Title: My Life Next Door
Author: Huntley Fitzpatrick
Date Started: July 20
Date Finished: July 21
Format: Hardcover from local library
The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, messy, affectionate. And every day from her rooftop perch, Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs up next to her and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely for each other, stumbling through the awkwardness and awesomeness of first love, Jase’s family embraces Samantha – even as she keeps him a secret from her own. Then something unthinkable happens, and the bottom drops out of Samantha’s world. She’s suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?
I have to admit that I was not expecting much when it came to this novel. The last time Goodreads recommended a book to me because I liked Sarah Dessen I was not all that impressed. But, this time around some of my fellow GR friends had read it and seemed to have enjoyed it so I decided why not? And I’m really glad that I did.
I really liked Samantha and I really liked Jase. Their meet cue was ridiculously cute. “Do you need saving?” From that phrase alone I fell hard for Jase Garrett and knew that I was going to be in for one hell of a ride. My Life Next Door was funny, sad, scary, and romantic at all the right times. There wasn’t one moment that I felt was over dramatic and everything flowed nicely. I especially liked that the big climatic moment wasn’t Sam’s mom finding out about Jase and Samantha’s relationship, but instead something that was unthinkable.
At first I didn’t like Nan, Tim and Clay – they actually drove me insane. Nan, because she was just a little bit too academically driven and didn’t seem to understand that her boyfriend Daniel wasn’t that great of a guy. Tim, because he was rude, obnoxious and at times he actually scared me with his behavior. Even for a guy who was drinking, smoking and taking god knows what, he was really dangerous. That scene where he ‘kidnaps’ Nan and Sam to score some drugs was just…whoa. And then Clay I didn’t like because he was so controlling of Sam’s mom – another character I won’t get into. But as the book went on Tim got off the list because he realized the error of his ways and got clean. Not to mention, in the end, he was the friend that Sam could turn to to get things off her chest.
Final Rating: 5 out of 5 stars. As I said on Goodreads I didn’t expect to get this emotionally attached to these characters. But I did and it was a wonderful experience. There was even a moment where I had to put the book down because I was on the edge of tears.
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