My first Kasie West can you believe? I would’ve liked this more when I was younger and I think I’ve outgrown this genre. I wanted to give it a go because of the road trip traveling aspect but it wasn’t enough to keep me engaged. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this but I couldn’t get into it.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book!

Every time. I can never stop. I always start and finish a Kasie West book in one day. Ugh this book. And that ending. I wish there was more. I loved this book so and all of the emotions. Skyler and Norah are so friggin sweet and amazing. Like all books by Kasie i swooned so hard and so sad it is over.

My Rating: 3/5

This book is a good travel romance. The characters were cute, and the group dynamic was highly entertaining. There’s something about traveling with childhood friends that brings all the nostalgia and the embarrassing memories back to the surface.

I liked traveling vicariously through Norah. She was quirky and never stopped rambling once she started speaking. If Skyler’s POV was there in the book, it’d have made us understand why there was a communication gap between them because the lack of his view watered down my excitement for the story.

But I’ve got to say the writing was easy to read. It was something that I really liked about the novel. As a visual reader, I like picturizing the plot in my mind; the writing made it seem so effortless and it felt as if I was there in the desert camping with my family instead of the characters.

I’d recommend this book if you’re into YA books with lots of traveling and if you like childhood friends-to-lovers trope. After this book, I’m really looking forward to reading other works by this author.

(Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley, and TBR and Beyond Tours for the free eARC of the book!)

Places We’ve Never Been was the perfect comfort read, particularly for these summer months. The story follows two childhood best friends whose families have decided to reunite after 4 years apart and go on a summer road trip together. Our main character, Norah, is extremely excited to catch up with her ex-best friend Skyler but is shocked to discover that he’s changed into someone unrecognizable. What follows is an incredibly cute friends to rivals to lovers story that will melt your heart.

I enjoyed reading this book a lot and I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that the family relationships represented in this book were (for the most part) healthy and strong. So many YA novels rely on toxic relationships between siblings and/or parents to drive the story, but that wasn’t the case with this. Instead we got to see loving families having fun together, sharing playful banter, and strengthening their already strong bond of friendship. I really need more books like this in my life.

The plot also intertwines some themes about sexism/misogyny in the gaming industry which I thought was a nice touch. Norah wants to become a video game designer who promotes female empowerment in her products. We see bits and pieces of this dream throughout the novel. My only complaint about this storyline was that it was very binary when speaking about gender. Other than that, I appreciated the time taking to shed more light on the issues women face in that field.

Kasie West knows how to write amazing stories. I will literally read anything she publishes. Places We’ve Never Been has to my favorite book she has written so far. I loved the road-trip element and especially I adored both main characters. Norah and Skyler were adorable and made everything perfect in this story. Norah and Skyler are very likable characters and they show their character development through out the book. I absolutely loved the romance and the friendship this book represented. I love reading about enemies to lovers, friends to lovers are the best tropes in my opinion. I will definitely recommend this amazing book to my students. I can’t wait to have a physical copy because the cover is absolutely beautiful. Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this amazing book.

Kasie West is my go-to author for all things ya romance. Places We've Never Been is quintessential Ms. West and a fantastic read that reminds me why I have read all of her books in the first place. The backstory hooks you from the beginning, the emotions and life issues are completely relatable, and the ending is what I wish for in all of her books. Another stellar read from Ms. West.

*I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley. My review was not required nor influenced.

If you are looking for a heartwarming YA book, check out Places We've Never Been by Kasie West.

This one gave me all the feels. It has a mix of my favorite tropes and themes interwoven into the story:

-It serves you childhood friends to enemies(ish) to lovers with Norah and Skyler's evolving relationship and close proximity with them trapped together in an RV.
-There is a major road trip, visiting national parks in a roundabout route from California to Seattle.
-There is a heavy women in STEAM element with Norah, the gamer, who is into art and coding.
-There is a chosen family element with the mothers, who are best friends, bringing their two families together.
-There are strong representations of family, family friends, and best friends.
-There is a theme of being seen for who you really are and turning off your internal filter.

All of this is wrapped up in a storyline that both made me laugh and made me cry.

Thank you to Random House Children's, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for an advanced copy. All review opinions are my own.

I love enemies to lovers/friends to lovers tropes, add in a little family boning/road trip and what could be better. I was in love with the synopsis of this book and overall like the story. But felt slightly let down with the ending, it felt like it was a bit lacking.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book. This is my honest voluntary review.

This was a super cute book. The RV trip setting was very cool. The romance and the family relationships were very sweet. Overall a great summer read.

I don't read a lot of YA books but author Kasie West is an author whose books I never miss. She really has a way of making characters and situations feel realistic. This book is about reconnecting with old friends, building new connections and dealing with life's tough moments. It's family and it's friends. It's learning to trust again. It's adventure!

Norah and Skyler have a bumpy road back to friendship from all misunderstandings. But, as per usual, once they started communicating and stop fighting, they figured it all out. All the characters were easy to settle in with and I enjoyed them all.

I loved the two family road trip and the different places they went. I've been lots of those places too so it was easy to imagine where they were and what they were doing and seeing. The story felt very age appropriate and it made me smile. This is a book I would have easily passed off to my daughters when they were teenagers. They would have loved it.

Content: kissing

- I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

I loved this book so much. Growing up in UT and getting to visit places like Zions (which is my favorite and is literally in my dad's backyard these days) and Park City was a lot of fun. Yellowstone is on my bucket list and I'll hopefully get the little one's there someday.

I enjoyed this roadtrip YA contemporary. Not only did I get to experience my home state but the characters were so fun. I loved the banter between them all and the stories of how they were growing up. Although time had passed it felt as if they'd always been together and nothing had changed. I really enjoyed this one from start to finish and definitely recommend it!

(I received an ARC for an honest review)

Reading a Kasie West book is like wrapping up in a warm fuzzy blanket. Every time I pick up one of her books, I am instantly obsessed! Her rom-coms always just hit right.

Norah is a quirky artist trying to get into a small video game development program and her childhood best friend Skyler was the only person that understood her art and her jokes. When he moved away with his family, their relationship changed but best friends are forever (right?!). The road trip they are getting ready to take together should be an epic return to the good old days, but it doesn't start out that way. A misunderstanding has put a strain on their relationship, and Norah fears that this trip is going to be a huge disaster.

Norah's character is very relatable in her anxieties and struggles around fitting in and being your true self. Her funny inner dialogues really hit close to home at some points, and I think many young people will be able to relate to her concerns about growing up and moving away and becoming an adult.

The only critique I would have about this book is that I wanted more of it! The ending seemed a little rushed and I think the storyline with Skyler's mom and their relationship could definitely have been developed more. The epilogue wrapped things up in a pretty neat bow, but I would have loved to see more of the build up to that point.

I basically love everything that Kasi West does, and this is no exception. I really loved this one! I’m so happy to be able to add it to the list of favorites.

First of all, big thanks to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for the digital ARC given to me, in exchange for my honest review.

Kasie West is the queen of YA contemporary, quick read, romance and she maintains this title with "Places We've Never Been." The romance is heartfelt and sweet, full of the angst of teenage times. That said, it wasn't perfect and, in my opinion, while a solid link in the Kasie West universe, not her best.

Norah and Skyler were best friends growing up but haven't seen each other in ages, until their moms spontaneously decide to take an RV road trip from California to Seattle. West handles Norah's dejection when her expectations as to how Skyler will act when they meet again really well, and the first third or so of the book is propelled by this discomfort.

The pain of not only having your expectations turned on their heads but of finding yourself an outsider with the only person you've ever felt an insider was really well handled. However, once that is sorted, the tension significantly decreases and West's attempt to fill that with the mystery of "why did the moms decide to road trip NOW?" is kind of half-baked. It could have been a much bigger thread in the story, but instead it felt like it was there for filler.

As were some of the side characters - Ty and Heidi, I'm looking at you. I'd have preferred to spend more time with the "Teen Bus" characters than with these add ons.

The big mystery as well as the last fourth of the book are so rushed, you get whiplash. The pace was definitely uneven throughout the book, which decreased my enjoyment of it. We don't get to watch the big emotional scene that had been kind of teased for most of the book, and it feels like a disservice to the story, even if Norah is only a secondary character for that secret.

Overall, I really enjoyed the best friends turned strangers turned lovers storyline and the road trip aspect, but too many characters and a rushed finale with a sagging middle kept it from being one of Kasie West's best.

This book was just delightful. It was a perfect escape on a summer trip with someone else's family. Sometimes you just need a good YA to breeze through on a summer day and this was just that. All of the characters were great and so easy to care for ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ pick this up for a day at the pool.

PLACES WE’VE NEVER BEEN is the second book by Kasie West that I’ve read. I’m a huge fan of her sweet storytelling, sibling relationships, and of course, the romance.

This book had all the things I love and expect from a Kasie West novel. Norah has an older brother, and Skyler has an older brother and younger sister. There were lots of scenes showing goofing off, hassling, and teasing between siblings, which I really enjoyed.

I also loved watching the relationship between Norah and Skyler unfold. The moments where they tentatively explored the possibility of a connection between them, but where distrust and miscommunication disrupted things felt very real to me. So did the giddiness of falling in love.

The family road trip elements were really fun, too. I’ve never been on a trip like that one, but I have done road trips with my family, and I felt like the road trip vibe in the book was exactly like my memories of those trips are.

I had a lot of fun reading PLACES WE’VE NEVER BEEN. This is a week in which I definitely needed a light, romantic read, and I’m so glad it happened to be this book. I think West fans will not be disappointed with this one, and fans of romance and summer trips will find a lot to love here.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Places We’ve Never Been

Author: Kasie West

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 4/5

Diversity: Gay character

Recommended For...: young adult readers, contemporary, romance, road trip, summer, grumpy/sunshine

Publication Date: May 31, 2022

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Age Relevance: 13+ (romance, underage alcohol consumption, child abuse, drugs, divorce, cancer, gore)

Explanation of Above: There is some romance in this book, though it takes a bit for it to take off. There are mentions of underage alcohol consumption and to a character being roofied. There is also vague context to child abuse in how a father character treats their child. I’m not sure if that was implied by the author or not but that’s how I saw it. There is also a brief mention of divorce and some mentions of cancer. There is also some very brief gore with blood.

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Pages: 336

Synopsis: Norah hasn’t seen her childhood best friend, Skyler, in years. When he first moved away, they'd talk all the time, but lately their relationship has been reduced to liking each other’s Instagram posts. That’s why Norah can’t wait for the joint RV road trip their families have planned for the summer.

But when Skyler finally arrives, he seems...like he’d rather be anywhere else. Hurt and confused, Norah reacts in kind. Suddenly, her oldest friendship is on the rocks.

An unexpected summer spent driving across the country leads both Norah and Skyler down new roads and to new discoveries. Before long, they are, once again, seeing each other in a different light. Can their friendship-turned-rivalry turn into something more?

Review: Overall this was a good YA Contemporary Romance book. I loved the grumpy sunshine aspect of the romance and I loved that it was a road tripping romance as well. I also loved that the MC was a coder and an artist! The book did so well to develop all of the characters and the world building was also decent. I thought that the book was interesting and I read nearly all of it in one sitting.

However, I did think that the book had a lot of characters and it was confusing in how they were all introduced. It was a bit too quick for me. The book had a lot of flashbacks as well, but they weren’t sectioned off well in the arc I was given, which also led to some confusion. I also thought that the book was super slow and that it took a long time to get anywhere with the romance and overall story. The book also had a bit of a cliffhanger in how a certain character dealt with another character and it seemed like a big deal to me but wasn’t in the book, which I found very confusing.

Verdict: It was good!

I enjoyed the general storyline of this book. I liked the development of the characters and their different personalities, along with the places that they traveled. I thought that was a very unique idea. But I found the ending to be very predictable and wrapped up too quickly. Granted, it is YA, so I'm sure wrapping things up in a bow is more common.

Cute and angsty. I loved the mix of present and past and how it all was woven together into a sweet story.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishing house for allowing me to read this e-arc in exchange for honest feedback.
Really loved this book and will definitly be reading from this author again.