Review: My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 394

Publisher: Dial Books (Imprint of the Penguin Group)

Buy This Book: Amazon

From Goodreads:

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.

 Review:

I knew from the moment that I finished reading the Kindle sample of My Life Next Door that it was a book that I would fall in love with, so I bought the hardcover (I had to have it on my bookshelf) and after reading it I have to say I was right.

17 year old Samantha Reed is obsessed with her next door neighbors, the Garrett’s.  She has been secretly watching Mr. & Mrs. Garrett and their eight children ever since they moved in next door ten years ago.  While outside on her roof watching the Garrett’s one night she gets caught by none other than Jase Garrett, they share an instant connection.  Sam feels like she can tell him anything. 

I completely understand why Samantha is infatuated with the Garretts’, because I absolutely adore them too, and if they lived beside me, most likely I would be watching them all the time as well.  They are just a completely fascinating family and you can just feel the love and respect that they all have for one another. 

Jase is by far my favorite Garrett (George is a close second).  He’s smart, sweet, genuine, witty and you can tell how much he truly cares about Samantha.  Samantha is a strong character as well, she’s intelligent, responsible and she also has a big heart.  Tim is a character that I didn’t like at all in the beginning of this book but he straightens his life out and he actually turns out to be a better friend to Samantha than Nan (who I don’t like at all btw).

Samantha and Jase are going strong until Samantha witnesses something huge, something that if she tells it would not only ruin her mother’s political career but there’s a big chance that she might lose Jase forever.  

Samantha has to make some really tough decisions, decisions that could destroy everything.  It’s easy to know the difference between right and wrong, but most of the time choosing to do the right thing is hard.

My Life Next Door is an engaging and fun read but it’s also romantic and emotional, the first pages will grip you and by the end you will be craving more of the crazy and charming family next door.  I would definitely recommend this book to fans of Stephanie Perkins’ Anna and the French Kiss.

 

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