Review: My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

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!

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