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Right Next to Me
After high school Sydney's friends scattered to different colleges across the country. Over Thanksgiving break they are reunited, and much to Sydney's surprise, she discovers that her best friend has kept quiet flame for her for years. Sydney is faced with making an impossible decision: stay with the perfect boyfriend or go for the best friend who's always loved her?
192 pages, Paperback
First published August 8, 2017
9 people are currently reading
100 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Ward
2 books32 followersRachel grew up reading every book she could get her hands on and spending time with her cat. At least, that was the report in every annual Christmas letter. The humiliation was enough to spur her into action, and she began writing. And she never stopped. Rachel studied English at Brigham Young University-Idaho and then wrote and blogged in between the births of her six children. She currently lives in West Jordan with her family, and while she no longer has a cat, she still reads every book she can get her hands on.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
July 24, 2019
At 12% in, I'm ridiculously bored. We have alternating flashback chapters from three years before, and it's progressing linearly in each section and it's still all setup. It looks like we're going to get lots of friend group interactions with the past showing a perfectly-fine Gavin being very nice and thus stealing a march on James who only shows up after Sydney and Gavin are a done deal (I assume. We still haven't gotten even that much, yet!). It's all very tragic in the wussiest possible way.
But I have to say "looks like", because we still haven't seen anything interesting! After five chapters, you should at least have an emotional map of the landscape but we just get various putzing around with graduation and surrounding activities. It's been, like, 24 hours of nothing very much at all. These teens are boring me to tears. Like this conversation where James talks to Sydney about college plans because he wants to be a photographer, but his boring dad wants him to study business, instead. Frankly, I'm in more sympathy with the dad on this one but either way, the whole thing was flat as a Euclidean plane and twice as boring. There's no additional feelings or emotions or attachment conveyed and have I mentioned that I'm bored?
But I have to say "looks like", because we still haven't seen anything interesting! After five chapters, you should at least have an emotional map of the landscape but we just get various putzing around with graduation and surrounding activities. It's been, like, 24 hours of nothing very much at all. These teens are boring me to tears. Like this conversation where James talks to Sydney about college plans because he wants to be a photographer, but his boring dad wants him to study business, instead. Frankly, I'm in more sympathy with the dad on this one but either way, the whole thing was flat as a Euclidean plane and twice as boring. There's no additional feelings or emotions or attachment conveyed and have I mentioned that I'm bored?
September 4, 2017
(4.5 Stars) I think almost everyone has had at least one experience where everyone else can see the obvious, but you are blinded to the truth, for whatever reason. Through a series of flashbacks, mingled with the present time, the story of Sydney's life unfolds. She's had to grow up and mature before her time due to some unfortunate circumstances, and the reader is fed bits and pieces at a time, but that doesn't stop her from becoming very close to her group of friends and securing herself the perfect boyfriend. Back to my first sentence--it's very plain to see that her best friend has feelings for her, but she has absolutely no clue.
This is a great coming-of-age story that really shows the nitty gritty good and bad times of transitioning from a high school student to an adult and college student. The flashbacks also show a pivotal growth time in Sydney's life and how she starts to become who she's truly meant to be.
I couldn't stop reading because I really wanted to see how the characters would handle the situations they each found themselves in and I loved the tight friendships these five characters had with one another. I enjoyed the flashbacks and thought they really added to the story, as they each had a shovelful of information to fill in some of the backstory. There are some hard situations to tackle and there's no skimping on the emotion. Oh, and there are some really cringy moments that left me wanting to hide my face in embarrassment.
I found myself really getting into the flow of the story at times and then suddenly felt that some details were skimmed over or skipped all together, leaving me wanting more. Chunks of time were missing, but I guess that's because I couldn't have every minute detail of Sydney's life or the book would be 1000 pages. So I guess that's a good thing.
Overall, this is a fun and wholesomely entertaining story and one that I'm glad I read.
Content: mild romance
This is a great coming-of-age story that really shows the nitty gritty good and bad times of transitioning from a high school student to an adult and college student. The flashbacks also show a pivotal growth time in Sydney's life and how she starts to become who she's truly meant to be.
I couldn't stop reading because I really wanted to see how the characters would handle the situations they each found themselves in and I loved the tight friendships these five characters had with one another. I enjoyed the flashbacks and thought they really added to the story, as they each had a shovelful of information to fill in some of the backstory. There are some hard situations to tackle and there's no skimping on the emotion. Oh, and there are some really cringy moments that left me wanting to hide my face in embarrassment.
I found myself really getting into the flow of the story at times and then suddenly felt that some details were skimmed over or skipped all together, leaving me wanting more. Chunks of time were missing, but I guess that's because I couldn't have every minute detail of Sydney's life or the book would be 1000 pages. So I guess that's a good thing.
Overall, this is a fun and wholesomely entertaining story and one that I'm glad I read.
Content: mild romance
August 27, 2017
Right Next to Me was a pleasure to read! It alternated between two times of transition in Sydney's life, and the comparison was intriguing. In her early high school days she struggles through her parents' divorce and takes on more responsibility in her family, which influences her later priorities when she graduates high school and begins college. The sweet beginnings of her relationship with Gavin show how hard it is to let go when they take separate paths. I loved her friendship with James and it's pretty much obvious to everyone except Sydney how they belong together. The author was skillful in showing (instead of telling) the supportive nature of their relationship and how much they enjoyed each other's company. It was easy to connect to the characters' emotions and the angst they are feeling as their relationship dynamic becomes more complex. A great young adult novel about growing up, navigating difficult circumstances, and the importance of friendship and forgiveness.
(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)
(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)
September 7, 2017
This coming of age story is full of big life decisions for Sydney as she navigates home and family responsibilities, relationships and school. The author did a great job of capturing that time in life where so many big things are happening and change is inevitable.
I enjoyed getting to know Sydney through present time and a series of flashbacks. Sydney is an easy character to like. I love the support and help she gave her mother in caring for her siblings and home responsibilities.
This is the kind of book that is easy to recommend to teenagers on up. There is no swearing or sexual content aside from some kissing. The characters make (mostly) good decisions and learn valuable life lessons along the way. It was cute and I enjoyed the journey!
Oh, and I love the cover and the colors involved. It's so cute!!
I enjoyed getting to know Sydney through present time and a series of flashbacks. Sydney is an easy character to like. I love the support and help she gave her mother in caring for her siblings and home responsibilities.
This is the kind of book that is easy to recommend to teenagers on up. There is no swearing or sexual content aside from some kissing. The characters make (mostly) good decisions and learn valuable life lessons along the way. It was cute and I enjoyed the journey!
Oh, and I love the cover and the colors involved. It's so cute!!
September 15, 2017
Author Rachel Ward has created a fun, if a bit dramatized, story about teens and the stresses that come along with the final year of high school and moving on and sometimes moving away to attend college. It also has a bit of romance with a friend liking his best friend’s girlfriend. This is a light and quick read that teens will quite easily relate to.
Genre: young adult, contemporary, romance
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Publication date: August 8, 2017
Number of pages: 208
An review copy of this book was provided by Cedar Fort, as well an e-copy purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are my own.
Genre: young adult, contemporary, romance
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Publication date: August 8, 2017
Number of pages: 208
An review copy of this book was provided by Cedar Fort, as well an e-copy purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are my own.
August 31, 2017
This is exactly the type of novel that makes me love the Young Adult category so much! I love the cute cover and that the drawing is repeated throughout the book to start with. I felt like it really helped draw me into the book to begin with.
I love the characters, Sydney, Gavin, James, Piper and Sean. They've been friends throughout high school, even though Sydney and Gavin are paired off as are Piper and Sean. I loved seeing the way the friendships worked with all 5 of them. They really were the best of friends and there for each other through every hardship they each faced. I loved the way there were flashbacks throughout the story to certain times and situations, there was even a month and year so you could see where it fit in relation to the story. So great!
Sydney was such a fun character, I loved "seeing" things through her eyes. She had not had an easy time, her life situation was far from perfect. But she was positive and worked so hard to get what she wanted. I really loved her. I really loved that you see the whole thing from her perspective, so you don't know what any of the guys are thinking and feeling. With this book that really worked. Oh, and I loved the references to The Princess Bride, Sydney's favorite movie, there are some really fun ones in here!
This is an awesome young adult novel! I can't wait to read more books of this author's books!
I love the characters, Sydney, Gavin, James, Piper and Sean. They've been friends throughout high school, even though Sydney and Gavin are paired off as are Piper and Sean. I loved seeing the way the friendships worked with all 5 of them. They really were the best of friends and there for each other through every hardship they each faced. I loved the way there were flashbacks throughout the story to certain times and situations, there was even a month and year so you could see where it fit in relation to the story. So great!
Sydney was such a fun character, I loved "seeing" things through her eyes. She had not had an easy time, her life situation was far from perfect. But she was positive and worked so hard to get what she wanted. I really loved her. I really loved that you see the whole thing from her perspective, so you don't know what any of the guys are thinking and feeling. With this book that really worked. Oh, and I loved the references to The Princess Bride, Sydney's favorite movie, there are some really fun ones in here!
This is an awesome young adult novel! I can't wait to read more books of this author's books!
September 1, 2017
This was a thoughtful coming of age novel covering many of the challenges facing young adults as they prepare to leave the cocoon of safety they enjoyed in high school and go off to college. Told in the first person, Sydney Morris is one of five tight-knit friends who spent most of their high school years doing almost everything together. Sydney’s personal life is also complicated by her parents’ divorce. The story starts at the time of high school graduation, but includes flashbacks to relevant scenes in her past life.
At graduation, the five sense the changes that are coming in their lives even though they have the summer ahead of them to still enjoy each other’s company. Several of them work, Gavin is off to Yale, James will go to the local college and live at home due to finances, Sydney’s application to her first choice of colleges, Cal Art, is rejected, so she must settle for her second choice. All of them are facing the challenges of moving in different directions. Sydney and Gavin face the decision of whether or not to try to continue a long-distance relationship with him attending college back east and her being in Idaho with the hope of eventually transferring to California. Some relationships in the group solidify, some drift apart, not everything is as it appears on the surface. Then there are the complications of Sydney and her siblings dealing with their relationships with their father.
This story is a well-written, character and situation-driven story. I empathized with the difficulties and choices they faced as they solved their individual challenges. It held my interest, it captured my empathy, and I recommend it to readers from high school age and up.
At graduation, the five sense the changes that are coming in their lives even though they have the summer ahead of them to still enjoy each other’s company. Several of them work, Gavin is off to Yale, James will go to the local college and live at home due to finances, Sydney’s application to her first choice of colleges, Cal Art, is rejected, so she must settle for her second choice. All of them are facing the challenges of moving in different directions. Sydney and Gavin face the decision of whether or not to try to continue a long-distance relationship with him attending college back east and her being in Idaho with the hope of eventually transferring to California. Some relationships in the group solidify, some drift apart, not everything is as it appears on the surface. Then there are the complications of Sydney and her siblings dealing with their relationships with their father.
This story is a well-written, character and situation-driven story. I empathized with the difficulties and choices they faced as they solved their individual challenges. It held my interest, it captured my empathy, and I recommend it to readers from high school age and up.
September 1, 2017
Ward starts with Sydney and her group of friends graduating from high school and does a great job developing the closeness of their friendships and their personalities through memories and current experiences. The story line jumps between different timelines - not in order for the memories. It seems like it might be confusing and I usually have a hard time keeping track of time lines or extra characters, etc, but in this case it didn't matter much if the memories bounced around we just needed the memory to understand the characters better.
Sydney's dad drove me crazy and sometimes I wanted to know more of what was going with him. That's probably how a child of a disconnected parent feels, driven crazy from their apathy.
It did seem weird that Gavin and Sydney were clueless to the fact that James liked Sydney. I can't imagine ever having a significant other have a relationship like James and Sydney feel comfortable with it like Gavin seemed to.
I really enjoyed this book - reading it in 24 hours. It was a bit predictable with the story line, but it was clean and enjoyable. I love it when an author, can develop characters and the story line and keep it clean - that's a sign of great literary skills. Rachel is a great writer and I'm excited about future works of hers. While her previous book was definitely LDS fiction, this one keeps it clean without being religious and can be enjoyed by any group of people without the confusion of religious terms if not familiar with them.
Sydney's dad drove me crazy and sometimes I wanted to know more of what was going with him. That's probably how a child of a disconnected parent feels, driven crazy from their apathy.
It did seem weird that Gavin and Sydney were clueless to the fact that James liked Sydney. I can't imagine ever having a significant other have a relationship like James and Sydney feel comfortable with it like Gavin seemed to.
I really enjoyed this book - reading it in 24 hours. It was a bit predictable with the story line, but it was clean and enjoyable. I love it when an author, can develop characters and the story line and keep it clean - that's a sign of great literary skills. Rachel is a great writer and I'm excited about future works of hers. While her previous book was definitely LDS fiction, this one keeps it clean without being religious and can be enjoyed by any group of people without the confusion of religious terms if not familiar with them.
August 26, 2017
Ward’s first book Dear Jane sucked me in, and took me by a major surprise. So naturally when I got the opportunity to read her second book, I jumped at the chance to get my hands on it, and dig in.
Once again Ward delivers a fun, enthralling tale, that had me at the very first chapter.
This book is written alternating in the present, with flashbacks, that help you understand Sydney, Gavin, James and all the other supporting characters in a very easy flow. She writes a very addictive story, that chapter by chapter unfolds into this much deeper, more moving, tale that for me were very identifiable. Sydney had to grow up, fast and hard, because of what life dealt her, but the way in which she does so, shows a very strong, determined personality, that we as a reader gradually discover, chapter by chapter, flashback by flashback.
Yes, the whole love triangle is a very difficult aspect, but the delivery is exceptionally well, you can see what the outcome needs to be, and the way there isn’t always pretty, but that makes is so real.
Ward has a way of taking real situations, taking real characters with their flaws, and giving us readers a captivating read, yet touching our heart, and making us step back and reflect on the situation, and how it might pertain to us.
Once again this is a book I devoured, from the first page, to the very last letter, and it left me moved. I look forward to what Ward will give us next.
Once again Ward delivers a fun, enthralling tale, that had me at the very first chapter.
This book is written alternating in the present, with flashbacks, that help you understand Sydney, Gavin, James and all the other supporting characters in a very easy flow. She writes a very addictive story, that chapter by chapter unfolds into this much deeper, more moving, tale that for me were very identifiable. Sydney had to grow up, fast and hard, because of what life dealt her, but the way in which she does so, shows a very strong, determined personality, that we as a reader gradually discover, chapter by chapter, flashback by flashback.
Yes, the whole love triangle is a very difficult aspect, but the delivery is exceptionally well, you can see what the outcome needs to be, and the way there isn’t always pretty, but that makes is so real.
Ward has a way of taking real situations, taking real characters with their flaws, and giving us readers a captivating read, yet touching our heart, and making us step back and reflect on the situation, and how it might pertain to us.
Once again this is a book I devoured, from the first page, to the very last letter, and it left me moved. I look forward to what Ward will give us next.
September 5, 2017
Ever read a book where you knew how it was going to end but couldn't put it down and stop reading? This is how I felt when I read Right Next to Me. I loved this coming of age book. It took a unique approach by jumping back between the present and back to high school days when many of these relationships began to form. It was done in such a way that wasn't confusing and just added to the story like a puzzle coming together.
The book felt like it could have come right from the author's life, the characters felt real and likable. This is Rachel's second book, and I enjoyed it just as much or maybe even more than her first book. I read this book in one day, so a quick easy read that will capture you from the start. It is a clean book free from graphic imagery and language. This book made my "Can't Put Down List"
The book felt like it could have come right from the author's life, the characters felt real and likable. This is Rachel's second book, and I enjoyed it just as much or maybe even more than her first book. I read this book in one day, so a quick easy read that will capture you from the start. It is a clean book free from graphic imagery and language. This book made my "Can't Put Down List"
September 1, 2017
Right Next to Me is a cute story, and a fast read. Most chapters included a flashback to events that showed how James had been a big part of Sydney's life (things that she didn't realize were significant at the time). I liked that the story built up to a potential relationship between Sydney and James. Friendship is a great foundation for a relationship, and we got to see what great guy James was. I felt bad for his struggle of liking Sydney so long and not feeling like he could do anything since his best friend was dating her. I also felt for Sydney when she felt somewhat stuck in a long distance relationship with Gavin. She didn't want to hurt him.
Right Next to Me is a clean and entertaining read that I'd probably read again.
Right Next to Me is a clean and entertaining read that I'd probably read again.
August 20, 2017
This was another great story by Ms. Ward! Cute story about a group of friends going from high school into their college lives. I loved the friendship of Sidney and James. I could see right away that James wanted more. I loved the back and forth in time in the story line.
October 25, 2017
This is a cute story that really IS appropriate for younger readers, as opposed to so many other YA books out there. I have to say though, I laughed out loud at the "Go to heck" part. Seriously!?! I'm still laughing.
August 12, 2017
Great story for youth and adults. I'm not usually a big fan of flashbacks, but they work well in this book. My teenage daughter will love this book too.
August 16, 2017
Cute story. Pretty predictable.
August 19, 2017
I thought the format was really unique! It really made the book interesting! And of course, the plot was fantastic!
November 7, 2017
A charmingly sweet novel about finally noticing what real love means.
July 9, 2018
Great story and pace for a light read.
August 22, 2019
This was a sweet coming of age story that I really enjoyed. Cute characters and interesting story line. One I would read again.
Moral Note: Some kissing and talk of friends making out.
Moral Note: Some kissing and talk of friends making out.
July 22, 2020
Sorta cute. A bit angsty. Could've used more sister love.
Content: clean. No profanity or sex.
Content: clean. No profanity or sex.
December 10, 2023
Cute, quick read.
Language 0/5
Spice 0/5 (just Kissing though mention of cheating)
Plot 3.5/5
Audibook N/A
Language 0/5
Spice 0/5 (just Kissing though mention of cheating)
Plot 3.5/5
Audibook N/A
October 26, 2017
Cute and clean!
Book Nerd Challenge 2017: A Book Off the Bottom Shelf of the Library or Bookstore
Book Nerd Challenge 2017: A Book Off the Bottom Shelf of the Library or Bookstore
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews