Unfortunately for readers, and probably all of the characters as well, this gander to The Spoke isn’t some episode of Punk’d, but rather a reality for Corrine. After being told that she wouldn’t be attending her prestigious boarding school in the fall, due to the layoff, Corrine and her younger brother, Tripp, are both shipped off with a one way ticket on the disoriented express, to the tiny town of Broken Spoke, Texas. Naturally, that’s exactly what happens to Corrine.

To be fair, no matter who you are, what your life looks like, or who your family is, having everything suddenly spin 180 degrees and take off in the other direction would be disorienting and maddening for anyone. Complete with the late nights out partying and drinking, shopping sprees, and boys, Corrine has it all… That is, until the recession, when her father is laid off and some big changes are about to be made. I would stash the novels between pairs of stacked jeans, and shove them beneath my bed, along with a flashlight, preparing for my exit “into the scandalous lives of Manhattan’s Elite.” Where I Belong is a scaled down version of Gossip Girl. So, naturally, I turned to reading the books.

There’s nothing wrong with Gossip Girl, I myself used to binge watch countless episodes in my younger-years however, the one thing that always got me into trouble was how inappropriate the content was for my age. If I could sum up this book in one sentence it would be: Blair Waldorf’s high priced life, meets Hicktown, Texas – for a younger audience. 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 She doesn’t care who she stomps on in the process.

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. 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. When Corrinne’s father is laid off, her world suddenly falls apart. 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.

Where i belong by gwendolyn heasley