Someday, Somewhere

by Lindsay Champion

Overview

Structured like a sonata, this heartbreaking debut novel hits all the right notes. Dominique is a high school junior from gritty Trenton, barely getting by. Ben is a musical prodigy from the Upper East Side, a rising star at a top conservatory. When Dom’s class is taken to hear a concert at Carnegie Hall, she spots Ben in the front row, playing violin like his life depends on it — and she is transfixed. Posing as an NYU student, Dom sneaks back to New York City to track him down. Soon, the two are desperately in love, each seeing something in the other to complete them. But Ben’s genius, which Dominique so admires, conceals his struggle with mental illness — and the challenges of her own life may make it impossible for her to save him from himself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781525300684
Publisher:	Kids Can Press
Publication date:	04/03/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Lindsay is a YA author living in the best place on earth, New York City. She is a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, where she spent most of her time doing high kicks and eating falafel. After a stint as a closed caption writer, she served as the Features Editor at Broadway.com, where she managed to interview her celebrity crushes Paul Rudd, Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal without fainting or peeing her pants. She is the Food and Wellness Director for the digital media company PureWow, mostly for the snacks. Someday, Somewhere is her first novel.

Editorial Reviews

02/26/2018
In this New York story with clear allusions to West Side Story, Ben, a violin prodigy studying at a music conservatory, and Dominique, a young woman fascinated by his talent, fall for each other hard and fast. After Dominique sees Ben play at Carnegie Hall during a class trip, she conspires with her best friend, Cass, to find a way to meet him. When her plan works, she tells him that she’s an NYU student, though she’s still in high school. Ben is smitten and puts up flyers around the city looking for her (because they hadn’t exchanged numbers). Champion alternates between Ben and Dominique’s perspectives, emphasizing the different city lives they lead. Ben’s narrative unfolds in the high-stakes world of conservatory music; Dominique, meanwhile, lives in Trenton, N.J., where she helps her family make ends meet by working in her mother’s laundromat. Champion, in her debut novel, effectively balances a whirlwind romance with sobering realities: it’s not Dominique’s dishonesty that derails the couple’s happiness, but Ben’s mental illness, which is sensitively unveiled over the course of the novel. Ages 14–up. Agent: Sarah Davies, Greenhouse Literary Agency. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Teens will root for Dom and Ben and won't want to leave these characters.—School Library Journal

A miraculous debut.—Marc Snetiker, Entertainment Weekly

I'm in love with these characters! You will root for Dominique and Ben like they're your best friends.—Michelle Levy, author of Not After Everything

Big dreams of love and music beat through the heart of this mesmerizing story of two teens taking New York City by storm.—Donna Cooner, author of Skinny

Readers will get lost in the musical romance Champion has created ...—Booklist

Champion, in her debut novel, effectively balances a whirlwind romance with sobering realities ...—Publishers Weekly

Romance---and a lot more besides.—Kirkus Reviews

Champion's novel serves as a good marker for what a contemporary teen love story should be: entertaining and focused on a broader human betterment ...—Cleaver Magazine

... readers who like romantic stories of first love will enjoy this book.—VOYA Magazine

... interesting characters, a plot that keeps readers both entertained and involved and the setting of New York City and its art scene which becomes a secondary character in the book.—CM Magazine

Someday, Somewhere is the kind of book that will earn ardent fans.—Resource Links

From the Publisher

01/01/2018
Gr 9 Up—This story about first love will engage readers with the lyrical voices of the characters. Ben (an uber-violinist in New York City) and Dom (who is helping her mom in her failing laundry shop in Trenton, NJ and living on rice and beans) are in such separate worlds they should never meet. But a school field trip to Carnegie Hall places Dom in the balcony at the back of the hall while Ben is front and near-center, playing the most awesome violin he has ever played. The audience, the conductor, and Dom are floored and stand for the ovation. The pacing throughout is fast and furious. The author has created a story told through expertly crafted dialogue and monologue. The composition mimics music with arpeggios and crescendos as Dom seeks out the boy she saw on her school field trip. Ben, trying to find a mystical girl he saw, posts flyers around his school, New York City, and on Instagram. "Have you seen this girl?…Wild, curly hair…a voice like liquid gold…skin like a shot of espresso." Teens will root for Dom and Ben and won't want to leave these characters. VERDICT Add this music-themed YA to shelves needing more romance.—Cathleen Ash, Manor High School, TX

School Library Journal

2018-03-05
A meet-cute encounter opens this novel that tackles mental health, inequality, parental failings, and young love.Dominique lives in poverty with her white mother who owns a laundromat in Trenton, New Jersey; she barely knows her Ecuadorian father. Dom dreams of becoming a dancer, but financial difficulties force her to quit dance classes. Her African-American best friend is a fellow classic film buff who is questioning his sexuality and shares her dream of making it big in New York City. By contrast, Ben, a wealthy, white, Jewish violin virtuoso at an elite Manhattan conservatory, seemingly has it made—although he clearly struggles with mental health issues that his parents refuse to acknowledge. When the two fall for one another, Ben sees Dom as his savior and emotional anchor. Dom, on the other hand, initially lies about herself out of fear that the reality won't be good enough for Ben. Tiresomely, the size and unruliness of Dom's curly hair is emphasized and her urban vibe feels exoticized. The descriptions of her neighborhood emphasize crime over community bonds, and success is framed as getting away. However, Dom's touchingly close relationship with her mother is a bright spot. The story unfolds at a satisfying clip, surprising readers who expect a formulaic ending.Romance—and a lot more besides. (Fiction. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews