Synopsis:
A gorgeous debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying anotherOne thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time.”
The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself? A dreamy summer read, full of characters who stay with you long after the story is over. |
I adored Samantha. She lives at home with her mom and older sister. Her life appears perfect from the outside, but inside things aren’t always what they seem. Her mom expects her to be prim and perfect, but that isn’t what she wants. Her mom who has a high profile/high stress job in politics is a bit of a perfectionist and a little OCD.
Soon Samantha’s world begins to slowly change when the Garrets move next door. Her mom did not like their ‘type’ from the get go. They aren’t your standard family with two kids and a dog. Instead the Garrets have 8 kids. I know that is a lot of children, but to each his own right? Samantha’s mom never saw it that way. All she saw were their toys strewn about the yard, their loudness, and the parents being too affectionate on their own front porch. All of which would make the neighborhood look bad and the property values go down.
But Samantha saw something completely different. She sees a normal, loving, affectionate family. And from her little bedroom balcony, she watches the family from next door, even trying to figure out which kid is which. Then one day to her surprise Jase Garret climbs up her balcony as if he has done it a million times before and engages her in conversation like they have already been friends. Samantha is both intrigued and confused by this.
Samantha is invited into the Garrets crazy world and she and Jase begin to spend a lot of time with each other. And from then on Samantha’s world is never the same…
As far as book boyfriends go, I think that Jase is pretty swoon-worthy. He is crazy sweet, funny, and drives a motorcycle! What is not to love?
I don’t really know what else to say about My Life Next Door that will do it justice….except that it ended up being more than what I expected. I really liked it. It was the perfect story to get into on my vacation and one that will permanently stay on my bookshelf. The characters felt and their lives felt real and I easily connected to them. And Huntley Fitzpatricks writing was great.
If you are searching for a good young adult contemporary romance story to read this summer, you might want to check out My Life Next Door.
Rating: 4 ½ out of 5.
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