasie West
Pages - Paperback, 320
Genre(s) - YA contemporary romance
Published - 2022
Trope(s) - Childhood best friends to strangers to lovers
Recommended time to read - August

Setting - 4.5/5
Characters - 4.5/5
Writing - 4/5
Cover - 5/5
Vibes - 5/5
Plot - 4/5
Romance/Ship - 4.5/5
Overall - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

This was so cute! It’s been a hot minute since I’ve read a Kasie West book and this was just what I needed! Oh and the cover is so cute!

Norah and Skylar were so dang cute 😭 Childhood best friends to lovers (especially if they’re enemies/rivals somewhere in between) is one of my favorite tropes EVER despite popular opinion.

I really liked that they were on a road trip for the entire book. The setting was familiar with the RV but they still visited lots of places so it wasn’t super stationary feeling.

This also reminded a ton of The Summer I Turned Pretty, except the main character wasn’t a total brat, and it was in general way better!

I got some lovely quotes from this so lemme just put those below for your enjoyment:

“Stop talking to yourself Norah. Actually, I was taking to a building. That seemed worse.”

“I hate homework. Don’t we do enough work at school? If teachers can’t teach us everything they need to at school, maybe they should try harder.”

“You’re such a procrastinator,” Skyler said.
“That’s how creative work best,” she [Paisley] said. “By waiting until the adrenaline sets in.

“Instagram isn’t a very good judge of character.”

“Maybe we were our truest selves as children, before we let the expectations of everyone else dictate who we should be.”

“Always do your own thing.”
He gave me a half smile. “What thing is that?”
“You know, art and reading and being a total goof. Who cares what they think.”

“There’s something about a childhood friend that feels different. Maybe it’s because we knew everything about each other. Maybe it’s because when we were together we didn’t worry about image or acceptance or saying the perfect thing in the perfect way.”

“But just don’t do that thing you do when you overanalyze everything. Sometimes you just have to let things happen how they’re supposed to happen.”

“People think I’m weird. I know they do. But i’ve decided that creative people have to be. Otherwise how are they going to think about the same things differently than everyone else. Or create things that the rest of the world hasn’t already created.”

Age Rating - 13+ (one use of p-ssed, and one use of the acronym WTH, a couple kisses only one being semi descriptive, one or two slightly inappropriate jokes, one of the characters is gay and that’s mentioned a few times, an underaged side character calls the MC while drunk, the MC calls another friend to make sure she gets home safe, TW: one of the mother’s on the trip had been diagnosed with stage two breast cancer and was keeping it a secret from her kids)

[stephanie 💌 · Rating 3 out of 5]

honestly such a fun book with a fun setting and fun characters <3

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this sweet story of love and friendship. Two families on the road trip that changed their lives.

Full review at LucyKnowsThings.com.

[Kaeli · Rating 4 out of 5]

such a fun and cute YA romance. ik those are sometimes hard to find without spice but this one was so cute! i loved the childhood friends to lovers and the traveling aspects!!

[✿ capriella ✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ★

no… because seriously… this was everything and more 💕

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not my usual kind of book at all- but needed a family friendly audiobook for a long roadtrip and this was really cute. My daughter and I had a fun time listening, we would pause to talk about what we thought would happen next. Loved the road trip setting- all the detailed descriptions of the stops they made on their road trip were so nice to listen to while I was staring at a boring road lol. Overall a good fun cute audiobook!

[⚡Navier (っ ͡❛ ᴗ ͡❛)っ empress ⚡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hits different when you're on vacation reading this. 🙃

[Kessa Homer · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is the first book i genuinely haven't wanted to end

the chemistry between norah and skylar was SO there and i got butterflies from their encounters hahah

[Maiah Oriyah&#x1f4da;☕️&#x1f33b;&#x1f3b6; · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75⭐️ this book was so wholesome, cute, clean,and funny at times. If you’re looking for a cozy cutesy childhood friends to lovers romance this is the book to read!💖💘

[Jimin'sRamenNoodles (Jinlo) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kasie.... I want so badly to rate this a 5. I am your biggest fan...

And yet.

The flaws in this book were almost too much for me to look past, despite the excuses I assured myself with.


1. Norah thinks Skyler is a huge jerk for being cold to her when she "could barely live without him" and "missed him and love him so much" but then realizes the last text he sent 2 years ago said "Norah, I miss you. When can we visit each other?" and she forgot to reply to it and didn't look back on it for 2 whole years.

Yeah, you obviously don't care that much then Norah.

2. Weird timing? Skyler's little sister was 10 when they moved and now she's 14. But she doesn't even remember living there, and barely even remembers Norah even though the families apparently did EVERYTHING together. Gosh. It's written like she was 5 at the time.

She asks Norah "do you remember me??" and Norah replies that she was just this little thing always following her and Skyler around. You guys have a THREE YEAR AGE GAP. IT'S NOT THAT MUCH.

3. Kasie pretends to know about videogames when really she doesn't. When talking about MarioKart, Skyler asks Norah, "Think you're going to be able to shoot those green shells out of your cart?"
What a weird question.

4. Overpromised drama and undelivered. A huge deal is made about secrets going around to the point where Norah is searching through people's stuff. It was so dramatized, I thought someone was going to DIE. The climax and secret is pretty basic.

5. And finally, not exactly a flaw but something I couldn't get past: they didn't use the word dating at ALL. Is this some new, trendy thing where "dating" is considered offensive? Instead she replaces it with "kissing."

When the brother confesses to have been in a relationship with Norah's best friend, he says "Willow and I have been kissing."

Skyler and Norah: "Are we going to tell them we've been kissing?"

Skyler: "I have an announcement to make! Norah and I are kissing!"

It's just weird.



Conclusion: If this was anyone else, I might rate it a 1. But it's Kasie, so I can't. Negatives aside, the idea for the story was REALLY good!

[elhyza · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Delacorte Press for an e-arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

it's been quite a while since i've read a kasie west work, so evidently i was intrigued to see how her new one would go and if things had changed from her stories my younger self consumed. flew through this story within give or take two hours and i can say i was left wishing there was more written to the simons and hutton families' story. norah and skyler were the perfect set up to the childhood friends to lovers along with the plus of their families being close with their mother being best friends since college yet didn't get to live up to their potential. it's definitely a personal preference but i would have preferred things to be more drawn out between those two estranged best friends with a bit more angst, but how things were resolved between them made sense on skyler's side. i do wish the characters weren't so two-dimensional, skyler was the only one not really lacking for me and even so, we didn't really get more information on how he worked past his issues on his dad. the side plot of norah being nosy into what the moms were hiding i feel like was just there to add some intrigue, and again even when that was revealed not more of the story came together with it.

that being said i was honestly let down by the ending, just felt not just abrupt but lacking on that depth was needed with the bonds between the families and seeing how norah and skyler worked through things after that last chapter. like west tried tying it all together too fast for my liking. apart from all this, some aspects i did enjoy was seeing both kids of the families bond, norah and skyler's love for art, and particularly a trope between two side characters that i suspected in the beginning and was pleased to see that my suspicions were correct. so sadly this was not my favorite kasie west, disappointing since i remember enjoying some of her other works just a few years back.

[Noëlle ♡ (soldier of the Most High) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating:
-1st time - 4 stars
-2nd time - 4.5 stars

Age Rating - 12/13+

Genre - YA Contemporary Romance

# in series - stand-alone

Aesthetic/vibes - vacationing

The first ___ that comes to mind:
-word: road-trip
-emojis: 📷✏🏕💕🎮

Character emojis:
-Norah 🎮😜
-Skylar ✏😒

My thoughts in two sentences: This is definitely my favorite Kasie West book, and I'm glad I re-read it :) The vibes are absolutely spectacular, and the story is really well done and completely fleshed out, and now that I think about it I think this is the first Kasie West I ever read... 🤔

Brief content review: no language, brief kissing (little description), no spice, little to no innuendo, mentions of drinking and being drunk (not the MC), mentions of cancer, some LGBTQ (a side character is gay, but it's only mentioned like 3 times max) *If you want a more in-depth content review, please comment!!*

God loves y’all! I’m praying for y’all!

[DarbyDoo ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ (cardens version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, gets you excited for summer! Perfect for reading on a road trip too.

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[lauren ⚘ literallyilliterate · Rating 5 out of 5]

*4.5

age recommendation: 13+
clean

"There's something about a childhood friend that feels different. Maybe it's because we knew everything about each other. Maybe it's because, when we were together, we didn't worry about image, or acceptance, or saying the perfect thing in the perfect way."

OH THIS BOOK. My heart is melting.

Places We've Never Been is a book I picked up on a whim. It follows Norah as she and her family embark on a whirlwind reunion road trip with her childhood best friend Skyler and his family. The trip isn't going as smoothly as hoped, however. Years of separation has driven a wedge between the two friends, and with each family keeping their own secrets, it seems things can't just return to the way they were.

My favorite part of this book was obviously the relationship between Norah and Skyler. Childhood best friends to lovers is a trope I adore with my whole heart and soul. You can tell they truly love and care for each other and feel completely safe in each other's presence. I also love the bond they share over their love for art. They're just the cutest and I loved getting to know them in this book, even if their misunderstandings were frustrating at times.

The actual road trip wasn't as prevalent in the story, and served as a backdrop for character and relationship development. It was cool to see all the different destinations the families travelled to though.

Norah as a main character was a little frustrating at times, but I also found her very relatable. She feels like she needs to "filter out" certain aspects of herself when talking to certain people, and she designs her personality and what she says based on what she believes people want to hear. Girl, as a people pleaser, I relate!

As with every YA contemporary, secrets are a part of this story. I always enjoy extra things slowly being revealed over time, and this was no exception. The whole time I was just BEGGING for Norah to do a little more eavesdropping to find out what on earth was happening! The reveals were definitely sad but added more depth to the story which was nice.

All in all, if you're looking for a quick and cute YA contemporary with some added depth to it I definitely recommend this one!

[Michelle Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this sweet story of love and friendship. Two families on the road trip that changed their lives. Very cute romance. I liked the travel aspect of the book, and it was a very easy summer read!

[The Candid Cover (Olivia & Lori) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full Review on The Candid Cover

Places We’ve Never Been by Kasie West is a sweet story revolving around a summer RV trip between two families. Featuring childhood best friends who reconnect, a relatable main character, and family secrets, this book is a recipe for a heartwarming read. Fans of Kasie West will not be disappointed in her latest novel, and for the uninitiated, this is the perfect road trip book for those looking for a cute summer contemporary.

After Norah’s childhood best friend moved away, the connection between the two weakened, so when their moms plan a summer RV trip between both families, she is excited to reunite with him. However, when Skyler finally arrives, Norah is shocked to learn that he is nothing like his old self and goes out of his way to ignore her. Their relationship may be rocky, but as Skyler and Norah are forced to spend time together in an RV, they become more comfortable with each other and realize that there is potential for them to be friends again, and even something more.

❀ LIKEABLE MAIN CHARACTER

Norah is a likeable main character, and I enjoyed accompanying her on this road trip. I really felt for her as she feels the need to be the filtered version of herself around the one person she used to be so open with, and I was glad to see her slowly start to rekindle that friendship. What I especially enjoy about Norah–and all of Kasie West’s characters–is how realistic she is. She’s an artist and a gamer preparing for a university interview, and she has the perfect amount of awkwardness. I always appreciate when YA characters actually act their age and make mistakes, so I was happy to see Norah still learning so much about herself.

❀ FOCUS ON FAMILY AND FRIENDSHIP

One of my favourite aspects of this book is the focus on family and friendship. Beyond Norah rebuilding her relationship with Skyler, the story also emphasizes the friendship between their moms and the closeness between both families. Kasie West has done an excellent job capturing the fun and the teasing energy within this group, especially between siblings. While the family secrets and the real reason behind the trip were a little predictable for me, I also enjoyed this bit of intrigue.

❀ A SWEET CONTEMPORARY

Places We’ve Never Been by Kasie West is a sweet contemporary about a cross-country road trip. I loved the concept of an RV trip between two families, and the main character is realistic. The story’s emphasis on family and friendship is especially touching, making this a great read for those looking for an uplifting summer read.