I appreciated that Samantha’s love interest Jase was such an individual with unique interests. I never bought into Samantha and her relationship and their entire dynamic made me wish Samantha had even one positive female relationship. Samantha’s best friend Nan is a hard pill to swallow even from the beginning. Both these characters evoked more emotion from me than the protagonist. She’s judgmental in a way that is hard not to cringe at and if there was a reward for worst mother in YA fiction, she’d probably win. Much of her energy is focused on campaigning for her next term. As a state senator, Samantha’s mother is constantly busy. Samantha’s older sister Tracy makes only a couple of appearances, but her willingness to challenge her mother’s impossible standards made her immediately more interesting than Samantha. Compared to the larger ensemble of characters, Samantha was bland in comparison. I really wanted to feel invested in Samantha’s story, but in the end, I felt very little for this protagonist. But both her worlds are about to collide in the most heartbreaking way and Samantha comes to realize she may not be able to keep both families. When Samantha meets Jase Garrett and he introduces her to his unstructured family, Samantha begins to fall in love with all of them. The Garretts next door have always represented what her own family is not. Samantha Reed is not used to stepping out of her comfort zone and much of her safe little world has been defined by her overly critical mother. This is unfortunately what I experienced when I picked up Huntley Fitzpatrick’s My Life Next Door.

It’s almost entirely impossible to truly enjoy a novel where you find the minor characters more interesting than the protagonist. “One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself? “

She’s suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Then something unthinkable happens, and the bottom drops out of Samantha’s world. until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs up next to her and changes everything.Īs 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. And every day from her rooftop perch, Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them. “The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not.

My life next door review