Dominique is a high school junior from a gritty neighborhood in Trenton, where she and her mom are barely getting by.

Ben is a musical prodigy from the Upper East Side, a violinist at a top conservatory with obsessive talent and a brilliant future.

When Dom’s class is taken to hear a concert at Carnegie Hall, she expects to be bored out of her mind. But then she sees the boy 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 down Ben Tristan, a magnetic genius who whisks her into a fantasy world of jazz clubs and opera, infatuation and possibility. Each sees something in the other that promises to complete them.

As Dom’s web of lies grows, though, so does Ben’s manic need to conquer Beethoven’s famous Kreutzer Sonata. Ben’s genius, which captivates Dominique, conceals his struggle with mental illness, and the challenges of Dom’s life may make it difficult for her to help him.

A story of music and mental illness… this book portrays both themes well in my opinion and is quite captivating as you read the tale of Dominique and Ben.  Dominique is in high school and is a dancer, or was, until about six months ago when she was no longer able to afford her lessons.  Still though, she dreams of entering the dance program at NYU someday.  Ben is a musician, top of his class even, and he will not let anything stand in his way of being the best.  When these two meet, it’s like something clicks and they enter in their own little world… at least for a while.

First going into this one I realized it would be one of those insta-love stories and I’m just going to tell you all right now, I’m not a fan of that element.  Though many books I read are in fact insta-love, I just personally don’t feel that it’s very realistic.  Especially stories that where they fall in love in one day, or less than.  But maybe that’s the cynic in me.  I don’t know.  Either way, I usually try to place that aside as I’m reading because if the story is good, I can forgive that insta-love part.  And Someday, Somewhere is one of those ones I can forgive.

Not like many books I read, the story really only focused on these two characters – the side characters did not play a big part at all.  You get glimpses of both Ben and Dominique’s families, but not much more than that.  However, we do learn more about Dominique’s family than Ben’s.

The book deals with more than just music though.  Anther big theme of the story is mental illness, which you can see in Ben as it moves along.  I won’t say what it is, but to those who have some experience with it or know about it, you’ll figure it out as the story goes on.  I personally feel like all elements of this book are done well, and even though Ben’s part of the story doesn’t have a full-on close, I was still surprised with how much I enjoyed this book at the end of it.

Overall, I did enjoy this book because it shows how you’ll meet people who change our lives, even if they’re only a part of them for a short time.  We don’t always remain in contact with those who have had the most influence on us, but their mark is always there.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars