Places We've Never Been by Kasie West

Book 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.

A 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?

My Review:

4.5/5 stars. Kasie West knows how to write a sweet, banter-filled story that holds my attention. This one was no exception. I loved the road trip setting and the family dynamics. The characters were super fun, and I related to the main character a lot. There were a couple aspects of the author trying to use "modern" slang that annoyed me, but overall, the story was cute!

Early on, there were a few mysteries going on that kept me intrigued and engaged in the story, like why Skyler was so standoffish and what was going on with their moms. The readers were trying to figure things out along with the characters, and I was invested enough to make my own predictions. These elements were nice threads in the background of the main plot.

I enjoy road trip stories, so that was another great part about this book. Everyone together seeing different places was fun. I loved the playful banter between both families; they really felt like siblings and best friends who teased each other to show their love.

The romance was sweet. I love childhood best friends to lovers, and Norah and Skyler had great chemistry. As someone who had a crush on my own childhood best friend starting around seventh grade, I could understand Skyler's feelings. I also related to Norah as a character. We're both overthinkers but optimistic. We both love hard and are passionate about things.

One small complaint I have is how often the word "pics" was used instead of pictures. Almost every single time, both in dialogue and narration, they said "I took a pic" or "I sent her pics." I guess the author was trying to sound like a teenager, but no one really says that, or if they do, it's not that often. Similarly, toward the end, they kept saying "we're kissing" instead of "we're dating" or "we're together." That felt like it was making labels not a big deal or making it all about the physical aspect of a relationship.

Content:

Language: p*ssed, flipping someone off

Sexual Content: a gay character, but it's not a central plot at all; kissing that isn't described; somewhat detailed kissing, with and without tongue

Violence/Gore: none

Drugs/Alcohol: An underage character gets drunk