My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick...

Series: -
Published: June 14th 2012 by Dial Books For Young Readers
Pages: 394
Date Finished: July 7th, 2013
Rating: 5 stars
Age Recommendation: -

Synopsis:

"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, messy, affectionate. And every day from her rooftop perch, Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs up next to her and changes everything.

As the two fall fiercely for each other, stumbling through the awkwardness and awesomeness of first love, Jase's family embraces Samantha - even as she keeps him a secret from her own. Then something unthinkable happens, and the bottom drops out of Samantha's world. She's suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

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

Review:

I didn't really know what to expect going into this book because by the time I finally got my hands on this book it had been so long since I had read the synopsis. But that isn't to say that I didn't have high expectations for this book, I remember loving the synopsis of this book when I first read it as well as seeing all the great reviews this book had gotten in the time it took to arrive. And for me this book didn't disappoint.

The plot. I really enjoyed the plot of this book and I think that I would have enjoyed it even more if I had been able to read it without such long breaks in between (and by long breaks I'm meaning days at a time). I really enjoyed seeing the contrast between both Samantha and Jase's families and also seeing how that even with those vast differences they were still in a way very much the same person and perfect for each other. I thought that the plot of the book was really interesting and dealt with a lot of other subjects other than teenage romance which I found made the book really interesting and hard to put down.

The characters. I have mixed feelings about the characters in this book. I thought that the main characters were written really well, but I also found that because there were so many side characters that they were all very one-dimensional and just didn't really have all too much impact on the story.
Samantha. I really enjoyed Samantha's character in this book. I thought that she was very relatable and I love seeing her grow throughout the book into a more independent and head-strong person. I also loved watching her become more confident through her relationship with Jase and seeing how he was able to bring Samantha more out of her shell. I really felt for her when she was struggling with the big decisions that she had to make, but I was really glad that in the end she chose the option that she did and that everything turned out well for her in the end.
Jase. I really enjoyed Jase's character in this book also. I thought that he was a very relatable person and he seemed like such a humble and down-to-earth person. I loved seeing the dynamic within his family and seeing how much it differed from Samantha's and even though they came from such different backgrounds they were able to have such a deep connection with each other. I really felt for Jase when his dad was in hospital and all of the extra responsibility he had as well as dealing with finding out about what Samantha knew.
Tim. Tim is probably one of the only side characters (though in the end I guess he became somewhat of a main character) that was written really well. I found myself really growing to love Tim's character in this book. When I first started reading about him I couldn't stand him. But as he started to turn his life around I found that he became a much more caring person and a great friend to both Samantha and Jase.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and I think that it would have to be a staple in your summer book collection. I found it to be a fun, easy read but I thought that it was also a book with a lot of depth and meaning to it and it will be one that I will definitely be re-reading over the summer.