Somewhere in Nowhere

SOMEWHERE IN NOWHERE is a YA book that struck my feelings more than I expected. Simon is a teenager whose life has just been turned upside down. He’s starting at a new school and his mom is constantly feeling terrible. What else could happen? Unfortunately for him, a lot.

This is an interesting story. It’s hard to review without spoiling things, but I will try my best.

Simon is a fun character and he’s definitely the highlight of the story. He feels very complex and his life as a teenager feels true to life (in the ways that it can). He’s an easy to root for character with a genuinely loveable personality. Even when I wasn’t always into the story, I liked Simon and wanted the absolute best for him. He’s dealing with a lot and it’s definitely not easy on him, but he keeps trying to make it work.

The side characters in this book are just as fun, though they didn’t all feel as fleshed out to me. I really liked them though. The romance is especially nice. Found family is a favorite trope of mine and I love reading a book where a character finds the family that they need. Simon has a good family already, but his family grows as the book goes on. He finds more people who understand him, who love him and want to see him succeed in life. People who are willing to help him when times get rough.

The plot is pretty evenly paced, progressing at a smooth and steady pace that allows readers to feel immersed in the story. The plot is interesting. It kept me reading even when I wasn’t sure how I felt about the book.

Though I struggled with the writing style of this book, SOMEWHERE IN NOWHERE has an interesting plot strengthened by a really solid main character.

What I Liked: This book begins with the impression that everything is perfect and nothing could go wrong in Simon’s life, which was off-putting, with him being a teenager. Don’t let the first half of the book fool you, though, as things are about to quickly shift for Simon, and he’s going to have to deal with some heavy things before getting settled back into his life.

Now it’s hard to talk about this book without giving spoilers because events that happen in the second half of the book are where all the character development occurs. It’s interesting to read as Simon figures out how to deal with grief, moving forward, and his relationship with PJ. These scenes that occur later in the story are heartbreaking and leave you rooting for things turn out okay for Simon in the end. The beginning of the story does a great job of introducing you to Simon and ensuring that you are attached to him, so when devastating events take place, you want to keep reading just to know he’ll be okay.

The support system that Simon develops throughout this book is amazing, as they all play different roles throughout his coming out and other events that later impact him. It was nice to see that he had parents who supported him and who normalized his coming out. Simon meeting Hector early on in his journey to figuring out his sexuality was an important piece of the story, and refreshing that an adult was willing to step in and answer the questions that Simon was having when he felt that he had no one else to speak with.

The depiction of anxiety as an alien in Simon’s stomach was amazing and relatable. It was great to see how this played out and the role that this played in PJ revealing his relationship with Simon to his parents. It was also fascinating to find out more about PJ because of a panic attack that Simon has, in which PJ has no choice but to seek help from someone he knows.

Final Verdict: Somewhere in Nowhere is a complicated coming-of-age story that tackles grief, coming out, family dynamics, and more. This is perfect for people looking for a coming-out story that incorporates romance, grief, friendship, family, and much more.