Review: On the Fence by Kasie West (I WANT OLDER BROS TOO)
Author: Kasie West
Date of Publication: June , 2014
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Summary:
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.
According to an extensive research, I'll read anything that Kasie West writes.
I think the best thing about this book was that the family relationship was highlighted than the romance. Sure, Charlie and Braden's struggle to be out of the #friendzoned terms was the main dilemma, but the family dynamics didn't go unnoticed. Charlie was a very relateable character in my terms. She was feisty (in a fun way), tough, kickass, athletic, but totally adorable. She can totally beat you up in a football match. But at can not say that her character is perfect enough, there were times she was insensitive. Her relationship with her brothers was precious to the nth power. It had me wishing to have older brothers (I vigorously wished that when I was young every night). Jerome, Nathan and Gage were too cool.... and nasty sometimes. Their relationship were light and fun, there was no dull moment whenever they are on the scene. It was thrilling to read such boy characters with so much wit and sassiness. Also, the father-daughter relationship stood out in the book. I found the scene where Charlie discovered his father's book on how to raise girl teenagers super sweet and endearing.
I love Braden. A total swoon inducing and book boyfriend material. Kasie really likes his heroine to be the "gentleman" ever since Pivot Point. That's why I really like her novels because the heroes easily snagged their way into my heart and build a cozy place in there. Braden is no exception, he's sweet, gentle, sometimes bashful (and this made me love him more) and most of all he understands Charlie in and out.
BRADEN AND CHARLIE'S RELATIONSHIP aka THE ROMANCE GOT ME LIKE
"No. I don't want this to be in our alternate reality. I want this to be in our real one." He met my lips with his. [...] "But we can do this again at the fence if you want."
The plot was predictable. It has every substance you're looking for a contemporary romance, but I didn't care anymore and it wasn't a hindrance to like the book. Actually, I read contemporary novels in a way that I neglect if the story is unique (but ofcourse it's a plus) or not, I am just rooting for the emotional transfer and how the book will bring ~all the feels~ and this book got me squealing and wailing (because of some angst).
All in all, if you want a book with brilliant family dynamics, bestfriend/childhood romance, swoon-worthy boy characters, tough&adorable heroine, cute love story, then this book is worth a read.
