Speed Date: My LIfe Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

These actually seem to resemble
 Jase and Sam. Huzzah! Huzzah!!!

The Plot: Sam Reed has lived next to the ever growing Garrett clan for the last 10 years, watching them from afar and wondering what would it be like to be part of a family like theirs: full of chaos, people and love. 

Sam's own family is a self-contained unit of three: her always in control State Senator mother, her often absentee older sister Riley and herself. From the moment they moved next door, Sam's mom Grace took a dislike at the Garretts, but Sam was always fascinated by them. 

Until the summer when Jase Garrett (third kid and second oldest son) climbs jumps the fence between their houses and pulls her into his world. There, Sam is accepted almost instantly and feels part of something, taking refuge with them as her mom loses herself in a re-election battle and and a new boyfriend (who's a douche but no one but Sam seems to care). 

And there is Jase, of course, who makes her feel happy and special and loved. 

Until something happens that might change the lives of the Reeds and Garretts alike. 

First Date: Oh, Sam. Your mom kind of sucks. Talk about demanding!! Jesus!! And your best friend and sister seem a bit flaky. But Jase! Oh, Jase, how does he make our hearts skip a beat!!! I want a Jase of my own. George is ADORBS too. 

Second Date: Jase's littlest brother George is the bomb, totes a scene stealer. I'm growing to love the Garretts more and more with each page. Also growing to love Tim, such a broken guy but makes a better friend than his sister (when he's sober), and he has a puppy crush on Hot Alice, Jase's oldest sister. 

Third Date: Sam, that was a rough deal with your mom, but you held it together pretty well, made a few mistakes a long the way but at least you didn't whine. That's major props right there! 

Relationship Status: And they lived Happily Ever After. 

My LIfe Next Door is a rare hyped-about-book that's actually worth most of the hype. It was fun to read, I fell in love with all the Garretts. And I genuinely liked Samantha and Jase, they are so good together that I find myself not only crushing on Jase a  bit, but also hoping these two crazy kids last forever. 

What's a Book Speed Date, you ask? It's a quickie review--about 150 words or so--of any genre book (variety is the spice of life, after all).

If you want to join in or just read other speed date reviews, check out The Book Swarm