Exactly Where You Need to Be

At her mother and school counselor’s urging, 18-year-old white Florie is “putting college on hold until things—aka my OCD—were more settled and under control.” But she’s starting to regret that decision, especially as her white best friend Kacey, also 18, prepares to leave their “middle-of-nowhere” Washington town for art school in Portland, Ore. Then Kacey wins tickets to meet their favorite podcast hosts and, as a last hurrah, the pair hatch a plan to attend the podcast’s live taping 800 miles away in San Francisco. After being homeschooled for the past year and a half, Florie’s ready to take her therapist’s advice and “befriend the unknown.” The only problem is their ride: Kacey’s older brother Sam—Florie’s crush—whom Florie has avoided since a disastrous kiss eight months prior. Chapter openers featuring the current date and location detail the trio’s road trip. Though the outcome feels familiar, Coombs (Keep My Heart in San Francisco) captures with compassion Florie’s dramatic and humorous first experiences—such as overcoming her fear of driving, and falling in love with a boy who understands her—in this lively romance. Ages 14–up. Agent: Melanie Figueroa, Root Literary. (June)