Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Book Review: On the Fence by Kasie West (no spoilers)

Book: On the Fence
Author: Kasie West
Publication: July 1st, 2014
Source: Local Library
Read: September 10th-12th, 2014
Summary (from Goodreads):
For sixteen-year-old Charlotte Reynolds, aka Charlie, being raised by a single dad and three older brothers has its perks. She can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows—including her longtime neighbor and honorary fourth brother, Braden. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world of makeup, lacy skirts, and BeDazzlers. Even stranger, she's spending time with a boy who has never seen her tear it up in a pickup game.

 To cope with the stress of faking her way through this new reality, Charlie seeks late-night refuge in her backyard, talking out her problems with Braden by the fence that separates them. But their Fence Chats can't solve Charlie's biggest problem: she's falling for Braden. Hard. 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.
.
My Thoughts:
This book was amazing. I finished it about three sittings over a two day period while I worked around doing homework and other college related things. This book kept me wanting to read no matter what I actually needed to do. 

Tomboy, Charlie is the main focus of the novel. She has three older brothers although sometimes she has four when she decides to count her neighbor Brayden who is best friends with her brother, Gage. Charlie has virtually grew up with Brayden and she is more comfortable around him than anybody else. In a house full of boys and with Charlie's mother deceased, Charlie has to figure out how to be a girl in a boy filled world.  Charlie is not the typical girl as she enjoys playing sports, but when Charlie attempts to change who she is that is when her brother's and Brayden step in. I related really well to Charlie in this novel and I didn't always agree with her decisions. It was fun to see her grow, make mistakes, and learn from her mistakes. 

Brayden was sensitive, sweet, and caring. Brayden comes from a home with an abusive father and spend many nights outside to avoid his parents fights. When Charlie can't sleep, she meets Brayden at the fence. With the barrier between them they let all their feelings out and tell each other secrets they would never tell each other in the daylight. Even though neither one would ever admit it this is where their romance blossoms. When you have been friends for so many years is it worth losing a friendship for a relationship?

I loved the romance in this novel as well as the family dynamic and coworker relationships. I think On the Fence shows how a person can change, but they will learn from their mistakes and come to the conclusion they are supposed to come to. Another fun part of this novel is seeing characters introduced in The Distance Between Us.  The ending of this novel was great and everything I could have wanted for this novel. This is a wonderful novel for contemporary readers. I can't wait to see what Kasie West comes up with next. 

No comments:

Post a Comment

Hi my name is Rachael and I want to thank you for commenting on my blog. I appreciate every single comment I receive and I reply back to all comments.