Upcoming Release & Review: The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick

The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick 

Expected publication: August 18, 2015

Publisher: Dial Books

A surprising, utterly romantic companion to My Life Next Door—great for fans of Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han


Tim Mason was The Boy Most Likely To find the liquor cabinet blindfolded, need a liver transplant, and drive his car into a house

Alice Garrett was The Girl Most Likely To . . . well, not date her little brother’s baggage-burdened best friend, for starters.

For Tim, it wouldn’t be smart to fall for Alice. For Alice, nothing could be scarier than falling for Tim. But Tim has never been known for making the smart choice, and Alice is starting to wonder if the “smart” choice is always the right one. When these two crash into each other, they crash hard.

Then the unexpected consequences of Tim’s wild days come back to shock him. He finds himself in a situation that isn’t all it appears to be, that he never could have predicted . . . but maybe should have.

And Alice is caught in the middle.

Told in Tim’s and Alice’s distinctive, disarming, entirely compelling voices, this novel is for readers of The Spectacular Now, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, and Paper Towns. 

My Thoughts

I was really excited about diving into the second installment of Huntley Fitzpatrick’s novel My Life Next Door. I remember that book being a perfect summer read that satisfied my YA contemporary craving that never ceases to wane. Unfortunately, The Boy Most Likely To didn’t quite hit the mark for me in so many subtle ways.

Having met Tim Mason and Alice Garrett in the first book, I was looking forward to seeing them get their own installment. I remember Jase’s best friend Tim being a hot mess that kept making mistake after mistake. Well, as the title indicates, he’s the boy most likely to not finish high school, get drunk night after night, and seriously disappoint his family because of his choices.

Alice is Jase’s older sister that seems to be struggling in a different sort of way. She's the backbone of her family that is keeping them afloat as their father recovers from an accident that left him badly injured. As she balances finishing nursing school, taking care of her siblings, running the household and helping with the family business, she knows that last thing she has time for is to fall for Tim that seems to be stumbling through life.

Together these two uncover an attraction and work toward finding a middle ground in the mess that is their life.

Well first off, let me share that it took me three LONG weeks to finish this book. It wasn’t quite what I had hoped for, and I had such a hard time connecting with these characters. I also had a difficult time picking up on the cadence of the dual narrative. I never seemed to find my stride and enjoy Alice and Tim’s journey. I didn’t have a difficult time with the age difference, but it would have been nice for Tim to at least be of legal age… that would have been an easier pill to swallow for some of the stuff that happened in this book.

If I had to pull anything positive from this book, I have to admit that I really liked the ending despite how long it took me to get there.

Overall, not quite what I was expecting for a summer, contemporary read. It seemed to have missed the mark for me in more ways than one.

3 Snowflakes

Review: My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

My Life Next Door (My Life Next Door #1) by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Published June 14th 2012 by Dial Books For Young Readers 

"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. As the two fall fiercely for each other, stumbling through the awkwardness and awesomeness of first love, Jase's family embraces Samantha - even as she keeps him a secret from her own. Then something unthinkable happens, and the bottom drops out of Samantha's world. She's suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself? A transporting debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another.

My Thoughts

Sam Reed lives in a perfect bubble. Her mother is State Senator which has always lead a privileged life, even without knowing it. Perhaps that is why she is so fascinated with the hectic, messy, loud, crowded family of Garrett's. She has been watching them her whole life from a far. Suddenly, she is swept up into their madness in the best way possible. Jase and Sam are perfect for each other and she adores her family but while their loves grows stronger her family life becomes more volatile as a secret threatens to bring down the house...literally.

This book was adorable!! I have been hearing great things for years and I was so happy to be agreement with all the hubbub. I have a really hard time with YA contemporary since I grew up a bit different then many of the M.C.'s. Let's just say I was more of a cross between Tim & Alice instead of Jace & Sam. I have since grown up but still have a hard time relating yet this one fascinated me. Mrs. Fitzpatrick really captured the details of a first love perfectly, even the awkward slightly uncomfortable minutes. There was something so enthralling about that first love feel between those two. They were just cute as buttons without inciting any eye rolling. The dialogue was incredibly strong as well. In fact, if I was to have any complaints at all (not that I do), but I would say that things at times were a bit too wordy which slowed the pace. This was easily overlooked though.

The supporting cast was incredibly strong in their own right. Each character was incredibly detailed and yet they all somehow complemented each other perfectly. Let me just say that I squealed with delight to find the companion/sequels main focus is the ever feisty Alice and reformed screw up (who more than completely redeemed himself) Tim. I CAN'T WAIT!! 

I will absolutely be looking for any more Huntley books I can. I am about to read What I Thought Was True as well!! These are seriously some perfect summer swoons.

4 Snowflakes

Review: My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Publication Date: June 14, 2012

Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers

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.

My Thoughts
My Life Next Door is a great YA contemporary that would make an awesome addition to any summer beachside reading list. Huntley Fitzpatrick’s debut novel is full of laughs, heartfelt moments, memorable friendships and just downright good storytelling. Samantha and Jase’s adventure is one I won’t soon forget. Absolutely lovely!!

First off, let me share that as I find my reading choices altering quite a bit, there’s one genre I probably won’t ever grow out of and that’s YA contemporary. I’ve pretty much had my fill of teenage love triangles, shiny vampires, and absentee parents that seem to be formulaic of most YA. So if I’m going to invest my time in young adult, as of late I’d like it to be something completely unique and/or realistically possible. It’s no secret that the YA market is absolutely flooded, so unless an author has an established fan base, any new contender needs to be ready with something different or something that will resonate with their audience. For My Life Next Door the secret ingredient that Fitzpatrick infused in her story was the believability of her characters who shared common problems making them feel relatable.

Jase and Sam have lived next door to each other for years, but have never approached one another in all that time. Jase comes from a loud, full-of-life and large family - we’re talking 8 brothers and sisters total in the Garrett family. This contrasts dramatically from Sam’s quiet existence being the daughter of the Senator who is expected to be polished and on her game at every moment because of the spotlight placed on her family. She’s watched Jase’s family from afar, but because of her mother’s feelings about “Those Garretts,” she’s never had the nerve to engage with them. That all changes one summer night when Jase climbs her terrace and changes Sam’s life forever.

I’d like to commend Fitzpatrick for her ability to infuse a reasonable amount of conflict in her story without running the risk of making it feel overly dramatic or contrived. She created a believable representation of true life for a teenage girl embarking on a life altering summer.

Samantha Reed is the MC in this novel, and I enjoyed meeting this character. She had some tough events happen to her in a few short summer months. Most of it was left slightly unresolved, but that’s okay because to tie her story with a pretty red bow would be to sell her adventure short. I admired the choices she made when it came to how she handled her best friend, Tim and “big incident” involving her mom. She definitely felt the brunt of her choices, but she stood behind her decisions and I applauded that.

Jase was a perfect partner for Samantha. Their maturity levels were truly magnified in how they interacted with each other and the two families involved. I loved them as a couple, but I adored them as individuals. Great character development where these two were concerned.

I’d also like to make a note of how simply enamored I was with little George. He was an absolute adorable addition to the story. I enjoyed his mental frenzy and how tender Jase and Sam handled him. What a cute little kid with such a commanding presence.

On a final note, I have to share how slightly put off I was with Mr. and Mrs. Garrett. For the most part, I can stand aside and realize that adults should be able to make their own choices because it’s up to them to deal with the consequence. I don’t have any issues with people that have a large family and I know it’s not my place to render any judgment left or right in this case. But when it came to the Garrett’s, each addition to their family felt like an “oops we’re pregnant again,” and when even the older children who were suffering the heavy lifting of caring for the little ones, supporting the family business, figuring out how to make their way to college… it just felt irresponsible on the parent’s part and unfair for the kids. That issue seemed to stay on my mind the entire time and I felt bad for the Garrett kids for their parent’s lack of judgment. That is all I want to say on that.

Overall though, I enjoyed My Life Next Door and I will definitely keep my eye out for other novels by this author. Add me to her fan base… I was pleased. :)

4 Snowflakes