My Rating: 5 starsDate Read: August 8, 2014
Source: Purchased ebook
Publication Date: June 14, 2012
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
Genres: Young adult, contemporary, romance
Summary (taken from Goodreads): "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.
I heard a lot of good things about this book, yet I waited a long time before reading. I'm thinking the main reason for this is that I didn't believe it would be as great as everyone else seemed to think. I was ready to be disappointed.
That didn't happen. The book hooked me from the very first sentence. I was so disappointed not to have more reading time than I did, because I just wanted to sit down and read the whole thing at once.
The characters were a huge part of what made this story great. They weren't typical young adult characters. While some of them - a snobby, materialistic rich mother; a jealous best friend; a rebellious teenage sister - were pretty common tropes, they also had their own unique traits that made them real.
An easy writing style and a (somewhat) lighthearted story made the book a wonderful summer read. I was not let down at all by this one. It was fantastic.
I'm glad you liked it. My sister recently made me buy it so she could read it. She really enjoyed it, and now it's sitting on my shelf waiting for me. There is a sequel to this one that will be coming out soon... maybe next year. I haven't checked the release date.
ReplyDeleteI also bought What I Thought Was True by Fitzpatrick. I might read them back-to-back.
I hope you enjoy it! And thanks for mentioning the sequel - I didn't know, and it's about one of my favorite characters from this book :)
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