ARC Review: The Possibility of Somewhere

About the book:

Title: The Possibility of Somewhere

Author: Julia Day

Genre & Age Group: Contemporary, romance, young adult

Goodreads Synopsis:

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?

Source: Thanks so much to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an e-ARC via Netgalley!

How I Found Out About It: Netgalley

Review:

When I first saw this book on Netgalley, the cover drew me in, and I had to see what it was about. The synopsis also hooked me, and something told me that this wasn’t your average high school novel.

To summarize, this is a story about Eden, who is a senior in high school. She has high hopes for college- but going to a good one was almost unattainable for her, since her family lived in a trailer- and let’s just say they weren’t rolling in gold. When she applies for a special scholarship through her school, she has to compete against many others who all preach for the same thing- including Ash Gupta, whose parents don’t just want, they expect him to win. When they are assigned to work on a project together, their competitive feelings are put to the test- and some romance may evolve out of it.

I got a good kick out of the characters of this book. Let’s start with Eden, our protagonist. She was a pretty nice and loveable girl, but still a little bit whiny, like many teenage characters. She had a determined, open heart, which showed by the fierce way she strived to get the scholarship. As I said before, her family wasn’t the most well off, and she whined a lot about what she didn’t have, and didn’t seem to really appreciate her other gifts, such as smarts and a good job. Eden was also scared and reluctant about what Ash would think about her home- which does make her a tiny bit selfish. Nevertheless, I do think that’s a totally normal way of being if you are a bit different from others. I admit, I’d probably do that myself if I was in her shoes. Anyway, she was still a good character, and I believe that any mistakes she made were to protect herself. And let me just say how cute the kids she babysat are!!💞

Ash was just amazing, guys! He was so smart, both intellectually and socially. I would probably like to have him as a study partner, just saying😉. His family, though not the most accepting of Eden, was tight-knit and pretty sweet! I especially loved his nephew, Raj, and when he got to get together with the kids Eden babysat!

Lastly, I want to talk about Eden’s best friend, Mundy. When she was new to her school, she had such a great attitude! I have to tell you that I don’t often see that in books. She was a confident and energetic girl, and really brought out Eden’s wild side. She was also super loyal, thus being barely any issues in their awesome friendship. For her kindness and enthusiasm, Mundy is the type of sidekick that I ADORE reading about!

I really liked how much diversity there was in this book. I know how often bloggers rant about how there isn’t enough diversity in stories, but this one has a great amount of it! Ash’s family is Indian, a culture which I don’t see portrayed enough, and Kurt, one of the kids Eden babysat, has high-functioning autism. In my opinion, diversity is what makes books unique, and for that reason, this book gets more points from me!

If you’re looking for a cute, DIVERSE romance, I would definitely recommend this book to you. It’s everything I was looking for to make me happy, and much more!😊

Rating: 4/5 Stars

*I received a digital ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*