My Life Next Door - 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, 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?

What a lovely debut  This beauty effortlessly captures the charm and innocence of first love, without bordering on the cheesy side...

The thing I loved most about this novel, was the characters. Both Jase and Samantha - the lovers of the novel, had their own personalities and were each down to earth. They also showed lots of character development throughout the novel, which was nice, instead of just having the typical teenager who complains-about-life-then-falls-in-love-and-everything-is-better. Also, the Garrett family was especially fun to read about - with a big family, they were all just so quirky!

Another aspect of this novel I really enjoyed (and was quite surprised about) was the plot! With contempory romances, it is very easy to ditch the plot and just focus on a mushy gushy romance, however My Life Next Door did the exact opposite  While having a gorgeous romance, Hutley Fitzpatrick also managed to incorporate a brilliant heart racing plot, keeping me right on the edge of my seat!

The only thing I didn't like so much in the novel, it would be the fact that many sticky situations were resolved to quickly for my liking, and I was left wanting to find out more about how these conflicts really had been resolved.

Nevertheless, a wonderful, romantic summer read! 

4/5