My Life Next Door (By Huntley Fitzpatrick)

"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, 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.

Review

I give ★★★✩✩

Can I just say the book cover gives me the impression that they are some tiny humans near a ginormous fence. I like it. 

Where do I begin? Well, I'm quite surprised with myself for giving so low, honestly now.  I was 20% into the book when I said I could not put it down. This book got me hooked, up until the 200th page. If it weren't for my brother telling me something was going to happen, I would have found it very difficult to continue. This book was constant. The characters were beautiful, with the exception of Mr. Clay and her selfish mother. 

Maybe for some of you reading is just a form of entertainment, well I wanted this book to be  my source of completely shutting the world out, it just disappointed me so much towards the end. 

Let me start on the Jase guy, Mr. Perfect boyfriend, brother, son, and friend. He takes things slow, he understands, he helps, he volunteers to help around the house, he gets two or God knows how many jobs to help out his family, he puts money away to buy a car and ends up selling it to benefit anyone but him and he helps Tim with the job at his father's shop. He is amazing, maybe, just maybe too amazing, and maybe that is why I haven't felt a connection to him, he's too inhumanly selfless, and don't get me started on Samantha. 

I get that you know a lot about your science and your astrological signs but knowing it all just won't do it. She's too perfect, until she isn't because of her perfect mother, who again, is not perfect because clearly just shutting out problems, not associated with her is not the perfect way to go at life. Samantha does not act like a spoiled brat, even though she may be, but living under her mother's strict rules kept her from becoming one. But since she's so good, I start to wonder is that really how she may have turned out? Her mother is being an ignorant selfish strict mom, and Samantha somehow still turns out perfect, even with a missing father. This just doesn't add up. And after all the sacrifices her mom made, making sure both of her daughters being raised properly and whatnot, it just seems like not enough credit is given to her, and to fall in Clay's scumbag trap should've been obvious, IT WAS OBVIOUS. Not to mention letting anyone tell her how to be a parent, which she did let Clay do.

As soon as the car incident happens, I just knew this perfect little story I was reading was over. Because everything turned gray. 

Nan was a big shock, like, what? Why? For 12 years she kept this act, no, no, no, impossible, 12 years is a lot, and 12 years Samantha never noticed her hate towards her? There must have been something, Gosh, eyes betray every feeling we try to hide, and Samantha being such a smartass should've been able to tell. Nan also should have noticed that Samantha did not have it all, she was literally cursed by being the daughter of a strict, selfish witch. And Samantha not telling her best friend about Jace, what was up with that? 

I suppose most of my favourite moments were those when Samantha was excited to meet Jace by the window, I just found that adorable, also this idea of watching another, completely different, family from afar, yes it sounds like something a stalker would do, but wanting to be a part of that family was just beautiful. That was worth my 3 stars, because if it weren't for that, this book would have made top 10 least favourite books. I suppose it is a better book than "The summer I turned pretty." since they are both sending out that summer vibe I was looking for.