Reviews

By Your Side by Kasie West

jeanettesreadingcorner's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Another amazing book by Kasie West. I really enjoyed Autumn and Dax as main characters. It was so fun and interesting to see what they do while stuck in the library! At first I was skeptical of this plot point but I loved it (and Autumn + Dax together) when I actually read it. I wish we’ve could’ve had more scenes from them as an official couple! 
Autumn has anxiety and takes medication for it. I immediately connected with her because of this. I felt so seen and heard, which is was really special. I’m so appreciative and happy that Kasie included this type of mental health representation. She wrote it in such a positive and respectful way. Dax’s unstable home life situation was emotional and added depth to the story. 
I highly recommend By Your Side and I’m so glad that I picked it up at a used bookstore! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Drug use, Medical content, Mental illness, Abandonment, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Kidnapping

anigirl524's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

berta_rozi's review against another edition

3.0

Berta has Two Thoughts On This Book

“The was something very satisfying about a smile that had to be earned.”

1. In Full

This book was on my to-read list mainly because I speed through cutesy contemporaries. But boy was I wrong about this one. I started it, ready to fall in love with anyone, because wow, Kasie West can get me to feel stuff. But as soon as

Spoiler

Autumn and Dax got out of the library,

I wasn't so sure about the entire story. The story was still sweet, and the adorable romance did keep me on edge and fangirling. Also, the representation of anxiety was a surprise (since I hadn't read up on what this would be about), and all the problems I had with it were how Autumn didn't want to tell anyone, because she wanted to be treated normal. I didn't like it because it was badly written, and in fact, I'm just sad that teenagers, us, in this day and age, still don't accept variety and differences in other people. Are we all that self centered?

2. The Ending

So the flow of the book was slightly slow, and when it finally picked up... suddenly the story was over. I hadn't even gotten to remembering the characters' names, and oh bollocks. My exact rating is 3 stars because the ending was so unsatisfactory and quick, wrapping up things that I didn't even have time to process. All in all, I do still recommend this book to anyone with the time and will, because anxiety has to be represented, but if you haven't already, pick up a different one of Kasie West's book.

“Books, bringing people together.' That would make a good slogan for the library.”

hall23's review against another edition

3.0

Very accurate look of Anxiety Disorder and Panic Attacks.

jmcrockett78's review against another edition

5.0

Excellent, I couldn't put it down!

amandaplease's review against another edition

4.0

I'm all for cute contemporary romance novels that have a bigger message. by your side by Katie West does just that by shining a light on mental illness and self care and personal growth.

BTW- can I get stuck in a library full of books for a weekend?!

aye21's review against another edition

lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.25

jscarpa14's review against another edition

3.0

I debated on my rating because it really was a good story so I considered going higher except the thing is it wasn't really the story I was expecting, hence the lower rating. The blurb gives the impression this is a I guess lighthearted teen romance. That's what I was looking for when I picked this up and it's not what this book is at all. Granted there is a love story and it's a very sweet one. But more than anything this book to me was about a teen with a very severe anxiety disorder learning how to live with it instead of suffering through it. It was a good story and I liked Autumn, I felt for her. I liked watching her grow as a person but the romance this pushes is really more of a secondary plot line in my opinion hence the rating. It's a great story, really well written and I would recommend it, I would just recommend it to a different audience than the one it's being pushed to.

vreadss's review against another edition

5.0

THIS BOOK JUST REALLY IS PERFECT FOR ME RIGHT NOW I AM SO GLAD I READ THIS AND I JUST LOVE THIS BOOK. IT NOW HOLDS A SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART

thecorioliseffect's review against another edition

4.0

It's Kasie West. Her books are adorable. I can officially say I plan on reading all her books.