Review: On the Fence by Kasie West

On the Fence by Kasie West

Publication Date: July 1, 2014
Page Count: 304
Published by: HarperTeen
Source: eArc received from publisher in exchange for an honest review

Synopsis from Goodreads:

She's a tomboy. He's the boy next door…

Charlie Reynolds can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at a chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world. To cope with the stress of her new reality, Charlie takes to spending nights chatting with her neighbor Braden through the fence between their yards. As she grows to depend on their nightly Fence Chats, she realizes she's got a bigger problem than speeding tickets-she's falling for Braden. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.

Fun, original, and endearing, On the Fence is a romantic comedy about finding yourself and finding love where you least expect.

You guys already knew that I was going to say that On The Fence was cute and adorable, right? Because you know how much I love contemporary stories, and this one was awesome. But it was so much more than just cute and adorable - it also has depth and so much heart.

Charlie and Braden's late night fence chats were the best part of this book for me. I loved how they were able to open up and be honest with each other. The darkness created an intimate setting and they were able to open up without any reservations. I really enjoyed seeing their relationship evolve from friends to maybe something more. I thought they were really great together, and their awkwardness and confusion about their feelings for each other added a lot of drama to the story.

On The Fence was full of genuinely likable characters. Charlie was so lovable, I couldn't help but like her. She definitely had a unique relationship with her 3 older and overprotective brothers, and I loved seeing their closeness throughout the book. Of course I adored Braden, the next door neighbor, who was just as close to Charlie as her real brothers. And you have to love a single dad who is completely clueless about how to raise a teenage daughter, but still tries so hard to be what she needs.

This feel good story was clean, quick and easy to read, and so darn enjoyable. There were plenty of really sweet moments, along with fun times and lots of laughs. This was a cute contemporary with more depth than I thought it would have, and I liked that about it. I could go on and on about how lovely this book was. With a believable romance, endearing characters, and great family dynamics, On The Fence is a book that should be on everyone's reading list.

My rating:  5 stars