Review for Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley

Where I Belong

Author: Gwendolyn Heasley

Publisher: Harper Teen

Source: First book I ever won! Thanks to I Am A Reader Not A Writer

Challenges: For the Love of YA, I'd Wish I'd Read That

291 pages

"Meet Corrinne. She's living every girl's dream in New York City—shopping sprees at Barneys, open access to the best clubs and parties, and her own horse at the country club. Her perfect life is perfectly on track. At least it was. . . .
When Corrinne's father is laid off, her world suddenly falls apart. Instead of heading to boarding school, she's stripped of her credit cards and shipped off to the boonies of Texas to live with her grandparents. On her own in a big public school and forced to take a job shoveling manure, Corrinne is determined to get back to the life she's supposed to be living. She doesn't care who she stomps on in the process. But when Corrinne makes an unlikely friend and discovers a total hottie at work, she begins to wonder if her life B.R.—before the recession—was as perfect as it seemed."- Goodreads

  A very charming read I must admit. I showed this to my mom when I got it and she said "Looks like a cowboy love story". IT IS NOT! Really, it's so much more. Let me explain.


  I always start with characters. So why stop now? Corrinne - heads up, she is about the only one that has a normal name - let me say that I hated her in the beginning. She was so bratty and ungrateful. If I was shipped to Texas to live with those awesome grandparents, I would not complain! But as the story progressed, she realized that hey, this isn't so bad. And actually starts making it her life. There is so much personal growth and realization in this book that I can absolutely forgive her for being a brat. I had two favourite characters in this book, Corrinne's grandpa and her friend Kitsy. They were awesome. Then there we the other well written characters: Grandma, Cole aka Dad, *here's where the names get -erm- unique* Tripp, Jenny Jo aka Mom, Bubby, Rider, Hands, Smith, Waverly, and Ginger whew, did I miss anyone? Anyways, overall the characters were well done.


  The plot is basically Corrinne trying to find a life - and survive it- in Texas with the Texan hottie Rider and jerk Bubby (in the romantic area, don't be fooled! Not all is as it seems...) I MUST POINT OUT THOUGH, that just because I said it isn't a love story I did not mean that there is no romance because there is!! The plot wasn't slow and it wasn't speedy, it was a nice pace. I think the author covered it well and with ok writing skills. The only thing I would have changed is some of the conversations. Some parts seemed, well, too planned. Not natural. It was only in some parts so the big picture wasn't ruined.


  This was a short, fun, feel-good book that I recommend to anyone who read the summary and has an interest. I enjoyed it very  much and am so thankful that I won it!

Excerpt:

Dear Reader,

Have you ever heard of the Butterfly Effect? I learned about it in science class last year. Probably the only lesson I remember because it's way more relevant to real life than the three types of sediment rock or the properties of noble gases. And it's also not revolting, like dissecting a frog. Basically, the butterfly effect is a choas theory, attributed to a guy named Edward Lorenz. Here the CliffsNotes version: A butterfly flaps its wings in Brazil, and it sets off a tornado in Texas. It means the smallest moments of the past, even the ones that don't have anything to do with us, affect our future and our futrue selves.

When Wall Street nearly collapsed, I didn't pay much attention. I used to care a lot more about the hottest starlet's weight fluctuation than the current prices of stocks. But when the economic problems caused my dad to lose his seven figure job and me to move to a Texan town that's so teeny tiny its not even on Google Maps, I realized how seemingly distant events can change your life forever.

This is a story of how I was transformed. How the pieces of the global economy toppled like dominoes and made a teenage ice princess from Manhattan (me) melt and find her long dislocated heart. So if you hate me at first, keep reading. You might just surprise yourself. I know I did.

And just think, somewhere right now a butterfly might be flapping its wings and altering your future in some peculiar, yet beautiful way.

Sincerely,

Corrinne Corcoran