Original Title: My Life Next Door
Author: Huntley Fitzpatrick
Release Date: June 14th 2012
Add it: Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository
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.
Wow. Just wow! I believe I loved every single second of this
book and I read it in two nights. It was thrilling, sweet, amazing, fun, sad –
it had every emotion I want and expect from a book. Even though there were some
parts that were a bit slower than the others, it was still a fantastic read and
if the author writes a sequel or a story about Tim (or, let’s say, Alice?) someday,
I’d pick it up in a heartbeat.
The only thing I did not like was Nan, Sam’s best friend. I’m
sorry, but she was just.. Yeah. I was not her biggest fan. I bet there are
people who didn’t like Clay either, but I think he was awesome because he was
that type of a character you love to hate, so in a way I did like him. That
being said, there wasn’t anything else I did not like, so let us continue with
the good parts of this story, shall we?
Sam. Nan thinks everything comes easily for her; however, it
doesn’t. She’s a freaking teenager and about to start her senior year in
highschool, but since her mother is the Senator, she has to be polite, nice, well
behaved etc and cannot enjoy her youth that much. Her mother has already gone
trough pareting her older sister Tracy, so she doesn’t want Samantha to do
anything stupid and expects her to behave like an adult, because her elections
and image are the most important thing to her. Sam really seems like a ghost in
her own house and in her mother’s life unless it’s about presenting their
family of three on television or going to important meals. There were two
things I liked about her the most: firstly, she likes to swim (one of my
favorite hobbies) and, secondly, she tries her best to make everyone feel good
and happy.
She’s watched their next door neighbours – the Garretts –
for years, but has never approached them. During one night, while she’s at her
rooftop, one of them comes to say hello. His name is Jase an he’s this awesome
gifted guy who’s good at everything. Jack of all trades! He’s a sweet, caring,
fun, hard-working guy and his family is everything to him. Jase is very
rational and down to earth. He would be a great guy to be friends with and,
what’s more, he’s ridiculously good-looking.
These two adolescents grow to love each other and everything
seems like a fairy tale. Until it isn’t. Almost everyone in town, including Sam’s
mother, points their finger at the Garretts due to their huge family. I liked
their family. It was a bit chaotic, but it was a family and it’s more than you
can say about Sam’s relationship with her mother. It’s not like they don’t get
along, it’s just that she doesn’t seem to enjoy her life at home as much as she
enjoys it at the Garretts. Anyway, it’s all lovey-dovey at the beginning and it’s
not until towards the end of the book you start to wonder that there must be
something happening real soon. And BAMM!! It happens.
So.. The question is: how do they get trough this horrible
situation? How would you act if you had a big secret to hide that’s not yours
to tell, since you weren’t the one at fault, but it affects the people you love
the most? What would you do if you need and want to tell the truth, but it
could send someone very important to you to jail? What would you do if this
secret tears you apart from the one person you trust the most?
It was a really, really good book and I’ll probably read it
again someday. I definitely recommend this book. You should read it because of
George, Jase’s little brother, and Tim, Sam’s childhood friend and Nan’s brother.
You should read it because of this beautiful love story between these wild
young hearts. What a great story!
Excerpts:
“Why would I need rescuing? This is my house, my roof.”
“I don’t know. It just hit me, seeing you there, that you might be Rapunzel. The princess in the tower thing. All that long blond hair and…well…”
“And you’d be?” I know I’m going to laugh if he says “the prince.”
“Samantha and I are going upstairs to, uh, feed the animals.” Jase grabs my hand.
“Is that what they call it now?” asks Alice languidly.
“It'd be good if you'd stop apologizing right about now."
"It's about all I've got to fix things.”
Rating: 5/5.
