Early Review: On the Fence by Kasie West

On the Fence by Kasie West

Publisher- Harper Teen

Released- July 1st 2014

Pre-Order- Amazon / B & N

She's a tomboy. He's the boy next door…Charlie Reynolds can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at a chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world. To cope with the stress of her new reality, Charlie takes to spending nights chatting with her neighbor Braden through the fence between their yards. As she grows to depend on their nightly Fence Chats, she realizes she's got a bigger problem than speeding tickets-she's falling for Braden. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.Fun, original, and endearing, On the Fence is a romantic comedy about finding yourself and finding love where you least expect.

My Thoughts:

I know this review is super early, but I simply couldn't wait to gush about my new favorite book! To say that I loved On the Fence by Kasie West would be a huge understatement. This book is my definition of the perfect escape. It's filled with the best.characters.evah. 

I freaken loved Charlie's family. Her brothers are her best friends and her dad is just this wonderful warm man raising a daughter without her mother and hoping that he's doing it right. Then we have a fantastic friends-turned-romance love story that plastered a smiles to my face the whole way through and melted my insides into goo. From start to finish, I totally fell in love with everything this book has to offer, so much so that I actually had to read it again once I hit the last page. Such a blast! 

It feels like I've only just discovered Kasie West's books and yet I'm already a screaming fan girl. She's rapidly becoming one of my favorite contemporary authors evah!

I've recently read The Distance Between Us and loved the sweet-feels and sarcastically charged humor, but I've always been a sucker for sports themed tomboys who dares to wonder what it would be like to be a real girl. West delivers a flawed but likeable protagonist with a realistic story and relatable connections. I was instantly consumed from minute one and devoured this in one sitting.

In some books, it may be the setting or plot that makes the story, but for this book the characters totally own it. Hands down, this book has the best characters ever.

Charlie is a very conflicting character and not your typically tomboy, she's definitely extreme. Her mother died when she was a little girl so she grew up without a women's touch, but I still think she was born with a competitor's edge and I envied her athletic drive and dedication. She may not have had a mother around growing up, but she still had a cop for a father who is fair, kind and loving and a bunch of boisterous brothers and a next door neighbour who are fiercely protective, supportive and aren't afraid to treat her like one of the guys. Charlie may come off a little too strong at times and I found her to be pretty stubborn, insensitive and defensive, but she also has this sweet and vulnerable side that I couldn't help love. Everyone has versions of themselves that they share with the people in their lives, but in Charlie's case, she didn't realize that she can have the best of both worlds and her journey of self discovering her inner-girl was just to adorable for words.

I simple adored Jerom, Nathan, Gage and Braden. They really are such a force in this book. My favourite part of the story was when all of these guys come together playing sports, goofing around and messing with Charlie's universe. Hilarious stuff!

Then we have Braden, who totally owned my heart. He may not have always handled things the best way, but he's always had Charlie's best interest at heart. Funny enough the romance in this is actually pretty light, but still just as powerful. It has the perfect blend of tension and chemistry. I absolutely adored the late night fence-chats and 'I know you better' games between Charlie and Braden. These two have an easy friendship with complicated emotions, but it was so easy to get lost in their 'alternate reality' and I found myself  living in their moments a little longer with each new scene.

The Distance Between Us fans will be pleased to see Skye again in this book, but we only get a second with Caymen and no Xander in sight, but it was still great to see them in this book. There is some heavy hearted issues that Charlie deals with concerning her mother, it was touching but not overly dramatic.

Bottom line, I couldn't love a book more. On the Fence, has it all my friends. The writing is fantastic and flows at an even pace. The story is absorbing and fun filled and these characters are rambunctious and full of life. Wonderful family togetherness, meaningful friendships and self-discovery journey that reminds us that we don't have to change for anyone and it's okay to be who you really are. Fans who like their contemporary with a little edge and a lot of heart will love this book. It's  my new favourite thing and  I can't wait to devour West's next book. Love, love love!!!

Find the author:

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