Hi friends, happy Friday! I hope you’ve all been doing well!
I’m back today with mini reviews for two books I’ve read lately and… well, I loved them both so, so very much, so be ready for a lot of happy feels in this post!
Also hello no I don’t know how to write less, sorry these are mini-medium reviews. Oops.
There are no spoilers in these reviews.
A million thanks to MacMillan International, Roaring Book Press and Swoon Reads for sending me free ARCs of these books. This did not, in any way, influence my thoughts and ratings.
I Wanna Be Where You Are, Kristina Forest
Read the full synopsis ▼
When Chloe Pierce’s mom forbids her to apply for a spot at the dance conservatory of her dreams, she devises a secret plan to drive two hundred miles to the nearest audition. But Chloe hits her first speed bump when her annoying neighbor Eli insists upon hitching a ride, threatening to tell Chloe’s mom if she leaves him and his smelly dog, Geezer, behind. So now Chloe’s chasing her ballet dreams down the east coast―two unwanted (but kinda cute) passengers in her car, butterflies in her stomach, and a really dope playlist on repeat.
Filled with roadside hijinks, heart-stirring romance, and a few broken rules, I Wanna Be Where You Are is a YA debut perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Sandhya Menon.
I Wanna Be Where You Are was one of my most anticipated debuts and… it didn’t disappoint, at all. This is the kind of adorable book you devour in one sitting and that makes you smile, care for the characters and stare at your copy of the book lovingly afterwards. I loved it so much.
Our main character Chloe is fighting to chase her dreams of becoming a ballerina and, despite it all, despite her fear of failing, of doing the wrong thing, of going against her mother’s wishes, she fights and cares with a fierceness that makes me want to hug her and do my best, too. Alongside Eli, her unlikely neighbor/childhood friend/adorable, swoon worthy love interest, they get in a car, towards adventure, re-discovering each other and fightining for their own dreams, too, both of them.
Their individual growth and the growth of their feelings, from getting over the past and re-discovering each other made my heart bust with happiness and fluff. We also get a great, badass sister on Eli’s side, complex, interesting family relationships on both Eli and Chloe’s side, both things I adored. Also, this book has the asking for consent before kissing someone that makes me just, heart eyes all over again.
This is the diverse romcom we’ve all been dreaming of and I’m definitely recommending this to everyone.
? To know more about I Wanna Be Where You Are and the fantastic author behind it, read my author interview!
Final rating: 4,5 drops!
Trigger warnings: broken ankle (not narrated, but thought of a lot. This was a little triggering for me so I thought I’d mention it), loss of a parent (not narrated), car accident.
Diversity: POC main characters (Chloe & Eli) and side-characters as well. Queer side character (Trey, gay)
Going Off-Script, Jen Wilde
Read the full synopsis ▼
Seventeen-year-old Bex is thrilled when she gets an internship on her favorite tv show, Silver Falls. Unfortunately, the internship isn’t quite what she expected… instead of sitting in a crowded writer’s room volleying ideas back and forth, Production Interns are stuck picking up the coffee.
Determined to prove her worth as a writer, Bex drafts her own script and shares it with the head writer―who promptly reworks it and passes it off as his own! Bex is understandably furious, yet…maybe this is just how the industry works? But when they rewrite her proudly lesbian character as straight, that’s the last straw! It’s time for Bex and her crush to fight back.
Jen Wilde’s newest novel is both a fun, diverse love story and a very relevant, modern take on the portrayal of LGBT characters in media.
Jen Wilde has been, slowly but surely, making her way into my favorite author’s shelves and, with Going Off-Script, she ones again blows me away and makes me want to scream, to fight, to get up and give this book to everyone I know because it’s just, that good.
Jen Wilde writes the most wonderful, inclusive and diverse books and Going Off-Script is no exception. Filled with an incredible cast of queer characters, POC characters and more that I adored, Going Off-Script made me so, so very happy for that, but not only. Our main character Bex was my favorite. She’s anxious, she’s having a hard time trusting herself at first, yet she transforms into this badass, fighting for what’s right kind of character and I rooted for her right from the very beginning.
The relationships between the characters warmed my heart so, so much. From Bex and her relationship with her cousin Parker to her growing romance with Shrupty that made me swoon, to her mentor relationship to Jane, I loved them all so much. The Hollywood, tv show setting, the manipulations, complications and power inbalance between men and women in the industry, as well as the importance of representation in these media were all topics that I loved exploring in this book, too.
OverallI just want to scream about how much I loved Going Off-Script and how it’s so, so, so, so, so good. In an entertaining, quick read, the author manages to talk about so many important topics, figuring yourself out, coming out, following your dreams and fighting for what’s right and I loved it all.
Final rating: 4,5 drops!
Trigger warnings: mentions of bullying, homophobia (challenged)
Diversity: Queer main characters and side characters, Black and Queer side characters (Alyssa), POC side character (Dante), POC & Gay main character (Shrupty, she is indian), questionning of gender identity for the main character, normalisation of medication (the main character takes Lexapro & Ritalin)
Other books by Jen Wilde I’ve reviewed:
Did you read I Wanna Be Where You Are or/and Going Off-Script? Do you want to?
What are some of the latest diverse ya books you’ve read that you would recommend? I’d love to hear from you in comments!
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Very much looking forward to I Wanna Be Where You Are
Yay!! I hope you’ll love it 🙂
These both sounds so lovely! And, honestly, exactly what I need right now. Any story about childhood friends finding romance just makes me SWOON. I don’t know why, but that trope always hits me right in the feels.
I’m intrigued by Going Off Script too! It sounds like a really timely read. And anxious girl finding her voice is a story I always love, being an anxious girl myself trying to do just that!
Ahhhhh. I hope you’ll give these two books a try, they were so good, I really loved them both SO much <3
And yes, ahh the childhood friends always have my heart <3
Ahh.. these book sound really good and I’m so glad to hear that you loved them. I like that they both include a character that you are rooting for and encouraging you to chase after your dreams because I feel like for all need a little reminder to do that sometimes!!
And ‘I Wanna Be Where You Are; has such a beautiful cover as well!!
I might have to check both these books out. Wonderful reviews Marie!!
Agree, we all need that little reminder <3
Thank you so, so much Sophie! I hope you'll love these books 😀
Your reviews have definitely made me interested in checking them out! I’m always on the lookout for books about ballet (I ever danced ballet and can proudly say I even learned a bit of toe shoe dancing). And a TV show setting sounds so interesting!
Ahh that’s amazing! I hope you’ll give these two books a try and will love them <3
Thank you so much for your sweet comment! <3
Great reviews! I Wanna Be Where You Are sounds so perfect for summer!
It really is perfect for summertime! I hope you’ll love it 🙂
Lovely reviews! I haven’t read Jen Wilde’s books but I’ve heard great things about them! Going Off Script sounds great! I’m glad you loved it! My recent diverse YA read is Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett! It was a fun read!
Ahh thank you so much, Raven! I hope you’ll LOVE Jen Wilde’s books, they’re all incredible <3 <3
I want to read them all these all look interesting *adding this to my tbr list*
Ahhh yay this makes me very happy 😀 I hpoe you’ll love them 🙂
Who will be adding these books to her TBR right now? YES, ME ?????✨
AHHH YAY I’m so happy to hear that!! 😀
I am starting I Wanna Be Where You Are really soon (tomorrow or the next day). You have me believing it will be everything I built it up in my head to be.
Oh yay! I really hope you won’t be disappointed <3
Oooh, I’m looking forward to Going Off Script! I really enjoyed The Brightsiders and Queens of Geek.
Ahh yay! I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did! 😀
Thank you so much <3
I keep hearing great things about Jen Wilde’s books and I have yet to read one! I should change that! I have seen the cover for Going Off Script a few times, but I don’t think that I have stopped to look at what it is about. What a fantastic sounding book! I am here for inclusive contemporaries. I will definitely make sure it is on my TBR. 🙂
Ahh this makes me so, so happy to hear <3 I hope you'll get to Going Off Script and all of her other books at some point and will love them 🙂
Thank you!! <3
I’ve been really eager to hear what people have been thinking of I Wanna Be Where You Are, so I’m glad you loved it so much! The other book wasn’t on my radar, so thanks for putting it there.
Well I’m glad I could share my review then 🙂 I hope you’ll give these two books a try, Nicole, they were so good! 🙂
Going Off Script is high on my Summer TBR list (along with The Brightsiders which I still need to read) and I can’t wait because I love Jen Wilde’s books. I’ve only seen one other review for Going Off Script but between that one and your mini-review in this post Marie I can’t wait to read it. Jen Wilde really does write incredibly diverse books, Queens of Geek is so special to me because of the representation in it, and I’m so glad to hear the representation is just as amazing in Going Off Script. 🙂
These both sound like amazing books, I may have to check out I Wanna Be Where You Are as well after reading your mini-review. 😀
Great post Marie. 🙂 <3
Ahhh yay! I’m so impatient for you to read more of Wilde’s books, they’re all fantastic!
I hope you’ll give Kristina Forest’ debut a try just as well, it was such a lovely read and it’d be a perfect summer read,too 🙂
Thank you so much Beth <3
Well I’ve seen good reviews for them both so I know I won’t be disappointed. 🙂
That’s all right. ❤️
I loved reading these reviews! I think I’m going to order Going Off-script because it sounds like a perfect Contemporary!
It was a fantastic contemporary indeed! I can’t wait for you to read it 🙂
Thank you so much!! 🙂
Love the reviews! Jen Wilde’s book seems really interesting!
Oh thank you so much! It was such a great book, I hope you’ll pick it up sometime 🙂
Oh I’m loving these mini reviews, Marie! Both of these books sound so cool in their own way and I can’t wait to check them out 🙂
I like that Going Off-Script is about an anxious girl who learns to conquer her fears and fight for what she wants – a badass heroine if I ever saw one!
I Wanna Be Where You Are has a similar concept so I’m also looking forward to exploring it further.
Amazing post, lovely! <3
Thank you so much, Sophie, I’m so happy you liked them! 😀
I hope you’ll give these two books a try someday and will love them 😀
I Wanna Be Where You Are sounds like exactly the kind of cute read I’m always looking for! I’m so glad you enjoyed both of these books!
Ahhh yay! So happy to hear this, Malka, I hope you will give it a try sometime 🙂
Thank you so much! <3 <3
Great reviews! I felt the same about Going Off Script! I still need to write my review, but I really liked it so much.
Thank you so much Ashley! I’m so happy you liked it as well 😀
I think I am going to really like Chloe as a character. She sounds like someone easy to root for. I Wanna Be Where You Are looks so cute, I can’t wait to dive into it. Great reviews!
She was so easy to root for, I really fell for her, such a great main character <3 I hope you will love it! 🙂
thank you so much, Alicia! 😀
You know what’s so funny? If you rate something highly, I don’t even have to read what it’s about to know i want to read it. Nonetheless, I definitely seemed more interested in “going off script”! It just totally seems like my vibe. Great mini (not so mini) reviews xxx
Melina | http://www.melinaelisa.com
Ahhh this makes me so happy Melina, thank you!! <3
I hope you'll give Going Off Script a try, it's such a fun read 😀
these books are both on my tbr pile (along with 54 other books i think? maybe more? including the ones i already have haha) and i am super excited to start reading them. i love your reviews btw!!
ahhh yay!! I’m so happy to hear it, I really hope you’ll love these just as much as I did <3
Thank you so much!! 🙂