Item: Exactly Where You Need to Be
Author: drizzleandhurricanebooks

I had a feeling Amelia Diane Coombs books’ would be all hits, for me, back when I first read Between You, Me and the Honeybees. It turns out I was right and I can safely say it, now: I will read absolutely everything this author writes. Exactly Where You Need to Be was a highly anticipated reads of mine for this year and well… I just adored it. Check out my full review below!

Review: Exactly Where You Need To Be, Amelia Diane Coombs

Exactly Where You Need to Be by Amelia Diane Coombs
Published by Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers on June 7, 2022
Genres: contemporary, romance, young adult
Format: Hardcover
Buy on Amazon, Book Depository, Bookshop, Blackwell's
Goodreads

Turtles All the Way Down meets Love and Luck in this romantic road trip story about a teen girl’s last chance to have an epic summer with her best friend before everything changes.
Florie’s OCD and her mother’s worrying have kept her from a lot of things, like having an after-school job and getting her driver’s license. And now that she’s graduated high school, while her best friend Kacey is headed off to Portland in the fall, Florie’s taking a parent-sanctioned gap year off before starting college. When the decision was made, Florie was on board, but now she can't ignore the growing itch to become the person she wants to be and venture outside the quaint, boring Washington town she grew up in.
Winning tickets to see her favorite true crime podcast’s live show in California gives her the opportunity to do just that, if only for a few days. So—unbeknownst to their parents—Kacey and Florie set off on a road trip to San Francisco. The only downside in Florie’s opinion? Sam, Kacey’s older brother and Florie’s forever crush, is their ride. The Samson Hodge, who Florie hasn’t seen since winter break, and who she’d prefer to never see again, if possible. But Florie is willing to put up with Sam if it means one last adventure with her best friend.
Making it to San Francisco and back to Washington without their parents catching on isn’t a given, but one thing is for sure: this trip will change everything.

☂️ TRIGGER WARNINGS:

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety, sex (on-page), underage drinking, marijuana use.

There are no spoilers in this review.

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I ENJOYED…

☂️

Honestly, this is the kind of story I adore, with all the themes I’m usually fond of: getting out of your comfort zone, finding yourself, dealing with your own, struggling mental health, adorable friendships, complex family relationships, swoooooon worthy romance. This has it all and I adored it.
Florie was such a great main character, I immediately rooted for her. Scared of being left behind, of being always stuck in the same place… I just wanted her to be okay and just adored seeing her grow, realize what she could do and more. I also loved how this wasn’t a story about mental health, per-se, but a story with a character with OCD. If that makes sense. We need more of these adventurous, adorable stories with characters like Florie.
Road trip yay!! This was probably one of my favorite elements of the book, I just love these kind of settings. Florie, her best friend Kacey and Kacey’s brother, Sam (Florie’s crush, by the way, because OF COURSE), get on the road to see their favorite true crime podcast show in San Francisco. Over 600 miles spent together, discovering new places, crossing items off their bucket list, sleeping in a cabin in the woods and picking up strawberries. This was just so much fun to read!

Obviously, the mental health representation was still an important part of the book and I personally found it, very relatable. Her anxiety, her compulsions, her sometimes very messed-up thoughts… I just loved how real Florie’s struggles felt, overall.
Ah, the relationships in this book are all so wonderful, too. The friendship between Kasey is one of the best female friendships I’ve read. They’re here for each other, through the good and bad times and I just loved that, so very much.
There’s an emphasis on the mother-daughter relationship in this story, as well and it’s not without its complications. Florie’s mother is a bit overprotective, at times, and there is some conflict in this book about that. I really loved how their relationship grew, even if it’s far from perfect, they just, made me emotional.
Of course, I have to mention the swoon-part of this story: the romance. While it was a bit predictable, I found that I didn’t mind, at all. I rooted for these two to get together from the very beginning and found their interactions and chemistry just so, so wonderful.

OVERALL

☂️

Exactly Where You Need to Be made it to my favorites’ shelf. I adored seeing Florie’s growth and the road trip elements, the friendships and the adorable romance just… my heart melted and I loved this. 200 % recommending it!