The Possibility of Somewhere by Julia Day Pages: 320
Published by St. Martin's Griffin on September 6th 2016
Genres: Young Adult, contemporary, Romance
Source: Finished Hardcover from Publisher
Together is somewhere they long to be.
Ash Gupta has a life full of possibility. His senior year is going exactly as he’s always wanted-- he's admired by his peers, enjoying his classes and getting the kind of grades that his wealthy, immigrant parents expect. There's only one obstacle in Ash's path: Eden Moore—the senior most likely to become class valedictorian. How could this unpopular, sharp-tongued girl from the wrong side of the tracks stand in his way?
All Eden's ever wanted was a way out. Her perfect GPA should be enough to guarantee her a free ride to college -- and an exit from her trailer-park existence for good. The last thing she needs is a bitter rivalry with Ash, who wants a prized scholarship for his own selfish reasons. Or so she thinks. . . When Eden ends up working with Ash on a class project, she discovers that the two have more in common than either of them could have imagined. They’re both in pursuit of a dream -- one that feels within reach thanks to their new connection. But what does the future hold for two passionate souls from totally different worlds?
The Possibility of Somewhere is a young adult contemporary romance by Julia Day. I loved The Possibility of Somewhere. It is a fantastic young adult standalone novel, that will make you fall in love with the characters and will have you genuinely wondering how the story will turn out. It is the kind of story that you know does not guarantee a happy ending. This is a book that I would re-read in a heart beat. I can’t wait to read more from Julia Day. She has really impressed me with her skill.
I don’t often reach for young adult dramatic contemporaries anymore, because often the characters play into stereotypes, and I find them lacking…something. I have been turning more and more to new adult for my contemporary romances. But, sometimes I love a good dramatic read. The key word here being good. I don’t like drama for drama’s sake. I don’t like it to feel forced, but I never felt that way with The Possibility of Somewhere. And there is a lot of drama packed into this book. But strangely enough, even though at times it felt a bit over the top and well, too dramatic, it still worked. It is a high school book, and I think high schoolers have a flair for the dramatic in the first place. But Eden has to deal with a lot in her life. There is school drama, college drama, money drama, parental drama, guy drama, popularity drama, race drama, so on and so forth. It is a lot, but it is all so well done. I was totally absorbed with the story and characters in The Possibility of Somewhere. I don’t remember being this absorbed in a contemporary young adult drama in a long, long time.
The Possibility of Somewhere is told entirely from Eden’s point of view, but despite that, I really feel like I got to know Ash as well. That is not as easy as it sounds. Ash stood out as a main character without having his own narration. I loved Eden and Ash. And I loved that they were so fiercely competitive, so matter what their relationship with one another was. They are two individuals that will always go after their goals. I did feel like The Possibility of Somewhere was a little race heavy. It was very integral to the storyline, but I at times would have hoped that it wouldn’t be the thing in the foreground with Eden and Ash. (and everyone really) Other than that, I couldn’t find any faults with this book. I really loved it. I loved Mundy. I would absolutely love for her to have her own story. I loved Raj and Kurt and Eden’s relationship with them. It was pretty cool to watch this completely isolated girl form connections in her life. All different kinds of connections.
Bottom line: The Possibility of Somewhere is a stunning novel. I have not heard people talking about this book nearly enough. More people need to read The Possibility of Somewhere. It is breathtakingly fantastic. Although, if you are not a fan of young adult drama, it might not be your cup of tea. If you are a fan of well written young adult standalone novels that touch on friendship, special needs, race, school, college, acceptance and love, this is a story you should not miss. I loved The Possibility of Somewhere.
The Possibility of Somewhere by @AuthorJuliaDay is a 'breathtakingly fantastic novel' @BookBriefs review @GriffinTeen Click To Tweet
danielle hammelef
I love to read contemporary YA, especially books that are emotional, have exceelent characters i can love, and deal with issues like friendship. This book, based on your review, is one I will love. I must get it!
Sherry Compton
This sounds emotional and well developed. I’m glad you like it. Right from the cover and title you feel the deepness of the story.
Ann
I am just ~captivated~ by this book’s title. Love, love, love it. And the cover image! Absolutely beautiful.
I’m in my mid-30s– or so says my driver’s license. :p However, I don’t recall reading a YA novel since around Grade 8 or 9…
My boyfriend and I began watching “The Fault in Our Stars” several months ago, and after maybe 20 minutes we decided to turn it off. One reason was that I wasn’t comfortable with the illness aspect (esp. when we’d wanted to watch a more “strictly romantic” movie, whatever that means); another was that it felt strange to watch the two main characters. I remember telling my boyfriend that “It feels kinda weird, looking in on them. They’re ~teenagers~!” …It’s a movie that I might like to finish some day, as I’ve heard and seen so many fantastic things about it. (Not to mention the book, too!)
But I digress, and apologize for the tangent. Your review, and this book’s synopsis, got me thinking about YA books in general. I wonder, What might I be missing out on? I’ll often catch a new book on Amazon and start reading about it, only to feel my heart sink a bit when I see “Young Adult” or even “Coming of Age.” (“The Perks of Being a Wallflower?” YA. “A Separate Peace”; “To Kill a Mockingbird”? Same canon.)
Okay, my tired old browser is about to crash on me– and I think I’ll need to digress again. So:
TL;DR: It looks like there are some pretty wonderful YA books out there, and even though they may not be labeled as “classics” (yet..?), if I don’t get rid of some YA biases I might miss out on some real gems.
Thanks for bearing with my ramblings, and thank you even more for the lovely review! I’m going to look into this title, and see what happens. 🙂
–Ann