My Life Next Door
Author: Huntley Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Dial
Publication Date: June 14, 2012
Pages: 395
Source: Netgalley
About the Book: 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. (goodreads)
My Thoughts: Read. It. Now. Because that last sentence in the summary? “A dreamy summer read, full of characters who stay with you long after the story is over.” SO TRUE! I couldn’t put this book down and when I finished it I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I just loved everything about it so much! The setting, the characters, the relationships between siblings, the romance… sigh. So, so wonderful!
Since there are so many, many things I love I am going to focus on just two things. That way this review won’t turn out to be longer than that book 😉
The first thing that I have to mention is the Garretts. I adored this family!!! They are numerous and loud and oh so very loyal to each other. Of course I am a bit partial to Jase but I loved them all… especially the li’l ones 🙂 I wish there were more books with large families. I have two older siblings. One is 14 years older and the other is 6 years older. My sister is one of my best friends now but growing up we weren’t close. I just love seeing it in books!
I also really loved the way bits and pieces about the different characters were revealed. I was so interested in getting to know all the characters and finding out what events shaped them. As the story progressed we got to know more than just the main character on a deeper level. Seeing the characters grow and change (whether it be for good or bad) makes me feel so much more invested in the story. I just couldn’t get the people I “met” in My Life Next Door out of my mind!
This is one of the very best books I’ve read this year. It is one I know I’ll be pulling off my shelf to read again and again. The romance was everything I wanted it to be with the bonus of a stellar backstory and minor characters. I cannot wait to see what else Huntley Fitzpatrick has in store for us.
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[…] Participating blogs choose a superlative that fits their blog. What a fun idea, right?!? I adored My Life Next Door so of course I wanted to participate! I’ve been thinking about this for over two weeks and I […]