Scan barcode
mxharriet's review
2.0
*Received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
This novel. I have a love/hate relationship with contemporary novels. And this one, after all the praise surrounding it, was not my cup-of-tea. I do like the cover though, it is cheesy, but its simple, bright and cheerful.
Sam has always lived next door to the Garretts. A massive family whom Sam has been banned from interacting with for the majority of her life, yet watches from her bedroom window. But when she meets Jase from next-door, things start to become complicated, and Sam begins to contemplate whether the life she is leading is really what she wants.
I found Sam to become very frustrating through the progression of the novel. At first, she seemed like a happy and bubbly girl, who helped those around her and always tried her best. But as the novel progressed I found myself frustrated with her, she just would not do what she had and wanted to do. Everything seemed to revolve around her. And then Sam would go on and on about how everything happened to her, alongside the fact that she didn't want to be seen outside with her boyfriend. My other character dislike in this novel was Sam's 'best friend' Nan. I use these apostrophes because she was no best friend, I wouldn't even class her as a friend. She was an absolutely horrible person. Nan would make little terrible comments towards Sam and then cheats on all her test, Sam finds out and confronts her, yet Nan blames Sam for Nan doing it, does not talk to Sam at all and basically gets mad at Sam, stating it is her fault and she cannot be friends with her anymore because apparently Sam is horrible for finding out Nan has been cheating and making her have to cheat... what?! It made no sense whatsoever.
The plot of this novel. It was one of the only reasons I carried on because there were certainly some twists that I was not expecting. However, apart from those areas, there was nothing unique about it. Nothing there to make stand it out from any other contemporary out there. It could be slow-paced at times, and uninteresting. Sadly it started great, and just went downhill from then-on.
Sadly My Life Next Door just did not live up to my expectations and I am very disappointed.
This novel. I have a love/hate relationship with contemporary novels. And this one, after all the praise surrounding it, was not my cup-of-tea. I do like the cover though, it is cheesy, but its simple, bright and cheerful.
Sam has always lived next door to the Garretts. A massive family whom Sam has been banned from interacting with for the majority of her life, yet watches from her bedroom window. But when she meets Jase from next-door, things start to become complicated, and Sam begins to contemplate whether the life she is leading is really what she wants.
I found Sam to become very frustrating through the progression of the novel. At first, she seemed like a happy and bubbly girl, who helped those around her and always tried her best. But as the novel progressed I found myself frustrated with her, she just would not do what she had and wanted to do. Everything seemed to revolve around her. And then Sam would go on and on about how everything happened to her, alongside the fact that she didn't want to be seen outside with her boyfriend. My other character dislike in this novel was Sam's 'best friend' Nan. I use these apostrophes because she was no best friend, I wouldn't even class her as a friend. She was an absolutely horrible person. Nan would make little terrible comments towards Sam and then cheats on all her test, Sam finds out and confronts her, yet Nan blames Sam for Nan doing it, does not talk to Sam at all and basically gets mad at Sam, stating it is her fault and she cannot be friends with her anymore because apparently Sam is horrible for finding out Nan has been cheating and making her have to cheat... what?! It made no sense whatsoever.
The plot of this novel. It was one of the only reasons I carried on because there were certainly some twists that I was not expecting. However, apart from those areas, there was nothing unique about it. Nothing there to make stand it out from any other contemporary out there. It could be slow-paced at times, and uninteresting. Sadly it started great, and just went downhill from then-on.
Sadly My Life Next Door just did not live up to my expectations and I am very disappointed.
lmrivas54's review
4.0
What a wonderful book! I thought it was going to be about a rich girl/ poor boy story but it was more than that. Samantha was the rich girl raised by a snobbish mother. This year, Sam's mother is running for re-election to the Senate, so Sam is left alone in the house a lot. Her sister is spending the summer with her boyfriend at Martha's Vineyard. Jase, on the other hand, lives next door, has a messy house and backyard that irritates Sam's mother no end, a big family (8 children!), and it feels like he's the richer of the two. I found very significant Samantha's mom's obsession with the vacuum cleaner and the excesively clean house, in contrast with Jase's mother who breast feeds her baby anywhere and doesn't mind everyday clutter. However, her children are well fed and cared for, while Samantha's mother neglects her for a while, then tries to control every aspect of her life. Samantha used to observe the Garrets all the time, until one day Jase comes up to her bedroom and chats with her. He very casually invites her to his house, introduces her to his family and she's absorbed into their hectic lifestyle where she adapts and thrives. There are secondary characters, twins Tim and Nan, with whom she has been friends forever. They have their own rich kids trauma, Nan is an obsessive overachiever, and Tim is alcoholic. There is a lot going on but there's no confusion, it all meshes great and you are interested in everyone's life. Sam keeps her two lives separate until a big event happens that threatens to rip everything apart. How Sam deals with it shows how much she's grown and learned.
bel_saturnreads's review
4.0
Me ha parecido un libro super cute de esas de que el primer amor lo vives con ellos como se van conociendo como todo surge espontaneamente y se van descubriendo el uno al otro pero si algo me ha gustado y me ha robado el corazón ha sido georgee ♥ seriously quiero un libro de este niño de mayor por favor y bueno jase y sam es que de por si han sido super adorables <3333
“I don't know. I didn't have that choice. But I know what's happening now. And I'm choosing to stay with you.”
emmaj2004's review against another edition
4.0
Leuk boek, maar niet heel speciaal. Leest lekker snel en is goed geschreven, goed boek voor als je even iets makkelijks wilt lezen.
jomamma's review
I came here for the romance, not for reading abt the neighbors' toddlers for chapters on end
dnf
dnf
rebeccaisabelle's review
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I don't think I'd read this book again. It had alot of cursing in the book. I also found that the storyline was a bit drawn out. There were many times during the beginning read, where I was like, "get to the point". I couldn't find the climax or the big issue. It just sounded like they were talking about the small details of a teenage romance. It got boring after awhile. I wanted something more. Something to make the story more interesting. Nonetheles, the relationship between Sam and Jase is sweet and the Garrett's family is also so nice and welcoming. The only thing I would say though is I wished the book talked a little more about when Jase met Sam . What did he like about her? what exactly made him climb the trellis that day? Basically, i wanted more backstory from the male love interest. I got a lot of info from the females perspective but I feel like the story would've been more complete if I got the guy's point of view in the whole meet cute/ first encounter.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
gillsbooks21's review
3.0
Ughhhhhhh.
After finishing this book, I remember why I stepped away from YA fiction. It was because they got so predictable and boring. There was nothing new or exciting for me in this novel. The formation of the relationships between characters I’ve read a lot before. Some parts of this book were enjoyable to read, but 394 pages is too much for the plot of this novel. I had to establish a quota for myself in order to get this one finished in time before going back to school. 3/5 stars.
After finishing this book, I remember why I stepped away from YA fiction. It was because they got so predictable and boring. There was nothing new or exciting for me in this novel. The formation of the relationships between characters I’ve read a lot before. Some parts of this book were enjoyable to read, but 394 pages is too much for the plot of this novel. I had to establish a quota for myself in order to get this one finished in time before going back to school. 3/5 stars.
victoriaono's review
4.0
More like 4.43 stars. I loved how the parents in both families were involved, because most of the YA books ignore the parents completely. I also loved the little kids in the Garretts <3 I also want to read more about the Masons, and I'm glad the sequel is focused on Tim, because I loved when he was friendly to Sam and Jase and the kids. There's actually a lot of stuff that I want to read/need to know more about, so I'm very excited for the next book!
bookhoarder76's review
4.0
I don't know why I waited so long to read this one! Loved the characters especially the Garrett's!