What do you think?
Rate this book
Win a free print copy of this book!
0 days and 10:04:11
5 copies available
U.S. only
Old Town Shops
On the Fence
Win a free print copy of this book!
0 days and 10:04:11
5 copies available
U.S. only
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Young Adult Fiction (2014)Herzüberkopf, das ist Charlottes Sache nicht. Dank ihren drei älteren Brüdern und ihrem Vater, bei dem sie aufwächst, ist sie alles andere als ein typisches Mädchen. Als sie aus Geldnot einen Job in einer Modeboutique annimmt, wird Charlies Leben plötzlich von Makeup, Freundinnen und Dates bevölkert. Von ihrem verwirrenden neuen Leben als Mädchen erzählt sie des Nachts ihrem Nachbarn Braden, Sandkastenfreund und quasi vierter Bruder. Und als wäre das nicht alles schon kompliziert genug, verliebt sich Charlie - ausgerechnet in Braden. Muss sie ihre Freundschaft riskieren, um die große Liebe zu finden?
304 pages, Unknown Binding
First published July 1, 2014
1322 people are currently reading
55798 people want to read
About the author
Kasie West
34 books19.2k followersI write YA and adult romance novels. I eat chocolate cinnamon bears. Sometimes I go crazy and do both at the same time. A few of my works are: SUNKISSED, PS I LIKE YOU, MOMENT OF TRUTH, WE MET LIKE THIS, and more. My agent is the talented and funny Michelle Wolfson.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 6,345 reviews
October 29, 2014
4:30 am and now I can finally sleep. Don't bother starting this unless you can finish it all in one sitting. So good! I laughed, I cried, I swooned! I am so jealous of lucky girls that have had boys next door. I have seriously always wanted one. I feel totally gipped that I never had a Braden!
Charlie grew up with all boys so she is one of the guys. But you can be a tomboy and be a girly girl and have both guy friends and girl friends. She has some trouble finding herself. She realizes she wants to wear makeup but worries her brothers and dad won't approve.
Braden meets her at the fence at night and they can really open up when they are alone. Braden doesn't approve of Charlie changing herself for a guy but Charlie worries no boys want to date her. A new job brings Charlie out of her shell and she soon learns that you can be everything you want.
Some family issues as well. Her dad is sweet and tries his very best but it has been hard since her mother is gone. Charlie is still dealing with her mom's death. Braden is always at the fence ready to listen though. So cute! Loved it!
KASIE WEST + BEST FRIENDS ROMANCE = MAJOR WIN
Charlie grew up with all boys so she is one of the guys. But you can be a tomboy and be a girly girl and have both guy friends and girl friends. She has some trouble finding herself. She realizes she wants to wear makeup but worries her brothers and dad won't approve.
Braden meets her at the fence at night and they can really open up when they are alone. Braden doesn't approve of Charlie changing herself for a guy but Charlie worries no boys want to date her. A new job brings Charlie out of her shell and she soon learns that you can be everything you want.
Some family issues as well. Her dad is sweet and tries his very best but it has been hard since her mother is gone. Charlie is still dealing with her mom's death. Braden is always at the fence ready to listen though. So cute! Loved it!
KASIE WEST + BEST FRIENDS ROMANCE = MAJOR WIN
June 2, 2015
This was really cute! I loved the family dynamic and how Charlie evolved as a character throughout the book. I also loved her and Braden's late night fence talks and how their romance bloomed. However, I felt like most of the characters, especially the brothers, weren't fleshed out and the story ended a little too hastily (which is understandable as it is under 300 pages). Charlie also really irked me in the beginning as she was a tad insensitive and a little too generic YA tomboy (judging people for being girly and whatnot), but she eventually redeemed herself later on. This was a satisfying book and a great contemporary read for summer!
January 11, 2022
I’m absolutely terrified about writing a review to this book. All I know is that the writer should never write a sequel to this book, especially one set a decade into the future. It’s a sweet love story that might mean that the protagonists in all likelihood peaked out early in life.
The words went by quickly. These emotions that are in my mind are bittersweet to me. To tell the truth, people like Braden and Charlie seem like a kaleidoscopic couple who don’t exist in my country. Do they exist in the US? Probably. Do all teens who read this book turn out kind and honest? Hell no.
That's why it’s my pet theory that people who become unromantic, jaded, bitter, mean, and cruel in life have been harmed, denied, starved of love, and conditioned. As for me, I am grateful for the air that I breathe, the lungs that do their work, the blood cells that carry the oxygen and allow me to live. You have two lives in this world, and the second one begins when you realize you have only one life.
The words went by quickly. These emotions that are in my mind are bittersweet to me. To tell the truth, people like Braden and Charlie seem like a kaleidoscopic couple who don’t exist in my country. Do they exist in the US? Probably. Do all teens who read this book turn out kind and honest? Hell no.
That's why it’s my pet theory that people who become unromantic, jaded, bitter, mean, and cruel in life have been harmed, denied, starved of love, and conditioned. As for me, I am grateful for the air that I breathe, the lungs that do their work, the blood cells that carry the oxygen and allow me to live. You have two lives in this world, and the second one begins when you realize you have only one life.
June 26, 2019
Kasie West and I are NOT FRIENDS.
Normally at the beginning of a review like this, I would write something like “Kasie West and I have a complicated relationship.” But it’s not that complicated. It’s mostly that she keeps writing books with charming synopses and cute covers, and I keep getting sucked in and then not liking them and swearing up and down that I’m done with Kasie West, and then she writes another seemingly cute and charming book and I’m right back on the bandwagon.
This book, for a long time, has been the outlier. This was my first Kasie West book, and also one of the first books I read when I was getting back into reading, and for years it has sat on my shelves with a four-star rating, allowing me to justify my relationship with Kasie West as “complicated” whenever is suited my easily charmed fancy.
But no longer!
Because I reread it and...actually did like it?
On the Fence is not a game changer, or anything. It did not change my life, or my View Of the World. I did not love it, or even reallyyy like it.
I precisely liked it.
There’s a lot of not like other girls stuff at the beginning (and also girl hate because my suffering on this planet will never end), but surprisingly, it’s mostly resolved by character development. The Big Theme (a requirement of every contemporary) is that girls don’t have to fit in with the idea of the traditionally feminine, but also they can if they want to and that’s chill too.
Which, if you’ve read other Kasie West books, may surprise you. But a pleasant surprise!
That theme was pretty sloppily done, and also never even once extends to guys (who either exist outside of gender roles, like super-society heroes, or live so deeply within them that escape is not a remote possibility - hard to say). But I was just so astonished that our protagonist wasn’t consistently not like other girls’d to the last page that I kind of...enjoyed this.
Bottom line: Fine! (This has been the closest to a rave review of a Kasie West book you will ever see from me.)
-----------
the fact that this was a million jillion times better than any other Kasie West book, like not-even-by-the-same-author-what-the-hell-major-improvement levels of disparity, and it's a 3.5 star rating says everything you need to know about my relationship with Kasie West.
review to come
-----------
it is my duty as a responsible citizen to periodically reread contemporaries i once liked in order to make sure i still like them. some may call me a hero.......and yeah i'd have to agree
Normally at the beginning of a review like this, I would write something like “Kasie West and I have a complicated relationship.” But it’s not that complicated. It’s mostly that she keeps writing books with charming synopses and cute covers, and I keep getting sucked in and then not liking them and swearing up and down that I’m done with Kasie West, and then she writes another seemingly cute and charming book and I’m right back on the bandwagon.
This book, for a long time, has been the outlier. This was my first Kasie West book, and also one of the first books I read when I was getting back into reading, and for years it has sat on my shelves with a four-star rating, allowing me to justify my relationship with Kasie West as “complicated” whenever is suited my easily charmed fancy.
But no longer!
Because I reread it and...actually did like it?
On the Fence is not a game changer, or anything. It did not change my life, or my View Of the World. I did not love it, or even reallyyy like it.
I precisely liked it.
There’s a lot of not like other girls stuff at the beginning (and also girl hate because my suffering on this planet will never end), but surprisingly, it’s mostly resolved by character development. The Big Theme (a requirement of every contemporary) is that girls don’t have to fit in with the idea of the traditionally feminine, but also they can if they want to and that’s chill too.
Which, if you’ve read other Kasie West books, may surprise you. But a pleasant surprise!
That theme was pretty sloppily done, and also never even once extends to guys (who either exist outside of gender roles, like super-society heroes, or live so deeply within them that escape is not a remote possibility - hard to say). But I was just so astonished that our protagonist wasn’t consistently not like other girls’d to the last page that I kind of...enjoyed this.
Bottom line: Fine! (This has been the closest to a rave review of a Kasie West book you will ever see from me.)
-----------
the fact that this was a million jillion times better than any other Kasie West book, like not-even-by-the-same-author-what-the-hell-major-improvement levels of disparity, and it's a 3.5 star rating says everything you need to know about my relationship with Kasie West.
review to come
-----------
it is my duty as a responsible citizen to periodically reread contemporaries i once liked in order to make sure i still like them. some may call me a hero.......and yeah i'd have to agree
May 24, 2019
out of all of kasie wests books, i for sure thought this was going to be the one to steal my heart. i mean, the whole 'falling for the boy next door' is my absolute favourite trope of all time. i adore stories about childhood friends/neighbours becoming more. so it makes me sad that this particular story didnt sweep me off my feet.
i mean, its entertaining and it has the ending that i was rooting for, but there is something very shallow about this novel. its explores a lot of great coming-of-age and first romance themes, but they dont seem to be well-developed. its superficial, at best. not sure how to explain it. its light and cute, but i just wanted more from it. especially when it came to the relationship between charlie and braden. oh well.
↠ 3 stars
i mean, its entertaining and it has the ending that i was rooting for, but there is something very shallow about this novel. its explores a lot of great coming-of-age and first romance themes, but they dont seem to be well-developed. its superficial, at best. not sure how to explain it. its light and cute, but i just wanted more from it. especially when it came to the relationship between charlie and braden. oh well.
↠ 3 stars
March 2, 2018
I don’t remember the underlying deeper themes in the novel. All I remember when I read it then was the fluff and it being a summer breezy read. I didn't realize Skye from The Distance Between Us is a character here and Caymen is mentioned at least once because their shops are practically beside Charlie's workplace. I couldn’t even remember the things Braden and Charlie talked about and how it started with them trying to prove which one knows the other better. Clearly their feelings for each other have been building up since they were practically children so them being together in the end didn’t come from nowhere. I was so wrong. Did I not know how to read three years ago? Jeez!
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
ORIGINAL REVIEW WRITTEN MARCH 2015
(I’d love for Chloe Moretz to play Charlie’s role in case this gets optioned for a movie.)
This is exactly what I needed- a cuddly, snuggly book to read and it gave me this overall warm and pleasant feeling.
This is a sunshiny story about a tomboy, Charlie (short for Charlotte) and her way to one of the most difficult endeavors in her life that is to figure out who she is and who she wants to be despite being the only girl in the family.
Charlie is a very easy-to-relate-to character as I believe every girl went through/will go through that “tomboy” stage. Well maybe not every girl, but I sure did which is a bit peculiar in my case because I have four sisters who are all epitomes of what a proper woman should be. Why I decided to follow my only brother’s or my dad’s path for that matter back then, I ‘m not really sure. ( In high school, I used to wear my dad’s oversized jackets with matching baggy pants to school and thought I was so cool. How dreadful! Lol. )
But anyways, back to the story, a far worse challenge Charlie somehow finds herself struggling with is her feelings for her and her family’s best friend- Braden who apparently has only sisterly feelings for her.
“This was the definition of torture- loving someone who only wanted to be your friend. “
There is this scene in the middle of the book where I just felt this strong sympathy for Charlie. It’s amazing how the author seems to know exactly how it feels to dodge/sugarcoat your true reaction to an obvious rejection.
I love the flow and transitions of the events in the story via the use of simple and heartfelt writing you can easily go along with. It becomes all the more appealing and entertaining especially since the story is told in Charlie’s POV.
“My heart thought that was the time to beat out of control.”
I especially enjoyed how she blames every unfortunate event that happens in her life to make up. Lol. I also like the use of short chapters and the summer setting that make the story very light and easy to read.
The major thing that quite put me off however is the sudden overturn of events towards the end especially between Braden and Charlie. I was like “woah!!!“
I even had to go back a few pages to check if I missed some parts, but I didn’t. A slower, more elaborate process would have been much more believable but overall, this was a generally enjoyable read and it has a giddily happy ending via an end of summer party (Cliché-ish? Well most happy endings are.^^)
Read
January 27, 2023THIS BOOK. THIS AUTHOR. ANOTHER YA CONTEMPORARY FAVORITE <3
For fans of Kelly Oram's Serial Hottie, minus the serial killer mystery.
Yes. I cheated and read this book between the two books I'm actually supposed to be reading last night. I couldn't help it, so many people have done reviews for Kasie West on my feed and I was in the mood for contemporary feel good YA and decided to see what all the hype was about.
I am so glad I finally caved in. This is the type of contemporary I love. Not doing a long review because the book's blurb summarizes everything that happens. It's cute, it's fluffy, it's a tomboy who has overprotective brothers and is in love with her next-door neighbor/friend. It was perfect.
Instantly adding all Kasie's other books to my TBR. That's how much I loved this.
For fans of Kelly Oram's Serial Hottie, minus the serial killer mystery.
Yes. I cheated and read this book between the two books I'm actually supposed to be reading last night. I couldn't help it, so many people have done reviews for Kasie West on my feed and I was in the mood for contemporary feel good YA and decided to see what all the hype was about.
I am so glad I finally caved in. This is the type of contemporary I love. Not doing a long review because the book's blurb summarizes everything that happens. It's cute, it's fluffy, it's a tomboy who has overprotective brothers and is in love with her next-door neighbor/friend. It was perfect.
Instantly adding all Kasie's other books to my TBR. That's how much I loved this.
March 15, 2017
That's it, I found a book I want to live in.
For me this book was perfect: perfectly-awesome dynamics, perfectly-sweet romance and just a perfectly-bit of sadness to make up for the perfectly-amazing ‘giggleness’.
Yes, I am a also a ‘perfect’ dork in love with romantic stories, but what can I say? I just loved this story so very much!
And you shouldn’t simply take my words for it, so I will give you the reasons why those items on the list were so great to begin with:
1. fantastic family dynamics - from honest punishments, to love, teasing, comforting, helping.. everything was relatable, realistic and just as beautiful as any family should be.
2. best friendships – they are all so great together as friends, having fun, playing sports or just being themselves and nothing more.
3. cutest love story – I simply loved the fence scenes – their game was cute and honest :D and there were sparks, and beauty and so much fun.
Not to mention that:
- I had FUN! Tons of it!
- I laughed out loud. I giggled like a kid. I smiled until my face hurt.
- I highlighted half the book (it involved funny moments, and teasing, and some meaningful words and pretty much a lot of awesomeness). It was this great and more!
The romance is slow.. And sweet.. And it has that confusing vibe that only first loves (teenage loves) can ever give. It also happened during the entire story and it was based on friendship and trust and history – all ingredients for a great realistic and fun romance.
There is talk at some point about ‘love’ which might seem a bit too early (even though it happens near the end of the story), but it felt somehow right when I thought of it – because she loved him as a brother, as a neighbor, and afterwards she realised that her feelings were about more than just that – she loved him as a guy too.
The transition was sweet, with her discovering all the different ways she might get to act around him – noticing new things about him, blushing at times, actually making a completely fool of herself too.. And it’s true, I wanted the author to take the time and put an “I love you” line in the first pages just to enforce what I am saying here – that there was ‘love’ first in their friendship, but it worked nicely anyways. It’s just a statement, not a problem at all.
Also, there is a bit of drama, no wonder the comparison I made way up there, but it’s not gut wrenching – it’s in there more for the character’s sake than for ours. It shows how strong she becomes, how vulnerable she might be deep down, it shows how much love there is between the characters, it’s a missing piece in Charlie’s life that she needs to find in order to be complete again.
After all, “On the Fence” is a self-discovery kind of story.
Charlie lived in this bubble created by ‘the safeness of brotherhood’ (my words) and she knows that there is more to her, so she makes new (girl) friends, she goes out to meet new people, she takes a job and in time becomes more responsible (or at least she finds out that even small actions can have consequences).
CONCLUSION:
One of the very best romantic stories out there.
Keep an eye on it when it comes out this summer!
Happy midnight reading!
*Find this and more at: ReadingAfterMidnight.com
** ARC received from the publisher for review. Thank you!
___________________________________________
Pre-reading:
While waiting like crazy for 'Split Second' I will enjoy this beauty here. Oh well.. Seems like a fair trade :D
____________________________________________
Blog (EN) | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | Bloglovin' | Blog (RO)
____________________________________________
For me this book was perfect: perfectly-awesome dynamics, perfectly-sweet romance and just a perfectly-bit of sadness to make up for the perfectly-amazing ‘giggleness’.
Yes, I am a also a ‘perfect’ dork in love with romantic stories, but what can I say? I just loved this story so very much!
And you shouldn’t simply take my words for it, so I will give you the reasons why those items on the list were so great to begin with:
1. fantastic family dynamics - from honest punishments, to love, teasing, comforting, helping.. everything was relatable, realistic and just as beautiful as any family should be.
2. best friendships – they are all so great together as friends, having fun, playing sports or just being themselves and nothing more.
3. cutest love story – I simply loved the fence scenes – their game was cute and honest :D and there were sparks, and beauty and so much fun.
Not to mention that:
- I had FUN! Tons of it!
- I laughed out loud. I giggled like a kid. I smiled until my face hurt.
- I highlighted half the book (it involved funny moments, and teasing, and some meaningful words and pretty much a lot of awesomeness). It was this great and more!
The romance is slow.. And sweet.. And it has that confusing vibe that only first loves (teenage loves) can ever give. It also happened during the entire story and it was based on friendship and trust and history – all ingredients for a great realistic and fun romance.
There is talk at some point about ‘love’ which might seem a bit too early (even though it happens near the end of the story), but it felt somehow right when I thought of it – because she loved him as a brother, as a neighbor, and afterwards she realised that her feelings were about more than just that – she loved him as a guy too.
The transition was sweet, with her discovering all the different ways she might get to act around him – noticing new things about him, blushing at times, actually making a completely fool of herself too.. And it’s true, I wanted the author to take the time and put an “I love you” line in the first pages just to enforce what I am saying here – that there was ‘love’ first in their friendship, but it worked nicely anyways. It’s just a statement, not a problem at all.
Also, there is a bit of drama, no wonder the comparison I made way up there, but it’s not gut wrenching – it’s in there more for the character’s sake than for ours. It shows how strong she becomes, how vulnerable she might be deep down, it shows how much love there is between the characters, it’s a missing piece in Charlie’s life that she needs to find in order to be complete again.
After all, “On the Fence” is a self-discovery kind of story.
Charlie lived in this bubble created by ‘the safeness of brotherhood’ (my words) and she knows that there is more to her, so she makes new (girl) friends, she goes out to meet new people, she takes a job and in time becomes more responsible (or at least she finds out that even small actions can have consequences).
CONCLUSION:
One of the very best romantic stories out there.
Keep an eye on it when it comes out this summer!
Happy midnight reading!
*Find this and more at: ReadingAfterMidnight.com
** ARC received from the publisher for review. Thank you!
___________________________________________
Pre-reading:
While waiting like crazy for 'Split Second' I will enjoy this beauty here. Oh well.. Seems like a fair trade :D
____________________________________________
Blog (EN) | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | Bloglovin' | Blog (RO)
____________________________________________
September 14, 2018
4 stars!!!
On the Fence was my first book by Kasie West and it certainly won't be the last. I listened to this audio book, and it only took me a day or two to get through it. I found myself pushing play in all of my spare time. Honestly, it was a tad bit predictable, but still super cute and fun to listen to!
This book is about a girl named Charlie. Charlie has been raised by a single father and a few older brothers so it's not surprising that she's a tomboy. She also has a neighbor and close friend named Braden. Braden is like a brother to her brothers, but she has other kinds of feelings for him. She just doesn't think he feels the same way. Charlie changes and evolves during the summer this book takes place. At first, she feels like she needs to change to make guys like her. Then she realizes that she can be herself and that is just fine. I loved that she found herself and found a happy medium.
I loved Braden and Charlie together. I loved all of Charlie's brother (especially Gage) and her dad. Not to mention the female friends that she made. Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable read and I've already got another West audio book downloaded and ready to go! I'm sure I'll be going through the bulk of this authors backlist!
On the Fence was my first book by Kasie West and it certainly won't be the last. I listened to this audio book, and it only took me a day or two to get through it. I found myself pushing play in all of my spare time. Honestly, it was a tad bit predictable, but still super cute and fun to listen to!
This book is about a girl named Charlie. Charlie has been raised by a single father and a few older brothers so it's not surprising that she's a tomboy. She also has a neighbor and close friend named Braden. Braden is like a brother to her brothers, but she has other kinds of feelings for him. She just doesn't think he feels the same way. Charlie changes and evolves during the summer this book takes place. At first, she feels like she needs to change to make guys like her. Then she realizes that she can be herself and that is just fine. I loved that she found herself and found a happy medium.
I loved Braden and Charlie together. I loved all of Charlie's brother (especially Gage) and her dad. Not to mention the female friends that she made. Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable read and I've already got another West audio book downloaded and ready to go! I'm sure I'll be going through the bulk of this authors backlist!
June 27, 2014
I am a party-pooper. Although a sad one since I am somewhat sad I didn’t enjoy this. There is quite a bit of hype surrounding this book and all my friends who have read it so far have loved it so I feel like a complete buzz kill with my ‘hating’.
On the Fence, quite frankly, sucked. I went in expecting a friends-to-more romance and got something else.
For starters, I did NOT like the main character. I was cringing the whole time I was reading this book and was not the least bit amused. I think what bothered me the most was this whole normal girl vs not normal girl thing going on. I get that teenagers go through a phase where they aren’t sure of themselves, I went through it too but the whole changing yourself to fit in storylines have never worked for me. Perhaps it’s my fault but if I had known this book had a storyline that revolved around the character trying to change herself, I probably wouldn’t have read it.
My problem with this whole thing is that it seems to say that there is a ‘right’ way to be a female but there isn’t! Femininity isn’t defined by whether you are girly or not! I am neither girly nor a tom boy but I am no less female then other girls out there. I think what made this worse was that Charlie seemed to be the only ‘tom boy’ in this book. She was surrounded by girly girls who only seemed to care about make-up. The stereotypes started getting to me and I ended up being so annoyed. Plus I never understood why Charlie felt this need to hide things from her family. Why was she so embarrassed if that’s what she wanted to be? Didn't she understand that her family would love her no matter what? I mean seeing that she is such a 'family' person... I kind of expected more from her.
It didn’t end there though. The romance bothered the living daylights out of me. WHERE WAS THE SWOON I WAS PROMISED? Braden and Charlie’s romance is basically non-existent. It seems like one moment she thinks of him as a brother and the next he isn’t a brother to her. Did she have a crush on him before the book started? I have no idea because it was never said (or I missed it).
When the ‘other’ dude is brought into the picture things become even more awkward with Charlie sticking her head in the sand. She doesn't see that there is a reason why Braden does NOT like the dude while her brothers don’t mind him nearly as much. I never actually sensed sparks between them and while they didn’t lack chemistry, things seemed too rushed in the end. The L word popped out of nowhere. And I do say nowhere. Just because they have known each other forever doesn’t mean that they can pop out the L word and it won’t seem random.
The only redeeming factor for me is Charlie’s family. Her dad is a sweet heart and I cannot imagine how hard things must be for him. Her brothers are also incredible and so fun to read about!
I guess one could also fault the length of the book in this case because it did seem quite short in the end. It’s not a short book by any means but it did seem a little rushed. Things started getting good about 80% into the novel but just as I was starting to like it, I was drowned in a bucket of cheese and that ultimately killed the book for me. I only felt relief when I finished this book.
With all that said though, I do want to read The Distance Between Us because I think it might be more enjoyable for me as a reader and if not that, Pivot Point. I am not ready to give up on the author yet.
On the Fence, quite frankly, sucked. I went in expecting a friends-to-more romance and got something else.
For starters, I did NOT like the main character. I was cringing the whole time I was reading this book and was not the least bit amused. I think what bothered me the most was this whole normal girl vs not normal girl thing going on. I get that teenagers go through a phase where they aren’t sure of themselves, I went through it too but the whole changing yourself to fit in storylines have never worked for me. Perhaps it’s my fault but if I had known this book had a storyline that revolved around the character trying to change herself, I probably wouldn’t have read it.
My problem with this whole thing is that it seems to say that there is a ‘right’ way to be a female but there isn’t! Femininity isn’t defined by whether you are girly or not! I am neither girly nor a tom boy but I am no less female then other girls out there. I think what made this worse was that Charlie seemed to be the only ‘tom boy’ in this book. She was surrounded by girly girls who only seemed to care about make-up. The stereotypes started getting to me and I ended up being so annoyed. Plus I never understood why Charlie felt this need to hide things from her family. Why was she so embarrassed if that’s what she wanted to be? Didn't she understand that her family would love her no matter what? I mean seeing that she is such a 'family' person... I kind of expected more from her.
It didn’t end there though. The romance bothered the living daylights out of me. WHERE WAS THE SWOON I WAS PROMISED? Braden and Charlie’s romance is basically non-existent. It seems like one moment she thinks of him as a brother and the next he isn’t a brother to her. Did she have a crush on him before the book started? I have no idea because it was never said (or I missed it).
When the ‘other’ dude is brought into the picture things become even more awkward with Charlie sticking her head in the sand. She doesn't see that there is a reason why Braden does NOT like the dude while her brothers don’t mind him nearly as much. I never actually sensed sparks between them and while they didn’t lack chemistry, things seemed too rushed in the end. The L word popped out of nowhere. And I do say nowhere. Just because they have known each other forever doesn’t mean that they can pop out the L word and it won’t seem random.
The only redeeming factor for me is Charlie’s family. Her dad is a sweet heart and I cannot imagine how hard things must be for him. Her brothers are also incredible and so fun to read about!
I guess one could also fault the length of the book in this case because it did seem quite short in the end. It’s not a short book by any means but it did seem a little rushed. Things started getting good about 80% into the novel but just as I was starting to like it, I was drowned in a bucket of cheese and that ultimately killed the book for me. I only felt relief when I finished this book.
With all that said though, I do want to read The Distance Between Us because I think it might be more enjoyable for me as a reader and if not that, Pivot Point. I am not ready to give up on the author yet.
August 12, 2016
See more reviews at YA Midnight Reads
4.5 stars
PROPER REVIEW. FANGIRLING AND INITIAL REACTIONS IS BELOW.
It has been almost half a year since I picked up On The Fence and fell in love with it. During this span of time I have reread it 3 times; recommended this author to my friends multiple times and have thought about this book more than I'd like to admit. In my experience, no one has written better cute and fluffy reads than Kasie West. This woman knows exactly how to catch our hearts, pull the right strings and hits all the right notes. On The Fence was exactly that, and if not transcended my uber high expectations even more.
Charlotte (Charlie) is a tomboy. Ever since her mother died when she was six, Charlie has been the only female in her family. She's got three older brothers and a father as well as a tight friendship with her next door neighbour, Braden. I absolutely loved Charlie and her tough and hard-centred core. She knows how to deal with boys and loves her sports. She's never worn makeup in her life and plans to keep it that way. She doesn't give a crap about what others think of her and she was an incredibly enjoyable protagonist to follow. I sometimes was shaken off course by her abrupt coldness--such as that time when one of her teammate's grandmother died and Charlie wasn't the slightest bit sincere--but we soon find out that there was something behind those types of actions.
The highlight of Kasie West's latest is the relationships she created. I LOVED the relationship Charlie held with her brothers. They treat her as an equal and include her in everything. It was incredibly entertaining to watch them bicker and they're always looking out for one and another. One of the best sibling relationships I've seen so far this year.
The romance in one word? OMFGIAMINLOVE (that is one word don't you dare question it). Charlie and Braden's romance is a slow burn one and I shipped them from page one. Braden is really close with Charlie's family as Braden has quite a few problems with his family at home, it was really nice to see them as friends first then watch them realise their feelings for each other. Everything about their relationship was shippable. And the fence chats *sighs*
Personally, I would have liked to know more about Charlie's time at her soccer camp. I understand that it wasn't a huge focal point but I found the camp to be really interesting and I wanted to know more about it, especially since Charlie talked quite a number of times. Qualm aside, On The Fence kept a smile painted on my face the entire time. Definitely not one to miss, Kasie West once again offers a sweet romance, amazing sibling relationship and totally unforced humour.
---------
IT HAPPENED.
Finished at 12:39am last night. I didn't sleep until 1:15am because I couldn't stop squealing.
This was me throughout the entire book:
I COULD NOT TAKE THE SMILE OFF MY FACE.
My life is now complete.
************
IT'S HAPPENING.
SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEE
4.5 stars
PROPER REVIEW. FANGIRLING AND INITIAL REACTIONS IS BELOW.
It has been almost half a year since I picked up On The Fence and fell in love with it. During this span of time I have reread it 3 times; recommended this author to my friends multiple times and have thought about this book more than I'd like to admit. In my experience, no one has written better cute and fluffy reads than Kasie West. This woman knows exactly how to catch our hearts, pull the right strings and hits all the right notes. On The Fence was exactly that, and if not transcended my uber high expectations even more.
Charlotte (Charlie) is a tomboy. Ever since her mother died when she was six, Charlie has been the only female in her family. She's got three older brothers and a father as well as a tight friendship with her next door neighbour, Braden. I absolutely loved Charlie and her tough and hard-centred core. She knows how to deal with boys and loves her sports. She's never worn makeup in her life and plans to keep it that way. She doesn't give a crap about what others think of her and she was an incredibly enjoyable protagonist to follow. I sometimes was shaken off course by her abrupt coldness--such as that time when one of her teammate's grandmother died and Charlie wasn't the slightest bit sincere--but we soon find out that there was something behind those types of actions.
The highlight of Kasie West's latest is the relationships she created. I LOVED the relationship Charlie held with her brothers. They treat her as an equal and include her in everything. It was incredibly entertaining to watch them bicker and they're always looking out for one and another. One of the best sibling relationships I've seen so far this year.
The romance in one word? OMFGIAMINLOVE (that is one word don't you dare question it). Charlie and Braden's romance is a slow burn one and I shipped them from page one. Braden is really close with Charlie's family as Braden has quite a few problems with his family at home, it was really nice to see them as friends first then watch them realise their feelings for each other. Everything about their relationship was shippable. And the fence chats *sighs*
Personally, I would have liked to know more about Charlie's time at her soccer camp. I understand that it wasn't a huge focal point but I found the camp to be really interesting and I wanted to know more about it, especially since Charlie talked quite a number of times. Qualm aside, On The Fence kept a smile painted on my face the entire time. Definitely not one to miss, Kasie West once again offers a sweet romance, amazing sibling relationship and totally unforced humour.
~Thank you HarperCollins Australia for sending me this copy!~
---------
IT HAPPENED.
Finished at 12:39am last night. I didn't sleep until 1:15am because I couldn't stop squealing.
This was me throughout the entire book:
I COULD NOT TAKE THE SMILE OFF MY FACE.
My life is now complete.
************
IT'S HAPPENING.
SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEE
March 24, 2022
THIS WAS SO CUTE! i love kasie west and can’t believe it took me this long to finally read this. i ended up reading this in one sitting, which is crazy because this was the first YA contemporary i’ve read in ages. it literally had SO many of my favorite tropes and moments that i love to see in romances. we get the brothers best friend trope, childhood best friends trope, and the perfect amount of angst!! i cant wait to eventually read the rest of her books
June 19, 2017
About: On the Fence is a young adult fiction written by Kasie West. It was published on 7/1/14 by HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollins, 304 pages. The genres are young adult, fiction, contemporary, and romance.
My Experience: I started reading On the Fence on 6/13/17 and finished it on 6/19/17. This book is a fantastic read! I love the humor and the family dynamic! I love Charlie’s three brothers and how protective they are of her. I love the easy going between the siblings. I like the different personalities of each characters and Gage is actually my favorite.
“Hey, guys. Don’t be idiots. This is Evan. Evan, the angry-looking one is Jerom, the constipated-looking one is Nathan, and the goofball on the right is Gage.” p198
In this book, readers will follow the point of view of Charlotte (Charlie) Reynolds, sixteen, the only girl in the family with 3 older brothers Jerom, Nathan, and Gage, and a police officer for a father. Their best friend is Braden Lewis, the neighbor next door. It’s no surprise that Charlie is a tomboy who likes sports. She plays football, soccer, and basketball with her brothers and Braden. She’s part of the guys, including getting speeding tickets. Her dad is fed up with paying her speeding tickets for her and challenged her to get a job. Working at a boutique requires her to wear feminine clothing and her wardrobe is anything but. Through this job, she learns to embrace the girly side of herself that was not part of her growing up, including wearing makeup and hanging out with girls who don’t play sports. Charlie feels broken due to a many reasons and often has trouble sleeping. She turns to the fence in her backyard for comfort. From there, her feelings begins to surface but she worries the feelings is one sided.
“By a show of hands, who here would’ve asked Charlie out in the last six months had they not been given the ‘We will kill you if you look at Charlie’ speech by the three lugs over there when she turned sixteen?” p201
I couldn’t put down this book! I like Charlie’s dad’s new co-worker Carol. That’s a very unique idea. I like the fence chat concept, although, I wonder how they survive on so little sleep. I like their tips on which guy or girls to not date. The humor is contagious in this book and I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. I like that Charlie is open minded and a team player because even though she doesn’t care for extreme girly displays on her clothes, she still wears the bedazzled jersey Amber made for her. I highly recommend you all to read this book!
Pro: humor, family dynamic, friendship, page turner, fast paced, easy to read
Con: none
I rate it 5 stars!
***Disclaimer: I borrowed this book from my local public library and my opinions are honest.
xoxo,
Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.wordpress.com for a detailed review
My Experience: I started reading On the Fence on 6/13/17 and finished it on 6/19/17. This book is a fantastic read! I love the humor and the family dynamic! I love Charlie’s three brothers and how protective they are of her. I love the easy going between the siblings. I like the different personalities of each characters and Gage is actually my favorite.
“Hey, guys. Don’t be idiots. This is Evan. Evan, the angry-looking one is Jerom, the constipated-looking one is Nathan, and the goofball on the right is Gage.” p198
In this book, readers will follow the point of view of Charlotte (Charlie) Reynolds, sixteen, the only girl in the family with 3 older brothers Jerom, Nathan, and Gage, and a police officer for a father. Their best friend is Braden Lewis, the neighbor next door. It’s no surprise that Charlie is a tomboy who likes sports. She plays football, soccer, and basketball with her brothers and Braden. She’s part of the guys, including getting speeding tickets. Her dad is fed up with paying her speeding tickets for her and challenged her to get a job. Working at a boutique requires her to wear feminine clothing and her wardrobe is anything but. Through this job, she learns to embrace the girly side of herself that was not part of her growing up, including wearing makeup and hanging out with girls who don’t play sports. Charlie feels broken due to a many reasons and often has trouble sleeping. She turns to the fence in her backyard for comfort. From there, her feelings begins to surface but she worries the feelings is one sided.
“By a show of hands, who here would’ve asked Charlie out in the last six months had they not been given the ‘We will kill you if you look at Charlie’ speech by the three lugs over there when she turned sixteen?” p201
I couldn’t put down this book! I like Charlie’s dad’s new co-worker Carol. That’s a very unique idea. I like the fence chat concept, although, I wonder how they survive on so little sleep. I like their tips on which guy or girls to not date. The humor is contagious in this book and I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. I like that Charlie is open minded and a team player because even though she doesn’t care for extreme girly displays on her clothes, she still wears the bedazzled jersey Amber made for her. I highly recommend you all to read this book!
Pro: humor, family dynamic, friendship, page turner, fast paced, easy to read
Con: none
I rate it 5 stars!
***Disclaimer: I borrowed this book from my local public library and my opinions are honest.
xoxo,
Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.wordpress.com for a detailed review
December 19, 2015
Fafa's Book Corner (Wordpress)
Fafa's Book Corner (Blogger)
Beware spoilers ahead!
This book was recommended to me by my GR friend Alyssa ! Click on her name to read her review.
I had originally added this book back in February. I was going through a chick lit phase and thought that all of Kasie West's books would be excellent additions. But because I thought they would turn out to be shallow I took them all off. It wasn't until I stumbled upon Alyssa's review that I decided to read all her books. I am happy to say that I enjoyed this!
As is with all of Kasie West's books, this book is written in first person in Charlie's point of view.
The book begins with Charlie as she is pulled over by a police officer for breaking the speed limit. Charlie is about to use the fact that her father is a cop, but then the cop mentions that this is not his first time pulling her over. She accepts her ticket. When she gets home her brothers and Braden are having another bet. If a person does not drink the weird smoothie that Gage made then they have to dump it on themselves.
Charlie getting rattled by Braden drinks it. Her brothers and and Braden now have to dump the smoothie on themselves. On Charlie's command they all set off for a run.
A few days after this Charlie's father confronts her on the ticket she got. She didn't tell him and he was not happy to here it from one of his coworkers. He tells Charlie that she has to get a job to earn the money for the tickets. Charlie tries to protest as does her brother, but their father does not budge.
Her brother Gage offers to help Charlie look for a job. Upon looking a majority of what Gage does is flirt with girls. They come across a shop and the girl Skye tells Charlie that there is a shop that is hiring. And to tell the shop owner that Skye sent her over.
When Charlie finds the shop it is not what she excepts. It's a Bazaar that sells clothes that Charlie does not wear. And the owner Linda is very odd. Desperate Charlie takes the position making a vow to quit after her tickets have been paid. Linda tells Charlie that she will have to buy some more fashion forward clothes. She suggests that on Charlie's first day she will pick out some clothes for her and fill out the paper work.
Once she gets her job she finds it hard to sleep at night and this is because she isn't running anymore. When she runs she falls asleep quickly and this keeps the nightmares at bay. When Charlie was 6 years old her mother got into a car accident. She has nightmares of said car accident.
Seeing as she can't sleep she decides to have a conversation with Braden. A fence chat. They play this game to see who knows more about the other. Which makes Charlie happy and helps her forget what kept her up.
Braden seems to benefit from these conversations as well. His father verbally abuses his mother and him whenever he is drunk. He suffered a back injury a few years ago and since then has developed an addiction.
To be honest I did not except to fall in love with this book. In the beginning Charlie was annoying. All she cared about were sports and winning. She was cold and did not care for others emotions. But as I read on she became likable and in ways relatable.
There are cameos from The Distance Between Us. Skye comes in frequently and it was nice to read about her and Charlie's friendship. Charlie and her families relationship was sweet. Her brothers were very protective of her as was her father.
The fence chats between Charlie and Braden were sweet. Charlie found it much easier to talk to the fence then she did to Braden's face. I liked reading about their game and learning more about them. The romance in this book was slow burn. It was pretty awkward considering that Braden is Charlie's brother's best friend.
It was sweet how supportive Braden was with Charlie. Even when she did test his patience. As a character Braden was nice but I didn't like him. And in turn I couldn't really see the romance between the two of them. They felt like best friends to me and that's it.
Linda was absolutely weird in the beginning of the book but she grew on me as well as Charlie. She turned out to be a mother figure towards Charlie and Skye. During her job Charlie meets this girl Amber and the two become friends. Unlike Charlie's other friends she is girly and does not like sports. I was happy that Charlie didn't judge Amber for that. Their friendship was sweet!
The best part of this book was Charlie's character. I liked how she didn't instantly hate all girly girls, and how when she turned 16 (the dating age her brothers set) she didn't instantly want to date guys. Charlie is pretty tough and throughout this book she goes through a self-discovery journey. She finds that she does not hate the clothes Linda chose for her, she doesn't even mind make-up, and she likes her job.
During this book Charlie starts to become self-conscious about what others think about her. She had two different lives. The Charlie who loved sports and the Charlie who dressed up for work. For most of the book she doesn't tell her brothers about the clothes Linda bought or how she started modeling for make-up. She thinks that her brothers would only make fun of her. And with Amber she thought that Amber wouldn't like the side of her that played sports. She even pretended not to know anything about sports when she started dating this guy Evan. She thought he only wanted a girl who cheered him on not a girl who could play against him. Eventually she accepts these sides of herself and stops hiding it from people.
The most important thing that was brought up in this book was how society or people in our lives start categorizing us in these bubbles. In Charlie brother's point of view she could not like make-up and wear pretty clothes. So when it came out that she did they treated her like an alien. They have even said that Charlie isn't a normal girl. There is no such thing as a normal girl or boy. Everyone is unique and different. And as people we could become whoever we want to be. I loved how the author incorporated this!
Overall this was a fantastic book! I would recommend this to everyone because there is something in here that we can all relate to.
Fafa's Book Corner (Blogger)
Beware spoilers ahead!
This book was recommended to me by my GR friend Alyssa ! Click on her name to read her review.
I had originally added this book back in February. I was going through a chick lit phase and thought that all of Kasie West's books would be excellent additions. But because I thought they would turn out to be shallow I took them all off. It wasn't until I stumbled upon Alyssa's review that I decided to read all her books. I am happy to say that I enjoyed this!
As is with all of Kasie West's books, this book is written in first person in Charlie's point of view.
The book begins with Charlie as she is pulled over by a police officer for breaking the speed limit. Charlie is about to use the fact that her father is a cop, but then the cop mentions that this is not his first time pulling her over. She accepts her ticket. When she gets home her brothers and Braden are having another bet. If a person does not drink the weird smoothie that Gage made then they have to dump it on themselves.
Charlie getting rattled by Braden drinks it. Her brothers and and Braden now have to dump the smoothie on themselves. On Charlie's command they all set off for a run.
A few days after this Charlie's father confronts her on the ticket she got. She didn't tell him and he was not happy to here it from one of his coworkers. He tells Charlie that she has to get a job to earn the money for the tickets. Charlie tries to protest as does her brother, but their father does not budge.
Her brother Gage offers to help Charlie look for a job. Upon looking a majority of what Gage does is flirt with girls. They come across a shop and the girl Skye tells Charlie that there is a shop that is hiring. And to tell the shop owner that Skye sent her over.
When Charlie finds the shop it is not what she excepts. It's a Bazaar that sells clothes that Charlie does not wear. And the owner Linda is very odd. Desperate Charlie takes the position making a vow to quit after her tickets have been paid. Linda tells Charlie that she will have to buy some more fashion forward clothes. She suggests that on Charlie's first day she will pick out some clothes for her and fill out the paper work.
Once she gets her job she finds it hard to sleep at night and this is because she isn't running anymore. When she runs she falls asleep quickly and this keeps the nightmares at bay. When Charlie was 6 years old her mother got into a car accident. She has nightmares of said car accident.
Seeing as she can't sleep she decides to have a conversation with Braden. A fence chat. They play this game to see who knows more about the other. Which makes Charlie happy and helps her forget what kept her up.
Braden seems to benefit from these conversations as well. His father verbally abuses his mother and him whenever he is drunk. He suffered a back injury a few years ago and since then has developed an addiction.
To be honest I did not except to fall in love with this book. In the beginning Charlie was annoying. All she cared about were sports and winning. She was cold and did not care for others emotions. But as I read on she became likable and in ways relatable.
There are cameos from The Distance Between Us. Skye comes in frequently and it was nice to read about her and Charlie's friendship. Charlie and her families relationship was sweet. Her brothers were very protective of her as was her father.
The fence chats between Charlie and Braden were sweet. Charlie found it much easier to talk to the fence then she did to Braden's face. I liked reading about their game and learning more about them. The romance in this book was slow burn. It was pretty awkward considering that Braden is Charlie's brother's best friend.
It was sweet how supportive Braden was with Charlie. Even when she did test his patience. As a character Braden was nice but I didn't like him. And in turn I couldn't really see the romance between the two of them. They felt like best friends to me and that's it.
Linda was absolutely weird in the beginning of the book but she grew on me as well as Charlie. She turned out to be a mother figure towards Charlie and Skye. During her job Charlie meets this girl Amber and the two become friends. Unlike Charlie's other friends she is girly and does not like sports. I was happy that Charlie didn't judge Amber for that. Their friendship was sweet!
The best part of this book was Charlie's character. I liked how she didn't instantly hate all girly girls, and how when she turned 16 (the dating age her brothers set) she didn't instantly want to date guys. Charlie is pretty tough and throughout this book she goes through a self-discovery journey. She finds that she does not hate the clothes Linda chose for her, she doesn't even mind make-up, and she likes her job.
During this book Charlie starts to become self-conscious about what others think about her. She had two different lives. The Charlie who loved sports and the Charlie who dressed up for work. For most of the book she doesn't tell her brothers about the clothes Linda bought or how she started modeling for make-up. She thinks that her brothers would only make fun of her. And with Amber she thought that Amber wouldn't like the side of her that played sports. She even pretended not to know anything about sports when she started dating this guy Evan. She thought he only wanted a girl who cheered him on not a girl who could play against him. Eventually she accepts these sides of herself and stops hiding it from people.
The most important thing that was brought up in this book was how society or people in our lives start categorizing us in these bubbles. In Charlie brother's point of view she could not like make-up and wear pretty clothes. So when it came out that she did they treated her like an alien. They have even said that Charlie isn't a normal girl. There is no such thing as a normal girl or boy. Everyone is unique and different. And as people we could become whoever we want to be. I loved how the author incorporated this!
Overall this was a fantastic book! I would recommend this to everyone because there is something in here that we can all relate to.
October 29, 2014
Believe me. No one feels more sad about this rating than me.
On the Fence was one of my most highly anticipated books of 2014. I love everything about Kasie West. Her books are usually ridiculously cute, have snarky characters and just speak to my soul. But not this one. This one was pretty un-Kasie West. The romance felt very unrealistic in a sense that it took the main character forever to figure out the love interest liked her. There’s only so much of that I can tolerate when it’s so completely obvious. However, On the Fence's biggest issue was its predictability. I knew how the book would end right from the beginning and had long before figure out the SECRET everyone was keeping from the main character. This novel just fell really flat for me.
On the Fence was one of my most highly anticipated books of 2014. I love everything about Kasie West. Her books are usually ridiculously cute, have snarky characters and just speak to my soul. But not this one. This one was pretty un-Kasie West. The romance felt very unrealistic in a sense that it took the main character forever to figure out the love interest liked her. There’s only so much of that I can tolerate when it’s so completely obvious. However, On the Fence's biggest issue was its predictability. I knew how the book would end right from the beginning and had long before figure out the SECRET everyone was keeping from the main character. This novel just fell really flat for me.
April 6, 2017
Will a best friends to lovers trope ever not make me emotional? The answer is 100% no.
This one was a bit harder to get into, at first I couldn't relate to Charlie since I have neVER had brothers, and her persona was so different. Her development was *mostly* based around a guy so that was pretty frustrating, but she at least had other things she had to deal with, even though they were tied up a little faster than expected. There were also a few jokes that were not great & i didn't particularly love SO it can't be a 5.
OK BUT BRADEN. THE ROMANCE. THE TENSION. THE EVERYTHING. I AM V EMOTIONAL. I LOVE THIS TROPE TOO MUCH IT HURTS.
This one was a bit harder to get into, at first I couldn't relate to Charlie since I have neVER had brothers, and her persona was so different. Her development was *mostly* based around a guy so that was pretty frustrating, but she at least had other things she had to deal with, even though they were tied up a little faster than expected. There were also a few jokes that were not great & i didn't particularly love SO it can't be a 5.
OK BUT BRADEN. THE ROMANCE. THE TENSION. THE EVERYTHING. I AM V EMOTIONAL. I LOVE THIS TROPE TOO MUCH IT HURTS.
March 31, 2016
Kasie West is the reason why I don't write off contemporary straight out of my to-be-read list. It's because she writes such cute stories with a lot of characters who are always set on doing the right thing.
Charlie is the easily relatable character that I understood. Sure she hardly had any self-esteem, but when you're a teenager, you certainly don't know any better. Honestly if there was no back and fourth, the book would probably get super boring. Self-deprecating characters aren't always the easiest to read about, but if you were a little like her character when you're younger, you can remember what it was like. Also dating someone you're not into wasn't exactly the best decision. That's why you have these years to iron out the kinks. I loved how annoying her brothers were too. And her father was super sweet.
I love stories where a friendship blossoms into something more and this is definitely one of them. Kasie West reminds me a lot of Miranda Kenneally's books and I just love them both. If you're looking for a cute contemporary romance, pick this one up. I'm not usually a big contemporary fan, but her writing is too cute to pass up.
RATING 4/5
QUOTES
"I didn't feel like I had a purpose, a goal. But after a while I let my long relax and realized not everything had to have a point. Some things could just be the for the fun of it." (149)
"I am going to call every girl in your contacts tonight and tell them you're gay." (168)
"It's pretty impressive that a girl that looks like you knows so much about baseball." (189)
"If you can't be yourself around him, then you shouldn't be dating him." (193)
"Guys don't want a competitor, they want a cheerleader." (194)
"We can't let boys define how we feel about ourselves. You have to know who you are before you should let any boy worth anything in." (211)
"If he doesn't want you for you, then he's not worth it." (228)
Charlie is the easily relatable character that I understood. Sure she hardly had any self-esteem, but when you're a teenager, you certainly don't know any better. Honestly if there was no back and fourth, the book would probably get super boring. Self-deprecating characters aren't always the easiest to read about, but if you were a little like her character when you're younger, you can remember what it was like. Also dating someone you're not into wasn't exactly the best decision. That's why you have these years to iron out the kinks. I loved how annoying her brothers were too. And her father was super sweet.
I love stories where a friendship blossoms into something more and this is definitely one of them. Kasie West reminds me a lot of Miranda Kenneally's books and I just love them both. If you're looking for a cute contemporary romance, pick this one up. I'm not usually a big contemporary fan, but her writing is too cute to pass up.
RATING 4/5
QUOTES
"I didn't feel like I had a purpose, a goal. But after a while I let my long relax and realized not everything had to have a point. Some things could just be the for the fun of it." (149)
"I am going to call every girl in your contacts tonight and tell them you're gay." (168)
"It's pretty impressive that a girl that looks like you knows so much about baseball." (189)
"If you can't be yourself around him, then you shouldn't be dating him." (193)
"Guys don't want a competitor, they want a cheerleader." (194)
"We can't let boys define how we feel about ourselves. You have to know who you are before you should let any boy worth anything in." (211)
"If he doesn't want you for you, then he's not worth it." (228)
June 14, 2021
“We can't let boys define how we feel about ourselves. You have to know who you are before you should let any boy worth anything in.”
Seriously this quote is everything.
5 stars!
Ahhh this is the cutest thing ever I have ever read soo goood y'alll. I was never a fan of contemporary books but this changed my POV. I love Kasie West's books!
The writing was really nice. It was simple yet so very beautiful
The characters were well developed!
Charlie was such an interesting character. Having grown up in a house full of boys, she knows nothing else. Initially she was 'not like the other girls' , which is a trope I hate the most.
I dont mind it if there is a VALID reason so as to why she is like that. Since this book had that and there is more showing than telling about her life.......I started to love her!
There is also no girl on girl hate, which is soo common in rom-coms
Braden, I like him!! The boy next door....who doesnt?
He has a bad life at home, so he always mostly lives with Charlie and her 3 brothers. He is very caring of them and I loved that!! I loved his relationship with Charlie
The angry-looking one is Jerom, the constipated-looking one is Nathan, and the goofball on the right is Gage.'
I loved her brothers as well. They care for Charlie and have taken care of her ever since their mom died! I loved it ahhhh!
This book has childhood friends to lovers trope 😪
There is nothing I love more than something something to Lovers trope ahhh!!
Me like<3
The romance was super cute and heartwarming. Braden and Charlie are soo good together. They help each other out and make each other better. I adored that!!
I also loved her relationship with her brothers!!
Soo cute ahhhh
IF U HAVENT READ THIS SOO FAR, GO AND READ THE BOOK ASAP!❤️❤️❤️
Seriously this quote is everything.
5 stars!
Ahhh this is the cutest thing ever I have ever read soo goood y'alll. I was never a fan of contemporary books but this changed my POV. I love Kasie West's books!
The writing was really nice. It was simple yet so very beautiful
The characters were well developed!
Charlie was such an interesting character. Having grown up in a house full of boys, she knows nothing else. Initially she was 'not like the other girls' , which is a trope I hate the most.
I dont mind it if there is a VALID reason so as to why she is like that. Since this book had that and there is more showing than telling about her life.......I started to love her!
There is also no girl on girl hate, which is soo common in rom-coms
Braden, I like him!! The boy next door....who doesnt?
He has a bad life at home, so he always mostly lives with Charlie and her 3 brothers. He is very caring of them and I loved that!! I loved his relationship with Charlie
The angry-looking one is Jerom, the constipated-looking one is Nathan, and the goofball on the right is Gage.'
I loved her brothers as well. They care for Charlie and have taken care of her ever since their mom died! I loved it ahhhh!
This book has childhood friends to lovers trope 😪
There is nothing I love more than something something to Lovers trope ahhh!!
Me like<3
The romance was super cute and heartwarming. Braden and Charlie are soo good together. They help each other out and make each other better. I adored that!!
I also loved her relationship with her brothers!!
Soo cute ahhhh
IF U HAVENT READ THIS SOO FAR, GO AND READ THE BOOK ASAP!❤️❤️❤️
September 23, 2015
*4.5 TOMBOYISH STARS*
"Sometimes we expect more than people are capable of giving at the moment."
When I first started this, I thought I wasn't going to like this one. I changed my mind pretty quickly though, because I totally love it now!
This novel is about Charlotte/Charlie, who is a total tomboy who grew up with 3 brothers and no mother, only a father. She's really close with her neighbor Braden, who's more like her 4th brother. Then she gets a job at a clothing store and discovers the girly side of life and her newfound feelings for Braden while simultaneously trying to get over her mother's death and her nightmares.
I really loved Charlie's character development! At first I really didn't like her, but eventually she changed from a closed-off and pretty selfish girl to a more openminded and happier woman in the end.
I almost immediately shipped her with Braden, I saw right away that those two were perfect for each other! That doesn't mean that I didn't like Evan, but I'm glad she didn't end up with him anyway.
Charlie made a lot of new friends on the way, like Amber, Skye and Linda. What I also liked was her close relationship with her father and brothers. I can't even imagine what it must be like to grow up without a woman in my life to help me through all the tough times. It makes me respect single fathers so much more!
The ending of the book was also totally perfect, with that last fence reference. I really liked the book title, as the fence played a key part in Charlie's journey and her relationship with Braden.
Overall, I really liked the book. It wasn't perfect, obviously, but not many books are! It was definitely a cute, feel-good story, but don't expect anything too deep! I still have yet to encounter a Kasie West book that I didn't like. I guess I'm going to have to read the Pivot Point series real soon.
"Sometimes we expect more than people are capable of giving at the moment."
When I first started this, I thought I wasn't going to like this one. I changed my mind pretty quickly though, because I totally love it now!
This novel is about Charlotte/Charlie, who is a total tomboy who grew up with 3 brothers and no mother, only a father. She's really close with her neighbor Braden, who's more like her 4th brother. Then she gets a job at a clothing store and discovers the girly side of life and her newfound feelings for Braden while simultaneously trying to get over her mother's death and her nightmares.
I really loved Charlie's character development! At first I really didn't like her, but eventually she changed from a closed-off and pretty selfish girl to a more openminded and happier woman in the end.
I almost immediately shipped her with Braden, I saw right away that those two were perfect for each other! That doesn't mean that I didn't like Evan, but I'm glad she didn't end up with him anyway.
Charlie made a lot of new friends on the way, like Amber, Skye and Linda. What I also liked was her close relationship with her father and brothers. I can't even imagine what it must be like to grow up without a woman in my life to help me through all the tough times. It makes me respect single fathers so much more!
The ending of the book was also totally perfect, with that last fence reference. I really liked the book title, as the fence played a key part in Charlie's journey and her relationship with Braden.
Overall, I really liked the book. It wasn't perfect, obviously, but not many books are! It was definitely a cute, feel-good story, but don't expect anything too deep! I still have yet to encounter a Kasie West book that I didn't like. I guess I'm going to have to read the Pivot Point series real soon.
August 4, 2017
Let's just ignore the cover for this book shall we?
It has nothing to do with either Charlie, Braden or the story.
Anyway... Charlie, is your classic tomboy.
Her mother died when she was young so she grew up with her father and her three older brother and her neighbour Braden who is basically like her fourth brother.
She loves sports, has only guy friends, dresses athleticaly and doesn't wear make up.
She is just one of the boys.
That is all until one day her father wants her to take responsibilitiesof her actions and finds a job to pay of the speeding tickets she got.
So she finds a job in a cute little boutique where she learns how to dress more feminine and even finds some girls she really likes and befriends.
This one was my favorite of her books and read it in one sittings (as all the books of hers I've read), the only thing that bugs me about them are the secrets.
As in all the other books our female character was beeing honest all her life and never hid anything from her family and friends until something happened that changed that.
Something so minor they keept secret, that make the others mad but not enough for her not to be redimable and everytime they are just some stupid thing that is just like an information they didn't share.
In this one it was that she started wearing more girly clothes and that she stood model for makeup in the store she worked for.
Why keeping something unimportant a secret??
Who would get mad about that?
You are a girl. You can do what ever you want.
Sidenote, it's even better the second time around!
It has nothing to do with either Charlie, Braden or the story.
Anyway... Charlie, is your classic tomboy.
Her mother died when she was young so she grew up with her father and her three older brother and her neighbour Braden who is basically like her fourth brother.
She loves sports, has only guy friends, dresses athleticaly and doesn't wear make up.
She is just one of the boys.
That is all until one day her father wants her to take responsibilitiesof her actions and finds a job to pay of the speeding tickets she got.
So she finds a job in a cute little boutique where she learns how to dress more feminine and even finds some girls she really likes and befriends.
This one was my favorite of her books and read it in one sittings (as all the books of hers I've read), the only thing that bugs me about them are the secrets.
As in all the other books our female character was beeing honest all her life and never hid anything from her family and friends until something happened that changed that.
Something so minor they keept secret, that make the others mad but not enough for her not to be redimable and everytime they are just some stupid thing that is just like an information they didn't share.
In this one it was that she started wearing more girly clothes and that she stood model for makeup in the store she worked for.
Why keeping something unimportant a secret??
Who would get mad about that?
You are a girl. You can do what ever you want.
Sidenote, it's even better the second time around!
September 3, 2015
3 teen stars
“Sometimes we expect more than people are capable of giving at the moment.”
On the Fence is about a girl named Charlie, who grew up motherless and as the only girl in a family with three boys. Charlie's the true tomboy, only interested in sports, no interest at all in girly things. When she wracks up some fines in speeding tickets her dad makes an ultimatum, she has to get a job and pay for the tickets herself.
The only place Charlie ends up being able to get a job at is a clothing store. And the owner insists that Charlie wears the clothes in the store (as we would expect most clothing stores to). It's here that Charlie learns about fashion, then makeup, and then ultimately it leads to some small town modeling.
Charlie finds herself being split into two people, tomboy Charlie, and girly Charlie, and she has a hard time finding a way to balance both. The new job also takes away time from her running schedule so she finds herself not being able to sleep at night. Insert Braden, her next door neighbor who is friends with her brother. Braden also has trouble sleeping at night, and the two find themselves talking about everything and anything, over the fence that separates their yards.
I thought this was a very cute YA novel. It's more of a coming of age book than a romance. The plot centers around Charlie and her struggle with her identity as well as the death of her mother at a young age. I feel that this is a great book for teen girls ages 13-17, but not really for anyone older than that. What I'm saying friends, is that I don't think adults will gain much from this book.
The romance fell a bit flat for me, Braden was kind of boring and not really there throughout most of the book. The connection between the two and the development of the romance between them felt very sudden. I could see them much better as friends than lovers.
Also, and my friend Lola pointed this out as well, the cover has the girl in a dress. Do the publishers ever read the book? Despite Charlie discovering her girly side, she refused to wear a dress. I'm just sayin'. (Yes the cover dress is cute, but it doesn't fit the book).
“We can't let boys define how we feel about ourselves. You have to know who you are before you should let any boy worth anything in.”
“Sometimes we expect more than people are capable of giving at the moment.”
On the Fence is about a girl named Charlie, who grew up motherless and as the only girl in a family with three boys. Charlie's the true tomboy, only interested in sports, no interest at all in girly things. When she wracks up some fines in speeding tickets her dad makes an ultimatum, she has to get a job and pay for the tickets herself.
The only place Charlie ends up being able to get a job at is a clothing store. And the owner insists that Charlie wears the clothes in the store (as we would expect most clothing stores to). It's here that Charlie learns about fashion, then makeup, and then ultimately it leads to some small town modeling.
Charlie finds herself being split into two people, tomboy Charlie, and girly Charlie, and she has a hard time finding a way to balance both. The new job also takes away time from her running schedule so she finds herself not being able to sleep at night. Insert Braden, her next door neighbor who is friends with her brother. Braden also has trouble sleeping at night, and the two find themselves talking about everything and anything, over the fence that separates their yards.
I thought this was a very cute YA novel. It's more of a coming of age book than a romance. The plot centers around Charlie and her struggle with her identity as well as the death of her mother at a young age. I feel that this is a great book for teen girls ages 13-17, but not really for anyone older than that. What I'm saying friends, is that I don't think adults will gain much from this book.
The romance fell a bit flat for me, Braden was kind of boring and not really there throughout most of the book. The connection between the two and the development of the romance between them felt very sudden. I could see them much better as friends than lovers.
Also, and my friend Lola pointed this out as well, the cover has the girl in a dress. Do the publishers ever read the book? Despite Charlie discovering her girly side, she refused to wear a dress. I'm just sayin'. (Yes the cover dress is cute, but it doesn't fit the book).
“We can't let boys define how we feel about ourselves. You have to know who you are before you should let any boy worth anything in.”
February 12, 2016
As I've said,I'm going to read more of Kasie West's novels and this is just the perfect day to read my 2nd book of Kasie,as I am reminded of my friend's birthday today. According to my sister,this friend of ours is a fan of this author(thanks to you,Aj!) So,NEIL my awesome buddy,HAPPY,HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!^^
My Review:
Now,I understand why this buddy of mine love Kasie West..it's because this author has a thing in creating her characters.And in this novel,it is the awesome characters that made me love this book.
Let me start with the MC..CHARLIE(Charlotte),a 16 year old tough,rough,smart,witty and beautiful young lady,grew up with her dad and three brothers plus,the boy neighbor who they considered family.Living with these boys all her life explains very well why she's a tomboy..she doesn't wear make up,never wear skirts,and doesn't care how and what she look..Until one day,when for the first time,she had to work in a boutique to pay off a speeding ticket and(bam!)was introduced to a world of fashion and make up.
Charlie,since childhood only hangs out with boys(her brothers,their friends,and Braden-the 4th brother). She plays with them,watch baseball games with them,and do whatever the boys want..just to have fun.And I just loved this part because it made me remember my childhood memories as well,with my four amazing and lovely sisters and my only handsome brother(my twin brother).
I loved all the relationships here: from Charlies relationship with her brothers,friends,her dad..Oh yes,her dad! I adored her dad so much! Her dad's so sweet,and over protective!(just like my dad). He even got himself a book on "How to Raise a Teenage Girl"!how responsible,right? And of course,her relationship with Braden(which are for you,my co-readers to find out!)
This book is a heartwarming,fun read! Noticed that my review is all about the characters? That's how awesome the author is in making and molding all her characters!^^
Again,to my best buddy here on GoodReads,HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Wish you all the happiness this day,and all through out the years!^^
My Review:
Now,I understand why this buddy of mine love Kasie West..it's because this author has a thing in creating her characters.And in this novel,it is the awesome characters that made me love this book.
Let me start with the MC..CHARLIE(Charlotte),a 16 year old tough,rough,smart,witty and beautiful young lady,grew up with her dad and three brothers plus,the boy neighbor who they considered family.Living with these boys all her life explains very well why she's a tomboy..she doesn't wear make up,never wear skirts,and doesn't care how and what she look..Until one day,when for the first time,she had to work in a boutique to pay off a speeding ticket and(bam!)was introduced to a world of fashion and make up.
Charlie,since childhood only hangs out with boys(her brothers,their friends,and Braden-the 4th brother). She plays with them,watch baseball games with them,and do whatever the boys want..just to have fun.And I just loved this part because it made me remember my childhood memories as well,with my four amazing and lovely sisters and my only handsome brother(my twin brother).
I loved all the relationships here: from Charlies relationship with her brothers,friends,her dad..Oh yes,her dad! I adored her dad so much! Her dad's so sweet,and over protective!(just like my dad). He even got himself a book on "How to Raise a Teenage Girl"!how responsible,right? And of course,her relationship with Braden(which are for you,my co-readers to find out!)
This book is a heartwarming,fun read! Noticed that my review is all about the characters? That's how awesome the author is in making and molding all her characters!^^
Again,to my best buddy here on GoodReads,HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Wish you all the happiness this day,and all through out the years!^^
April 4, 2016
4.5 stars
I've read this baby some time ago and totally forgot to review it! I really enjoyed reading this book and I definitely liked it more than The Distance Between Us. I liked the characters, the story, the awesome sister-brothers relationship and, of course, those "on the fence" talks. This is a really sweet and interesting contemporary book perfect for all YA readers looking for something light, but still not too light. Kasie West has a special place in my heart for sure. I love her writing and I am looking forward to reading her new books!
I've read this baby some time ago and totally forgot to review it! I really enjoyed reading this book and I definitely liked it more than The Distance Between Us. I liked the characters, the story, the awesome sister-brothers relationship and, of course, those "on the fence" talks. This is a really sweet and interesting contemporary book perfect for all YA readers looking for something light, but still not too light. Kasie West has a special place in my heart for sure. I love her writing and I am looking forward to reading her new books!
November 5, 2016
kasie west never lets me down <3
February 23, 2021
Thanks to this book I felt like I will never read anything again and I lost a week from my life (without the audiobook it could have been a month).
If it was only about Charlie it would have been 1 star, but I really liked her family and Braden.
She was mad at him all the time when actually he was the only one with a common sence?! Fuck her.
Someone should give her Arthur's (from What If It's Us) phone number, because these two are the most annoying people I have ever read about so they would probably get along.
The reason I don't read staight romances is that I just can't get behind the idea that girls and boys should act and behave differently. People being pressured into specific patterns of behavior according to their gender makes my blood boil. Like whatever I do, I think of myself as a human being first not as a woman.
Also, can't a book just have a main girl character who actually doesn't like dresses and makeup? I'm sick of every 'boyish' girl realizes that she actually have a 'girlish' side and likes dresses and makeup after all.
However surprising it is, we, who don't like either of those, exist. It doesn't have any complex scientific explanation like Charlie thinks she is 'boyish' because her mother wasn't around to teach her how to be a girl. It's just that I, for example, feel uncomfortable wearing them. Yes, I like pretty clotches (on other people) but never in my life could I wear them. It's not me. It doesn't match with my personality. Not hard to understand.
If it was only about Charlie it would have been 1 star, but I really liked her family and Braden.
She was mad at him all the time when actually he was the only one with a common sence?! Fuck her.
Someone should give her Arthur's (from What If It's Us) phone number, because these two are the most annoying people I have ever read about so they would probably get along.
The reason I don't read staight romances is that I just can't get behind the idea that girls and boys should act and behave differently. People being pressured into specific patterns of behavior according to their gender makes my blood boil. Like whatever I do, I think of myself as a human being first not as a woman.
Also, can't a book just have a main girl character who actually doesn't like dresses and makeup? I'm sick of every 'boyish' girl realizes that she actually have a 'girlish' side and likes dresses and makeup after all.
However surprising it is, we, who don't like either of those, exist. It doesn't have any complex scientific explanation like Charlie thinks she is 'boyish' because her mother wasn't around to teach her how to be a girl. It's just that I, for example, feel uncomfortable wearing them. Yes, I like pretty clotches (on other people) but never in my life could I wear them. It's not me. It doesn't match with my personality. Not hard to understand.
March 24, 2017
“I looked up recurring dreams.
Dreams are messages, things our minds want us to learn. Recurring dreams can be really important messages. The often come in the form of nightmares. Recurring dreams could represent real-life problem that hasn't been dealt with or resolved. Overcoming or resolving that problem could help one move past the recurring dream.”
West as reckoned for Romantic stories, But I've found too juvenile with the centralized character.
Writing is as usual exceptional as West- Best one.
Exploring and infatuation Teenager would precisely loved that.
Recommended for them.
Dreams are messages, things our minds want us to learn. Recurring dreams can be really important messages. The often come in the form of nightmares. Recurring dreams could represent real-life problem that hasn't been dealt with or resolved. Overcoming or resolving that problem could help one move past the recurring dream.”
West as reckoned for Romantic stories, But I've found too juvenile with the centralized character.
Writing is as usual exceptional as West- Best one.
Exploring and infatuation Teenager would precisely loved that.
Recommended for them.
July 22, 2018
¡Estos libros me hacen tan feliz! 😊 Me gustó más “PS: I like you” (“PD: Me gustas” en español), pero lo he disfrutado desde la primera a la última página.
¡Pronto reseña!
¡Pronto reseña!
July 18, 2017
Hmm I don't know if this book is my least favorite Kasie West book or The Fill-In Boyfriend. I wasn't really enjoying this at first but then it turned quite enjoyable! Regardless, it was still a very light read and perfect for those wanting an easy book to read.
I don't have much to say about this book except it's a typical Kasie West book, not that it bothered me. I quite like her style, except how her MCs always get together at the end of the book and I barely get enough page time of them as a couple. It includes some sad themes, but Kasie West manages to balance the sad and the cute aspects of the book pretty well.
Braden, like all of West's male MCs, is cute and sweet. He and Charlie are great together and I liked their relationship development. As for Charlie's family, I loved how caring and supportive they were of each other, especially her 3 brothers. They were supportive, understanding and always there for her whenever she needed them and I honestly loved that! Sibling relationships are always great in books.
All in all, Kasie West is definitely my go-to author when I'm looking for cute and light reads.
“Sometimes we expect more that people are capable of giving at the moment.”
I don't have much to say about this book except it's a typical Kasie West book, not that it bothered me. I quite like her style, except how her MCs always get together at the end of the book and I barely get enough page time of them as a couple. It includes some sad themes, but Kasie West manages to balance the sad and the cute aspects of the book pretty well.
Braden, like all of West's male MCs, is cute and sweet. He and Charlie are great together and I liked their relationship development. As for Charlie's family, I loved how caring and supportive they were of each other, especially her 3 brothers. They were supportive, understanding and always there for her whenever she needed them and I honestly loved that! Sibling relationships are always great in books.
All in all, Kasie West is definitely my go-to author when I'm looking for cute and light reads.
April 30, 2018
Rating - 4 stars?
I'm having an issue with the rating here. I really enjoyed it and it was just what I needed but Kasie West's books are pretty basic. There isn't a lot of plot in them, they're the trashy romance books that you need once in a while. That is not an insult. I've read a lot of fantasy books lately but now an again I have needed a easy contemporary to read.
I really liked the characters. I really liked Charlie, it was refreshing to see a main character who is such a tomboy. I really enjoyed her sarcasm and how she was so strong both emotionally and physically. I fell for Braden so much, I absolutely adored him. He was my favourite character and I fell in love with his character. I loved her brothers, they were hilarious, fun and I loved how they didn't treat Charlie as just their little sister. They treated her with so much respect and just like them which I loved. I especially had a soft spot for Gage.
The relationship wasn't too full on. It wasn't just about the 'love' between them, it was more friendship being built up which I thought was amazing.
I had two big issues. One of them was when Charlie at the start of the book was quite rebellious and she ended up getting a speeding ticket? i think it was and that's the reason she has to get a job but after that...she wasn't at all rebellious? She didn't try and act out and her personality instantly changed after her dad was mad but she'd got into this trouble before? It didn't make sense.
The second issue was also with Charlie when she started working. Her boss assumed her mum was alive and Charlie didn't correct her and pretended she was alive. I get that she didn't want sympathy but how could you lie about your mum who sadly isn't here anymore? I didn't like that at all.
I finished this in two sittings, one being late at night and the next morning. It was pretty good. I would definitely recommend reading this if you're in a book slump or need an easy book after heavy fantasies.
I'm having an issue with the rating here. I really enjoyed it and it was just what I needed but Kasie West's books are pretty basic. There isn't a lot of plot in them, they're the trashy romance books that you need once in a while. That is not an insult. I've read a lot of fantasy books lately but now an again I have needed a easy contemporary to read.
I really liked the characters. I really liked Charlie, it was refreshing to see a main character who is such a tomboy. I really enjoyed her sarcasm and how she was so strong both emotionally and physically. I fell for Braden so much, I absolutely adored him. He was my favourite character and I fell in love with his character. I loved her brothers, they were hilarious, fun and I loved how they didn't treat Charlie as just their little sister. They treated her with so much respect and just like them which I loved. I especially had a soft spot for Gage.
The relationship wasn't too full on. It wasn't just about the 'love' between them, it was more friendship being built up which I thought was amazing.
I had two big issues. One of them was when Charlie at the start of the book was quite rebellious and she ended up getting a speeding ticket? i think it was and that's the reason she has to get a job but after that...she wasn't at all rebellious? She didn't try and act out and her personality instantly changed after her dad was mad but she'd got into this trouble before? It didn't make sense.
The second issue was also with Charlie when she started working. Her boss assumed her mum was alive and Charlie didn't correct her and pretended she was alive. I get that she didn't want sympathy but how could you lie about your mum who sadly isn't here anymore? I didn't like that at all.
I finished this in two sittings, one being late at night and the next morning. It was pretty good. I would definitely recommend reading this if you're in a book slump or need an easy book after heavy fantasies.
August 22, 2017
So I think I was being a bit of a grouch yesterday, I can't knock it down that much when I did enjoy it and I only had one issue so I'm going to tweak this review slightly...
---------------------
CONFLICTING VIEWS!
I knew what I was getting myself in for. I wanted a nice and easy contemporary read, we all have those moments right? I mean I really enjoyed P.S. I Like You. It was one of those books you couldn't help but smile at. This? I mean it definitely had those moments. HOWEVER it had a big pet peeve of mine in this.
The main character Charlie is a tomboy, and she thought she had to act a certain way and chnage who she was to get a boy to like her. hmmmmmm... Not only that, but I find her to be slightly judgemental. So after my little rant I realise it's the pressures of a teenager and she can she what she's doing and doesn't want it to happen, it was good to see how she developed!
I really liked Charlies family, and I had a soft spot for her dad (especially when it came to the book, I'm sorry bit it was TOO adorable) not only that but I liked Amber as well. The back story for the family was pretty sad, but I don't really know how they handled everything.
I kind of liked Braden, it's hard to explain because sometimes I'd like him and then others when he'd act up and not be very nice, I'd be like why are you doing this?!
Main Characters... okay.
Family members and Friends, YESSSS!
Overall it was okay, it was what I needed (and still need) would of probably liked this more if I found the main characters to be more likeable.
---------------------
CONFLICTING VIEWS!
I knew what I was getting myself in for. I wanted a nice and easy contemporary read, we all have those moments right? I mean I really enjoyed P.S. I Like You. It was one of those books you couldn't help but smile at. This? I mean it definitely had those moments. HOWEVER it had a big pet peeve of mine in this.
The main character Charlie is a tomboy, and she thought she had to act a certain way and chnage who she was to get a boy to like her. hmmmmmm... Not only that, but I find her to be slightly judgemental. So after my little rant I realise it's the pressures of a teenager and she can she what she's doing and doesn't want it to happen, it was good to see how she developed!
I really liked Charlies family, and I had a soft spot for her dad (especially when it came to the book, I'm sorry bit it was TOO adorable) not only that but I liked Amber as well. The back story for the family was pretty sad, but I don't really know how they handled everything.
I kind of liked Braden, it's hard to explain because sometimes I'd like him and then others when he'd act up and not be very nice, I'd be like why are you doing this?!
Main Characters... okay.
Family members and Friends, YESSSS!
Overall it was okay, it was what I needed (and still need) would of probably liked this more if I found the main characters to be more likeable.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 6,345 reviews