Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of No Place Like Here by Christina June.

Ashlyn and her mom have been under the controlling thumb of her father most of her life.  So it comes as a huge shock when, shortly after she returns from boarding school, she discovers that he's going to jail for tax evasion.  Instead of the quiet time at home that she was looking forward to, she is now forced to spend her summer at an outdoor retreat with a cousin she barely knows.  And every step of the way, she has the constant authoritative voice of her father in her head.  

This is a very classic coming of age book where our young, female protagonist is able to find herself, her strength, and also some romance.  It's the kind of book I probably would have loved at seventeen.  I felt like it was well enough done, if not a bit slow at times.  It didn't blow me away, but it was still a decent read.

A short and sweet novel about a young girl’s coming of age story. One pet peeve I had involved the struggles the MC faces and how they were resolved a little too quickly in my opinion. For YA novels focusing on a coming of age aspect that their obstacles should be more challenging so that their character growth is more profound and full of depth.

This was a for-the-most part enjoyable read. My main overall complaint, which applies to a lot of the book, is that things get resolved very quickly. To the author's credit, it's clearly laid out at the end that not all of the problems are solved, and that these are just the first steps towards a more permanent solution, but the parents' character arcs in particular seem to be an awfully big change for such a short book when they're not even present most of the time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Ashlyn has been at boarding school for the past year after an incident resulted in her very strict father sending her away as punishment. Now she is looking forward to returning home, only to find out he has arranged a summer job far from home. This book is a sweet coming of age story that shows Ashlyn’s strength and self-discovery. I wholeheartedly enjoyed it.

This was such a cute fluffy book which is exactly what I needed to read in this pandemic! I loved the characters and the story was so fun!

a real heart stopper, every time i thought something could be going right it didn’t. Though not a bad thing, this book is something i had never read before and thoroughly enjoyed wit  h so many highs and lows i just want to read it all again

This book was great for a quick summer read. It wasn't light and fluffy, but it was still entertaining and hooked me from the start. I liked reading about all the things Ashlyn had to go through and how she made it out the other side a better person.

Charming and an easy read. Enjoyed the voice and got through it quickly. 

Thank you to Netgalley for the free arc in exchange for an honest review.

No Place Like Here by Christina June is a fast-paced read about Ashlyn's journey that was at times difficult, uncomfortable, healing, and empowering. The author writes in such a way that pulls you in from the beginning. The characters are real and well-developed making this a book you will not want to put down.

This novel follows Ashlyn whose father is going to jail and whose mother is being put somewhere to handle her depression. Her parents send her to a retreat center to work and place her with family that she hasn’t seen in a decade. I found this novel to be a beautiful summer read although I really did not like certain characters because of their personalities. The main character was really overshadowed in the beginning, but grew in the end. I think that this book demonstrates how being in a different environment and experiencing new things can change a person in a way where they realize what they have and how it may not be everything they expected.

Growing up or coming of age novels are great reads as you can see the development in the characters and how the choices they make form them.

Ashlyns life is turned upside down when her father goes to jail and her mother spirals into depression and goes to rehab. She gets shoved off to stay with her aunt and uncle and then work at a camp/resort to help people. 

She meets a guy and spends time with her cousin, but this book is mostly about Ashlyn finding her way through a difficult time.

I received this ebook copy in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley and the publisher.

Author Christina June has written a deep, powerful, and heart-wrenching story in her novel, No Place Like Here.  This is the story of a teenager who is dealing with past mistakes and punishment for those mistakes as her family life falls apart.  It’s about the rifts between parent and daughter due to past mistakes.  But it’s also about the power of striving to do and become better, forgiveness, and of trying again to become a family unit.  Teens and adults alike will be drawn to this tender and emotional story.  This is one of those stories that gives readers all the feels.  Readers will absolutely not want to put down this novel inspired by the tale of Hansel and Gretl.
 
Genre: young adult, contemporary, realistic fiction, retelling
Publisher: Blink
Publication date: May 21, 2019
Number of pages: 272

The cover and description of this book was so cute, but overall I found this book to just be a little slow moving. 

I didn’t connect with any of the characters and I thought Ashlyn had a lot of growing up to do. I did like the focus on the relationship of Hannah and Ashlyn though and to try to move forward.

I loved this story! I love how it is loosely based on a fairy tale, in such a creative way. All of the books I have read by Christina have been excellent!

I do love to read coming-of-age YA novels, so I was intrigued by the blurb to this book. I was also intrigued by the idea of it being related to the tale of Hansel and Gretel. I have to admit that I had a hard time following that parallel, but it has been years since I last read that. But I didn't need the connection to appreciate this book and inhale it in one sitting.

Ashlyn made a mistake in her past choices. She has spent the last year repenting in a way, and I dislike her father a lot for being so hard on her. The more that she reveals about her father's demands for perfection out of her and her mother, the less I like him and the more I feel sorry for her. She's had an easy life, relatively speaking in a financial sense, but has to carry around this burden of that omnipresent voice in her head telling her that her thoughts and actions are inappropriate. She doesn't know how to be true to herself, but you can tell that she wants to discover how to do this. 

She also wants to reconnect with her family and her home live after having been sent away to school for the past year. But of course, her father has now been arrested and is going away to prison for a while. Her mother is completely unable to cope and sinks into a deep depression, so she is going away to a rehab facility of sorts to help her through this. Meanwhile, Ashlyn is being shoved off onto her aunt and uncle briefly until she has to start work at a resort that specializes in helping people to learn how to trust and to empower themselves. 

As expected, Ashlyn goes through incredible growth and discovers so much about herself and her strengths. She develops incredible leadership skills and forges relationships with some people she may not have otherwise. I love watching her journey and how she grows. 

I also love how much she loves words. She memorizes quotations, which she keeps in a quote journal. She has a tendency to write them down all over the place, thus leaving little breadcrumbs of inspiration for others to discover. I found myself even taking note of some of them.

I would also like to give kudos to the author for addressing mental health via Ashlyn's mom and how too often we like to sweep it under the rug and not acknowledge what is really going on.

I need to know where Ashlyn goes from here. And I am going to have to check out the rest of the series to find out more about her and her friends. (But fear not, this book definitely stands on its own.)

I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is my second Christina June book and I loved it just as much as the first I read of hers. I think that she is very underrated and her books need way more hype.

NO PLACE LIKE HERE is about a girl trying to find herself after her life implodes when her dad goes to prison for tax evasion. It's a coming-of-age story full of interesting characters and a plot of self-discovery. Themes of family, friendship, self-worth, depression, and emotional abuse woven through the story make for a read with depth and plenty of heart.

It took me a little bit to love Ashlyn, but she eventually grew on me. I think some of that was because she's so different from me and she had a fairly cushy life in so many ways, but is so devastated by what happened while also being completely submissive. However, as the story moved on and more comes out about her family, I could see why she was like she was. Thank goodness she wasn't stuck-up, rude or bratty. She was used to being rich, but it didn't really go to her head. She also had this openness and vulnerability to her that I think fit this age and the circumstances really well. I liked seeing her open up to her cousin and some new friends at the retreat, which helped her to start to figure out what she wanted. I thought the author did really well with Ashlyn's voice as well as with her dreams and worries - perfect for the age and for what she was going through. The camp was a fun setting and added some nice twists to the story. I also liked that there was romance, but it wasn't the focal point of the story. The budding romance at the end felt genuine because the author didn't try to tie up everything all perfectly, which I appreciated. Having said that, the ending was really sweet and perfect for this story.

In the end, was it what I wished for? I really enjoyed reading this! It was interesting seeing how the classic Hansel and Gretel fairy tale was twisted into this contemporary story. The author made it her own and created a story easy to relate to, handling some difficult subjects, and creating a likable protagonist and some fun side characters. Recommended to contemporaneity YA fans, especially those who like their stories light on the romance.

Content: Clean
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through Prism Book Tours, which did not require a positive review nor affect my review in any way.

No Place Like Here was different than I expected. I don't know if it was because of my reading mood or what, but I found myself easily bored with the story. I didn't connect with the characters and couldn't even tell it was a retelling. The story was written well, it was just that I personally didn't connect with the story.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

That cover is so beautiful I cannot stop staring at it! This book is both heavy and heartwarming. Ashlyn was a wonderful main character.

A bit too fluffy for my liking. But I guess this was that sort of book. It's good if you're into cheesy feelings.