Blog Tour: Places We’ve Never Been by Kasie West (Interview!)

Happy Saturday and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for PLACES WE’VE NEVER BEEN! I’m so excited because today I have an interview with Kasie West to share with you! This book is truly amazing and I’m so excited to for you to find out more about it!

Places We've Never Been by Kasie West
Published on May 31, 2022 by Delacorte Press
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, YA
Pages: 336
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Author Links: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram

Norah hasn’t seen her childhood best friend, Skyler, in years. When he first moved away, they'd talk all the time, but lately their relationship has been reduced to liking each other’s Instagram posts. That’s why Norah can’t wait for the joint RV road trip their families have planned for the summer.
But when Skyler finally arrives, he seems...like he’d rather be anywhere else. Hurt and confused, Norah reacts in kind. Suddenly, her oldest friendship is on the rocks.
An unexpected summer spent driving across the country leads both Norah and Skyler down new roads and to new discoveries. Before long, they are, once again, seeing each other in a different light. Can their friendship-turned-rivalry turn into something more?

What would you do if you spent the day with Norah and Skyler? Where would you go to eat, hang out, relax, etc.?

First of all, there would be video games involved in our day of hang out. Norah would make sure of that. Whether she showed us the latest or we played one of the classics, she’d probably kick all of our butts. Then we’d try a new place to eat. Definitely not camp food. They’re kind of sick of camp food. But burgers and fries are always nice. And a huge milk shake. We might go on a hike but views are overrated (mainly because that means a lot of uphill climbs) so maybe we’d stick to finding a cool water feature we can stare at in awe before we head to a campfire to relax and listen to someone play an acoustic guitar while we told stories about the last RV trip we went on.

If Norah and Skyler were to hang out with other fictional characters, who would they be and why?

Norah and Skyler would probably love to be transported into the Ready Player One world where they could hang out with Wade Watts and his friends and play some killer interactive, futuristic video games. They’d find it challenging and fascinating and so much fun. But only for a day. That world is a little too dystopian for them. 

If there was one fictional place you could travel to for a day, where would it be and why?

All the fictional places I think are really cool are also really dangerous. Ha! But, if I didn’t have to worry about danger and was just there to look around and maybe be granted some of the world’s powers for the day, I’m a huge fan of The Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson. I love the powers of that world and how they’re obtained and used. 

If you buried a time capsule with three items inside, what three items would you choose and why?

If we’re talking about a time capsule that represents me the best, one of my items would be a laptop. Between writing and binging television and keeping up with publishing news and books, I spend so much time on my laptop. Too much time, probably. Chocolate covered cinnamon bears are my newest obsession so I’d have to put a pack of those in there (if I could resist eating them). And finally, and most important, would be a pic of my family. They are where I find my joy and inspiration. I love hanging out with them so much. 

What was your favorite bit of research you ended up not using?

When I visited Seattle, I knew I was writing this book and that Seattle would be one of the stops on their road trip journey. Because of this, we visited so many places. I knew I wouldn’t be able to use them all in the book since it wasn’t a long stop but I wasn’t sure which ones I’d use and which I wouldn’t. One of the places I didn’t end up using was an underground tour of the city. It was interesting to hear the history of Seattle and how they had to build up the city higher to stop the flooding and how it left all this underground history. I mean, we also learned about how the natives living in the area were uprooted like they were in so many cities across the United States and that was frustrating. 

What is your favorite quote, scene, or moment from Places We’ve Never Been?

There’s a scene that takes place on top of the RV under the nighttime desert sky that I had so much fun writing. It was the first time we see Norah and Skyler come together in a meaningful way and we get a hint of what’s to come. I love them and their story and I loved the feeling of hope this scene brings.

Thanks so much for having me! I hope you enjoy reading PLACES WE’VE NEVER BEEN. And I hope that it inspires you to visit new places and meet new people!

What do you think about Places We’ve Never Been? Have you added it to your tbr yet? Let me know in the comments and have a splendiferous day!