The Boys of Benjamin Boulevard

The Boys of Benjamin Boulevard #1

by Samantha Robinson

"Predictable and boring? I think not. This would prove that I'm just as spontaneous as the next person." Carly Matthews has a life that would seem enviable to anyone on the outside. She's dating the most popular guy in school, and her best friend rules the school. She lives in a huge house in a gated community and could buy anything she wants. So why does she feel so empty?

After a disagreement with her best friend, Carly makes a spur-of-the-moment decision that leads her to Alex. He’s cute, he’s kind, and she’s unavailable. Is it possible for your whole life to change after spending a few hours with a stranger? She’s about to find out.

283 pages, Paperback

Published May 26, 2023

About the author

Samantha Robinson is a passionate storyteller with a heart deeply entrenched in the Young Adult (YA) genre. Her world revolves around immersing herself in stories, whether through the pages of a book, the scenes of a TV show or movie, or the interactive realms of video games.

Her journey with literature began in childhood, marked by frequent visits to the library and the amazement of librarians as she devoured book after book. This early love for reading blossomed into a dedication to writing, especially stories that capture the complexity and vibrancy of teenage life. Her writing intertwines elements of romantic comedy and adventure, showcasing her belief in the transformative power of humor and excitement in storytelling.

As an author, she's given life to novels like "The Boys of Benjamin Boulevard" and "Back on the Boulevard." Through her work, she strives to create narratives that not only entertain but also inspire, embodying the spirit of youth and the limitless paths it can take.

Reviews

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here we meet Carly. Raised in a very affluent community and she has rich, stuck-up friends. Carly’s family are looked down upon because their wealth doesn’t measure up. These so called “friends” keep a major secret from her and always tells her she’s boring and predictable. She doesn’t know that one spur of the moment decision is about to change the course of her life. I feel for Carly throughout the book. Her “friends” aren’t very nice to her, her parents are always fighting, and she’s basically invisible to everyone even though she attends parties, events, and charity galas. I know what it’s like to be surrounded by people but still feel alone. When she meets Alex and his friends/family, her luck changes and everyone was so welcoming. I loved all of them – Alex, his friends, and his parents. I love that they were so supportive of her and were there for her when she found out a devastating secret. She really found a place that she belonged, and it really warmed my heart. Yes, there is also romance in this book, but it’s a very sweet romance and one where you root for both people to be together. If anyone likes a sweet romance then this book is for you!

[Amorina Carlton · Rating 5 out of 5]

It makes me so happy when I read several books in a row that are just delightful, and this is another that just made me happy. It was such a cute, charming read that I devoured it in one day. Did it help that the internet was out, my husband couldn’t work, and the book was a short, quick read – yes. But this was also a book that I just couldn’t put down.

I’m not sure I’ve ever hated a set of fictional parents more in my life. Maybe the Dursleys but they were just assigned caregivers. These were the female main character’s real parents. But they did their duty well and set her up to find the best literary found family I’ve read in a long time. I adored “the boys” and Alex’s real-life parents, who served as honorary parents for all the teens in the story. Alex, the main boy, was one of those characters who seemed delightfully “too good to be true.” Like the best book boyfriend ever. He seemed too good to be true, but I didn’t mind.

The writing was fantastic. If you mostly follow me here and on Twitter, you don’t know that I annotate largely by highlighting quotes I love. Over on Instagram – check out my latest posts below – I highlight my favorite quotes from every book I read (except audiobooks because that is hard to do!). Sometimes it’s easy because there are a few really pithy ones. Sometimes it’s hard because the writing doesn’t lend itself to great quotes. But sometimes it’s hard because I practically want to quote the whole book to you. This is one of the latter. I found myself highlighting entire passages of the witty banter back and forth between the characters. So good!

The character development and dialogue were so strong. Carly, the FMC, was not the same girl at the beginning of the book that she was at the end. Similarly, several of the boys weren’t either. They grew off one another, and these relationships were so beautifully developed. Sure, this is a romance, so there was a romantic element, but the friendship relationships were just as beautiful and well done. As a writer, romance is almost easier to do than good friendship. Even the bad relationships were superbly done. I wanted to punch several people in the face as they gave me some mad “Mean Girls” vibes. And honestly, Carly’s parents just cemented my opinion that we’re doing something weird in the world where good people can’t adopt children and bad people can just have children.

It did take me a minute to warm up to Carly. She admitted that she should be happy with her charmed life, and in the beginning, she seemed a little spoiled. But you slowly start to see behind the curtain that she’s a bit of an unreliable narrator in this regard. She learns so much about what she deserves as a person. This is a great book for teens to read, and honestly probably a lot of adults. I will definitely keep an eye out for this author and am excited to see more from her – whether it’s more to this story or something else.

This is a young adult romance, but it’s one of those that many adults will also enjoy. I certainly did. If you enjoy a good, clean romance with found family, a coming-of-age story, and a strong female lead this is a book for you. If you liked Mean Girls this will probably be something you enjoy.

Content Warning: Child Abuse/Neglect, Cheating, Mean Girls/Friends/Bullying

[amanda_coffee_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to start off by saying that I received a complimentary ebook. In return for my honest thoughts and review. This a debut book for this author. I had no idea what this book was about. I just knew that I loved the title and the cover. I love the characters and the world the author created.
I really enjoyed this book. Heck even half way through I ended up buying my own ebook copy. I was already highlighting oh no you didn’t moments. Even through this book took me a little longer to finish. I was bored or disappointed reading this book at all. Definitely will be adding more future books from this author. Carly is a 17 year old character who is very relatable to the now times. I really felt bad for her. With her parents always fighting about money and forgetting important things. Leaving Carly to do for herself. Friends who she thought were friends hurting her and making her feel less then. And doing crappy things to her behind her back. She started not caring about or learning not to care of what others thought. Even her mother trying to be this fake person. To please others in the neighbor or community they lived in. I just love Alex and his family and friends are so funny. Friends and people that would love to hang out with all day.
I had so much fun reading this book. I would wanted this book to never end.

Thank you to the author and lovebooktours for allowing me to read such amazing book.

[Shakera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not sure how to start this because I really enjoyed this, but wow, were there some characters with no redeeming qualities. Carly is the main character who is well organized and put together for someone who is a junior in high school. However, she does exactly what she’s told because she’s a people pleaser.

I used to think it would be challenging to write a set of parents that are this despicable, but boy, was I wrong. Initially, you would think it was just her mother that insufferable, but her father isn’t much better. Her friends are like mean girls.

You will like Alex on-site. I adored him in just about every scene. Alex, along with Jake, Hayden and Cole were phenomenal. I love that each one brought a different dynamic to the relationships. Their friendship was amazing, and I was jealous that I wasn’t in the group. Alex’s parents were so awesome and understanding. They are how parents should be and the complete opposite of Carly’s family.

The writing wasn’t the greatest, but I was entertained. I was always wondering what was coming next. There were moments when I felt myself getting angry with Carly’s interactions with her classmates/friends. The amount of emphasis that was placed on social status was disheartening, and it was one of the themes in the story.

This was enjoyable, and it looks like it is part of a series. If that is true, I’m excited to see where it goes. I would love to catch up with the gang again.

[Emma book blogger Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you @KellyALacey @lovebookstours #Ad #LBTCrew #BookTwitter for letting me be part of this tour and reviewing this book. This is the first book I have read by Samantha Robinson and The Boys of Benjamin is an awesome read. I will be looking out for more. I love Samatha Robinson's writing style I was hooked from the set go. The story is about Carly whose parents are not the greatest and her friends are not brilliant either but then Carly does something out of the ordinary and follows a chicken van where she meets the driver Alex that brings her into his life and his three best friends. I absolutely adored Alex and his friends. They all made me laugh with their banter and how caring they were to Carly. The Boys of Benjamin is a young teenage book that I think teenagers will love this book. There are strong topics running through the book like friendship, and being there for the people you care about. This is an easy read and reading this book made me want to meet Alex and his friends they are so cute and adorable. This is a heartwarming romance that you will be sad when it ends because I was. I hope there is a book 2. A brilliant read that I strongly recommend you read 5 stars.

[Bianca Duthie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an easy to read, cute, young adult, romcom that you will easily finish in 1 or 2 sittings.
This is more than "girl meets boy," the main theme of the tale is about the family you choose for yourself. Carly learns what's truly important, how to stand up for herself, and what she deserves in life.
I really liked the boys of Benjamin Boulevard. They had a lovely friendship and accepted Carly into it easily. They were definitely the kind of people you want in your corner fighting for you.
I'd have liked an epilogue a few months later, just to see how things had progressed.
It's wrapped up nicely in a happy ending.

[Amanda Felton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where do I even start with this book I was not expecting this book. Have you ever read a book and thought after it's over wow I needed that book. That was this book for me. I loved this book. I legit couldn't put this book down. I felt like 1 was in this book along side these characters going through life with them. I laughed out loud in this book I also cried. When I was growing up our house was also the hang out place and Alex's parents reminded me so much of my own parents when I was growing up. I can't say enough how much I loved this book. The writing style was soo good. Y'all everyone needs to read this book. Do me a favor go and get. You won't be disappointed!!!

[Tami Wylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good, wholesome read for young people. It's about friendship, love, loyalty, and finding where you belong. I really like the main characters Carly and Alex. Their group of friends, the boys who live on Benjamin Boulevard, are also fantastic. The way they all support, love and take care of each other is a great model or youngsters (and adults) to emulate. The characters and many of the issues in the book are completely relevant and relatable for today's world. I also loved that most of the characters were normal, down-to-earth people. It was refreshing to read such a brilliant book aimed at young people.

[kirsty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a quick, cute YA read that I finished in one sitting. It was a lovely little romcom but it was also much more than that.

It is well written with a enchanting storyline and well developed characters that I loved. I instantly fell in love with Carly and the boys of Benjamin Boulevard.

For me the best part of this book was the friendship element and how family isnt just the family that you were born into, but can just as easily be the family that you choose yourself.

If you love clean and heartwarming YA romances then this is definitely a book that you will love.

[Sonja Charters · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book that I've read by this author and I loved it!

A super cute teen romance that was quick and easy to read and I'd finished it before I knew it.

Carly was so lovely and you couldn't help connecting with her straight from the start. I loved how she found "the boys" and how they welcomed her into the fold without question.

I also loved the friendships that the boys had going on too. A brilliant theme of found family and just highlighted how often, those who look out for you most and support you through anything don't always have to be related to you.

The writing style was engaging and had me hooked in from the first page.

A really enjoyable read which would be gorgeous for any ya reader but also loved by those of us a little older too!

[toby · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was not what i expected it to be, but it was so good!

[Lauren Flewett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this YA romance novel it had all the emotions.

I loved the relationship Carly had with each of the boys it was heartwarming to see her find her true self and a family. There were also parts that me smile and laugh. All the components of a good novel.

The characters were all well thought out and at times I really wanted to have words with some of them, I really got into this book.