I loved this book. It was a great coming of age story with a fun plot and a sweet romance. I swooned and cheered for both characters on their journey

Florie's OCD and her mother's protectiveness have limited her experiences, postponing a job and her driver's license. With high school graduation behind her, Florie embarks on a parent-approved gap year before college, itching to break free from her small Washington town. When she wins tickets to a true crime podcast live show in California, she seizes the opportunity for adventure. Alongside her best friend Kacey, they set off on a road trip with one minor drawback – Sam, Kacey's older brother and Florie's long-time crush, is their ride. This journey to San Francisco holds the promise of change and unexpected revelations.

I loved the way this story approached Florie’s struggles with OCD. Florie is a great character and I genuinely rooted for her through the entire book. The story had great pacing and perfectly balanced fun adventure and more serious topics. I highly recommend it to fans of contemporary YA, especially those that feature mental health representation.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing and Netgalley for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

This book was initially pitched as Turtles all the way Down meets Love and Luck — while I do not agree with this pitch, I can agree that this book was perfectly fine overall. Exactly Where You Need To Be follows Florie, our main protagonist, who sets out on a road trip with her best friend Kacey, and Kacey’s brother Sam. I think this book did a great job in discussing mental health, but otherwise nothing else really stood out to me. 3/5 stars. Thank you for the advanced copy.

Stories about road trips tend to have one of two conclusions - the protagonist either changes their view of themself or of someone close to them. And when your protagonist has major struggles with mental illness and seems resigned to a quiet, restrained life, you can guess where the plot is headed. That predictability could make for dull reading if these weren't such charming characters. Florie's struggles with her OCD ring true. She is trying to challenge herself to try new things but also recognizes situations that are beyond her reach in the moment. She recognizes her limits. The plot, overall, follows extremely predictable pathways so this isn't a mind-blowing book. But it's a solidly engaging and pleasant book, a decent choice for a beach read.

Huge fail on my part. This one expired before I was able to read it :( I have heard nothing but great things so hope I can check it out in the future!

This was a absolutely fantastic YA novel, that is perfect for summer! Overall, I would definitely recommend it!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Can I just say that I still love this cover? It’s adorable and the perfect scene for a summer read, especially because the book involves a road trip as well.

The book is told from one perspective and it comes from Florie. She has OCD and a mother who is very protective and sometimes takes it too far. I understood both sides of this argument because it’s great to have your independence but as a mother myself, I also want to protect my child and its hard to not be overbearing. At least my child is five, haha.

Florie may not do anything outside of the normal but this is the summer for the possibilities to be endless. Florie and her friend win tickets to see their favorite true crime podcast hosts live and they take the chance for a fun road trip. Her friend Kacey always has her back and nudges her out of her comfort zone. Everyone needs a friend like that. I liked seeing them interact with each other throughout their trip and read about all of the fun things they did. It made me ready for my own trip. If only I was actually going anywhere, haha.

There is a surprise twist with romance involved but I liked the setup to it. It’s not a instant thing and the love interest has been a crush for awhile. They had to talk through a previous instant where they kissed and you could feel the awkwardness they were feeling! Definitely reminded me of being a teen.

The only thing I struggled with was the writing. I’m not sure why but it was hard to mesh with until I got farther into the book.

Overall, this was a cute read. Florie is a great character that goes through growth and finds her own voice. I liked seeing her talk about OCD as well as finding romance along the way.

For some reason I thought this was going to be a *lighter* read. The cover threw me off because I definitely read the synopsis and a few reviews before starting it. Exactly Where You Need to Be doesn't always know exactly where it's at. Or exactly what it's supposed to be. The story does a lot of telling. And sometimes it's a bit scattered. But I think that's the point. Because that's what having a mental illness (ESPECIALLY as a teenager) is like. Personal experience. I do think the OCD rep, was pretty accurate. I know that no two people's experiences are alike, but I felt the anxiety, or the thoughts Florie had, are pretty realistic.

The road trip and romance part of the story reminded me of a more teenage version of the Britney Spears movie, Crossroads. I would recommend this book to high school seniors and anyone looking for more Mental Health rep.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for the review copy.

i love a roadtrip and i enjoyed this booked! The characters felt so real and they led the story really well. This book held my interest from page 1 and was sad it was over. It was cute and i think YA fans will enjoy this one,

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.

~ 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 ~

3.5 stars!

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.

I wish I had this book when I was in highscool. It felt so important and nostalgic. I loved how real the characters felt.

i keep reading amelia diane coombs' books, and just always feel not let down, but not impressed. this is probably her best one i've read yet, but it was not in any way memorable.

**Review will be published June 2nd, 2022 on blog/Insta,etc.**

GROWTH.

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

Some books are just so unrealistic it just makes you not want to read them. This book, however, I felt was different. The plot was cohesive and enjoyable, but more importantly, the characters are realistic. this makes the story much more relatable and fun.