BOOK REVIEW – On the Fence by Kasie West

On the Fence by Kasie West
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

She's a tomboy. He's the boy next door.

With three older brothers, Charlotte Reynolds, aka Charlie, has always been more comfortable calling the shots on a basketball court than flirting with the opposite sex. So when her police officer dad demands she get a summer job to pay for the latest in a long line of speeding tickets, she's more than a little surprised to find herself working at a chichi boutique and going out with a boy who has never seen her tear it up in a pickup game. Charlie seeks late-night refuge in her backyard, talking out her problems with her neighbor and honorary fourth brother, Braden, sitting back-to-back against the fence that separates them. Braden may know her better than anyone. But there's a secret Charlie's keeping that even he hasn't figured out—she's fallen for him. 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:

On the Fence made me want to spin circles while laughing and smiling.  Seriously.  This book was beyond adorable.  I had a permanent smile on my face, and I closed that last page feeling incredibly happy!  If you’re in need of a super cute book, that also has some deeper moments, then definitely pick this one up!

“A girl who plays disc golf?” Jerom said. “That’s hot.” Gage curled his lip. “I don’t know. A girl who plays disc golf? She’s probably a dog. Some aggressive, burly thing.”
The guys laughed, not seeming to realize I was standing right there . . . playing disc golf. Maybe that’s how they saw me. Maybe that’s how most guys saw me.

Charlie is a 16 year old tomboy, and it took me a few chapters to warm up to her.  I was somewhat of a tomboy when I was younger, and I spent my weekends shooting guns, racing four-wheelers, playing baseball and climbing trees with my 5 male cousins and brother.  But when I hit 12/13 I realized that I also loved shopping, fingernail polish and obsessing over my latest Hollywood crush ha.  So it took me a little while to find a connection to a more intense tomboy. But once I did, this book became everything I was looking for!

“What did you mean by that, anyway?”
“By what?”
“That you don’t know my type of girls?”
“I hang out with athletes.”
“And?”
I paused, a little surprised. Was he saying he would date my teammates if I set him up? It had been a while since Braden had a girlfriend, but I was pretty sure his last one knew more about nail patterns than defensive patterns. “And . . . I guess I don’t know your type.”
He chuckled. “I find that hard to believe.”

Charlie is surrounded by males!  Her dad, three older brothers, and neighbor, Braden, are her world.  Well sports are too.  She spends her days playing sports games with them along with wrestling, goofing around, watching tv, and just hanging out.  Charlie easily fits in and is one of the guys.  But after getting a speeding ticket, her dad forces her to get a job.  Where she ends up working, starts to make her world split in two.  Because at work she is surrounded by clothes, makeup, girl friends outside of sports, and even a potential boyfriend.  Charlie feels as though she has no clue how to mesh the person she is at work to the person she is with the family she loves.  And I loved watching her try and figure it all out.

“He trusts you. You’re like our brother.”
“But you’re their sister.”
“And yours.”
“You’re not my sister, Charlie. And they know that. They are very protective of you. More than you could possibly know.”

My favorite part of this book was Charlie interacting with Braden.  He is her neighbor that she has known forever, and one of her older brother’s best friends.  After starting her new job, she realizes that she has some feelings for him. And the electricity that you felt springing from her chest when he would talk a little too close or touch her had me squeeling!  But their friendship become even deeper when they started to meet by the fence that separated their two houses and talk in the middle of the night.  Charlie is trying to escape her nightmares and Braden is escaping his drunk father.  Their talks were friendship, hope, desire and they reached a level of deepness that hadn’t ever existed before between them. And each of those talks helped to create a flutter in my heart.  I adored their time alone, and I kept wishing for that version of them to be brought into the daytime.  But all truths eventually make their way out, and watching theirs progress was so much fun!

He grabbed hold of my arms, preventing me from falling. Something he would’ve never done pre–fence chat. He would’ve let me fall on my butt and then I would’ve tried to sweep his legs out from beneath him. Our eyes met for the briefest of moments and then he quickly released me. As if realizing he’d breached some unwritten rule, he grabbed my arm, bent down, and threw me over his shoulder.
Walking to the couch, he unceremoniously plopped me down on my back. “There. If you’re going to fall on your butt,” he said, his eyes twinkling as he said the word, “choose a better place.”

So yeah, I fell for this book!  And I can definitely say that I have become a huge fan of Kasie West!  She has the ability to create males that are to die for, heroines that pull you into their emotional webs and a story that is completely heartwarming.  I definitely recommend reading this book.  Especially if you are in need of some smiles in your life!

PS I have to say that one of my favorite scenes was the nerf game.  You’re definitely going to want to read that part!  *giggles while fanning face*

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