So I am not the target audience for this one (adult reading YA) so while I wasn't a fan of this one my thoughts should be taken with a grain of salt since I do think teens would like this one!

I found Kristina Forest's writing to be engaging, but the story was rather simple. Which is fine, but I wanted a bit more depth. Just everything from the conflict to the plots to the resolution felt simple.

The flashbacks and all the dream sequences were also distracting/annoying. But that is a major personal preference.

I did like the chaos of the road trip and how passionate Chloe was about ballet.

An adorable read, but it took me almost the entire book to warm up to Eli because his behavior at the beginning made me want to chuck him out the window of Chloe's car. I wish I had more to say, but I really don't.

This charming, #ownvoices story deftly holds both Chloe's desire for her dreams and her romance with Eli. A quick, easy read with an adorable protagonist, a cute dog, and a feel-good ending. Although the characters are in HS, this read much more like MG to me.

This was a fast and fun read about family, growth, change, and passion.

I love that there are more YA rom-coms featuring characters of color, and in this case, black teens! I met the author and attended a panel she was in at a library conference and have been excited to read it since then. A lot of teens seeking representation in YA don't just want their pain and struggles depicted, but their hopes and dreams too. They want the cute romance, the family angst, the self-growth, and the "what the heck am I going to do after high school" narratives that so commonly only feature white protagonists. Sometimes these books reflect your life, and when they don't, they serve as escapes.

Sweet and relatable and perfect for teens that are caught between doing what their heart desires and what their family wants for them.

If you like Kasie West, I'd pick this one up too!



*I own a signed copy of this book and received a Netgalley digital ARC of it but listened to an audiobook version through Libby.

3.5 stars
*I Wanna Be Where You Are* is a really fun road trip novel! I immediately liked Chloe—she was driven but also cautious, which I related to, and it made her character stick with me more. We jump right into the road-trip plot and don’t stop until the very end, so the pacing was very consistent and upbeat. I also really liked Eli and the progression of his and Chloe’s relationship. I thought it was very realistic and offered us the opportunity to get to know each of them separately, and then together. I did get frustrated with our main character at times because we don’t find out what the two went through that made them “enemies” until the middle of the book, so for the first half Chloe is holding a grudge and I didn’t know why, so it seemed unjustified until the explanation. Overall though, this was a very light, quick, and enjoyable story.

This book is one of my backlogged Netgalley ARC’s. So much so, that I was able to pick up a physical copy from my library, and get to see this gorgeous cover up close!

This novel follows a high school student named Chloe, as she lies to her mom for the very first time, goes on a road trip in an attempt to follow her dreams, and gets stuck with her not-at-all-unattractive neighbor and his dog. What got me really excited to read this novel was the fact that Chloe is a dancer, and she is pursuing her passion to go to a performing arts college after high school.

Incoming background information on the blogger you didn’t ask for: I danced for over twenty years. I did styles including tap, jazz, contemporary, ballet, pointe, and hip hop. Dancing was a huge passion of mine, and I thought I was going to dance professionally for the rest of my life. That was until my senior year when I had a career ending injury.

As we soon discover, Chloe also suffered a pretty major injury a year before her story starts. I cannot express how accurate the portrayal of her injury, mindset, and her come back story are in relation to my own experiences. The only difference is that Chloe was able to get back to performing at the level she was at before her injury, and I did not.

It was amazing to read about a dancer who had felt like they were on top of the world, could tackle any role, and then lose all the confidence they’d spent years acquiring. There is a strong sense of imposter syndrome for Chloe, who learns to overcome that with the unexpected help of her neighbor, Eli.

I wasn’t sure how this story was going to evolve. From the synopsis it seemed like we were simply going from point A. to point B. So how did that equate to a two hundred plus page book? I figured out pretty quickly that this road trip would have some major speed bumps along the way.

Despite the seemingly self explanatory plot, this book left a lot for the reader to unpack. Chloe deals with what it felt like to realize she didn’t look like the other dancers in her studio, as her body developed and her skin tone stood in stark contrast to the dancers around her. Chloe and Eli both struggle to see eye to eye with their parents in regards to their futures in the art and performing art world. We saw a character who evolved into herself once she was able to go off to college, and get out from under her parents. And we watched characters as they began to come out of the closet, and the transformation they made over the next few years into confident young men.

I really appreciated that everyone can find a little piece of themselves in this story, and in these characters. It was also the quintessential young adult contemporary novel, rife with innocent rebellion (generally speaking), first love, following your dreams, teenage drama, parental drama, realizing how close college is to becoming your reality, and of course, prom. It would be completely remiss of me not to mention how wonderful Eli’s dog, Gus, is as a character throughout the novel.

I thought the writing style was accessible and descriptive. The best parts for me were when Chloe would describe dancing, or how her anxiety would manifest after the injury. I also appreciated that this story didn’t wrap itself up in a neat little bow at the end. The ending was realistic, but incredibly optimistic as well.

Despite this story, on paper, having everything I love, it didn’t pack the emotional punch I wanted. This was a sweet, slice of life contemporary novel that was a very quick read. I think this book is perfect for teenagers, or anyone who once called themselves a dancer.

I Wanna Be Where You Are is a road tripping, ballet auditioning adorable friends to enemies to lovers romance perfect for YA fans. This would make a great movie like To All The Boys I've Loved Before, with less boy choosing drama.

I loved all of this and devoured it. It's sweet and funny and emotional. There's the single mom, the divorced parents, the wildly different parental expectations, nightmares, injury recovery, the badass older sister, the old best friend, the new theatrical best friend, and a smelly grumpy old dog.

I love the playlist at the end, and totally wish the rest of them created in their story was shared throughout as well.

Also, deals with the "bad boy is only bad because he's been told he's bad" wayyyy better than every white book I've read that tried it. I love how this runs parallel to her insecure mind over matter issue re: her ankle injury and ballet.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

3.5 stars

It took me quite a while to sit down and actually read this one, but once I did I enjoyed it. The writing is done well and I found myself reading pages and pages without realizing time was passing. It was a really quick read.

The unfortunate thing, is that I'm only getting around to reviewing it almost a month later (because life) and I can't remember too much about it or my feelings. So, this will review will be to the point.

It is sweet, romantic, and happy.
There is some good commentary on how our bodies change and potentially our futures along with it, there is also scenes revolving around teens knowing what they want against their family's wishes-- I'm not entirely sure I agree with how this last one was done, but it was very realistic.

Some of it didn't seem so realistic though and their impromptu road trip was a thing of fantasy.
Yet, this is YA and allowed these moments or ridiculous -- we read to escape, to see someone thrive and grow well.

This is an easy and sweet read -- one I'll recommend to someone looking for a quick read or lighthearted for summer.

I was given a free copy for review from #Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Chloe has a passion for dance, specifically ballet. So when she hears of an audition in NYC for an exclusive dance academy run by her dance idol, she knows she has to go. However, her mom absolutely refuses to allow her. When mom goes on a spur of the moment vacation, Chloe decides to go to the audition on her own. Before she's able to leave town, she picks up an extra passenger and her dog. Through their experiences, they learn more and more about each other and encourage each other in their dreams.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Chloe has always been a by the rules kind of daughter until spring break when she decides to go against her mother and audition for a ballet conservatory. She decides to drive to D.C. for the audition the same day her mother leaves on a week long vacation, lying to her mother that she is staying at a friend's house that week. As she is about to leave her neighbor Eli blackmails her into giving him a ride in exchange for not telling his mother where she is going. Thus begins this roadtrip novel that includes mending friendships, finding your fierceness, and a stinky old dog.

I thought this was a pretty cute novel, there are aspects that didn't appeal to me all that much but overall I would say it was a pretty solid novel. I think Kristina Forest created two leads who are both so endearing and watching the two try and overcome their past together was at times heartwarming and heartbreaking. I'll be interested to see more from her in the future.

I'm torn on this one - I liked the premise but didn't love the execution of it. I generally don't love road-trip stories so that's probably part of my ambivalence toward this one, but I also just didn't connect with Chloe. The mystery of why she hates Eli dragged on for too long to the point that when the reason was revealed, I honestly just didn't really care anymore. The cover is great, but the implausible coincidences and backloaded backstory just didn't work for me.

I don’t personally always do a good job of reading diverse literature, so I wanted to check this out when I saw it on NetGalley. It is sweet and I really enjoyed that ballet is integral to the story, but so is dealing with family and the challenges of increasing independence. These main characters are well-drawn, and the sweet heroine is a good blend of goody-ballet-shoes and emerging adult. The romance is sweet and appropriate for younger readers, and the family dynamics were dealt with deftly. I mostly enjoyed that the characters were not defined by their race, but it was integral to the story.

Four pointe shoes for this read, and thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for this unbiased review.

I Wanna Be Where You Are contains so many of my favorite elements in a story-- road trips, enemies-to-lovers romance, and a main character involved in the arts-- and I found this debut so charming and lovely. As someone who studied classical music in college, I thought Chloe's dance background and the audition process was perfectly done. It made for the perfect summer read, and I will be recommending it to anyone looking for a solid YA contemporary.

This was a really fun, sweet read. While there wasn’t anything about it that makes me feel like I could assign it in any of my courses, Inreally enjoyed it!

When Chloe's mom and her boyfriend go away on a cruise, she finds the perfect opportunity to take a road trip to try out for a prestigious dance instructor.. When Eli insists on joining and threatens to tell if she doesn't give him a ride, a friendship forms as some bumps along the road affect their road trip.

Great debuts make me so happy. Especially when they have fabulous covers, because it makes me hope people will discover the book and read it. Let’s be real: we’re all at least a little bit shallow. <i>I Wanna Be Where You Are</i> has both, and it made me smile pretty much the whole way through; I only stopped smiling a couple times because it’s not quite a hundred percent fluffy. Kristina Forest’s debut is about family, preparing for your future, working toward your dreams, and the importance of communication. And, of course, there’s an adorable romance too.

Contemporary novels are often very hit or miss with me, because most of them are very much focused on the main character’s voice. Most of the time, I know right away whether I’m going to love or hate them, and I had a good feeling about this book in the very first chapter. Chloe’s voice immediately felt relatable and real in that way that’s really impossible to describe to anyone who doesn’t connect that with fictional characters. I could not put this book down until I finished it, and that’s just the best feeling.

The plot consists of Chloe breaking out of her carefully ordered bubble of a life in order to audition for her dream ballet conservatory, which she hopes to attend the next year in New York City. Her plans don’t go quite as she’d hoped, and she ends up on an impromptu road trip with her former friend/current nemesis Eli from across the street and his dog Geezer. This set-up could not be more me if it tried, unless someone was genderbending and also they had to fake-out makeout for some reason. To be clear, this does not happen.

The romance is pretty central to the story, but right alongside that, <i>I Wanna Be Where You Are</i> is very focused on Chloe’s relationship with her mother and, to a lesser degree, Eli’s relationships with his parents. Chloe’s mom is overprotective and, though Chloe’s the incredibly chill, rule-following, smart, talented, hard-working daughter most parents would dream of, Chloe’s hit the point where she can’t take it anymore. She asked to audition for the conservatory in NYC, and her mom turned her down, insisting that she will not let her daughter live in New York because it’s too dangerous.

Out of desperation, Chloe hatches a devious plan and lies to her mom for the first time ever. While her mom goes on a rare vacation for a week, Chloe will go to the auditions in Washington D.C., even though driving on the highway terrifies her. She hates lying to her mom, but she hates giving up her dream more. Eli catches her as she’s about to leave and blackmails her (let me come or I’ll tell your mom what you’re doing) into letting him and his dog catch a ride to D.C.

Chloe and Eli have an excellent second chance romance/hate to love slow burn, and I was so into it, despite the fact that Eli smokes, which is gross. They argue and banter, and it’s adorable, but as the book progresses, they genuinely get each other in a way that makes them feel like they really have a shot. Both of them are having to risk parental displeasure to pursue their dream (art school rather than law school for Eli and ballet conservatory instead of college for Chloe). They also both have significant parental issues, which really helps them understand what the other is going through. There’s a scene near the end where Chloe’s able to work through an issue with Eli because she truly gets where he’s coming from when he does something stupid.

Chloe’s character arc is fantastic, and Eli’s is pretty darn good too. It’s nice to read a character like Chloe sometimes, someone who isn’t flashy and can seem like a pushover, introverted and shy. Over the course of the book, she learns how to stand up more for herself, both with others and with herself, because lbr we’re generally hardest on ourselves. The ending’s excellent, a bit open-ended but in a way that makes you feel like there’s nothing but possibility ahead, not matter what happens.

I loved Kristina Forest’s debut <i>I Wanna Be Where You Are</i>, and I expect such amazing things from her in the future. Make sure not to miss this one if you enjoy cute YA contemporary romances!

A light, cute story about childhood best friends becoming something more while on a road trip. Chloe is a ballet dancer and wants to go to an exclusive conservatory. After her father died in a car accident years before, her mother has become more protective and has forbidden Chloe from trying out. So Chloe takes matters into her own hands and travels to the tryouts with her neighbor and his dog. The two haven't spoken in a year after an incident, but this road trip may lead them back to each other.

Chloe is a likable character and I liked the diversity of the cast, but the writing and dialogue is a little weak. The story is one that has been done many times before and nothing really makes this stand out in the YA romance field. If you're looking for a quick, light-hearted read, this is a good pick.

** I received an e-ARC from Netgalley**

If there is ever a quintessential summer YA contemporary, this book is it. Kristina Forest drops us on an east coast road trip with Chloe, her former best friend Eli, and his smelly dog Geezer where plenty of mishaps and hijinks occur. Chloe is forced to grapple with her fears of settling for being just good enough while also taking the risk of going after her dream of being a ballerina. Forest's writing style is simple but evocative and almost nostalgic in a way that reminds me of a Jenny Han novel or reading Harry Potter after a long time. Beautifully written, excellent character development, unapologectically Black, and just full of the warm and happy feelings of first crushes and endless possibilities.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan for the advance Kindle copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for this sweet story, which came out last Tuesday. Chloe is chasing her ballet dreams as she sneaks away during spring break to audition for a conservatory. What she does not expect, however, is to be joined by her former friend turned enemy, Eli. The two road trip together, both in need of someone to lean on and courage to speak up for themselves to do what makes them happy. This one is a refreshing romance suitable for grades 7+.

This is a cute story that young adults would enjoy. The messages are postitive and characters are likable. Would be a great book to add to a school library to include more diversity to the YA rom com.