My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Title: My Life Next Door
Author: Huntley Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
Date Published: June 14th (US)

Summary: 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? 
“One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time.” (Goodreads)


Review: Searching through mounds of summaries on NetGalley, trying to find a great contemporary novel- something that wouldn't mimic the last book I just set down on my coffee table (not that there was anything wrong with the last read, but a change is good!) was when I stumbled across My Life Next Door! 

Samantha is a teenager who finds herself staring outside her window into a life she never thought she'd be a part of; the Garrett's. The Garrett's, who are the complete opposite of Samantha Reed's small, kept up, tidy, political family, have a

This book started out slow for me; the author Huntley Fitzpatick is a genius at creating a vivid world with details marking every page! Normally, I love when authors are very thorough... at points I started to find myself thinking "okay lets just get to the point". I wanted to get to the meat of the story and I felt as though we were being rerouted to other character backgrounds quite a bit-- while they aren't necessary to the plot, I do see that later on, they tie into the relationships of these characters. 

What I LOVE about My Life Next Door is that although this book is fiction, and therefore some of the decisions are a bit exaggerated, I believe that most people could identify with one side of the fence or the other. I'd probably say my life is more like the Garrett's... .This story is contemporary and something that could happen- to an extent- the love story between Samantha and Jase isn't without fault but it's still pure and sweet. I think that goes for many relationships... and I enjoyed that this book still had the "realistic" feel of what a relationship would be like in their given situation. 

My Life Next Door will have the reader asking herself & himself, what he or she would do in a situation given they are in the same circumstances as Samantha sees herself in. Books that make the reader compare their own conscious decisions to the ones that the character ultimately makes are interesting and fun-- it's like trying to figure out why the author chose that route for that specific character...

I've given this book at 3.5/4 star out of 5... mainly due to the fact that I did have a slow start getting into this book and feel as though if others also have they same start some may not continue reading; which I hope isn't true because this book really does have a sense of freshness that I believe we need more of in contemporary literature.