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Chloe has been dancing ballet since she was a little girl; now, she’s 17 and has the opportunity to audition for a conservatory in New York City, but her mom won’t let her. Even though she has been a model daughter and never lied, when her mom gets to go on a cruise with her boyfriend during spring break, Chloe decides it’s her chance to go try out against her mother’s wishes. She missed the audition closer to her home in New Jersey, so she has to drive to Washington, D.C., to get to the next one.
Then her annoying neighbor across the street, Eli, throws a wrench into her plans. He is going to visit his dad in North Carolina, so he manages to finagle his way into getting a ride with her as far as D.C. To add insult to injury, he brings along his old dog too.
They’ve known each other since they were kids and were friends at one time, but they’ve grown apart. Eli has been hanging out with some people Chloe doesn’t like, and he’s picked up some bad habits. At the same time, Eli is really good-looking, and he may have something to offer if she gives him a chance to show it.
Here, we get a good road-trip story, with the classic elements of a normally-good girl being forced to spend time with a guy who’s been putting off bad-boy vibes; a girl who’s reaching for her dreams but is dealing with a parent who doesn’t fully support them; teens who are right on that cusp of launching into adulthood, with all the questions and concerns of being 17 and 18. It’s done pretty well, and it’s nice to have this from the point of view of a black girl, particularly one who is a ballet dancer, a profession/hobby that’s predominated by short, thin white dancers.
The evolution of Chloe and Eli’s rekindling of a friendship that turns into more than that feels natural; Eli does come across as very annoying at the beginning from Chloe’s point of view. But the reader gets to know more about what he’s been going through and a fuller picture of who he is just as Chloe does. It’s sweet to see them grow together in the short time of what becomes an extended road trip. I Wanna Be Where You Are is a mostly satisfying book though not a particularly memorable one.
Rated: High, for about a dozen instances of strong language and about the same number of uses of moderate language. Sexual content is limited to kissing, with nothing past that. There are some brief references to underage drinking by some minor characters, and Eli smokes.
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