I Wanna Be Where You Are

Life is all about chasing dreams. There's a lot of people who might try to hold you back and there's a lot of people who will stand there and support you. It's all about figuring out what's important to you and just going for it. Finding the confidence to chase those dreams is exactly what I Wanna Be Where You Are by Kristina Forest is all about.

Chloe Pierce wants nothing more than to dance ballet for the rest of her life. She desperately wants to attend a ballet conservatory in New York. But her mom doesn't want her to audition. Chloe decides to take advantage of the fact that her mom will be on vacation with her boyfriend and drive the 200 miles to the nearest audition. But just as she is about to leave on her road trip, the neighbor boy, Eli, spots her and blackmails her. In exchange for his silence, Chloe has to take Eli and his stinky dog with her. Hopefully, Chloe can make it in time for her audition with her two unexpected passengers in tow.

In addition to the playfulness of a road trip story, this novel hits some really important topics. It brings together themes concerning friendship, confidence, forgiveness, parental expectations, and love. There's a lot to unpack there but I think that Forest does it very well.

The characters are well written and you get to see how Chloe and Eli deal with their strained friendship, reuniting with old friends, and standing up to parents. How they handle all these things reminded me of what it was like to be a teenager again and reminded me that I should do what I can to achieve my dreams! To me, that seems like a sign of great writing.

I recommend this YA read for those who like dance, road trips, and romance with strong female protagonists! You can purchase a copy of the book here.