My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

My Life Next Door

Author: Huntley Fitzpatrick

Published: June 14th, 2012 (My Birthday, hehe)

Publisher: Dial Books for Young Reader

 

Goodreads Summary: "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."

Concept/Ideas: 4.5/5
Storyline/Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Writing Style: 4/5
Overall Rating: 4.5/5

My Life Next Door was a beautiful story of love, family, and friendship.

I don't know why it's taken so long for me to read this one, but I'm glad I finally did.

First of all, the cover. What's not to love? It's beautiful, sweet, and so beautifully in sync with the story.

The concept for the book was original, and I loved that it pulled you in, and kept your attention from page one, right down to the final page. It was refreshing to have a main character who was lovable, and not one of those typical angst filled teenage girls we read about again and again. Jase and Samantha both were mature characters, and ones that you could connect with instantly. I found there to be good character development, and none of the characters fell flat. I loved George, and the Garrett's in general. You could just feel that wholesome big family feeling, and then feel the complete opposite when thrown into Samanatha's house.

The storyline was fast, although I found it to be a bit slow in some parts. When the middle of the book hits, and a tragedy occurs, I couldn't stop reading. It just made you want to keep turning page after page. It was completely heart-wrenching, and you could feel for Samantha and her part in it so much.

I love the twists that Fitzpatrick threw into what you would believe to be a typical teenage romance. Oh, it was so much more.

The only thing that left me wondering at the end was: "What happened to Nan?".. amidst things about other characters that I won't comment on since it'll contain spoilers. I felt that Fitzpatrick unfortunately left the reader with a bittersweet feeling in the end. I would have liked to know what happened to some of the characters, since she left things off at a bit of a cliff-hanger. Although, I'm sure it was intended to leave it up to the reader to tie up those loose ends.

Overall, this book was a read that for sure, deserves all of the hype it's recieving. Probably one of the top three of contemporaries I've read this year. Fitzpatrick is an amazing author, who I was surprised to find out is a debut author as well. She knows what she's doing, and can pen out one hell of an amazing story. I look forward to more of her writing!