Review: Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley

Book Description via Goodreads:

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.

Source: Harper Collins, Marissa and Sarah (Thank you!)

My Thoughts:

Where I Belong reminded me of Confessions of a Shopaholic. The narrative of Corrinne reminded me of the narrative of Rebecca Bloomwood, only with a toned-down shopaholicism and a youthful voice. She was real and flawed, materialistic and image-conscious, rich and would never even glance at the price twice before holding out her credit card. At least, that was what she was like BR – before the recession. AR – after the recession, Corrinne’s perfect life started to change and transform into something that resembled what she would call unbelievable.

It was easy to lose myself in the pages. It was an inspiring story. While she was plotting on how to escape Broken Spoke, she met Kitsy, a cute and friendly cheerleader – the one who will be her truest friend, Rider, a gorgeous emo musician, who will be her crush, and Bubby, an annoying and nice jock. Corrinne struggled with her bitterness, her homesickness and her jealousy of Waverly, her perfect best friend living her perfect life without Corrinne. But Corrinne realized that living with her grandparents, going to a public school, having her mother as her roommate and living in Broken Spoke in general, where the most exciting thing was football, was not so bad after all. 

What I really loved about Where I Belong were its characters and its humor. The characters were unforgettable. I felt like I lived with them. With Broken Spoke as the setting, the materialistic sides of the characters were dimmed. Life was simple and monotonous for some but I think it was the perfect situation to be grateful with their blessings. It was also the ideal learning experience for people that lived in the city, like Corrinne. Everything that was glamorous and expensive was stripped away. What was left behind was something so pure and ever-present, something people usually take for granted. I got to see the family dynamics too. It was fascinating and intriguing. I loved it.

Where I Belong is an engrossing contemporary debut novel with a sweet and charming character that will leave you wishing for a sequel. I recommend this to fans of contemporary novels, Chick Lit reads, and Confessions of a Shopaholic!

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