Review: My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

My Life Next Door
(My Life Next Door, #1)
By: Huntley Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
Published: June 14, 2012
Genre: YA Romance
Rating:

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 huge thank you goes out to Christina from Christina Reads YA! She recommending My Life Next Door to me when I told her about the book funk that I was in. I had been reading one mediocre book after another and I started to feel discouraged. My Life Next Door was exactly what I needed. This story was just down right adorable. You not only had the first love going on, but you had family drama on Sam’s side and family unity on Jase’s. Jase’s family is amazing. Every character is unique and I LOVED Jase’s little brother, George. George was just a ball of random scary facts that had to be talked down to prevent him from balling his eyes out in fear. Then you had Patsy who is the baby of the bunch who’s first word is boob-which gradually turns into poop by the end of the book. Oh, and let’s not forget about Alice who is this hard-core chick who doesn’t stick with a guy for too long, dyes her hair just about once a week to a new funky color, and is fiercely loyal and protective of her family. And that’s only half of the family. I seriously loved this family. Enough about the Garrett’s though let’s talk about the main characters.

Samantha is the senator’s daughter. She lives a privileged life in their fancy house. When she was younger this unruly family moved in with bunch of kids. As the years passed they continued to have more kids. Her mother, like most of the stuck-up people in the neighborhood gave this family nothing but dirty looks and unwanted suggestions and commentary about their life. However, Sam was fascinated with this family and watches them from the comfort of her own home for years. Unlike her own family life, the Garrett’s seemed full of life and were extremely close. When her and Jase start hanging out she knows her mother would not approve and she keeps their relationship a secret. She’s one of those characters that wants to be a good daughter but also wants to live their life. She tries to find balance between the two but over time finds herself becoming more and more of a Garrett than a Reed.

Jase was AMAZING! He doesn’t blink at anything. He’s always cool and thinking ahead. He knows his family won’t be able to afford college for him, so he works his butt off training in the hopes of snagging a scholarship. Meanwhile, he works at his father’s hardware store and watches his siblings when he’s not training or working. He was a class-act guy. If I wasn’t already marries, and he wasn’t a fictional character in a book, I would want to marry him. Not only that but when it comes to Sam, he’s nothing but understanding and takes things slow with her. He’s not happy that she won’t tell her mom about their relationship but he doesn’t push her. Heck, even when things aren’t looking good between the two of them, he doesn’t act like a jerk, he hears her out and actually listens to what she has to say. Seriously, Jase was amazing.

My Life Next Door is written solely in Sam’s POV. However, she is around a lot of people. Between her home life with her horrible mother, the Garrett’s whirlwind of a family, her best-friend, and her best-friends brother… there was a lot going on. I was never really bored while reading. There was just always something going on. Something developing off to the side. I will say that Tim was a character that at first had me skimming over. He was a little bit too over the top for me. However, he thankfully mellows out into a human being. In the end I actually quite enjoyed his character. So, I’m happy to see that his and Alice’s story is next. He spent this entire book pursuing here and trying to get her to go out with him while popping in and helping the family when they needed it most. He really did a 180* in this book.

I could go on and on about My Life Next Door. I really did enjoy it. It had been sitting on my to-read list for a while and I can’t believe it had taken me so long to finally pick up a copy. I’m glad I did though because not only did it get me out of my funk but I now have a new author and series to follow. I’m excited to see Tim and Alice’s story. I really hope we get cameos with not only Jase and Sam, but of the whole Garrett family as well.

It’s Sam’s first time setting foot into the Garrett household, let alone meeting everyone. Jase’s little brother, George, takes an immediate liking to Sam and follows her around stating weird facts about everything and anything. The funny part though is that he had just woken up from a nap where he peed his bed and therefor discarded his pants and underwear. So, he’s walking around the house stating these crazy facts about astronauts while his bottom bits are on display.

George- “I might marry you. Do you want a big family?”
I start to cough and feel a hand pat my back.
“George, it’s usually better to discuss this kind of thing with your pants on.” Jase drops boxer shorts at George’s feet, then sets Patsy on the ground next to him.
“Dat?” she demands, pointing to me a bit belligerently.
“Dat is Samantha,” Jase says. “Apparently soon to be your sister-in-law.” He cocks an eyebrow. “You and George move fast.
“We talked astronauts,” I explain.