My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

My Life Next Door by Huntley FitzpatrickRelease Date: June 14, 2012
Author Info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Dial Books For Young Readers
Age Group: Young Adult
Shelfability: Covet/Acquire
Pages: 395
Format: eBook/Hardcover
Source: NetGalley/Bought
Interest: Debut
Challenge: Debut Author Challenge & The Completely Contemp Challenge
Buy the Book: Amazon

Samantha Reed looks like she has the perfect life. A nice house, a successful attentive mother, a fabulous best friend and perfect grades. But she feels like she’s missing out on something when she watches the Garrett family next door. They’re a huge family, they are messy and boisterous, everything that Samantha’s family is not.

She’s always wished she could be part of their lives and she gets the chance when Jace Garrett climbs up her trellis and joins her on her roof… and her whole life turns upside down.

I adored Samantha’s character. I was afraid that given Samantha’s “perfect” persona, she would be one of those characters who took what they had for granted or constantly complained about it. Samantha wasn’t like that at all. She realized that she had a good life and that her mother cared for her. She just realized that what was “perfect” for her mother wasn’t necessarily perfect for everyone.  Thus her infatuation with watching the Garrett family! And then Jace! Whew! He is the perfect boy. No really, he is the type of guy that you want to marry! He loves his family, will do anything for them and he’s so sweet! No jerk faces in this book. Well, Clay is a jerk face, but let’s not talk about him.

My favorite character was George. He just leapt off the page. He reminds me of every little kid that I know, rolled into one. All of the Garrett family is fabulous, but I’m sure George will be your favorite too!

There were real conflicts in this novel, and I loved how Fitzpatrick portrayed and had her characters deal with them. Poor Samantha though! Felt so bad for her!

This is a fabulous contemporary debut and a wonderful summer read! Add it to your reading piles!

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