On the Fence by Kasie West

On the Fence by Kasie West
Published: July 1, 2014 by HarperTeen
Source: From the publisher via Edelweiss - thank you!

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. [goodreads]

I really enjoyed Kasie West's previous YA contemporary, The Distance Between Us, so I was anticipating her next release for quite some time.  When I got my hands on an early copy to read, I moved it up my to-be-read pile.  However, as I began to read On the Fence, I found myself a bit "on the fence".  Sometimes I think I put a bit too much pressure and expectations on a book, and if something feels the slightest bit off, I'm quick to have second thoughts about it.  This book in particular started out that way, but as the story progressed something shifted, as if a switch had just been flipped, and my interests were completely sucked in.  I am so glad I stuck with this novel because as it turns out, it definitely met my expectations! 

Charlie has grown up in a house full of testosterone; including her three brothers, single dad, and the boy from next door.  Her memories of her mother are a bit fuzzy since she died in a car accident when Charlie was just six years old.  She hasn't had a female figure in her life, so naturally she's succumbed to a more tom-boyish lifestyle.  But as Charlie emerges into becoming a young woman, she begins to realize the opposite sex beyond just football and soccer games.  These funny feelings keep creeping in when ever she's around Braden, her neighbor who should be almost like a brother, except these feelings have kept it far from that.

At first the dynamic between Charlie, Braden, and her brothers felt a bit juvenile to me.  Even though the author had described them as being upperclassmen in high school (and one brother in college), their actions felt a bit too immature.  I struggled with that aspect of the story in the beginning, but it didn't last much longer.  Once Charlie took on a job at shopping boutique to pay off some speeding tickets, her interactions with her brothers began to make more sense.  They always saw her as "one of the guys", yet secretly they were protective of her, too.  As Charlie learned about fashion and makeup, something she was never exposed to before, she begins to see outside her spectrum.

The inner conflict Charlie has with herself became a focal point in the story for which pivoted the rest of the story around it.  My heart went out to this girl as she tried to fit in with other girls, yet still felt foreign to their interests.  This story represents the struggles a teen girl faces when trying to find her own identity.  In Charlie's case she was always cast as the wide receiver for a pick-up game at the park, but somewhere inside she had the urge to go outside her comfort zone and test new waters.

The relationship between Charlie and Braden blossomed this story into a very well-rounded YA contemporary.  These two characters begin as friends, confiding in one another during late night "fence chats".  In these moments, during the still of the night, they became vulnerable and allowed their true emotions to seep through the fence's wooden planks.  It was interesting to witness Charlie's transformation as she became more aware of her feelings for Braden and trying to decide what to do with them.

Even though On the Fence had me a bit "on the fence" in the beginning, my hesitant thoughts quickly diminished and I found myself immersed inside this story.  For fans of contemporary YA that enjoy a quick-paced read, I definitely recommend this novel.  It proposes the prospect of being a cute read, but delivers something much deeper, producing a very pleasant and richer reading experience.

Waiting On: On the Fence by Kasie West

On the Fence by Kasie West
To be published: July 1, 2014 by HarperTeen

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. [goodreads]

I really enjoyed Kasie West's previous YA contemporary, The Distance Between Us, so when I found out she was writing another one, it immediately went on my to-be-read list.  This story sounds like the perfect summer read for me and I cannot wait to get my hands on it!

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West
Published: July 2, 2013 by HarperTeen
Source: Purchased from my local bookstore

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.

So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company.

She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about. [goodreads]

I love a good contemporary YA that fills the pages with a strong voice to carry the story along.  I love them even more when there's a romance that buds from a forbidden territory, that should be off limits, yet is followed through with anyway.  The Distance Between Us holds a lot of what I enjoy in this contemporary genre, and it definitely delivered in my reasons for flipping page after page, not wanting to put it down.

Caymen lives with her mom, who raised her alone her whole life, above the doll store that Caymen's mom owns.  It's not what Caymen wants to do for the rest of her life, but she helps out in the store more often than not, realizing that it's tough to make it in this world as a single mom, struggling to stay afloat.

There's a definition in their town between those with money, and those without.  One day a very good looking guy, one who obviously has money, comes into the doll store.  Caymen is expected to wait on him and instantly you know these two have a sparkling chemistry.  The dance between these two was so much fun to read.  Xander is self assured, a little on the arrogant side but in a playful way, and definitely has a heart worth getting to know.  Caymen has her reservations about him though, after all it's guys like him that her mother has always told her to stay away from.

The two of them form an unlikely friendship, but it's Caymen who isn't very forthcoming with her mom about it.  While Xander is introducing Caymen to his world, she attempts to keep her's a bit more private.  The struggles Caymen endures stems from her father that left her before she was born, and the secrets that her mother are keeping from her.  She is also carrying the burden of knowing the store could be pulled out from under them at any moment, along with their home and everything her mom has worked hard to keep alive.

Caymen's sarcastic voice really stood out to me, and it was an element of the story that I enjoyed so much.  I can understand this humor, because I tend to have a bit of it myself.  It's a little on the dry side, and some may mistake it for being rude (or not so funny), but to me I found it to be refreshing and hilarious at just the right moments.

If you're looking for a contemporary YA that will carry you along a quiet story, but evolve into a rich story, then I highly recommend The Distance Between Us.  It's got a lot of heart at its roots that make you connect with the story when you don't even realize it.