My Life Next Door

My Life next door was an easy read. The romance was sweet, but I would not have enjoyed it so much when I was seventeen, or even during my first years in college. This is due more to my personal circumstances and experiences than anything else. I would never have believed that men like Jase actually existed. I know better now and consider myself extremely fortunate.It did bother me that Samantha would so easily consider contraception over waiting. I guess I'm just too old and conservative. Overall, the young couple was responsible, and I liked that. Sadly, most young men would not be disciplined enough to properly handle a more-than-willing girlfriend. I was reminded of a young vampire who spends chaste nights with his girlfriend in her bedroom. This attitude could give young girls a risky message. If you love and trust him, it's alright to give in to your feelings. As long as he's a good guy... Well, that is too often not the case, and sometimes the consequences can be rather devastating, as may have been the case with Samantha's father.Also, dating at fourteen? Not going to happen in our family!A little too much profanity, but at least it was restricted to a few ill-mannered characters.The political backdrop was a little drawn out for me. I try to avoid politics as much as possible without being too irresponsible. I did, however, appreciate the light in which it was presented in the story.I loved all the chaos at the Garretts' home. So many authors try to portray this kind of family life and have no idea what they are talking about. It's irritating. Artificial. Fitzpatrick, fortunately, understands these dynamics well. The various antics between the children and their parents were perhaps the most enjoyable parts of the story for me.

My Life Next Door is a cute, light summer read. It's about a girl named Samantha who live with her over the top single mother that is running for Senate and Jase, the boy next door who has a lot of siblings. Sam's mother is very judgmental of the Garrett's, Sam sits outside to watch them often while growing up to see the chaotic world they live in with so many people. One day Jase comes up to her while shes outside and they fall in love, she gets more involved with his family while she never introduces him to her friends or mother, when she finally does it's surprising. Then the book takes a weird turn that I found unnecessary. Sam's mom hits and run Jase's father one night with Sam in the car but she's asleep. Sam is unsure if it was her mom when she hears Mr Garrett is hurt, realizes it is, confronts her, threatened not to tell by her mom's boyfrined, breaks up with Jase, tells him, back together, her mom finally confesses and drops out of the Senate race. Okay.

I liked the start of this book because Sam and Jase seem like normal teenagers and their relationship comes off as real. There is nothing supernatural, no drama, no over the top romantic gestures. Just them and their growing relationship over the summer. The real plot through out the beginning of the book is how will Sam's mom react if/when she finds out she's dating Jase, but instead that part is just glossed over and the book goes off in a tangent with the hit and run. I didn't care for that part at all, why can't the book just be about their relationship and her mom's reaction? Or even take it a step further and have Sam get pregnant and Jase takes off like her dad did, that's what I expected to happen. Or at least nothing as dramatic as a hit and run lol. 3.5/5

I love this book but I'm on chapter 44-45 at the moment and I'm really disappointed in Sam for doing this, I hope things turn out the way I want them too Clay is evil and I want Sam and her mom to do the right thing. Also this is so good that I started reading it at 1 am 2 days ago and read till around 530 am and I never got bored with it at least not so far

When I developed a hankering a few months ago for young adult contemporaries, I suddenly found Huntley Fitzpatrick’s début novel My Life Next Door on several recommendation lists. I finally took the plunge and purchased it to see what all the excitement was about and if the raves were deserved. My conclusion? One of the best YA debuts of 2012 had found its way onto my eReader.

What I Loved

The Romance: Building slowly and steadily, the romance feels realistic and the characters have a lovely chemistry. Jase is the boy-next-door type of boyfriend – sweet, steady, and loving, with no bad-boy vibes. Sam is totally intrigued by his calm demeanor in the midst of his energetically outgoing family, and it is his solid presence that gives her a feeling of security and safety. Though these characteristics may seem bland, when Jase and Sam are together they strike plenty of sparks. I chuckled sympathetically as they found themselves overwhelmed during their little trip to the drugstore for protection, and hurt for them when their romance hit the rocks. Their entire relationship is beautifully constructed.

Secondary Characters that Pop: My absolute favorite character in this category was Jase’s little brother, George, who is quite simply awesome. George is full of little terrors and doomsday facts, but is still so happy that he is totally adorable. Any time this kid appeared I found myself in my own little happy place, wishing I had one just like him. A surprising hit with me was Tim, the twin brother of Sam’s best friend Nan, who experiences tremendous growth in the story – from a drug and alcohol-addicted mess to someone who can actually be depended upon in a crisis. Fitzpatrick has done a tremendous job giving everyone a distinct personality; only two characters are a little vague – Jase’s younger brothers Duff and Harry – but they don’t have a big enough presence in the story for it to make a difference. The entire Garrett family is so boisterous it would be surprising if there weren’t a couple of kids who tended to fade into the background!

What I Liked

The Conflicts: As the relationship between Sam and Jase deepens over the summer, the little rough spots the characters encounter keep things from being too perfect. Changes in Sam’s mother add tension to her relationship with Sam, a sudden rift occurs in an old friendship and, finally, the tragic circumstances that bring Sam and Jase closer together before suddenly tearing them apart – all the conflicts add interest to the story and help Sam discover her own strengths and weaknesses. These little twists and turns kept everything from being too sweet and helped move the narrative along.

The Technical Stuff: Pacing, an easy-breezy style, even Sam’s present tense first-person narrative voice (present tense is not normally a favorite with me), all worked together to hold me firmly in the story and make me feel like it was flying by. Everything felt very natural and relatable; there were no sharp edges or jarring moments anywhere. Very, very nice to see in a début.

What I Didn’t Like

There really isn’t anything I can pick on here, other than a slightly abrupt ending which left me wanting a quick glimpse at how Sam and Jase were going to handle their relationship when Sam’s mother revealed a big decision she had made. I figure their relationship is solid enough by the end of the story they will be together no matter what life throws at them, but I just wasn’t ready for it to end.

Conclusion

Author Huntley Fitzpatrick has made an outstanding début with her young adult contemporary romance, My Life Next Door. Chock-full of relatable and interesting characters, featuring a romance that builds naturally and steadily, and throwing in some well-placed conflicts to keep the narrative moving along, the grass really is greener in My Life Next Door.

I loved Jase! What a sweet guy.

Really enjoyed this. Characters were great. Not quite as good as Sarah Dessen's books, but very, very close.

I loved this book so much!

Rating: 4.5/5

It was such a cute and lovely read! A toe-curling, pure, terribly sweet romance between Sam and Jase the boy-next-door, who were only seventeen, but so mature and strong; their relationship was the sweetest thing, and they looked and acted like normal teenagers. A nice change to all those angsty or fluffy teens you see in books these days.

I absolutely loved it, and I'll definitely read more of Huntley Fitzpatrick; please never stop writing!

My Life Next Door is a cute, light summer read. It's about a girl named Samantha who live with her over the top single mother that is running for Senate and Jase, the boy next door who has a lot of siblings. Sam's mother is very judgmental of the Garrett's, Sam sits outside to watch them often while growing up to see the chaotic world they live in with so many people. One day Jase comes up to her while shes outside and they fall in love, she gets more involved with his family while she never introduces him to her friends or mother, when she finally does it's surprising. Then the book takes a weird turn that I found unnecessary. Sam's mom hits and run Jase's father one night with Sam in the car but she's asleep. Sam is unsure if it was her mom when she hears Mr Garrett is hurt, realizes it is, confronts her, threatened not to tell by her mom's boyfrined, breaks up with Jase, tells him, back together, her mom finally confesses and drops out of the Senate race. Okay.

I liked the start of this book because Sam and Jase seem like normal teenagers and their relationship comes off as real. There is nothing supernatural, no drama, no over the top romantic gestures. Just them and their growing relationship over the summer. The real plot through out the beginning of the book is how will Sam's mom react if/when she finds out she's dating Jase, but instead that part is just glossed over and the book goes off in a tangent with the hit and run. I didn't care for that part at all, why can't the book just be about their relationship and her mom's reaction? Or even take it a step further and have Sam get pregnant and Jase takes off like her dad did, that's what I expected to happen. Or at least nothing as dramatic as a hit and run lol. 3.5/5

yeah it was good i loved it i just found samantha annoying at times but it was good i recommend it if you're looking for something light and refreshing.

I am giving this 4.5 stars. I enjoyed it so much more than I thought, and honestly did not think I was going to finish this after the first few chapters. I am so glad I did.I love all of the characters in this story from Sam and Jase, to his entertaining siblings. I enjoyed what the Garrets bring to the story as a real family (with real love and real struggles). I think Tim kept the story going in the first half of the book. I was not a huge fan of Nan. Gracie and Clay were great villains. Everyone played such a crucial role in this book, and was one reason I really loved it.I adored the romance! It also kept the book moving for me...until the twists. Jase and Sam were too cute! I did not see the twist coming at all! I knew the twist was going to involve Clay, but my mind was in a whole different area thinking about what may happen. I think the twist was good, but I wish it would have been resolved a little differently. Overall, really enjoyed this and I will be continuing on with the series.

I think the actual rating of this books is 3.7-3.8. While I enjoyed the characters in this book (both protagonists and secondary characters –little George stole my heart), I didn't enjoy the plot as a whole. The first 250 pages where interesting, kept my attention, and I read them fast, wanting to know what happened next.However, the next 100 pages after that were... Meh. The story lost its power, and when the time of the 'twist' or problem came, it got solved in a too-easy way. If there was something I liked about those first 250 pages, it was how realistic and complete the characters and their actions seemed. They gained life in front of my eyes because they could easily be my neighbors. But that magic, that real-ness got lost in the last 150 pages.Still, it's a book that made me really happy and that's full of funny and cute quotes and scenes, and I truly enjoyed Fitzpatrick's writing style, so I do recommend it to someone looking for a cute, romance contemporary read with a little bit of more depth than most YA.

My luck is still holding that I read a very good book after an innocuous or bad one.

This book is a sweet romance, but a bit too bland for me. Samantha is not a charismatic protagonist, and is just too good although I did like her boyfriend, Jase. There are a large number of characters, too many in fact, and most of them not well-developed. However, I did like the Garratt clan, especially young George with his innocent, morbid outlook on life. The family is messy, loud, boisterous and loving, a stark contrast to Samantha's orderly, controlled home life. This is a gentle book about coming of age and first romance which should have wide appeal to teenage girls.

I can't believe that I have waited nearly a month to review this book! For some reason, I just have not felt compelled to put my feelings about this book into words as of yet....maybe because I don't have a lot of feelings about this book. I expected it to be great. Everyone seems to love this book so I expected that I would love it just as much. I was very wrong. I didn't hate it but it was nothing special in my book. In fact, I would have most likely given the book a lower rating except I kind of enjoyed the last section of the story.I make no secret of the fact that I am most certainly NOT a teenager. In fact, I am the mother of a teenager (not to mention my older child that has already passed up her teenage years). Let's just say that I am kind of old. This is a book for teenagers. I read a lot of books for teenagers and love talking about them with my daughter but sometimes I just cannot relate. This is one of those times. The basic story is about a perfect little teenager girl, Samantha, who lives with her kind of crazy politician mother. Her mom is running for re-election so it is really important that everything remain perfect down to the perfect lines in the carpet after vacuuming (Do people actually worry about this stuff??? I am doing good just to turn the thing on and suck up the dog hair all over the floor.) Samantha has always spent a lot of time watching the family next door.Jase lives next door with his family, who happen to everything Samantha's family is not. They are loud, loving, and exciting and there are a lot of them. Jase is one of 8 kids in his family. Jase's family kind of took over the story at points. When Jase and Samantha start hanging out, they end up spending most of their time together at Jase's house. Eventually Samantha is pulled in enough to become a regular babysitter for the family.My daughter thought Jase was dreamy. I can't say that I share her opinion. Of course, old ladies are not supposed to think that teenage boys are dreamy. That is a rule. I actually found most of the book to be boring. Since I wasn't spending my time drooling over Jase, I wanted something to happen in the story. Nothing did for most of the book. I had to wait until the last 25% of the book for anything interesting to happen. Not cool.This book wasn't horrible. I didn't hate it and I thought it had some good points. I liked Tim a lot. He was interesting but that was because he was intoxicated for a large portion of the book and spoke without a filter most of the time. Samantha and Jase were okay main characters. The last 25% of the book were rather exciting. The book was easy to read and I like the flow of the novel. This is the first book by Huntley Fitzpatrick that I have read and I plan to read other book in the future. I actually already have the next book in this series ready to go, but only because the main character is Tim. I like Tim a lot so I am hopeful that his book will work for me a little better.

My Life Next Door was such an amazing contemporary! I couldn’t help buy eat it up as soon as I started reading it! This book was all kinds of cute, and it was about so much more than the romance!So this book is about Samantha Reed, the girl with the supposed perfect family. She lives next door to the Garretts, who according to Sam’s mom are not perfect. However one day Jase Garrett climbs up Samantha’s balcony and irrevocably enters her life.If there’s something I loved about this book, it was the Garretts. They were such an amazing family! It made me long for a big, messy, and loud family like them. Their dynamics were so adorable because they all helped each other out and supported each other, like a real family. Also, no matter how big the family was, each character had their own distinctive voice. I especially loved George! I want a George as my brother, lol.“Is Jase already gonna marry you?”I start coughing again. “Uh, No. No, George. I’m only seventeen.” As if that’s the only reason we’re not engaged.“I’m this many.” George holds up four, slightly grubby fingers. “But Jase is seventeen and a half. You could. Then you could live in here with him. And have a big family.”Sam was easy enough to get along with. She was very down to earth and I could really relate to her. Her issues were very real and I could feel really strongly the emotions she was.Jase Garrett is THE BEST YA book boyfriend out there. He’s sweet, he’s kind, and he’s charming. He never had a secret agenda. He was completely adorable and I could totally see why Sam would be interested in him!“You have to kiss me," I find myself saying."Yeah." He leans closer. "I do.”This book has a lot of twists and turns, and it was so emotionally draining! There were moments where I was laughing, moments where I was fangirling, sad moments, and moments where I wanted to yell out in rage. I think I even cried in one part because I was so enraged at something that happened.The only reason I didn’t give this book 5 stars was because I was left with a lot of questions at the ending. I’m hoping the sequel will address this, but still I wish it could’ve been addressed here.Which reminds me, I REALLY CAN’T WAIT FOR THE COMPANION/SEQUEL THE BOY MOST LIKELY TO BECAUSE IT’S ABOUT TIM AND I LOVE TIM!!Anyways, overall this book is really awesome because it’s a different kind of contemporary that deals with different realistic issues. I loved the family aspect, and the romance was completely adorable and swoon-worthy.“In movies, it’s never half so lovely as it is here and now with Jase.”

 The fiction story, My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick is about Samantha Reed. Her whole life, she has lived next door to the Garretts. Her mother, the Senator of their small Connecticut town, has always despised of them because there were 8 children and their house always look liked a mess. Although, Sam’s house was tidy and just big enough for her, her sister Tracy, and her mother Grace. Sam, ever since she was little, watched the Garretts from her roof. She spied on the children. Eventually she learned their names and faces just by looking over the big fence that separated the two houses. She had never even talked to a Garrett, until one night, when Jase Garrett, climbed up the side of her house and confronted her about her spying. Throughout the story, they start to fall in love. Though, Sam’s mom would never be okay with Sam dating a Garrett, though not coming home until late and always leaving the house early gets her mother suspicious. Eventually she finds out, though she approves of Jase. Just as everything is starting to work out, Samantha's mother runs over Jases dad with a car. This unfortunate event tears apart Jase and Sam's relationship. Though, they get through this tough time and their love is stronger than it was before. This book was great. The author made the characters grow so much throughout the story. Also, the author described Sam and Jase’s relationship so perfectly. I recommend this book for 8th-10th graders. I recommend this because it is to inappropriate for anyone below 8th grade. Though, it might be an easy read for anyone above 10th grade. Overall, the story My Life Next Door was fantastic.

My life next door for me was a mix between The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler and The Distance Between Us by Kasie West and most of the time I hate when books remind me of others, but this was something that in a way made the book more special to me. It had the forbidden love from The Book of Broken Hearts and the financial differences of The Distance Between Us.I've wanted to read this book for a long time, its a book that has been talked about and talked about and that is not always a good thing. But I'm lucky that with this book, it was. This books was hyped up for a reason, its fluffy, its moving and it flows really well. I started it purely for the fact of reading it for the read-a-thon. I finished it in a day because after just a few chapters I was hooked and already in love.This book is centred around Samantha, a girl who comes from a single parent home with a judgemental politician mum. She has been told for most of her life to stay away from the Garretts who live next door. A family with too many kids, and an unkempt garden. But Samantha feels drawn to the family, spending most of her life sitting just outside her bedroom window watching them go about their life. All she does is look, until one day she gets company on her ledge, none other than Jase Garrett from next door. She's never fallowed her mothers, or the rest of the towns, opinions on his family, but its not until she starts to spend more time with not only him but his family, does she realise just how wrong everyone is. And just how much she fits in with them.The one thing you see from the start is just how realistic everything is. The characters, the love that developed over time and not instant, the political mum who is too concerned with her own career and the rebel sister who tries anything and everything to lash out and get attention from the absent mother. One of my favourite things about this book was the characters. Jase and Sam are people that stick in your mind. They are such a sweet couple, and as a pair are so a like. They both have this deep routed caring nature that’s' genuine. They aren't perfect people, they have flaws just like everyone else and that's what makes them so likeable and relatablethere is one aspect of this book that, while done often in YA books, is hardly ever done right. Sex. I have never been against having sex in young adult books, but when it's done right like it did in this book, with the embarrassment, the confusing and the awkwardness of it was perfect. Because sex is a big deal and going in to your first time thinking that its all going to go without a hick up and you'll just know what to do, it can leave you very hurt at the end of the day. Anyway, like I said, I think Huntley Fitzpatricks take on it was brilliant. The fact that this is in fact her debut novel is also astounding. Everything about this book was spot on, and you should try it as not just another book to read, but another book to fall in love with.

Hitting up another book in my tbr pile that I have been wanting to read, I find myself asking one question? WHY DID I READ THIS SOONER?!Plot: I love stories that revolves two people from two different sides of the street. Both raised completely different, I can see why these two would hit it off. The plot revolves strongly around family so if you love a good plot that involves parents and siblings, then you will enjoy reading this.Love/Friendship: This is the area I enjoyed the most. First off, I think this book puts in perspective of what goes on in people minds. We have this mom, who is, in all honesty, a hard working mom. But her mind has been changed due to hardship. And with that, she places strong reasoning on her daughter to stay away from Jase/The Garretts. Jase, on the other hand is relaxed and hard worker. I admire that about him. When he wants something, he goes for it. He is real with his emotions and is a perfect match for Samantha.Family: In this story, its all about family, love and mistakes. We all make mistakes and though some mistakes can be forgiven, others you have to pay for. I think all the decisions made throughout the story form Samantha to who she is. She is a wise, strong woman, who is learning from her mother’s mistakes. She follows her heart and not what others say.If you can’t tell, I adore this book! I love every aspect of the story and just getting a chance to walk in the characters shoes. It has plenty of entertainment to keep the reader solidly in the story. I did not put down this story once I started it. My Life Next Door is a beautiful read that experiences life as it is. It showcases hard work, family drama as well as an unexpected love of a lifetime. A touching story that is spirited with lots of heart, My Life Next Door is amazing!

There were some things about this book I truly loved, but there were several pieces I felt needed to be changed in order to take it from a good book to an amazing book.

I'll start with what I loved:
The Garrett family of ten (two parents and eight kids) were well fleshed out (with the exception of Duff). It is tremendously difficult to differentiate that many characters so that readers can visualize them and keep track of them, and I thought Fitzpatrick did a beautiful job in that. I really felt connected to them, like I could feel the life, love, and mess that defined their family.

Samantha was real and easy to relate to. Jase was honest, uncomplicated, and attractive as a love interest.

The dialogue felt genuine, not forced, and the setting was such that it was easy to step in to that world and feel like I was there.

Now what it needed:
The first two thirds of the book was Samantha and Jase falling for each other. It was sweet, but it was a little slow and far too long. I would have cut a good deal of this, particularly the time after they got together, as it got a little hard to watch (there's a reason why people say--even if they are happy for you--"get a room"!). I am a total sucker for a love story, but this one went on longer than it should have, since it lacked any real conflict other than her mom's finding out and certain disapproval of their relationship.

Nan was a throw-away character and we spent way too much time with her. If it weren't for the fact that her brother Tim is interesting and integral to the story, I would say that character should have been cut altogether.

The twist (or "the unthinkable" as it says on the jacket flap) was great and brought a much-needed level of conflict and tension to the story. However, I felt like Jase and Samantha really needed to have a rip-roaring drag out fight where he really lets loose all the emotion inside him and breaks down. He holds so much inside and forgives too quickly. I think their relationship would have been stronger and the scene more powerful if they'd scraped the bottom of the emotional barrel together and come out clinging to one another.

I also felt like Fitzpatrick had a perfect opportunity to go full-circle in character development with Samantha's mom, Grace, but failed to do so. The comment she makes at the end of her last scene really ruined that development arc that was otherwise well done.

Lastly, while the first two-thirds of the book was too long, the last third felt rushed, particularly the ending. We never really find out what happens, how the conflict is ultimately resolved. Even the piece with Nan is left hanging.

So if the beginning had been chopped down some, the post-twist portion expanded, and we'd had the opportunity to see Jase hit rock bottom and bounce back, this would have been a five star book.

I know this might be a bold statement, but this book restored my faith in my enjoyment of YA romance as a genre. For a while now, I've had the feeling that I'm too old to enjoy YA anymore...before reading this book, I found myself connecting with YA characters less and less. The whole *I'm-too-old-for-this* and "that's-not-what-it-was-like-when-I-was-teen" feeling. I guess you'd say I enjoy YA romance that has a timeless feel. Yes, times and technology change, but a good romance should always feel timeless and refreshing, no matter the readers' or the characters' age.

This book definitely has that timeless and refreshing feel.

Samantha Reed is working several jobs and getting ready for college. Her family life is almost non-existent. She doesn't have a dad, her sister is busy with her boyfriend, her mom is a politician running for re-election, and her mom has also just started dating again. Samantha's mother has always told her to keep away from the tacky, shabby large family next door. However, after years of being neighbors, when Samantha finally meets the boy next door, Jase, Samantha finds what she has been looking for: love and a happy family.

In my opinion, this story realistically shows the gradually process of having a crush, truly falling in love, and the struggle to maintain a relationship when life gets rocky. Along with the romance aspect of the story, I also loved Jase's family! They reminded me of a contemporary Weasley clan.

My hat's off to Huntley Fitzpatrick, can't wait for her next book!

This was one of the good contemporary YA adults of 2012. It wasn't perfect, but it was entertaining and it worked well toward my need for contemp romance.

Review to come shortly.

My Life Next Door. This was supposed to be a "a dreamy summer read." Huntley Fitzpatrick shouldn't have taken on writing about something so serious. I'm echoing everyone else's sentiments here. The first half, where Sam and Jace fall in love, is fucking fantastic. Exactly what I want in a summer read. Jace Garrett. There's one boy I won't be forgetting in a while. But all through the second half, my mind screamed, not enough. Nowhere near enough. The rest...it just didn't measure up to the start.
That said, I love the way Huntley Fitzpatrick writes. This is an engaging, funny debut that made me laugh and nearly cry. I've stayed up all night reading and I'm still smiling.

I really liked this book and I fell in love with the characters in the book. This book was a bit different than the other books I usually read because the main characters are still in high school but this book takes place during the summer break. I found that once I started reading this book I was very interested in what was going to happen and how things were going to end up in the end. I really didn't see the twist it took at the end. This was a quick and fun read and I am sure most people would like this book.

I’ve never picked up a YA title thinking “Ooh, I bet I’ll learn something about parenting.”Never.Ever.I pick up YA reads for the same reason my friends watch Glee. The stories offer an escape into the simpler world of teens.My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick delivers on the virtuous teen romance and, for a bonus, throws in some to-do and not-to-do’s for parents.The story kicks off with one of best first lines that I’ve read in a long time “The Garretts were forbidden from the start.” Immediately, I thought coven of witches or harborers of terrorists. But, no. To Senator Reed, the Garretts are way more sinister. Senator Reed forbids her daughters, Samantha and Tracy, from interacting with the Garretts because they represent chaos. Senator Reed vacuums her way out the door each day. For herself and her daughters, she’s constructed an orderly and seemingly perfect life that’s imagined only on photo shopped magazine covers.Next door, chaos reigns. With 8 kids and 8 kids worth of toys, cars, and bikes, the Garretts are the antithesis to the Reed’s antiseptic home. Yet, the chaos beckons Samantha’s attention. She studies the Garretts, at a distance, from the roof outside her window until, one night, Jase Garrett joins her on the roof and invites her into his family’s disarray.Samantha sneaks under her mom’s radar to date Jase. Their romance trots along innocently until Senator Reed’s political ambitions cleave a gulf between the youthful relationship, leading Samantha to have to choose between loyalty and honesty. A choice that proves, sometimes, kids know better than adults.Parenting tips? Yeah, they’re there; laced into the fabric of the story.First tip: Parents who are involved in their children’s day to day lives and who accept the individuality of their children create a circle of trust and respect with their children.Evidenced by Tim’s parents. The Masons parent at arm’s reach, ignoring Tim’s misdeeds until ignorance is no longer possible. But even then, they fail to involve themselves in their son’s life. By contrast, Mr. Garrett treats Tim like one of his own children. He’s honest that Tim’s messed up, accepts Tim where he is in his life, and guides Tim on how to be better. All actions that Tim’s parents could have taken if they weren’t afraid to be involved.Second tip: Kids watch their parents behavior to learn how they themselves should behave.Senator Reed theoretically represents and safeguards her voters. It’s the message the Senator promotes in her campaign. A message that Samantha believes until she witnesses her mom sacrifice integrity for image. Her mom’s misanthropic actions leave Samantha wavering over what is ethical and unethical – a path a responsible parent would have boldly drawn for their child.Young adult blended with parenting tips. I’ll take that any day over the average non-fiction guide to perfect parenting. Especially stories, like My Life Next Door, that test how many nights I can go with only a few hours’ sleep.My only disbelief with My Life Next Door was how constantly kind the Garretts’ kids acted toward each other. I grew up with 3 brothers. I love them with all my soul, but, boy, did we go at it when we were younger. I don’t care how good parents are, siblings argue. It’s a fact.My Life Next Door serves up a sweet summer romance entwined with fables of loyalty, integrity, and family values. A great read for the beach or for a lazy, cozy weekend.~review by pagecravings.com

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the book, Penguin Teen!

Seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed's life is like her home: perfectly kept and perfectly cared for. She's a straight A student with two jobs, her mother is a state senator, her best friend is on track for the Ivy Leagues, so, aside from the stress of wearing a ridiculous sailor outfit for her job at Breakfast Ahoy, Samantha is about as angst free as you can get for a teenager. And yet she spends hours looking out beyond the fence to her neighbor's yard, watching the chaos of the Garretts' large family, their chaos and confusion, wondering if that is a different kind of perfect than the one she knows.

Then one day she finds one of them has climbed up on her roof to watch with her.

That's the basic premise of My Life Next Door, a story about first love and families. The interactions between Samantha and Jase Garrett have all the right beats to explain an authentic, if not enviably awesome, first love. I found it refreshing that their romance wasn't instantaneous but it also didn't take up the entirety of the novel with a "will they/won't they" dynamic. It was an interaction that was heavily laced with attraction but impromptu babysitting and other circumstances were responsible for them to getting to know each other, so when Samantha asks Jase to kiss her after a month of knowing each other you don't think it's too rushed or something dragged out for the novel's peak moment. It's the Baby Bear zone of being "just right" given the circumstances.

And while Jase is almost too good to be true: an extremely hot guy who is an all around handyman and works at his father's business when not playing the patient doting big brother or doing extensive training for a football scholarship? The only thing I didn't buy is why there wasn't a line of girls waiting to go out with him! But he shows his flaws and contradictions enough that he doesn't tip over into wishful thinking category, all the while staying firmly in the "boyfriend you dream about having" field.

There are a number of other refreshing change from most other contemporary YA romances.I love how Samantha has had boyfriends before and is able to compare the idea of dating out of convenience or "why not?" to the kind where there's intense attraction like with Jase. I love that Jase had his own previous relationships that are just there, not some specter to come up in the third act. I love that when two hormone addled teenagers get together sex is actually addressed. They talk about it, they are interested in it, discuss the timing and protection, relate their embarrassing parental advice, and both start out as virgins but sex happens during the novel. I can count on one hand the amount of YA stories I read that managed to treat such a topic in a frank way without making the story all about it, so my infinite respect goes to Fitzpatrick for going there. But people who want a "clean teen read" can considered themselves duly warned. But it was definitely going to be a topic that comes up when one of the two protagonists come from a family of eight children.

And what about the Garrett family? Oh, the Garretts are far and away the best thing about this novel. There's the four-year-old George who gets the best lines with his somber recitation of facts and marriage proposals. Hard edged older sister Alice, the girl who breaks other guys' hearts but shows her true fierceness when she realizes Samantha has the power to hurt Jase. Fourteen-year-old Andy, who is going through her own introduction to dating. Baby Patsy with her talk of boobs and scatalogical humor. Even the ones given less time are still given the space and familiarity of other characters that it doesn't feel like they exist solely for Samantha to gawk at, and the warmth and inviting insanity of their home is something genuinely appealing even as you read about snakes escaping, children running amok, and seven different things going wrong at the same time.

Fitzpatrick uses a deft hand to write Samantha's first person narration as she grows to love the Garretts alongside her deepening feelings for Jase. There are an abundance of subtle tensions between her mother's exacting standards of perfection and the strange otherness that Jase's life offers, instances where Samantha's priorities end up pushing Jase away unintentionally. However, most of these conflicts are minor hiccups compared to other drama that goes on in the novel, such as Samantha's childhood friend, Tim, dealing with his addictions, or Samantha's mother running for office with a truly despicable sleazebag campaign manager who may or may not be cheating on her.

These added complications happen, and often do provide a multifaceted existence to the characters' lives in the story. After all, even if some people do end up ignoring everything else for the intensity of their first love, other things continue to operate regardless. Unfortunately, Fitzpatrick has not yet managed the ability to blend her elements together as seamlessly as other YA contemporary juggernauts (examples of people who have nearly perfected this art: Sarah Dessen or Sara Zarr). For example, the matriachal Grace Reed comes off as more of a demonic, shrewish narcissist than the character I think Fitzpatrick wanted to portray, that of an uptight perfectionist who lets her ambitions and prejudice overshadow her daughter's well-being in spite of wanting the best for her. And although the other storylines intersect with the main one in many ways that improve the story, these side storyarcs also have their drawbacks.

Tim's character arc is the most egregious in terms of suspension of disbelief and tonal consistency. He was written this hopeless wreck who first got drunk at twelve, had done drugs for years (including a mention of coke), got kicked out of school and fired from many jobs for said drug habits, unrepentantly steals money from Samantha and his sister for his fixes, practically killing them in a terrible car accident before blacking out drunk to...suddenly becoming someone who manages to stave off his addiction with packs of cigarettes and pixy stix.

Tim at the beginning seemed to be a symbol of how class status and opportunities don't always mean the person can't be a wreck on the inside. One of the most poetic scenes was Samantha noticing that her mother's perception of the world would be to see Tim as the "upstanding" one in his nice clothes compared to Jase in his ratty greaser shirt, so she would never notice how Jase radiates overwhelming compassion and Tim casually crushes spiders underneath his heel. It was beautiful and telling, and yet... Halfway through the novel he is transformed into a fun supporting character, actually supportive too, who seemed only to need someone like Mr. Garrett to point him in the way of an AA meeting to get clean.

Do I think it's possible for a person do turn their life around that dramatically? Yes. But it doesn't work when the novel introduces something intensely complicated but then explains the journey from point A to point L with a wave of the hand. And, worse, it drags attention away from what the novel is really trying to explore by putting something weighty and problematic alongside it. For the record, I liked Tim as a character, I just wish his darkness didn't seem to come at the cost of making the rest of the character's problems less than his. It usually leads to things like this:

"I hate knowing the right thing to do and not having the balls to do it. This sucks. This is payback, isn't it? You wouldn't believe the things I've done, the tests I've cheated on, the rules I've broken, the times I've fucked up, the people I've screwed over."

"Oh knock it off already, man, with the 'nobody knows the horrors I've seen' routine. It's getting really old," Jase snaps.

Yes, exactly Jase. This is why you are my favorite. Well, that, and everything else.

My Life Next Door provides a poignant look at the explorations of first love, especially the kind of love that develops in a place different from one's familiar surroundings. For readers who want to immerse themselves in Samantha's acceptance by the Garrets and enjoy the antics of a large family, this novel provides a humorous and nuanced read. She manages to imbue characterization into most of the eight children with only a few lines, making them memorable or at least natural to see how some are prominent and others on the periphery of Samantha's attention.

However, those who are sensitive to a story's tone may find a disconnect between the emotional tenderness of the romance Samantha has with Jase (and by proxy, his family) in comparison to the rest of the novel's weighter topics. There is an uneven payoff in the ongoing subplots, which only gets more prominent as the story progresses. These disconnects are not enough to ruin the good foundation that Fitzpatrick sets up in having the reader invested in Samantha and Jase's happiness, but it does run the risk of making the novel's end less than satisfactory. Some subplots are left in mid-conflict, and the major "choice" that the tagline hints at comes in the last quarter of the novel, which doesn't give it the time to be properly resolved after the pacing of the previous chapters. Nevertheless, the novel manages to put you in Samantha's position of being an observer to something different and unknown, drawing you into the tumultuous events in a way that entertains and keeps pages turning. Even if it's not perfect, My Life Next Door is a welcome addition most readers wouldn't mind borrowing a cup of sugary teenage romance from.

I was disappointed in this book. I read it after a friend absolutely loved it, and she and I have had very similar taste in books, so I expected to love it. I'm not quite sure what I was expecting of this book, but it just wasn't what I thought it would be. I felt that it was very slow moving and that ended too abruptly. Just not my cup of tea, I guess. It wasn't horrible, and I didn't hate it, but I just didn't love it like I wanted to.

Loved this book so much I basically live-tweeted it as I read. Huntley Fitzpatrick is a must-read for me from now on.

Full review soon on my blog, StoryboundGirl.com (and cross-posted here) to come.

* Edited again 7 Jul because I'm a dork and shouldn't write without an editor while I have low blood sugar induced by grilled cheese withdrawals.

This is a sweet story but I'll have to tell you about what impressed upon me the most. The million dollar question? How much are our relationships shaped by our loyalties, our families, our friends?

The synopsis and back material tell the story but anyone can write an outline. Well, almost anyone.

Okay, anyone that's a writer.

Anyone that is a writer AND knows how to write an outline...can write an outline. You get it.

I want to tell you more-than-the-book-blurb-stuff. More than a sweet albeit privileged girl and her swoony boy next door. More than yummy kisses and warm fuzzies. More than a drama queen best friend with her recovering stoner brother or a politically ambitious mother and her smooth talking, manipulative campaign manager.

Family is what makes this book so poignant.

We have a neighborly dichotomy: A Senator struggling as a single mother making her way to the best of everything for her and her two daughters. Next door, a happily married couple with a brood of kids struggling financially but, in the sage words of the missus, "were rich in all the things that matter"

In My Life Next Door, Fitzpatrick portrays our main character, Samantha Reed. She's busy during the summer with babysitting, jobs, or helping her perfectionist mother who's running for a Senate seat. Samantha is painted by those around her as one with a life of ease. She's blond, cute, on top of her game at school, a model employee, hard working, loyal friends, and has no worries of her own in her little bubble.

Enter the Garretts, the family that's been living next door for years.

I related to the Garretts so. very. much. You see, the Garretts are my childhood. And nearly the family that I have now.

My own family was loud. Messy. Full of 'what's next'. Love, laughter, busy-ness and the crazy of a big household. Slip N Slides in the yard and the proverbial mess of The Never-Ending-Dishes-Laundry-Take-Out-The-Garbage "I just did it last week!".

I loved the dynamic of the Garrett siblings and little George Garrett had me laughing out loud. His obsession with death, facts and figures? George had some of the best scenes in the book. His four year-old observations were priceless, evident in the way only an imaginative child can regale. I would be floored if Fitzpatrick doesn't have children herself, or at least first hand knowledge of a large family.

My favorite scene is when Samantha is with Mrs. Garrett in the grocery. Personally, When I'm out with my kids I'm frequently told, "Wow. You must have your hands full..." like I'm the reason for world hunger. I tell them, "Yeah. Their dad is really hot." There's a point in the book where Mrs. Garrett is asked the same type of monotonous questions in the supermarket. I nearly stopped to write Huntley Fitzpatrick a thank you letter for affording readers a view of the flip side of the isle. Reading Mrs. Garrett's responses made me grin like a Cheshire cat. I could almost feel the bump of grocery cart wheels and smell the floor wax in the frozen food isle while the questions and dirty looks come rolling in. A great bit of writing.

Again, my personal family was not the Reeds with a white picket fence and a silver spoon in our mouths. We were so much like the Garretts. Most likely *adored* (insert sarcasm) by the Grace Reeds of our neighborhood. We were the family with the primer gray muscle car in the driveway (sans gas tank) and a dandelion farm in the front yard. We lived life with our version of the silver spoon, a plastic spork with grilled cheese on the end. That's white bread, American cheese...not a pinky pointing rye, prosciutto and Havarti deal.

Hmm, prosciutto....I need to stop writing reviews when I'm hungry.

I don't want to focus on Senator Grace Reed, Samantha's mother. But I have to because even though she is annoying in her plastic perfect, looking down on the Garrett's sort of way, her character is fascinating and pivotal to the whole story. As a Senator, a civil servant mind you, one would think she would have more of a heart for her constituents in all tax brackets. At first, Grace seemed just plain selfish to me but then her motives took on a new light. Grace told herself she could do it all. To get the best only if she wanted it badly enough. The further into the book I read, and toward the end during a particularly pivotal incident, I felt that somewhere in the political grind as a woman in politics her focus narrowed and was manipulated by sleezy boyfriend /campaign manager. It all snuck up on her but at any speed, influenced or not...Senator Reed forgot what was important: her family.

The relationship between Jase and Samantha felt very organic, not forced but sweet and selfless. The official meeting on Samantha's roof was cute. Jase struck me as one of those who took his time to consider what he felt but when he felt it, he felt it deeply and without shame.

The sweetest was his interaction with his siblings, especially the baby. I don't mean that in 'sweet exploding ovaries, he's holding a baby' kind of way, but what impressed me more was reflections of his parents, how he loved his siblings and the amount of patience behind that love. Pretty mature for a teenager.

Overall, I really enjoyed this first for Fitzpatrick. I know, right out of the gate. I'll also add the cover
art is quite lovely (graphic design peeps, get on with your bad self...) I will definitely be keeping an eye out for what Fitzpatrick has coming in the future.

Il romanzo presenta un confronto tra due famiglie profondamente diverse: da una parte i Reed, madre single maniaca della pulizia con due figlie adolescenti, la maggiore più ribelle e la minore più accomodante; dall'altra parte dello steccato i Garretts, genitori con otto figli dalle età più disparate, chiassosi e disordinati.Samantha Reed, appassionata osservatrice dei Garret dal suo tetto, conoscerà Jase Garrett con cui inizierà una storia, il tutto contornato da fratelli particolari e amici problematici.Il romanzo è sostanzialmente l'evoluzione della storia d'amore tra Sam e Jael fino a un punto di svolta che introduce alcuni dilemmi morali e etici e che risolleva da un racconto che tendeva a diventare ripetitivo.Molti personaggi, alcuni caratterizzati meglio di altri che fanno solo brevi apparizioni, nel complesso un romanzo carino, rilassante.---The novel presents a comparison between two different families: the Reed, a single mother who loves to clean with two adolescent girls, the older more rebel the younger obliging; on the other side of the fence the Garrets, parents of eight children of various age, loud and messy.Samantha Reed, who loves to observe the Garrets from her roof, will meet Jase Garret and the two will fall in love surrounded by peculiar children and troublesome friends.The novel consists in the evolution of the love story between Sam and Jase until an event happens, providing some moral and ethical questions and making again interesting the quite recurring plot.Lots of characters, some depicted better than other, overall a nice, relaxing novel.