Book Review: On the Fence by Kasie West (and my first real post!)

From Barnes and Noble:

“FOR sixteen-year-old Charlotte Reynolds, aka Charlie, being raised by a single dad and three older brothers has its perks. She can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows—including her longtime neighbor and honorary fourth brother, Braden. 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 of makeup, lacy skirts, and BeDazzlers. Even stranger, she’s spending time with a boy who has never seen her tear it up in a pickup game.

To cope with the stress of faking her way through this new reality, Charlie seeks late-night refuge in her backyard, talking out her problems with Braden by the fence that separates them. But their Fence Chats can’t solve Charlie’s biggest problem: she’s falling for Braden. Hard. 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.”

Review:

I really, really enjoyed this book. It was a fun and adorable and kept me up until 4 in the morning even though I had a 9 AM class the next day.

Charlie is awesome–I like that she’s actually a tomboy. Some of the books I’ve read recently claim the main character is a tomboy, but they’re still very girly (nothing wrong with being girly, but then don’t call her a tomboy, you know?). Charlie knows more about baseball than most guys and can hold her own in a football game with the guys.

What really made me love this book was Charlie’s relationship with her brothers. Her three brothers are goofy and entertaining, but there is a sweetness in those relationships that feels so genuine. I just loved her dynamic with them, especially with Gage and Jerome.

And then we have Braden. I’m not going to say he’s my dream man (all though he’s pretty darn awesome), but he was the perfect guy for this story. He’s an easy-going, fun guy that’s very likable. His interactions with Charlie make the book so hard to put down. He’s also a very grounded guy–he likes Charlie for who she is. There’s so much more to say, but I don’t want to spoil it. Just trust me, this book is worth reading.

In a few words: READ IT. It’s one of the cutest things I’ve read in a long time and it’ll leave you with some warm, happy feelings.

Rating: 4.5/5 

If you liked it, try…

Megan Meade’s Guide to the McGowen Boys by Kate Brian (although Megan is a girlier “tomboy”, it’s got a somewhat similar concept and it’s cute and light)
The Fine Art of Pretending by Rachel Harris

To be honest, I did like On the Fence better than both of these (although I’m still only halfway through the second).

And of course, it’s always a good bet to check out other books by West (although I haven’t read them yet).

Happy Reading!

Neha 🙂

Picture from goodreads.com