This was a really great read and I love the combined elements of adventure and romance. I will be reading more from Kasie West.

Really sweet book about friendship and living life to the fullest with those who you love. This was a very cute book, but I found it to be predictable and simply written. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and Delacorte Press for a copy of this book for an honest review.

An adorable romance by YA author Kasie West! Places We've Never Been is about Norah and her road trip with her childhood best friend Skyler and his family. Norah and Skyler must work to rekindle their friendship and maybe more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for a review.

I loved the friends to lovers trope in this book. Kasie West is one of the few authors that I try to read all of her books because I enjoy all of them. Her ability to write a sweet YA romance is a gift. I loved the way she weaved together the mystery of why they’re on a road trip with why does Skyler hate Norah now and what is Ezra keeping secret! It kept it interesting and I enjoyed watching Norah pivot and deal with all of the surprises. Character growth was lovely to see.

"Kasie West's 'Places We've Never Been' took me on a delightful journey through the unexplored territories of love and self-discovery. The captivating storyline and well-developed characters kept me engrossed from start to finish. With each turn of the page, I found myself immersed in the richly crafted world and eagerly rooting for the protagonists. The book's beautifully written prose and heartfelt emotions made it an absolute joy to read. If you're looking for a heartwarming and engaging tale, 'Places We've Never Been' is a must-read that will leave you with a smile on your face."

Places We've Never Been is a sweet YA story about family, a rekindled friendship, and romance. I thought the backdrop of the RV trip around the national parks and Seattle was fitting and it helped to keep the story moving.

Norah and Skyler felt like authentic teenagers who were trying to figure out their futures and if they could find a way to reconnect and reconcile. The story is single POV from Norah's perspective, and she does have some good growth as the story progressed. I liked how she stood up for herself and ended up in a good place in her relationships with friends and family. I do wish we could have seen a bit from Skyler's POV but I understand why it was just Norah's.

Overall, I enjoyed this book from Kasie West and it makes me want to go back and reread some of my favorites she's written.

Thank you NetGalley and Publishers for a egalley version.

This is a sweet story of two friends who are reunited when their moms decide to take them on a road trip. As expected when a teen romance, there is drama and lots of feelings!!

I really enjoyed this book. West does a great job with creating relatable characters and includes the quirkiness of what one might expect on a family road trip. Fun, easy read!

Norah and Skyler were best friends, but they drifted apart when Skyler's family moved away. Four years later, their moms surprise them with a road trip across the western United States. Norah is excited to reconnect with Skyler, but he seems distant and unfriendly. It turns out that Skyler is dealing with some personal issues, but with the help of Norah and his family, he starts to open up. Along the way, Norah and Skyler also rekindle their friendship and maybe even something more.

Places We've Never Been is a sweet and heartwarming story about friendship, family, and first love. It's the perfect book for fans of Kasie West and anyone who loves a good summer road trip. I really enjoy Kasie West's writing!

Thus story is a fun, easy, summery read that centers around two teens who were once best friends. It deals with some difficult subjects too, like serious illness, but it's mostly a light read.

When Norah's mom announces a joint RV road trip with her childhood best friend's family, she's excited. This is going to be the chance for her to finally talk to Skyler and repair their relationship that has now been reduced to liking each other's social media posts. However, all of that comes crumbling down when it seemed like Skyler doesn't want to be anywhere close to her.

Kasie West has soft YA novels that feel the age and they are soft and comforting. This one had the perfect set up for one that could be a soft YA novel. It would follow all her other novels that I read. The forced proximity between them and childhood besties reuniting, I was excited and ready to feel like I was on a road trip with my best friend, but that didn't happen here. Places We've Never Been simply fell flat for me.

From the summary alone, there were a number of things that I was looking forward too here. Yet all of them felt vastly underused which made the whole story underwhelming overall. I had been excited about the road trip and forced proximity. Excited to see the sights and places with them, but there wasn't really anything that pulled me into the trip. It didn't feel any different than if this was a school setting. I just wanted a few moments that really made this feel like a vacation and never got that.

Now, I do feel like the forced proximity was okay. It did allow for some cute moments between Skyler and Norah. It did give them a chance to reconnect and talk through things which is really what they needed to do. There was nothing wrong with their relationship yet their was nothing that stood out about them for me either.

What really upset me about it, was the ending. Throughout the whole story, Norah is certain this trip is really a way to hide a big secret. A way to bond before the secret came out and ruined everything. It feels as soon as Norah finds the secret out, the book ends. We don't get to see how anyone works through it or deals with the fallout of everything. West tries to tie some of it up, but it was so abrupt that it feels like nothing was tied up.

If you've liked other Kasie West novels, you might like this one too. Go ahead and give it a chance. This one was not for me.

Another great book by Kasie West. I really enjoyed the best friends to more than friends story. Norah and Skyler were best friends until they turned 18. Skylar's family had to move due to their father's job. Slowly they drifted apart until a summer RV road trip to Norah's college interview forces them together again. Being a RV'er, I enjoyed the campsite to campsite trips, along with the trips to the parks. Been to a few that was mentioned in the story. Bought a copy of the book to read and will be putting it in our classroom library to share with students. Always enjoy a good Kasie West book; have never been disappointed. Thank you to Ms. West, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Norah Simons and Skyler Hutton were best friends. But when Skyler and his family moved from California to Ohio, Noah and Skyler lost touch. Four years later, their moms sprung a road trip on them. The Simons and Huttons are spending a few weeks in two RVs going around the western United States.

Norah couldn’t be happier to reconnect with her former bestie! She has images of playing video games and goofing around together. But when she sees Skyler in her front yard, he makes it clear he’d rather be anywhere else. What makes it even worse: their older brothers Ezra and Austin act like no time has passed.

At least Skyler’s younger sister Paisley wants to hangout with Norah. It makes the long trip slightly more bearable. But with weeks spent on the road, Skyler acting like an asshole, her mother hiding something and the extreme anxiety over her college interview in Seattle, Norah is bound to have an unexpected summer. Get ready for unforgettable summer road trip!

If you’re familiar with our blog, you know we read all of Kasie West’s books. Places We’ve Never Been did not disappoint. We expected a sweet slowburn romance between former friends and that’s exactly what we got.

While we’re not into video games, we appreciate a female MC with career aspirations in a male dominated field. Norah loves game design, which is reflected in her art. We almost wish the drawings she did on the trip we’re included in the book.

Skyler was harder to connect with at first because he seemed aloof. But as the story goes on, West does a good job of giving us more information about mystery boy and what caused him to avoid his former best friend. The misunderstanding totally made sense, so we forgave his former bad behavior. We also liked learning more about his interests and how he’s grown as a person in the past four years.

Paisley was the star of the supporting characters. While there wasn’t much wrong with the brothers and the moms, they weren’t super exciting. Paisley was hilarious and a main reason Skyler and Norah started being friends again. She cut the tension with little effort and has no problem speaking her mind.

The book being set during he span of the road trip had us ready for a big summer adventure. While we’re not RV people, we really love seeing the different places the characters visited, including Yosemite National Park and Seattle. We’re always up for YA books with travel as a key plot point.

The trip also became the perfect way for Norah and Skyler to reconnect through different adventures, such as rafting. Even when the two were fighting, we could tell they had a spark. They’re connection only became more apparent. Skyler wasn’t our favorite Kasie West love interest, that’s Hayden Reynold, but we did find him funny and adorable.

The one aspect of this book that completely surprised us was that it dealt with a more serious topic at the end. Without spoiling anything, the moms had a reason to plan a last-minute road trip. Since West’s book are usually light, we didn’t expect the problems at the end. However, it became another way for Norah and Skyler to support each other and an opportunity for all the characters come together.

Ready for a cute and fun summer adventure? Pick up Places We’ve Never Been now and start planning you perfect summer getaway.

I an unable to review this title, as it was archived before I had a chance to download and read it. This feedback is only to stop this title from adversely affecting my netgalley feedback rate. If in the future I have the opportunity to read this title, I will post a proper review here.

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

I don't know why it always takes me so long to go back to a Kasie West book, because I always end up devouring it and loving it from start to finish. This book was no exception. I love Norah's pure excitement at the beginning of this book, and seeing her hopes for a great 3 weeks get crushed was so gut wrenching. Katie West has a way of making me feel everything her characters feel, and it brings the highs and low and everything in between.

Skylar is such a punk. I mean that in the nicest way possible. He has a chip on his shoulders from day one and instead of just telling Norah what is bothering him, he's just a jerk to her. I just wanted to kick those two in a room until evening was out in the open so they can fix it.

This book was actually full of so many secrets from so many characters. I always say secrets don't make friends and the proof is in this book for sure.

I'm so glad I finally got around to reading this and I'll try my hardest to not dawdle with my next Kasie West book!

In true Kasie West fashion, this book reads like a Hallmark movie. I was doing book talks with my students as I was reading it, and we talked about the basic plot points of a good YA romance/Hallmark movie. The "misunderstanding" segment took a while, but the payoff was definitely worth it in the end. Overall, a very enjoyable read.

This was cute enough, although it was nothing new in the Kasie West genre. However, I still enjoyed myself, and I can heartily recommend it.

I am a huge Katie West fan and am so pleased that she continues to write new sweet stories for all to enjoy. She has never disappointed me as an author and her fans will love this latest addition to the Katie West collection of dreamy YA coming of age romances. Thanks!

When Norah's mother announces a road trip with family friends she's excited to finally see her childhood best friend she hasn't seen for years. I loved the idea of the two best friends and their families going on a road trip together. Catching up with friends can be an amazing adventure, especially when you explore new places as well.


Norah and Skyler's relationship seems a bit complicated. Norah is expecting to pick right up where they left off, but that doesn't go as planned. Skyler isn't excited about this trip and they become more enemies than friends. Places We've Never Been is told through Norah's POV and I think  would've loved it just a little more with a dual POV. While Skyler stays mysterious, I would've loved to have known more about his thoughts.


It was interesting to see them grow closer as the trip went on and start talking about memories and their lives now. Besides the romance that starts to develop there is also focus on things going on in their families and friendships. There's one reveal that kind of bugged me, because I saw it coming, but all in all this was a great story. It had me smiling, but also hit me in all the feels at times. And I can't forget to mention that stunning cover!

Ive always loved Kasie West books, especially her older books, and she did not disappoint. This is such a cute childhood best friend, road trip romance. This is such a cute feel good romance for anyone wanting some cuteness in their reading life!

Katie west can do no wrong! I have been a huge fan for years and she keeps surprising me and giving us really great books. I absolutely adored this friends to lovers romance. It was developed nicely, it was cute, it was swoon worthy. I enjoyed the road trip aspect of this too because what’s better than being in an enclosed space for long with someone and seeing the world? While I did enjoy the incorporation of family, I did find that the family secrets were a bit annoying, especially when more and more kept popping up. Overall, a great read.