Sunday, February 3, 2013

Review: My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

My Life Next Door

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: June 14, 2012
Rating: 5 stars
Source: Won a giveaway

Summary (from Goodreads):


A gorgeous debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another

"One 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.


What I Liked:

I am not going to lie: I LOVED this book! This book continues my contemporary reading streak, and makes me never want to read anything else! I finished it, and then a couple of hours later, I picked it up and again and re-read some parts of it. This morning, when I woke up, I stayed in my bed and thought about this book. It's such a compelling read! And here I am gushing like an obsessed person :)

Samantha. She is such a wonderful and likable heroine. She is not ditzy and stupid, nor is she fierce and wild. I like how she thinks in most situations. She is so kind and sweet, especially with the Garrett children, Tim, and her family. I admire her decision at the end, though I think she should have done that sooner.
I immediately liked Jase, once he made his debut in this novel. He is so nice! And handy to have around - he can fix anything! Must be nice. I love his loyalty to his family, as well as to his animals, his Mustang, and finally, to Samantha. He is the kind of boy that I think every girl wants, not the hardcore bad boy that every girl thinks she wants.

I liked the dual plot - Samantha's life with Jase, and Samantha's life at home. Both sides of the plot had great depth, and even though I did NOT like Samantha's mother, I appreciated the amount of writing Ms. Fitzpatrick does that involves Grace and Clay.
The end, or I suppose the climax, completely caught me by surprise. I knew something bad was going to happen - the synopsis says that something will cause Samantha's world to shatter, but I did not know what it would be. When it happened I was shocked. I did not see that coming. Nevertheless, the end is a very, very good one. Several things are not resolved, but I find it a satisfying end.

What I Did Not Like:


I want to say nothing! But as I said above, several things were not quite resolved, and I would have loved to see them wrapped up. But, it did not bother me as much as some loose ends not being tied in some books did.

Would I Recommend It:

YES! This could be my favorite contemporary so far. It's at least one of my favorite contemporary novels that I have ever read.

Rating:

5 stars. If you ever get the chance to read any contemporary novel, make it this one!

Author Blog | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!

18 comments:

  1. Oh don't worry about gushing like a crazy person. I finished this one last week, and my mom has told me I can't talk about it anymore. Awesome review!

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    1. AHHH, YAYY!!! So glad I don't sound like a crazy person :D

      Thank you, Deidra!

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  2. I couldn't decide if I wanted to read this book or not, but based on your review, I think i'll give it a try! Thanks for your helpful review!!

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  3. Great review! I think this book may already be on my to-be-read lists. I'm just going to make sure that it already is.

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  4. This sounds like a great book. I enjoy "Girl next door" types of romances. I sounds like it is somewhat realistic.
    Thank you for the review and for the giveaways.

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    1. I didn't think I would - but I do! This one is amazing. You are very welcome!

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  5. Thank you for this review, this book was on my goodreads "to-read" list but I will definitely read it next, your review was helpful :)

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    1. I hope you read and love this book! Thank you so much, Marisa.

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  6. I loved this book too! You're so right about the dual plot points. I was so surprised when everything intersected and just became this wonderful book I could not put down. I'm so ready to read Huntley's next book. Have you already read it?

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    1. It's one of those books that you can't help but love! I have not read What I Thought Was True yet, but I did request it from Penguin. Cross your fingers! :)

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  7. I've been wondering and looking. Was this book an indie release that was later picked up by a publisher or one that was only released through a publisher?

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    1. It's a fantastic book - one of my favorites of 2013. And I don't think so - this one was a traditionally published book through and through! To my knowledge, that is.

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  8. Awesome review Alyssa this book would be a wonderful read for me for my huge contemporary kick that I have been having lately it looks and sounds amazing must try to check it out soon! thanks for sharing Alyssa!

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    1. Yeahhh, get it, girl! It's probably my favorite ever contemporary novel - or at least one of them! You're welcome - and thank YOU!

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  9. Loved your review. Definitely gave me the push I needed to FINALLY pick this book up! I had heard such good review's about it for a while now. I just haven't felt that urgency to wakeup and go and buy it. But reading your review and how you'v explained the main heroine to be someone likeable and everything. I canot wait to get my hands on this! Excitinggggg.

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    1. Thank you! Excellent! I'm so glad to hear that. It is easily one of my favorite contemporary reads ever - and this is coming from the girl who reads a decent amount of contemporary novels, but dislikes the majority of them. SO GO READ IT! :D

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