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Exactly Where You Need to Be
Turtles All the Way Down meets Love and Luck in this “lively” ( Publishers Weekly ), romantic road trip story about a teen girl’s last chance to have an epic summer with her best friend before everything changes.
Florie’s OCD and her mother’s worrying have kept her from a lot of things, like having an after-school job and getting her driver’s license. And now that she’s graduated high school, while her best friend Kacey is headed off to Portland in the fall, Florie’s taking a parent-sanctioned gap year off before starting college. When the decision was made, Florie was on board, but now she can’t ignore the growing itch to become the person she wants to be and venture outside the quaint, boring Washington town she grew up in.
Winning tickets to see her favorite true crime podcast’s live show in California gives her the opportunity to do just that, if only for a few days. So—unbeknownst to their parents—Kacey and Florie set off on a road trip to San Francisco. The only downside in Florie’s opinion? Sam, Kacey’s older brother and Florie’s forever crush, is their ride. The Samson Hodge, who Florie hasn’t seen since winter break, and who she’d prefer to never see again, if possible. But Florie is willing to put up with Sam if it means one last adventure with her best friend.
Making it to San Francisco and back to Washington without their parents catching on isn’t a given, but one thing is for this trip will change everything.
Florie’s OCD and her mother’s worrying have kept her from a lot of things, like having an after-school job and getting her driver’s license. And now that she’s graduated high school, while her best friend Kacey is headed off to Portland in the fall, Florie’s taking a parent-sanctioned gap year off before starting college. When the decision was made, Florie was on board, but now she can’t ignore the growing itch to become the person she wants to be and venture outside the quaint, boring Washington town she grew up in.
Winning tickets to see her favorite true crime podcast’s live show in California gives her the opportunity to do just that, if only for a few days. So—unbeknownst to their parents—Kacey and Florie set off on a road trip to San Francisco. The only downside in Florie’s opinion? Sam, Kacey’s older brother and Florie’s forever crush, is their ride. The Samson Hodge, who Florie hasn’t seen since winter break, and who she’d prefer to never see again, if possible. But Florie is willing to put up with Sam if it means one last adventure with her best friend.
Making it to San Francisco and back to Washington without their parents catching on isn’t a given, but one thing is for this trip will change everything.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published June 7, 2022
52 people are currently reading
4367 people want to read
About the author
Amelia Diane Coombs
10 books279 followersAmelia Diane Coombs is the author of Keep My Heart in San Francisco; Between You, Me, and the Honeybees; Exactly Where You Need to Be; and All Alone With You. She’s a Northern California transplant living in Seattle, Washington, with her spouse and their Siberian cat. When she isn’t writing or reading, Amelia spends her time playing video and tabletop games, road-tripping, and hiking the Pacific Northwest.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 192 reviews
August 1, 2022
Florie has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and between that and her mother worrying on her behalf, she has not ventured out much, not getting a job after school or getting her driver’s license. She’s a new graduate taking a gap year, mostly determined by her mother. Florie is ready to spread her wings a little, and she and her best friend, Kacey, and her older brother, Sam, secretly road trip to San Francisco to view a taping of their favorite true crime podcast (any fellow true crime fans out there?!). Will they make it back home without their parents finding out about the trip?
This story is so relatable for teens and young adults, but also anyone who has ever felt invisible or unseen. It will make you feel seen, and you will cheer Florie on with her journey. It’s also a story of friendship and even has a dash of sweet romance. Plus, I just love a road trip story, and this one is filled with goodness. I’d love to hear more from Florie in a sequel!
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
This story is so relatable for teens and young adults, but also anyone who has ever felt invisible or unseen. It will make you feel seen, and you will cheer Florie on with her journey. It’s also a story of friendship and even has a dash of sweet romance. Plus, I just love a road trip story, and this one is filled with goodness. I’d love to hear more from Florie in a sequel!
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
July 20, 2022
this made me feel seen. not with having bad OCD, but with having a mental illness that makes you feel UNseen.
i really liked the premise of the book and Sam // Kacey. My true crime self loved the podcast.
I hope Flor eventually gets to go to college!
i really liked the premise of the book and Sam // Kacey. My true crime self loved the podcast.
I hope Flor eventually gets to go to college!
May 29, 2022
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Florie thought she was alright with taking a gap year, but watching her best friend prepare for the next chapter of her life was harder than she anticipated. When Florie and Kacey won tickets to meet their favorite true crime podcasters, they set off on a road trip where Florie learned that she was capable of starting her next chapter, too.
I had read and enjoyed Coombs’ debut, Keep My Heart in San Francisco, and therefore, expected to enjoy her latest release. I MORE than enjoyed Exactly Where You Need to Be. As a matter of fact, I loved this book! It had some of my favorite elements combined in perfect proportions, and the end result was a story that was entertaining and emotionally satisfying.
I appreciate authors incorporating mental health issues into their stories, as I believe we should speak opening about these things, however, sometimes I find the issues become the whole story, leaving room for little else. That was not the case here. Just as Florie was more than her diagnosis, this story was more than a tale of a woman with OCD. Coombs explored Florie’s mental health issues with care, and they were thoughtfully woven into this summer trip. I appreciated the approach as well as the representation for this mental health issue.
Florie’s OCD and the family issues that precipitated added weight to this story, but at its core this was about friendship and growing up. When Florie talked about meeting Kacey and how she became her best friend, my heart filled with joy. I never believed you needed a lot of friends, but you did need goods ones, and Kacey was a good one. This was a tough time for Florie. It was easy to understand her worry about Kacey leaving for college and leaving her, as well. That feeling of being left behind is relatable. This trip showed the strength of their friendship, and Florie made some incredible revelations about herself along the way.
The road trip was a standout element. I had the best time driving eight hundred miles with this trio. I always enjoy being out on the open road, but this trip was made even more fun with a great summer bucket list. Some items were fun and sort of silly, but others ended up being milestones for Florie. It was wonderful she got to experience these things alongside some special people in her life.
Finally, I have to talk about the romance. Florie harbored a long-time crush on Kacey’s brother, but established early on that she would not act on it, due to the best friend code, as well as believing her OCD was an obstacle that could not be overcome. Watching Sam and Florie dance around each other was precious. I truly adored them, and because Sam was Sam, an amazingly lovely and sweet man, I wanted to see this love match happen.
I was so invested in Florie’s story, and I found myself bursting with pride many times. A road trip, fantastic friendship, and a sweet romance were the highlights for me, but I also enjoyed seeing Florie move beyond her fear and explore the world. Overall, a fun and fantastic story which was delightful and heartwarming.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
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Florie thought she was alright with taking a gap year, but watching her best friend prepare for the next chapter of her life was harder than she anticipated. When Florie and Kacey won tickets to meet their favorite true crime podcasters, they set off on a road trip where Florie learned that she was capable of starting her next chapter, too.
I had read and enjoyed Coombs’ debut, Keep My Heart in San Francisco, and therefore, expected to enjoy her latest release. I MORE than enjoyed Exactly Where You Need to Be. As a matter of fact, I loved this book! It had some of my favorite elements combined in perfect proportions, and the end result was a story that was entertaining and emotionally satisfying.
I appreciate authors incorporating mental health issues into their stories, as I believe we should speak opening about these things, however, sometimes I find the issues become the whole story, leaving room for little else. That was not the case here. Just as Florie was more than her diagnosis, this story was more than a tale of a woman with OCD. Coombs explored Florie’s mental health issues with care, and they were thoughtfully woven into this summer trip. I appreciated the approach as well as the representation for this mental health issue.
Florie’s OCD and the family issues that precipitated added weight to this story, but at its core this was about friendship and growing up. When Florie talked about meeting Kacey and how she became her best friend, my heart filled with joy. I never believed you needed a lot of friends, but you did need goods ones, and Kacey was a good one. This was a tough time for Florie. It was easy to understand her worry about Kacey leaving for college and leaving her, as well. That feeling of being left behind is relatable. This trip showed the strength of their friendship, and Florie made some incredible revelations about herself along the way.
The road trip was a standout element. I had the best time driving eight hundred miles with this trio. I always enjoy being out on the open road, but this trip was made even more fun with a great summer bucket list. Some items were fun and sort of silly, but others ended up being milestones for Florie. It was wonderful she got to experience these things alongside some special people in her life.
Finally, I have to talk about the romance. Florie harbored a long-time crush on Kacey’s brother, but established early on that she would not act on it, due to the best friend code, as well as believing her OCD was an obstacle that could not be overcome. Watching Sam and Florie dance around each other was precious. I truly adored them, and because Sam was Sam, an amazingly lovely and sweet man, I wanted to see this love match happen.
I was so invested in Florie’s story, and I found myself bursting with pride many times. A road trip, fantastic friendship, and a sweet romance were the highlights for me, but I also enjoyed seeing Florie move beyond her fear and explore the world. Overall, a fun and fantastic story which was delightful and heartwarming.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
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May 30, 2022
i’m in tears while i’m writing this. never in my life have i ever felt so represented and understood by a fictional character. it’s like amelia scooped out the contents of my brain and i love her for it
May 24, 2024
I unfortunately couldn’t connect to pretty much anything in the story, but I really appreciated the mental health representation and thought it was very well done. RTC
February 14, 2022
This is one of those YA books I wish I could have read when I was 15.
The funny thing about this one is that I was SO annoyed with the narrator at first. But the joke’s on me, because as the book continued, I realized just how similar we are.
This book takes place over just a week or two, and there’s not an extensive list of plot points, but it really dives into exploring Florie’s mental health and the gradual progress she makes with her OCD—highlighting the ups and downs so poignantly, and the way that relationships in our lives affect our well-being, for both the better and worse.
I love a book with well-fleshed out supporting characters, and it’s been a long time since I read a YA book with realistic parental figures. There was one conversation between Florie and her mom in particular that would have cut deep had I been able to read this book earlier in life (yet it still hit home at 23 🥺)
Will definitely be recommending this one to my younger sister.
The funny thing about this one is that I was SO annoyed with the narrator at first. But the joke’s on me, because as the book continued, I realized just how similar we are.
This book takes place over just a week or two, and there’s not an extensive list of plot points, but it really dives into exploring Florie’s mental health and the gradual progress she makes with her OCD—highlighting the ups and downs so poignantly, and the way that relationships in our lives affect our well-being, for both the better and worse.
I love a book with well-fleshed out supporting characters, and it’s been a long time since I read a YA book with realistic parental figures. There was one conversation between Florie and her mom in particular that would have cut deep had I been able to read this book earlier in life (yet it still hit home at 23 🥺)
Will definitely be recommending this one to my younger sister.
June 21, 2022
been quite a long time since i read something in one sitting (feels good when you finish an entire book in 2.5 hours lol)
this was kinda avera-gish tho considering i tend to love road trip stories and the blurb was too good to be missed :(
this was kinda avera-gish tho considering i tend to love road trip stories and the blurb was too good to be missed :(
November 1, 2023
2023 reads: 318/350
2023 tbr: 76/100
at nearly the end of the summer, florie and her best friend, kacey, realize they’re about to part ways with no memories in tow. they decide to make a trip all the way to california to meet their podcast idols. florie agrees, but there are a few problems with this. first, she has to do so behind her mom’s back. second, their ride to california is sam, kacey’s older brother who, unbeknownst to kacey, florie kissed last winter.
this book is perfect for young people starting new chapters of life. be it college, a gap year, trade school, whatever…i think you’ll enjoy the friendship aspect of this book. florie is really nervous she and kacey will grow apart which is partially why she wants this summer to be so memorable. i love how this topic was explored throughout the book.
i also liked how the relationship between florie and her mom was described. this is not to say it was a good one because it wasn’t, but that’s why i appreciated it. this ties into how florie’s ocd is talked about. though i do not have ocd, the author does, so hopefully readers with ocd will find that this topic was handled well.
2023 tbr: 76/100
at nearly the end of the summer, florie and her best friend, kacey, realize they’re about to part ways with no memories in tow. they decide to make a trip all the way to california to meet their podcast idols. florie agrees, but there are a few problems with this. first, she has to do so behind her mom’s back. second, their ride to california is sam, kacey’s older brother who, unbeknownst to kacey, florie kissed last winter.
this book is perfect for young people starting new chapters of life. be it college, a gap year, trade school, whatever…i think you’ll enjoy the friendship aspect of this book. florie is really nervous she and kacey will grow apart which is partially why she wants this summer to be so memorable. i love how this topic was explored throughout the book.
i also liked how the relationship between florie and her mom was described. this is not to say it was a good one because it wasn’t, but that’s why i appreciated it. this ties into how florie’s ocd is talked about. though i do not have ocd, the author does, so hopefully readers with ocd will find that this topic was handled well.
May 23, 2022
~ Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Books For Young Readers for an early copy in exchange for an honest review! RELEASE DATE: June 7, 2022 ~
5/23/22
3.5 stars? 4? Idk, but I'm def rounding up.
As a romance book, this wasn't for me. But as a contemporary read about a girl growing up and learning to live with OCD, this was exactly what I needed (pun intended), and especially what I needed in high school.
This is one of the most realistic parent portrayals I've seen in YA—definitely for fans of Lady Bird. I also loved reading about a summer story with a protagonist who has the same/similar limitations as me. And I also loved the best friendship at the forefront of this story.
Overall this was sweet and frustrating and fun and everything in between. A lovely summer coming-of-age story for those of us who can't exactly live the carefree summers in the movies. I'm definitely going to remember this book for being some of the comfort and catharsis I needed.
--
4/29/22
just got an arc. squealing. i think this book might destroy me.
5/23/22
3.5 stars? 4? Idk, but I'm def rounding up.
As a romance book, this wasn't for me. But as a contemporary read about a girl growing up and learning to live with OCD, this was exactly what I needed (pun intended), and especially what I needed in high school.
This is one of the most realistic parent portrayals I've seen in YA—definitely for fans of Lady Bird. I also loved reading about a summer story with a protagonist who has the same/similar limitations as me. And I also loved the best friendship at the forefront of this story.
Overall this was sweet and frustrating and fun and everything in between. A lovely summer coming-of-age story for those of us who can't exactly live the carefree summers in the movies. I'm definitely going to remember this book for being some of the comfort and catharsis I needed.
--
4/29/22
just got an arc. squealing. i think this book might destroy me.
September 7, 2022
3.5 🌟
➡️ mental health rep, summer roadtrip, character growth, true crime podcast, getting out of comfort zone, bestfriend's brother trope.
It was an emotional and heartwarming read. Florie really captured my heart. She was so relatable in so many ways that I identified myself in her—with how we overthink things, make assumptions, and respond to certain circumstances. I don't have the same mental struggles that she has, but I felt a strong connection with her. She was a really likable character!! ❤
I loved the character development and emotional growth of Florie in this one. She struggled with OCD, but she has always been so strong, brave, and badass that she has gradually learned to control her condition and take control of her life. That summer road trip with Kacey and Sam and their adventures has made her realize a lot of things-the importance of independence, the endless possibilities of her future, knowing the unknown, letting go of her fears and insecurities, and the beauty of getting out of her comfort zone to truly grow and evolve into a much better person. That summer has helped shape her into the person she's always wanted to become.
The mother-daughter relationship! Florie's mom has always been overbearing and overprotective to the point where she was controlling Florie's life and that put a huge strain on their relationship. But the family therapy meetings and character development of both sides have helped them see things in a different light and deeper level, and they have made huge progress in fixing their issues. Those scenes were rlly emotional!
What I didn't like was Florie's relationship with Sam. I didn't feel their chemistry and connection. Yeah, Sam's a great and decent guy, and I think he's a good influence on her, but their love story was just lacking and bland. It also happened too fast, and it wasn't properly built up. I hope they just remained friends in the end because they were better off that way.
Overall, it was an okay read with authentic characters, a positive mental health message, summer vibes, and a relatable heroine. But I didn't really get that invested in their romance or emotionally attached to it.
➡️ mental health rep, summer roadtrip, character growth, true crime podcast, getting out of comfort zone, bestfriend's brother trope.
It was an emotional and heartwarming read. Florie really captured my heart. She was so relatable in so many ways that I identified myself in her—with how we overthink things, make assumptions, and respond to certain circumstances. I don't have the same mental struggles that she has, but I felt a strong connection with her. She was a really likable character!! ❤
I loved the character development and emotional growth of Florie in this one. She struggled with OCD, but she has always been so strong, brave, and badass that she has gradually learned to control her condition and take control of her life. That summer road trip with Kacey and Sam and their adventures has made her realize a lot of things-the importance of independence, the endless possibilities of her future, knowing the unknown, letting go of her fears and insecurities, and the beauty of getting out of her comfort zone to truly grow and evolve into a much better person. That summer has helped shape her into the person she's always wanted to become.
The mother-daughter relationship! Florie's mom has always been overbearing and overprotective to the point where she was controlling Florie's life and that put a huge strain on their relationship. But the family therapy meetings and character development of both sides have helped them see things in a different light and deeper level, and they have made huge progress in fixing their issues. Those scenes were rlly emotional!
What I didn't like was Florie's relationship with Sam. I didn't feel their chemistry and connection. Yeah, Sam's a great and decent guy, and I think he's a good influence on her, but their love story was just lacking and bland. It also happened too fast, and it wasn't properly built up. I hope they just remained friends in the end because they were better off that way.
Overall, it was an okay read with authentic characters, a positive mental health message, summer vibes, and a relatable heroine. But I didn't really get that invested in their romance or emotionally attached to it.
October 2, 2022
This was the most perfect of mental health romance books. Florence’s OCD and anxiety rule every decision in her life, but it was portrayed so well on the page. You could feel her exhaustion and how hard she had to fight within herself for every decision and change in her life, and it just made her good days worth so much more. I got that rush with her when she finally could speak her mind and communicate what she needed. There’s so much character growth in this book. But it’s mostly just the realisation that she’s capable within herself, without actually needing to change. The side characters Kacey and Sam are amazing: they never try to change Florie, just work with what she needs and gently encourage her out of her comfort zone, but pull back the second she says. They don’t do anything in here with her consent first, which is exactly the healthy supportive (but not enabling) action that makes me glow. That this was an own voices story makes perfect sense, because it was such a great portrayal without being a massively depressing story, which it easily could have been. Despite all the drama and setbacks, it was just a really uplifting and positive adventure.
February 24, 2024
Exactly Where You Need to Be
3🌟
3🌟
July 17, 2022
3.75*
June 2, 2022
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC.
GROWTH.
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I could not put this book down. I adored it.
Florie absolutely just melted my heart and captured my soul. I loved her ability to acknowledge her strengths, but also where she could do better. Florie took so many steps to get to where she was by the end of the book and I was cheering her on the whole way. When she finally stood up to her Mother? HERE FOR IT. I think these intense and deep conversations (at times with the help of a therapist) were exactly what this book needed.
Kasey, Florie’s best friend, was another favorite. I loved her charming nature and acceptance of who Florie is, as she is. Even when the conflicts came up (and Kasey had a right to be upset), the fact that both sides LISTENED and found ways to move through this bump in their friendship was soul soothing. I loved their bond and definitely teared up at the end when the inevitability of college came around.
Now the romance? How adorable was Sam? VERY. I do wish there was a bit more time between them (because I didn’t think the love scene was necessary for these two?) for me to see a bigger connection between them, but let’s face it. I thought all of the times they were together as the two of them were so sweet. Sam also met Florie where she was and I liked that even though miscommunication was apart of their story it wasn’t there for drama. It brought them together and actually opened up more channels in their romantic relationship.
This has already gone on a lot longer than expected because apparently I’m in a gushing mood. If you love a good road trip with some antics along the way, mental health rep, close friendships, first love and finding exactly where you need to be, then this one is for you.
Overall audience notes:
- YA Contemporary Romance
- Language: some strong
- Romance: one vague open door
- Trigger/Content Warnings: obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety, therapy sessions, brief marijuana use, underage drinking
GROWTH.
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I could not put this book down. I adored it.
Florie absolutely just melted my heart and captured my soul. I loved her ability to acknowledge her strengths, but also where she could do better. Florie took so many steps to get to where she was by the end of the book and I was cheering her on the whole way. When she finally stood up to her Mother? HERE FOR IT. I think these intense and deep conversations (at times with the help of a therapist) were exactly what this book needed.
Kasey, Florie’s best friend, was another favorite. I loved her charming nature and acceptance of who Florie is, as she is. Even when the conflicts came up (and Kasey had a right to be upset), the fact that both sides LISTENED and found ways to move through this bump in their friendship was soul soothing. I loved their bond and definitely teared up at the end when the inevitability of college came around.
Now the romance? How adorable was Sam? VERY. I do wish there was a bit more time between them (because I didn’t think the love scene was necessary for these two?) for me to see a bigger connection between them, but let’s face it. I thought all of the times they were together as the two of them were so sweet. Sam also met Florie where she was and I liked that even though miscommunication was apart of their story it wasn’t there for drama. It brought them together and actually opened up more channels in their romantic relationship.
This has already gone on a lot longer than expected because apparently I’m in a gushing mood. If you love a good road trip with some antics along the way, mental health rep, close friendships, first love and finding exactly where you need to be, then this one is for you.
Overall audience notes:
- YA Contemporary Romance
- Language: some strong
- Romance: one vague open door
- Trigger/Content Warnings: obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety, therapy sessions, brief marijuana use, underage drinking
March 25, 2023
4.5
Amazing read this book it was so good
I really thought I’d give it a five stars but then the last 30 pages felt off so it lowered my rating a tad
I love the romance and friendship it’s so cute
Sam 🥰 he makes me think of a strong teddy bear
🧸 truly amazing and worth your time
Amazing read this book it was so good
I really thought I’d give it a five stars but then the last 30 pages felt off so it lowered my rating a tad
I love the romance and friendship it’s so cute
Sam 🥰 he makes me think of a strong teddy bear
🧸 truly amazing and worth your time
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 29, 2022
Amelia Diane Coombs’ GoodReads profile says that she writes unlikeable female protagonists but I didn’t find that to be the case or my big issue with Exactly Where You Need to Be.
At 18, Florie is trying to figure out her future, her love life, and her mental health. Her best friend is about to leave for college, Florie’s totally crushing on her best friend’s brother, and she’s trapped in an unhealthy relationship with her mother.
What’s a girl to do? Apparently the answer is: Lie to her parents and sneak off on a road trip with her best friend and her best friend’s brother. There are a lot of problems with this, not the least of which is that they know they’re sneaking off but they still Insta their trip. Really? And of course they get caught. Like how old are they? Five?
Also, where’d they get all the money to road-trip? The gas and overnight stays alone should have cost them hundreds of dollars and they don’t seem to have jobs. If I were one of the parents, I’d be mad too – not about the road trip but about them spending my money without my permission. Just saying.
The unlikeable character in this book is Florie’s mother, Helene. She’s toxic, mean, controlling, and probably a narcissist. Toxic parents aren’t an uncommon trope in YA novels but Helene’s character arc includes minimal growth. The dad is loving but clueless, weirdly unavailable both physically and emotionally. The therapist justifies the mother’s abuse and encourages Florie to accept that Mom can’t change. It’s so bad that the miniscule Mom-Florie redemption effort at the end of the book is entirely unbelievable.
Jumping on my writer soapbox for a second, it is equally frustrating that Coombs continually misplaces modifying phrases. I can’t quote examples here because I read an ARC but it happens so frequently that I might update this review, if I still care enough when the book comes out. Using “I” in place of “me” is horrible but one could argue that it’s common in speech. Using misplaced modifiers is just wrong and makes the story harder to read. Steps down from soapbox ….
I received a digital ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
At 18, Florie is trying to figure out her future, her love life, and her mental health. Her best friend is about to leave for college, Florie’s totally crushing on her best friend’s brother, and she’s trapped in an unhealthy relationship with her mother.
What’s a girl to do? Apparently the answer is: Lie to her parents and sneak off on a road trip with her best friend and her best friend’s brother. There are a lot of problems with this, not the least of which is that they know they’re sneaking off but they still Insta their trip. Really? And of course they get caught. Like how old are they? Five?
Also, where’d they get all the money to road-trip? The gas and overnight stays alone should have cost them hundreds of dollars and they don’t seem to have jobs. If I were one of the parents, I’d be mad too – not about the road trip but about them spending my money without my permission. Just saying.
The unlikeable character in this book is Florie’s mother, Helene. She’s toxic, mean, controlling, and probably a narcissist. Toxic parents aren’t an uncommon trope in YA novels but Helene’s character arc includes minimal growth. The dad is loving but clueless, weirdly unavailable both physically and emotionally. The therapist justifies the mother’s abuse and encourages Florie to accept that Mom can’t change. It’s so bad that the miniscule Mom-Florie redemption effort at the end of the book is entirely unbelievable.
Jumping on my writer soapbox for a second, it is equally frustrating that Coombs continually misplaces modifying phrases. I can’t quote examples here because I read an ARC but it happens so frequently that I might update this review, if I still care enough when the book comes out. Using “I” in place of “me” is horrible but one could argue that it’s common in speech. Using misplaced modifiers is just wrong and makes the story harder to read. Steps down from soapbox ….
I received a digital ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
August 28, 2022
Trigger warnings:
Amelia Diane Coombs, I'm a big, big fan.
I really fell for this author's previous books and Exactly Where You Need to be was, just, excellent. I adored the mental health rep, the incredible friendships, the complex mother-daughter relationship, the swoooons, the road-trip. I loved it all. 200% recommending this.
Full review coming soon on the blog! :)
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Amelia Diane Coombs, I'm a big, big fan.
I really fell for this author's previous books and Exactly Where You Need to be was, just, excellent. I adored the mental health rep, the incredible friendships, the complex mother-daughter relationship, the swoooons, the road-trip. I loved it all. 200% recommending this.
Full review coming soon on the blog! :)
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March 11, 2025
Really good book, fun read! I loved the mc, and all of her friends. The story line was good, and it was interesting to read about someone with OCD. Warning though, there is a scene. Don't know where, don't know what exactly it entails, I skipped like, 20 pages.
November 5, 2023
This felt like a love letter to the MFM podcast and I loved it. I loved the OCD rep too. As someone with a different but similar anxiety disorder, I appreciated feeling so seen! All the characters here were so relatable and I loved the relationships, especially between Florie and Kacie. ❤️
I absolutely NEED a sequel, so we can watch Florie adjust to the challenges she faces with her best friend moving and her new relationship. Please please please! 🙏
I absolutely NEED a sequel, so we can watch Florie adjust to the challenges she faces with her best friend moving and her new relationship. Please please please! 🙏
June 23, 2022
YA friendship on the brink of change (college)
They set out on a road trip.
This was an easy read, read it in a day
Loved the way that OCD was explained in this book, it was eye opening for me.
They set out on a road trip.
This was an easy read, read it in a day
Loved the way that OCD was explained in this book, it was eye opening for me.
November 16, 2022
Didn't love it, didn't hate it.
February 3, 2023
*minor spoilers ahead*
an insightful depiction of what it's like to live with OCD. the fear of "losing your shine" when people get to know you really cut deep. i loved that it was set in the pacific northwest. i loved that the main character and her best friend were total true crime geeks. i loved that florie was homeschooled (if only for a short while)! this book made me want to put my spotify "road trip" playlist to good use. i want to sleep in a treehouse! :) the author did an excellent job of depicting the precarious stage between clinging to your parents and wanting to explore your identity independent of your family, between being defined and constrained in many ways by an illness, and wanting to shed some of the limitations that have been placed on you because of it. as someone who will be choosing a college to attend in the fall very soon, and who frets frequently about falling behind compared to others my age, this book was exactly what i needed to hear, and florie is definitely a comfort character now.
my only criticism regards the romance between florie and sam, it just felt a tad rushed to me, more like the author was telling us why florie liked sam so much (and vice versa) rather than showing, and there was one scene at the end that gave me the ick. however, that may just be because i am becoming more bitter and misanthropic day by day, so reading about love is unrelatable. a foreign concept, really. sam was sweet, and i liked how he truly listened to florie and tried to understand her thought processes. they really need to work on their communication, though.
the relationship between florie and her mom was interesting, if not exhausting to read at times. a few of their conversations reminded me of rapunzel and mother gothel--and the whole road trip experience was like rapunzel leaving her tower. her mom even tracked her down similarly in the end--wow, i'm like that meme with the corkboard and red string. her mom said some cruel things, but so did florie, and i'm simultaneously glad and amazed that they were able to work it out at all. though, i suppose it's normal to have some familial strife as you prepare to leave the nest. the mother's justification for her actions made more sense when you realized that she had her daughter's best interests at heart, but didn't totally know herself how to parent a child she felt she had to go above and beyond to protect from the world because of their mental health condition. she had been a mother for so long, that discovering her purpose outside of caring for her child was a challenge.
overall, i enjoyed this book, and recommend it as a sneak peek of what it's like to be in a teenager's mind, on the verge of adulthood but not quite on your own in the world yet. i learned quite a bit about OCD that i didn't know before, and have compassion for anyone who deals with it.
solid 3.8/5.
an insightful depiction of what it's like to live with OCD. the fear of "losing your shine" when people get to know you really cut deep. i loved that it was set in the pacific northwest. i loved that the main character and her best friend were total true crime geeks. i loved that florie was homeschooled (if only for a short while)! this book made me want to put my spotify "road trip" playlist to good use. i want to sleep in a treehouse! :) the author did an excellent job of depicting the precarious stage between clinging to your parents and wanting to explore your identity independent of your family, between being defined and constrained in many ways by an illness, and wanting to shed some of the limitations that have been placed on you because of it. as someone who will be choosing a college to attend in the fall very soon, and who frets frequently about falling behind compared to others my age, this book was exactly what i needed to hear, and florie is definitely a comfort character now.
my only criticism regards the romance between florie and sam, it just felt a tad rushed to me, more like the author was telling us why florie liked sam so much (and vice versa) rather than showing, and there was one scene at the end that gave me the ick. however, that may just be because i am becoming more bitter and misanthropic day by day, so reading about love is unrelatable. a foreign concept, really. sam was sweet, and i liked how he truly listened to florie and tried to understand her thought processes. they really need to work on their communication, though.
the relationship between florie and her mom was interesting, if not exhausting to read at times. a few of their conversations reminded me of rapunzel and mother gothel--and the whole road trip experience was like rapunzel leaving her tower. her mom even tracked her down similarly in the end--wow, i'm like that meme with the corkboard and red string. her mom said some cruel things, but so did florie, and i'm simultaneously glad and amazed that they were able to work it out at all. though, i suppose it's normal to have some familial strife as you prepare to leave the nest. the mother's justification for her actions made more sense when you realized that she had her daughter's best interests at heart, but didn't totally know herself how to parent a child she felt she had to go above and beyond to protect from the world because of their mental health condition. she had been a mother for so long, that discovering her purpose outside of caring for her child was a challenge.
overall, i enjoyed this book, and recommend it as a sneak peek of what it's like to be in a teenager's mind, on the verge of adulthood but not quite on your own in the world yet. i learned quite a bit about OCD that i didn't know before, and have compassion for anyone who deals with it.
solid 3.8/5.
February 6, 2023
this book was fine.
the only things that really stood out were the blurb and the cover, the rest of it just kind of blends together.
i think the romance was kinda weird, i didn’t sense the chemistry and the s*x scene was just unecessary, i know the book is all about florie stepping out of her comfort zone and doing new things but, it still felt weird. i think it’s because sam as a character just felt really off to me and i can’t explain why, men who are described as “”nice guys”” just raise red flags for me.
i don’t have ocd so i can’t speak on how good the rep was, but apparently a lot of others who have it thought it was good and made them feel seen so i love that!
and i liked florie as a character — she was nicely written. her best friend, kacey, was good too.
i thought the ending (and honestly every time the podcast was talked about) was a little cheesy, especially how the podcast talked about them and their family issues out on their show and how cool they were lol, it was giving ✨fanfiction✨ and reminded me of my embarassing true crime phase where i was obsessed with Morbid. ☠️
but anyways. overall a decent book, the road trip was mostly fun to follow and the character growth was solid. if you’re looking for a new YA road trip read you should pick this up!
the only things that really stood out were the blurb and the cover, the rest of it just kind of blends together.
i think the romance was kinda weird, i didn’t sense the chemistry and the s*x scene was just unecessary, i know the book is all about florie stepping out of her comfort zone and doing new things but, it still felt weird. i think it’s because sam as a character just felt really off to me and i can’t explain why, men who are described as “”nice guys”” just raise red flags for me.
i don’t have ocd so i can’t speak on how good the rep was, but apparently a lot of others who have it thought it was good and made them feel seen so i love that!
and i liked florie as a character — she was nicely written. her best friend, kacey, was good too.
i thought the ending (and honestly every time the podcast was talked about) was a little cheesy, especially how the podcast talked about them and their family issues out on their show and how cool they were lol, it was giving ✨fanfiction✨ and reminded me of my embarassing true crime phase where i was obsessed with Morbid. ☠️
but anyways. overall a decent book, the road trip was mostly fun to follow and the character growth was solid. if you’re looking for a new YA road trip read you should pick this up!
July 26, 2021
I had the chance to read an early copy of Exactly Where You Need to Be and fell in love with this story and cast. Florie's arc over the course of the book is nuanced, empowering, and hopeful. We get to see not just her challenges, but also her strength and capability as she works through the beliefs she and her family have around her OCD. I was cheering her on as she reached for a bigger life for herself, and readers who are looking for positive, thoughtful mental health rep will not be disappointed. This book also features a truly wonderful best-friend relationship, a road-trip full of adventures, a mutual love of a My Favorite Murder-style true-crime podcast, a summer bucket list, and OF COURSE a swoony romance (involving a lot of forced proximity, secret shared history, and so much simmering tension!!). It's a new favorite—add to your TBRs now!
November 29, 2023
As an ocd girlie myself I really enjoyed this!
I wish there would have been an epilogue!
I wish there would have been an epilogue!
December 7, 2023
4.5⭐️ super cute contemporary romance and some of the best OCD rep in my opinion🫶🏻
June 7, 2022
*thank you Edelweiss for providing me an advanced readers copy*
I was really excited to read this book because, as someone with OCD, I feel like it is extremely misrepresented in books and media. So the combination of a main character with actual OCD, a road-trip story, and a forbidden romance had me excited to read this book, but it ended up falling a bit flat for me.
First, I’ll talk about the romance… it was EXTREMELY dull and felt super, super meh. I felt no connection to the love interest at all, and so their relationship just felt boring. They throw around the word love at the end, but she seems to have nothing more than an exaggerated crush on him, and he gives me the vibe that he’ll get bored of her and dump her eventually because it’s been explained that he has a very short attention span with girls he dates, and there is nothing hinting that she’ll actually be any different. So I just couldn’t connect with them at all, especially since their dialogue mainly consisted of awkwardness, a tiny bit of banter every now and then, and like maybe one serious conversation. There was just nothing there for me.
Next, there was the friendship with Florie and her and her best friend, Kacey. I actually really liked their dynamic, but I wish we got more of it. I feel like I was TOLD that they were best friends by both characters more than I was shown it. There were definitely a lot of cute moments that made it clear they loved each other and were super close, but I think it was ruined by the fact that we didn’t get a lot of scenes with them one on one. Also, the conflict with Florie kissing Kaceys brother was resolved SO QUICKLY after such a build up, which was unsatisfying.
Another big part of the story is Florie’s relationship with her mom. I think my main issue with this is that, for the first 3/4 of the story, her mom is only mentioned every now and then as someone who stresses her out or gets in the way. For the first half of the story, her relationship with her mom doesn’t seem like it’ll come off as anything important and like it’s just a nuisance, then suddenly, in the last quarter of the story, it becomes the main conflict and the biggest deal. I wish we had a bit more build up to that. We definitely got some, but i think it would have been better if there was a bit more, but to better set up the arc of the story. Another big issue I had with the mom character was that she kinda just completely flipped at the end. Like, there were some moments where it seemed like her mom was a little emotionally abusive, and I feel like the worst aspects of their relationship weren’t even how controlling her mom was (which is the issue they resolve in the end), but more so the way her mom talks to her and treats her. I felt like the way her mom handled conversations with her just as bad as the control issue, but only the control thing was resolved, and it happened out of nowhere. Throughout most of Florie’s interactions with her mom, her mom is cold, horrible at communion, never listens to a word Florie says, convinces Florie she is not capable of anything, etc., but then suddenly at the end, her mom is mature and has an open convo with Florie, and there was no growth to lead to that.
Lastly, I’d like to talk about the most important aspect of the story, and the reason I gave it 3 stars instead of 2 or 2.5: the OCD representation. As I mentioned in the beginning, ocd is horribly represented in mainstream media, and as someone who has it, I know how harmful that misrepresentation can be, because it causes people to minimize the amount of suffering it can cause. So many people thing OCD is just organization or cleanliness, which is not the case for everyone, so it was refreshing to have a main character with OCD that has little to do with being clean or organized, and more to do with the dozens of OTHER symptoms of OCD that get swept under the rug in mainstream media. Here are my favorite examples of OCD in the story that I REALLY related to:
-Florie not being able to sleep until the tiny thought entered her head that the door could be unlocked and having to go check again, then had to click the lock 9 times until her anxiety calmed down (my ocd number is 8 and I use to do the exact same thing every single night for years)
- “And OCD isn’t what the media’s made it out to be, especially purely obsessional OCD, which is what I struggle with. I enjoy cleaning and organizing as much as the next person, sure, but that’s not what obsessive-compulsive disorder is about. More often than not, OCD is fighting against a monster that feasts on your worst fears. A monster that makes you doubt everything, from your actions to your thoughts to even your emotions. There’s no upside to OCD. No superhero cleanliness. No extra sense of awareness. Nothing.”
- “Everyone has intrusive thoughts, sure, but a brain like mine doesn’t know which thoughts have value and which are designed to destroy me from the inside out.”
- “I hesitate, but I have nothing left to lose with Sam. But explaining OCD is hard—so much of it is internal. “I can try. . . . Um. We all have anxiety, right? Some worse than others. But OCD is like anxiety gone wild. My brain doesn’t really know what thoughts or worries have value, but it’ll latch onto something that causes me distress.” My eyes are still closed, but they’re damp. “And then I’ll find something—anything—to ease the anxiety caused by the distressing thought or worry. But by easing the anxiety, it only worsens it. Because it’s like I’m telling my brain, ‘Hey, this worry has value. We should pay attention to it!’ In reality, it’s just some random, irrational fear my OCD is tormenting me with. It’s a cycle. An exhausting cycle.”
- “Confirmation bias is when you cherry-pick what information to believe—and you reject any information or evidence to the contrary. For people with OCD, especially Pure-O . . . it can turn really ugly. I overvalue unwanted thoughts and beliefs about myself, constantly. Sometimes, I even seek out every negative thing to confirm every negative thought I’ve ever had about myself.”
- “I spend . . . um, I spend a lot of time feeling worthless, and when something happens that could be evidence of my worthlessness, I latch onto it. Because it makes sense, you know? It’s familiar. It’s like someone telling you everything you want to hear, but it’s every negative, bad thing about yourself.”
- “Anything that Sam did or said that reinforced my worthlessness, I valued. And anything else . . . I ignored. Because I’m so used to feeling worthless. I cherry-picked.”
- “All my OCD really does is make me doubt myself, and sometimes it’s hard to figure out which feelings are real and true.”
I really like that some of these things were talked about, because a lot of people don’t know about these parts of OCD. Overall, OCD is a lot of giving every single negative thought value, causing your brain to obsess over it. Because of that, it can lead to bad depression and anxiety. Something I really resonated with is when Florie talked about the worthlessness thing, and how everything that could constantly confirm her feeling of worthlessness does, and everything to the contrary gets ignored, because OCD decides what you get to obsess over, and logic has no say. This also happens with intrusive thoughts. Everyone has them, but OCD makes your brain assume that the fact u had those thoughts means ur crazy, or that those thoughts are true, especially the negative ones about yourself. I think she gave a lot of really good explanations of different aspects of ocd, and though there of course many more layers to it and symptoms, I liked the way she explained the symptoms that the main character was suffering with.
My biggest issue with the ocd rep was that it felt like I was told Florie had ocd more than I was shown it. She talked to herself about her ocd, and to other people, and we are TOLD that it has been really bad, but there are only a few examples thrown in the story that actually show it, and most of the examples are the ones I already quoted above. I rarely saw any signs of ocd in her thought patterns at all, unless she was TALKING about her ocd. There were definitely moments she had those thought patterns, but they were only a few times in the story. Now of course, ocd can be different for everyone, but we are constantly told that she has bad ocd, but her thoughts don’t really reflect it until the author remembers and throws something in there. I wish we got to see more of her struggling with it instead of only being told a few times about how she has struggled, especially because ocd can be a constant thing that harasses our thoughts and effects the way we think 24/7. Not always, because OCD is definitely a spectrum, but when ocd is bad, like the story was convincing us it was for Florie, it doesn’t just flare up once or twice a day, it badgers at us consistently and we just have to train our brains to deal with it. Since we were told more than we were shown, it caused me to feel a little disconnected from the character, and from the story overall.
Anyways, sorry this was so long, I think I just took it seriously because the topic is something I resonate with. Overall, this book is fine, but definitely a good book for people that no absolutely nothing about ocd to read, since it’s one of the disorders with the most misconceptions and that is very devalued.
I was really excited to read this book because, as someone with OCD, I feel like it is extremely misrepresented in books and media. So the combination of a main character with actual OCD, a road-trip story, and a forbidden romance had me excited to read this book, but it ended up falling a bit flat for me.
First, I’ll talk about the romance… it was EXTREMELY dull and felt super, super meh. I felt no connection to the love interest at all, and so their relationship just felt boring. They throw around the word love at the end, but she seems to have nothing more than an exaggerated crush on him, and he gives me the vibe that he’ll get bored of her and dump her eventually because it’s been explained that he has a very short attention span with girls he dates, and there is nothing hinting that she’ll actually be any different. So I just couldn’t connect with them at all, especially since their dialogue mainly consisted of awkwardness, a tiny bit of banter every now and then, and like maybe one serious conversation. There was just nothing there for me.
Next, there was the friendship with Florie and her and her best friend, Kacey. I actually really liked their dynamic, but I wish we got more of it. I feel like I was TOLD that they were best friends by both characters more than I was shown it. There were definitely a lot of cute moments that made it clear they loved each other and were super close, but I think it was ruined by the fact that we didn’t get a lot of scenes with them one on one. Also, the conflict with Florie kissing Kaceys brother was resolved SO QUICKLY after such a build up, which was unsatisfying.
Another big part of the story is Florie’s relationship with her mom. I think my main issue with this is that, for the first 3/4 of the story, her mom is only mentioned every now and then as someone who stresses her out or gets in the way. For the first half of the story, her relationship with her mom doesn’t seem like it’ll come off as anything important and like it’s just a nuisance, then suddenly, in the last quarter of the story, it becomes the main conflict and the biggest deal. I wish we had a bit more build up to that. We definitely got some, but i think it would have been better if there was a bit more, but to better set up the arc of the story. Another big issue I had with the mom character was that she kinda just completely flipped at the end. Like, there were some moments where it seemed like her mom was a little emotionally abusive, and I feel like the worst aspects of their relationship weren’t even how controlling her mom was (which is the issue they resolve in the end), but more so the way her mom talks to her and treats her. I felt like the way her mom handled conversations with her just as bad as the control issue, but only the control thing was resolved, and it happened out of nowhere. Throughout most of Florie’s interactions with her mom, her mom is cold, horrible at communion, never listens to a word Florie says, convinces Florie she is not capable of anything, etc., but then suddenly at the end, her mom is mature and has an open convo with Florie, and there was no growth to lead to that.
Lastly, I’d like to talk about the most important aspect of the story, and the reason I gave it 3 stars instead of 2 or 2.5: the OCD representation. As I mentioned in the beginning, ocd is horribly represented in mainstream media, and as someone who has it, I know how harmful that misrepresentation can be, because it causes people to minimize the amount of suffering it can cause. So many people thing OCD is just organization or cleanliness, which is not the case for everyone, so it was refreshing to have a main character with OCD that has little to do with being clean or organized, and more to do with the dozens of OTHER symptoms of OCD that get swept under the rug in mainstream media. Here are my favorite examples of OCD in the story that I REALLY related to:
-Florie not being able to sleep until the tiny thought entered her head that the door could be unlocked and having to go check again, then had to click the lock 9 times until her anxiety calmed down (my ocd number is 8 and I use to do the exact same thing every single night for years)
- “And OCD isn’t what the media’s made it out to be, especially purely obsessional OCD, which is what I struggle with. I enjoy cleaning and organizing as much as the next person, sure, but that’s not what obsessive-compulsive disorder is about. More often than not, OCD is fighting against a monster that feasts on your worst fears. A monster that makes you doubt everything, from your actions to your thoughts to even your emotions. There’s no upside to OCD. No superhero cleanliness. No extra sense of awareness. Nothing.”
- “Everyone has intrusive thoughts, sure, but a brain like mine doesn’t know which thoughts have value and which are designed to destroy me from the inside out.”
- “I hesitate, but I have nothing left to lose with Sam. But explaining OCD is hard—so much of it is internal. “I can try. . . . Um. We all have anxiety, right? Some worse than others. But OCD is like anxiety gone wild. My brain doesn’t really know what thoughts or worries have value, but it’ll latch onto something that causes me distress.” My eyes are still closed, but they’re damp. “And then I’ll find something—anything—to ease the anxiety caused by the distressing thought or worry. But by easing the anxiety, it only worsens it. Because it’s like I’m telling my brain, ‘Hey, this worry has value. We should pay attention to it!’ In reality, it’s just some random, irrational fear my OCD is tormenting me with. It’s a cycle. An exhausting cycle.”
- “Confirmation bias is when you cherry-pick what information to believe—and you reject any information or evidence to the contrary. For people with OCD, especially Pure-O . . . it can turn really ugly. I overvalue unwanted thoughts and beliefs about myself, constantly. Sometimes, I even seek out every negative thing to confirm every negative thought I’ve ever had about myself.”
- “I spend . . . um, I spend a lot of time feeling worthless, and when something happens that could be evidence of my worthlessness, I latch onto it. Because it makes sense, you know? It’s familiar. It’s like someone telling you everything you want to hear, but it’s every negative, bad thing about yourself.”
- “Anything that Sam did or said that reinforced my worthlessness, I valued. And anything else . . . I ignored. Because I’m so used to feeling worthless. I cherry-picked.”
- “All my OCD really does is make me doubt myself, and sometimes it’s hard to figure out which feelings are real and true.”
I really like that some of these things were talked about, because a lot of people don’t know about these parts of OCD. Overall, OCD is a lot of giving every single negative thought value, causing your brain to obsess over it. Because of that, it can lead to bad depression and anxiety. Something I really resonated with is when Florie talked about the worthlessness thing, and how everything that could constantly confirm her feeling of worthlessness does, and everything to the contrary gets ignored, because OCD decides what you get to obsess over, and logic has no say. This also happens with intrusive thoughts. Everyone has them, but OCD makes your brain assume that the fact u had those thoughts means ur crazy, or that those thoughts are true, especially the negative ones about yourself. I think she gave a lot of really good explanations of different aspects of ocd, and though there of course many more layers to it and symptoms, I liked the way she explained the symptoms that the main character was suffering with.
My biggest issue with the ocd rep was that it felt like I was told Florie had ocd more than I was shown it. She talked to herself about her ocd, and to other people, and we are TOLD that it has been really bad, but there are only a few examples thrown in the story that actually show it, and most of the examples are the ones I already quoted above. I rarely saw any signs of ocd in her thought patterns at all, unless she was TALKING about her ocd. There were definitely moments she had those thought patterns, but they were only a few times in the story. Now of course, ocd can be different for everyone, but we are constantly told that she has bad ocd, but her thoughts don’t really reflect it until the author remembers and throws something in there. I wish we got to see more of her struggling with it instead of only being told a few times about how she has struggled, especially because ocd can be a constant thing that harasses our thoughts and effects the way we think 24/7. Not always, because OCD is definitely a spectrum, but when ocd is bad, like the story was convincing us it was for Florie, it doesn’t just flare up once or twice a day, it badgers at us consistently and we just have to train our brains to deal with it. Since we were told more than we were shown, it caused me to feel a little disconnected from the character, and from the story overall.
Anyways, sorry this was so long, I think I just took it seriously because the topic is something I resonate with. Overall, this book is fine, but definitely a good book for people that no absolutely nothing about ocd to read, since it’s one of the disorders with the most misconceptions and that is very devalued.
June 25, 2024
2,75 ⭐️
Estuvo bien, para pasar el rato estuvo perfecto pero hubo algunas cosas que no me gustaron como por ejemplo que no se profundiza mucho con los personajes secundarios (me refiero a Sam y a Kacey) se los conoce muy por encima me hubiera gustado mas información sobre ellos. La amistad entre Flori y Kacey me gusto mucho. Sam me gusto pero no me llego a encantar, esto por lo que dije anteriormente que no lo logre conocer completamente, también hubo una escena casi al final (cuando se acuestan) que siento que no era necesaria. Algo que me gusto y debo destacar de este libro es la forma de la autora de tratar el TOC no lo hizo de una manera superficial sino que lo trato de manera adecuada eso me gusto mucho pero llego a un punto en que me aburri de que no se hablara mas de como su mamá y su TOC no le permitian hacer lo que realmente quería y enserió era muy frustrante que todo girara en torno a eso, claro que entiendo que tiene un trastorno pero me hubiera gustado que también se centrara en los otros aspectos del libro y no solo en la forma en que el TOC afectaba a Flori. Para ser un libro que trata este tema con tanta profundidad siento que el final y lo que paso después con su mamá (el hecho de que se redime con excusas baratas) fue poco creíble y realmente esperaba mas desarrollo con la relación de madre e hija, literalmente todo se "arregla" en menos de una semana. Ahora hablando del romance sinceramente esperaba mas, me falto esa conexión entre los protas, esa emoción, esa quimica entre ellos pero lastimosamente no la sentí, no llegue a conectar con la historia, pero como dije al principio me sirvio para pasar el rato y entretenerme. Solo que las expectativas me jugaron una mala pasada, y obviamente la sinopsis también.
Estuvo bien, para pasar el rato estuvo perfecto pero hubo algunas cosas que no me gustaron como por ejemplo que no se profundiza mucho con los personajes secundarios (me refiero a Sam y a Kacey) se los conoce muy por encima me hubiera gustado mas información sobre ellos. La amistad entre Flori y Kacey me gusto mucho. Sam me gusto pero no me llego a encantar, esto por lo que dije anteriormente que no lo logre conocer completamente, también hubo una escena casi al final (cuando se acuestan) que siento que no era necesaria. Algo que me gusto y debo destacar de este libro es la forma de la autora de tratar el TOC no lo hizo de una manera superficial sino que lo trato de manera adecuada eso me gusto mucho pero llego a un punto en que me aburri de que no se hablara mas de como su mamá y su TOC no le permitian hacer lo que realmente quería y enserió era muy frustrante que todo girara en torno a eso, claro que entiendo que tiene un trastorno pero me hubiera gustado que también se centrara en los otros aspectos del libro y no solo en la forma en que el TOC afectaba a Flori. Para ser un libro que trata este tema con tanta profundidad siento que el final y lo que paso después con su mamá (el hecho de que se redime con excusas baratas) fue poco creíble y realmente esperaba mas desarrollo con la relación de madre e hija, literalmente todo se "arregla" en menos de una semana. Ahora hablando del romance sinceramente esperaba mas, me falto esa conexión entre los protas, esa emoción, esa quimica entre ellos pero lastimosamente no la sentí, no llegue a conectar con la historia, pero como dije al principio me sirvio para pasar el rato y entretenerme. Solo que las expectativas me jugaron una mala pasada, y obviamente la sinopsis también.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 6, 2022
There are a few things I've come to expect from an Amelia Diane Coombs book: 1) full and colorful characters who are reeeeeaaalllll; 2) epically swoony romance that leaves my heart in some form of that cute teary-eyed emoji you just want to hug; and 3) voice!!!! UGH i love ADC's voice. EWYNTB perfectly delivers on all fronts, and then some!
The super fun prompt (A roadtrip with a bestie and bestie's smokeshow of a brother to catch a live viewing of a true crime podcast in a kind of bucket list of a final summer before things change) is what brought me in, but this book brings so much more! the OCD rep is thoughtful, nuanced, and layered—and I am forever grateful for how much heart and realness is on page. it's amazing watching/feeling Florie grow as a human, even if that growth isn't linear. there was a line I loved/highlighted: "If you want a love story, you can have one..." It's simple enough, but really resonated with me/gaining agency w/my own mental speedbumps.
the relationships! sam and florie are the cutest (idk the strawberry stain/white tee really did it for me); kacey and florie! (i loved them and their support for each other/their communication! esp after conflict!) florie and her mom (this one was a lot! but complicated relationships are life. super well executed).
this review is all over the place! so i'll wrap it up by saying how much i loved the hopeful ending/hope for the future :)
oh! And a tiny lil bonus -- I loved the format of the book and the chapters beginning with a visual update of where we are on the road trip as well as the "written" bucket list -- just little added gems I totally appreciated :)
The super fun prompt (A roadtrip with a bestie and bestie's smokeshow of a brother to catch a live viewing of a true crime podcast in a kind of bucket list of a final summer before things change) is what brought me in, but this book brings so much more! the OCD rep is thoughtful, nuanced, and layered—and I am forever grateful for how much heart and realness is on page. it's amazing watching/feeling Florie grow as a human, even if that growth isn't linear. there was a line I loved/highlighted: "If you want a love story, you can have one..." It's simple enough, but really resonated with me/gaining agency w/my own mental speedbumps.
the relationships! sam and florie are the cutest (idk the strawberry stain/white tee really did it for me); kacey and florie! (i loved them and their support for each other/their communication! esp after conflict!) florie and her mom (this one was a lot! but complicated relationships are life. super well executed).
this review is all over the place! so i'll wrap it up by saying how much i loved the hopeful ending/hope for the future :)
oh! And a tiny lil bonus -- I loved the format of the book and the chapters beginning with a visual update of where we are on the road trip as well as the "written" bucket list -- just little added gems I totally appreciated :)
June 4, 2022
This is a YA contemporary with a fun and adventurous end of summer road trip!
I loved this book! The main characters were unique and really stole my heart. Florie was so honest and real. Her character growth was amazing and I was definitely tearing up while reading!
The writing was beautiful. I loved that mental health and the benefit of therapy were a huge part of this book. There was a great balance between fun, adventure, and seriousness. This is a book I would go back in time and give to my 18 year old self.
You should definitely read this if you love summer road trips, true crime podcasts, forced proximity, and best friend’s hot older brother! And only one tree house! Heck yes!
⚠️ Trigger/content warnings: mental health, anxiety, OCD, therapy, explanation of true crime murder cases
I loved this book! The main characters were unique and really stole my heart. Florie was so honest and real. Her character growth was amazing and I was definitely tearing up while reading!
The writing was beautiful. I loved that mental health and the benefit of therapy were a huge part of this book. There was a great balance between fun, adventure, and seriousness. This is a book I would go back in time and give to my 18 year old self.
You should definitely read this if you love summer road trips, true crime podcasts, forced proximity, and best friend’s hot older brother! And only one tree house! Heck yes!
⚠️ Trigger/content warnings: mental health, anxiety, OCD, therapy, explanation of true crime murder cases
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