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The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, messy, affectionate. And every day from her rooftop perch, Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs up next to her and changes everything.
As the two fall fiercely for each other, stumbling through the awkwardness and awesomeness of first love, Jase’s family embraces Samantha – even as she keeps him a secret from her own. Then something unthinkable happens, and the bottom drops out of Samantha’s world. She’s suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

Yes. Yes. Yes. This book is such a good debut and such a pleasant surprise! I’ve been a tiny bit peeved recently because I’ve been powering through books on my shelf and I haven’t really been enjoying them as much as I’d like…until this.

Where do I even start? I’m used to contemporaries, and I have a soft spot for them. But this is a contemporary with one hell of a twist. I was enjoying this book, and about halfway through was left wondering what was happening, a little bored perhaps. It was lovely, fluffy…but that was it. I needed more.

Hell, did Fitzpatrick give me more.

““You have to kiss me,” I find myself saying.”

Some people may say the twist was a little too intense for such a fluffy romance, but I am not one of those people. This book really needed the twist to pull it apart from the rest. But it wasn’t just the twist that I loved. For one, this book includes family and friends and such a large cast of characters, but I loved them all and I thought they were all so well built. Everyone played an important role in the story and Fitzpatrick is so good at creating well-rounded characters. I really liked Samantha, and I actually love that she was a rich girl. She challenged the whole rich girl stereotype and proved there is more depth to the spoilt princess we expect.

This book took me through so many emotions. Boredom, slightly, yes. But also love, confusion, tears, happiness, laughter and so much more. I spent some of this book trying not to cry, and other parts bursting out into giggles. It displayed the rollercoaster of Samantha’s life perfectly.

“”Yeah.” He leans closer. “I do.””

So honestly, the best part of this book was definitely the characters, whom I adored. I loved the big Garrett family and the natural way they were represented. I loved George, who came across with traits of aspergers to me, and made him even more lovable. I loved the dynamic between Sam and her mum, because even though it was heart-wrenching, I think it was written beautifully.

My only criticism? The pace. As I briefly mentioned above, I thought halfway through this book that that was it. And later on, I felt the ending was a little rushed. I just think if the twist had happened a little sooner, with the first half of the book being more compressed and the second half having a little more longevity, it would have been absolutely perfect.

★★★★★
4.5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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