Sam watches her next door neighbors from her roof. He mom has no clue -- she wants Sam to have NOTHING to do with those people. Imagine having SEVEN children. Their yard is a mess, and the mom breast feeds the baby in public.
Sam's mom on the other hand, is obsessed with neatness. Both her yard and house are immaculate. She is constantly remodeling and improving her house, and the neighbors are just bring down the property values!
Jace, one of the boys from next door, ends up climbing on the roof and confronting Sam, and thus begins one of the sweetest romances I've read in a long time. All secret from Sam's mom, of course. But Sam's mom is busy with her own new romance with her campaign manager, Clay. Sam's mom is running for senator. Sam isn't at all sure of Clay's motives, but her mom is so busy and she's gone so much, that Sam is able to keep her relationship with Jace a secret.
ALL of the characters in My Life Next Door are priceless. I love Jace's entire family. All of the kids have distinct personalities, and they are extremely entertaining. I even like Sam's mother. She's always been a good mother -- just seems like she's getting a bit off track lately, and her feelings about Jace's family just add drama to the story. Additional tension is added by Sam's best friend and her brother. This is an interesting side story that just adds to Sam's problems.
As I said, I melted a few times during the romantic scenes between Jace and Sam. Very well done without overtaking the entire plot.
The only thing I didn't care for was the eventual situation that caused the drama and the break up. I knew that everything wasn't going to be smooth until the end of the book. I just wish something else had torn Jace and Sam apart. I just thought it was a bit much. But, in NO WAY does it taint my feelings about My Life Next Door as far as a teen contemporary goes.
I'll be anxious to recommend My Life Next Door to my teen girls when school starts. It's a great story that isn't just a romance, but a story about friendship and family. Actually, I have already recommended it, even without reading it. I'm glad I can safely say My Life Next Door was a good call!
Published by Dial, 2012
Copy obtained from the Library
394 pages
Rating: 4.5/5
This was a good one. I liked how the author showcased different family dynamics and how that weaves into other relationships.
ReplyDeleteI keep hearing great things about this book, and the romance sounds wonderful! I love when the romantic scenes make you melt, those are the best sorts of books to read in summer. I'll have to grab a copy of this before my next beach vacation, it sounds like the perfect beach read for me. Lovely review!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard of this one, but I am definitely adding it to our list to get! Thank you for the review, I agree that any book that can make you laugh is a good one.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I love it when books can make me laugh. The romance sounds so cute, and I love that it didn't take over the entire plot. Great review, I'll be on the lookout for this one!
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