Book Review: My Life with the Walter Boys by Ali Novak (no spoilers)

Book: My Life with the Walter Boys
Author: Ali Novak
Publication: March 1st, 2014
Source: Inter-Library Loan
Read: January 19th-26th, 2014
Summary (from Goodreads):

My Life with the Walter Boys centers on the prim, proper, and always perfect Jackie Howard. When her world is turned upside down by tragedy, Jackie must learn to cut loose and be part of a family again.

 Jackie does not like surprises. Chaos is the enemy! The best way to get her successful, busy parents to notice her is to be perfect. The perfect look, the perfect grades-the perfect daughter. And then... 

Surprise #1: Jackie's family dies in a freak car accident.

 Surprise #2: Jackie has to move cross-country to live with the Walters-her new guardians.

 Surprise #3: The Walters have twelve sons. (Well, eleven, but Parker acts like a boy anyway)

 Now Jackie must trade in her Type A personality and New York City apartment for a Colorado ranch and all the wild Walter boys who come with it. Jackie is surrounded by the enemy-loud, dirty, annoying boys who have no concept of personal space. Okay, several of the oldest guys are flat-out gorgeous. But still annoying. She's not stuck-up or boring-no matter what they say. But proving it is another matter. How can she fit in and move on when she needs to keep her parents' memory alive by living up to the promise of perfect?

My Thoughts:

This is the first book of the five book challenge with my sister of 2015. I'm starting early this year and this was a perfect book to start off the challenge. My Life with the Walter Boys is about Jackie who after her family's accident moves from New York City to Colorado. Jackie's loss of her family was not a primary focus of the story, but there were some sad parts. Jackie initially didn't want to go to Colorado, but when she finds out that Mr. and Mrs. Walter have twelve boys, well 11, but Parker acts like a boy, Jackie is even more nervous. How will she ever fit in among all those boys?

Jackie has a lot to learn about living with the Walter. They reminded me at times of Cheaper by the Dozen. There is never a dull moment in their house. The boys are loud, pranksters, that don't respect personal space. I love how Ali Novak was able to give each boy a personality. Some boys were focused on a lot more such as Cole, Alex, Nathan, Danny, but with so many characters I think Novak set a good balance.

I enjoyed getting to know Jackie better and watching her build a relationship in the Walter house. I think this house would be fun, but crazy to live in. The love triangle between Cole and Alex was at some points annoying, but for the most part I enjoyed their characters. I have a clear favorite when it comes to which one I want Jackie to be with. I really liked Nathan and Danny as characters. Their connection with Jackie was very special and their personalities were great.

I felt really connected to all the characters by the end of the novel and I wasn't ready for the ending to come. Then the ending was satisfactory, but totally had the opening for a sequel. I am so invested in these characters that I wanted a sequel. I learned that Ali Novak is planning one for 2016, so I will be anticipating that release. When I finished this book it is was a rush of emotions and I had one of those moments where I just stare at the book in amazement. This book was a fun, light, contemporary read.