Nowhere Else But Here by Rachel Cotton | Review
Title: Nowhere Else But Here
Author: Rachel Cotton
Published by
Release Date:
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult.
What an adorable little romance!
Nowhere Else But Here follows Rose, a girl whose parents are often absent and leave her to go about her life alone. Taking care of herself and making sure to follow her own set of strict rules. She tries her best to stay away from others, although finds herself intrigued by someone almost impossible to ignore. Drawn to Theo Lockheart, a mystery that she dreams of solving. That is until he goes missing. Then the mystery deepens when he turns up on Rose's doorstep desperate for her help.
This was a very cute and quick read. I enjoyed the before and after aspects of the plot however I did feel as though it was a little anti-climatic. In the last half I was constantly waiting for something major to happen and it just didn't. That kind of fizzled how much I enjoyed the start and how the story was going. It started off very original but somehow became the usual YA contemporary I've read a million times. If you love a cutesy and light-hearted romance then this is a perfect read for you. But if you like a punch to your stories then this may be hit or miss. And honestly even though I really enjoyed reading it, it was rather average in terms of the plot. The first half was much more intriguing and I really quickly got into the heads of these characters. The author did a great job throwing you into Rose's life although it just felt like there was something missing. I guess it just wasn't for me.
The writing was extremely well done and the protagonists voice was very interesting and gripping. The side characters were also well done and I enjoyed the way the dynamic worked between the main character and her friends. However I would have liked more of that. Most of the book was focused on the relationship between Rose and Theo so there wasn't much in terms of side plot lines. Although the story does deal with instances of anxiety, absent parents and parental abuse. It just never seems to dig deep enough into why these things are happening. There wasn't enough explanation which led to a lack of depth and made the story as a whole not very satisfying. I guess I just wish there would have been more of a resolve to some of the problems. However even though I would have preferred this, I can't say that leaving things not neatly tied up is a bad thing because often thats what real life is like. So it definitely felt very realistic.
The character development was great and I enjoyed seeing the characters mature and really grow throughout the book. But the way in which time moves in the second half of the book is much faster than the first half and that made the plot feel rushed and jumpy. Which I think is the main reason I didn't like this book as much as I'd hoped to. Overall it was a great read but it had a few things that I just personally don't enjoy, but I know a lot of you will enjoy this so I would say to give it a go. Also if you do decide to pick this book up, I'd love to hear your thoughts so feel welcome to share them in the comments, because I am honestly a little conflicted on how I feel about it.
Rating: 50%
Thank you to Netgalley, Rachel Cotton and Ink Road (Black and White publishing) for giving me the chance to read an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Thank you so much for reading! I'll be back with more reviews and bookish posts soon!
- Sophie
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