I am not much of a YA reader, but I did really enjoy this book. It is almost a typical opposite attract/ misunderstanding, him coming to her for help book.

This book wastes little time setting up the ground work, we get sucked straight into the story from the first few lines. Usually this is a technique I like, however, I found myself several chapters in and wishing I had been told a little bit more about these characters then just what they were doing at that moment in time.

Don't get me wrong, I really liked the idea for this story, but it felt strangely like I was reading a draft or synopsis then an actual book. Scenarios were set up in a sentence and I longed for more details, for everything to be fleshed out, but sadly that was not the case.

I would love to read another version of this book where the plot, characters and ideas are brought to life more.

My thanks to NetGalley and Black & White Publishing for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rose and Theo, 2 teens who barely know each other. Suddenly their world’s collide when Theo appears at Rose’s door. Told through the eyes of hardworking Rose, we learn about the secrets Reckless, spontaneous Theo has been hiding behind his smile. We learn about their relationship and their families as the story’s unfolds.

As a teenager I’d have loved this story. The excitement and romance of it all, and the detail of Rose’s description of Theo would have made me fall in love with even when he was keeping secrets. As an adult, I enjoyed the story but felt that at times it was a bit unbelievable and sometimes a bit too perfect between the 2 main characters. I liked that it touched upon some quite important issues that weren’t well written about it (if at all) when I was a teenager.

I’d recommend this book to anyone I knew loved a teen romance

3.5


I would like to thank Netgalley and Black & White Publishing and Ink Road for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First of all this is a debut was written by a 17 year old so that totally ups my rating.

This is a story about two students Rose and Theo. Rose the “good” student who never steps out of line and Theo the “loner” student who only keeps to himself. The story starts off with Theo missing and just about the whole school looking for him for days. After the second day of the search, Rose’s door bell rings and there stands Theo asking for her help.

I really liked Theo and Rose and I have to keep reminding myself they are still teenagers. Rose has trust issues and seemed to be a little immature at times. It’s like she wants Theo to tell her everything and if he doesn’t then she feels like he can’t be trusted. Henceforth, I had to remind myself that she is a teenager. I feel like since her parents are pretty much non existent she was forced to be in a role that she wasn’t ready for.

This is a cute little contemporary romance that I have to say did not go in the direction I thought it would. Actually, I’m not sure where I thought it would go but the way it started it just seemed a little dark and dramatic and totally did not end up that way. It was a little too much of a HEA. I think that a warning should be added since it does deal with domestic abuse. It is not a big part of the story but it is mentioned.

Congrats on your debut and I’ll definitely be watching for you in the future.

Thanks Netgalley for a copy to read and review. This is my honest opinion.

The cover art was super cute, and the blurb definitely caught my eye. This is a debut book from this author so going in I didn't know what to expect.

Theo Lockhart was Rose's chemistry partner. He barely spoke to anyone and kept mostly to himself. At the beginning of the book his class is hanging missing fliers for him. He had been missing for two days and despite his parents not being worried, the classmates start hanging fliers and searching for him. Not bad for a loner. Rose goes home that night only to answer a knocking at the door and Theo on the other side. He begs for her silence and help. For days she harbors him in her room without anyone knowing. Rose is a big control freak, and she plays to the rules. Her weakness for Theo plays into helping him stay missing, until he can figure out what to do.

This is a YA book, and it's a very sweet romance. The romance comes about very slowly but it's a pretty good read. I had a hard time with the situations of the book, for me a story has a beginning, middle, and end...this story circled that in the book. I would have assumed once he was not missing that the story would climax and end but the story continued. That made the end kind of drag a bit, almost like the story dragged out. Still as a debut novel it was definitely enjoyable. I gave it three stars for entertainment. Thanks Netgalley for a good book.

This is a very engaging book about the ups and downs of two teens trying to navigate a new relationship with so much history between them and the resultant trust issues that arise from that past and its secrets. It took me back to those tough, confusing years of insecurity and self-doubt when it came to relationships-the assumptions, rumors, truth, and lies of omission that run rampant in high school.
It is a well written perspective on a relationship that could be, should be and would be if and when disclosure and honestly are allowed to be freed.

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.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

I really loved this book! The story and characters were great and fun to read about and overall the book was well written and engaging. I would really recommend for anyone looking for a fun enjoyable read.

I am so grateful to NetGalley and the Publishers, Ink Road, for giving me a copy of Nowhere But Here by Rachel Cotton.

This book was written by an incredible author who is currently attending Sixth Form, if this is what she can produce already - then she will be unstoppable in a few years!

Starting with the cover, this cover is gorgeous! I love the positioning of the people since it links in pretty well to the first half of the story, but also I love the cover with it's ombre galaxy effect. This is definitely a cover that would force me to pick up the book!

I really like the variety of characters in this book, even though the main focus is Rose and Theo, you read about her best friends, Grace and Naya - who are dating - and also Rose's brother, Brent. There are also a few minor characters that pop up throughout the book. Which kept the book feeling realistic and like it was actually happening.

This book deals with several subjects including anxiety, absentee parents and abuse, some of which came as a plot twist for me. But this book also has some lovely good fluffy moments - I'm talking rot-your-teeth-sweet, In the best way possible - and this is the perfect Summer (or anytime) read when you just want to curl up with a good book that will make you grin, laugh, and cry all in the space of one page.

I fully recommend this book and it's available in stores from today - 3rd May 2018. So if you love a contemporary read where you want to hug the character tight to protect them from the big bad world, then this is the book for you.

The Quick Cut: A girl ends up helping a boy from school after he's run away from home and asks her for help. Drama ensues when the reason comes out and their secrets come to light.

A Real Review:
Thank you to Ink Road for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A boy who's gone missing shows up at your front door saying you're the only one who can help him. He says that you're special, that no one can know about him being here, and that you mean more to him than you know. It sounds too good to be true right?

Well, that is the premise of the book by debut author Rachel Cotton. Two teenagers in England find themselves hiding secrets (and each other) when Theo shows up at Rose's front door. It wasn't even a day ago when she was helping distribute flyers for his disappearance, so seeing him appear is certainly shocking. What's even more so is that he's saying he can't go back home and won't say why. Rose has barely had any interactions with him, but agrees to let him stay. It's not like her parents will mind, especially since they're barely around anyways.

It doesn't take long for it to go from him sleeping on the floor to him sleeping in bed with her. They get very comfortable with each other between their meals together, movie nights, and his days spent reading all the books in her room.

Too bad it blows up. The REAL reason he's there isn't the reason he tells Rose and once she finds out - everything ends up in the air. He ends up back home, she ends up in trouble with her parents, and they end up back to not talking to each other. However, is this the end of the story? Not at all.

This story was not what I expected, but in the wrong kind of way. I kept hoping for an exciting plot twist, but the ones taken here really didn't serve the story at all. They just sat there without having a true impact. Plus, the connection between Theo and Rose doesn't make sense. Why do Theo and Rose feel so strongly for each other if they didn't talk before?

I can keep going but I found myself really not connected to the characters and just disappointed by the plot. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. Everything about this one is very "meh".

With a holey plot, chemistry lacking characters, and confusing decisions made - there is nothing quite special about this book.

My rating: 3 out of 5

Well, this book was quite a surprise, in a good way. First of all, I cannot believe this is a debut novel written by a teenager! She is a gifted writer, and I look forward to more books from her in the future.

I originally thought this might be a little heavier but it actually turned out to be a light young adult romance read. There was an issue of child abuse lightly touched on, but the book was mostly a romance between Theo and Rose.

This book started out pretty fast. I found myself flipping pages as fast as possible to figure out what was happening. It definitely slowed down from there, but it still was a very quick read. Rose was a tough character to like. She was so uptight and really immature. While I enjoyed Theo's character, I also felt like I was only getting a little glimpse of who he was. I found the conversations between the main characters too formal, especially in the beginning. As the story moved forward, I did find myself smiling a lot because it was such a cute story.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend to others.

“Rose Valentine, I need your help.”
When Rose Valentine gets a knock on the door in the middle of the night, those words are the last thing she expects to hear—and the come from the person she last expects to say them. Rose has spent hours plastering missing person flyers around her town for Theo Lockhart, her science partner and mysterious classmate. They’ve known each other for years, but the words they have exchanged have been few—until now. Now, Theo needs help. He can’t go home—and he won’t say why—and with no one else to turn to, he seeks out Rose.
Luckily, Rose’s parents are less-than-attentive and are barely home. Plus, they would never expect their rule-following daughter to do anything remotely reckless. So when Rose opens up her home to Theo to hideout, she surprises herself. But what is Theo hiding from? And why did he turn to her?
Overall, this was a cute, fast read. The cover drew me (what can I say? I’m a sucker for a good cover. *shrugs*) and the blurb seemed very promising. The end result, however, fell sort of my expectations.
Everything begins very…abruptly, to say the least. Rose is putting up flyers for Theo, her classmate who has been missing for forty-eight hours. Seemingly, Rose and Theo haven’t had much interaction with each other outside of their science class. Next thing I knew, Theo was knocking on Rose’s door, asking for a place to stay—and she agrees. Color me confused.
For me, I enjoyed the second half of the story much more than the first half. During the first half, I was distracted by why Theo chose to run to Rose, when seemingly they had barely ever spoke before. However, once the story progressed and that answer was presented, I was able to appreciate the characters’ actions and their relationship much more. I could have done with that plot point being presented earlier in the plot, leaving why he ran away to be the central mystery; I would have been less distracted while reading.
The characters do get stronger throughout the book, and again, the second half is where they really shine. Rose and Theo’s interactions with not only each other but the other supporting characters as well help them to develop and draw the reader into the story.
Nowhere But Here takes some time to get into, but in the end it does present a cute and fast read. As a younger author, Rachel Cotton may be one to keep an eye on, and I would be interested in seeing how her second book develops.

*Received an ARC from Netgalley for an exchange of an honest review*

I loved the cover and blurb of this book which was the reason that I wanted to read it, but the plot had so many holes in them that I couldn't go through with this book.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

As an English girl it is often difficult to find a book that is fully based in my own country but I loved that this one did.

The characters were fun and lively and gave a great sense about the English ways - our love of pubs being one of them! The mysteriousness of Theo mixed with the easy going nature of Rose created a nice balance for the reader.

A light fluffy read with hints of darker themes was exactly what I had needed without even knowing it. A quick read and romance heavy anyone who loves romance will be thrilled.

I would highly recommend this if you are trying to get out a reading slump, love romance or love a good mystery book crush!

“Nowhere Else But Here” tells the story of Rose and Theo, two students from England. The book starts shortly after Theo has run away from home and shortly before he turns up at Rose’s house, asking her to help him which she decides to do. And so she keeps him hidden in her room while everyone else keeps searching for him but they both know he can’t stay hidden forever.

First, I want to get everything that bothered me about this book out of the way. As I’ve said, Theo has already run away from home prior to the start of this book but I felt like the beginning was a little abrupt. I would’ve liked it better if the story had started a few days earlier and we would’ve still experienced Theo in school and had gotten to know him through his own actions. Since he had already disappeared by the time the story began, you only get to know him through descriptions from Rose’s point of view and thus I didn’t really have any interest in him at first and didn’t really feel bad about him having run away from home.

Another thing that happened very early in the book and bothered me was the fact that Rose mentions how she actually never really had a lot to do with Theo and they didn’t even talk to each other except when they were in Chemistry class since they were lap partners. But despite all of that, she very quickly agreed to help him and just let him stay in her room and that decision felt very random to me back then.

Furthermore, it took me more than half of the book to begin liking the Rose. I don’t think she’s a bad character or anything, I just felt like she was acting way too juvenile during the first half of the novel. Her age is never specifically stated but since they’re living in the UK and she’s already driving her own car, I’m guessing she must’ve been at least 17 years old. But especially at the beginning of the book she was often acting like a 13-year-old. There’s one scene in which Theo says that he actually prefers sleeping in his boxers when she offers him tracksuit bottoms and she pretty much freaks out about it. And then there’s a scene in which her brother uses the word “freaking” and she literally starts scolding him for using “bad language”. There were a few other scenes similar to those and I have to admit that it began annoying me after some time but thankfully, she mostly started acting her age during the second half of the novel and I began liking her a little better.

But even though there were a few things I didn’t like about the beginning of “Nowhere Else But Here”, I didn’t lose interest in the book and ended up enjoying it even though it definitely wasn’t a book I would ever give full stars to. It was a cute story and once I’d warmed up to the characters and had gotten into the book, I pretty much flew through it. I also think the book was quite well written, especially considering it’s the debut novel of a 17-year-old writer. Her first book wasn’t perfect but I’m sure she’ll improve with each book she’s going to write in the future and is headed in the right direction.

So overall, this was a cute and quick read which also dealt with some heavier topics like domestic abuse or what it feels like when parents constantly choose work over their children. It was an okay novel that had its flaws but nevertheless, I mostly enjoyed it which is why I decided to give it a three out of five stars.

I got sucked in by that cover and the synopsis was intriguing, sadly I was disappointed.

I liked Rose and Theo well enough. They’re both struggling with some things and they find each other. There are a few other characters, but no one really stood out. I’m not sure if that was intentional to show how alone Rose felt.

Plot wise it was meh. A few of the plot threads seemed forced and several scenes that reminded me of similar scenes from other books. There was a bit of push and pull and more drama than I was expecting. The writing felt clunky and there was a lot of telling instead of showing.

Overall, the story had potential and I couldn’t stop reading it, but it mostly fell flat for me.

**Huge thanks to Ink Road for providing the arc free of charge**

Nowhere Else But Here follows Theo and Rose in their relationship.. From the moment Theo goes missing to the moment he ends up in Rose's bedroom..
Rose and Theo, off with a rocky start, soon become really close. Rose - being the control freak that she is- has to let go of some of her boundaries and beloved rules and Theo finally has to let someone get close, we can feel the tension as well as we can feel both of them gravitate towards eachother. I've absolutely loved this read. This lovestory made me feel all gooey and warm on the inside!

The book started off pretty exciting. Rose answers her door to find a cute boy in need of her help. A reverse damsel in distress, but when Rose and Theo's secret is found out, the whole book just falls a little flat. I kept waiting for Theo to turn out to be a psycho or for Rose to do something crazy. It was a sweet story, but it just didn't have any drama to really support it being excellent.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2374989392

Nowhere Else But Here was an adorable kind of read, however I was expecting so much more from it.
The blurb had me want to dive in and see what it was about YA reads are cute and the connections are usually sweet. I didn't feel that with the book the chemistry was lacking for me for most of the book.
I wish it wasn't the case because the cover and blurb rocked but overall I would want to re-read this one.

This was a cute easy read. The beginning started out really strong, the storyline was interesting and unique. However I felt like after hiding part things slowed way down. There wasn't as much excitement and interest pulling me in. The last half or so just fell a little short and drug on a bit. I would rate the first part of the book 5 stars, and the rest at 3.5 or so, leading me ultimately to a 4 star rating. This author definitely shows a lot of promise, and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.
Thank you very much to NetGalley and Black & White publishing for the advanced copy!