26 September 2017

Review: A Short History of the Girl Next Door by Jared Reck

A Short History of the Girl Next Door by Jared Reck
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Release Date: September 26, 2017
Book Format: ARC
# of Pages: 272
Synopsis: The unrequited love of the girl next door is the centerpiece of this fiercely funny, yet heart-breaking debut novel.

Fifteen-year-old Matt Wainwright is in turmoil. He can’t tell his lifelong best friend, Tabby, how he really feels about her; his promising basketball skills are being overshadowed by his attitude on the court, and the only place he feels normal is in English class, where he can express his inner thoughts in quirky poems and essays. Matt is desperately hoping that Tabby will reciprocate his feelings; but then Tabby starts dating Liam Branson, senior basketball star and all-around great guy. Losing Tabby to Branson is bad enough; but, as Matt soon discovers, he’s close to losing everything that matters most to him.

Humorous and heart-wrenching, A Short History of the Girl Next Door is perfect for readers who fell in love with All the Bright Places' Finch or Stargirl’s Leo.


Meet Jared, (Taken from Goodreads)
Jared Reck lives in Hanover, Pennsylvania, with his wife and two daughters. He teaches 8th grade Language Arts, where he has been reading awesome books and writing alongside his students for the past twelve years. A Short History of the Girl Next Door is his first novel.
Learn more about Jared at jaredreckbooks.com and follow him on Twitter @reckj.


My Review:
I was sent this book by the publisher and this is my honest review.

A Short History of the Girl Next Door by Jared Reck tells the story of a classic love story with a twist that I wasn’t expecting. Matt & Tabby grew up together, and had been inseparable since the day Tabby’s mother left. Her dad needed the help taking care of a newborn baby and the Wainwrights enjoyed having little Tabby around all the time. Everything changes when Matt realizes that he’s in love with his best friend.

In the beginning, I had the feeling that the story was going to be a typical love story. Neighbors grew up together, the boy falls in love with the girl, they have some falling out but then they make up and fall in love. BUT that is not what this book was like at all. Without any spoilers it had most of the typical love story aspects but in the middle nearing the end the book took a turn that I didn’t see coming.

I don’t normally read mushy love stories so I found myself really loving the initial relationship between Matt and Tabby. Even though it was typical I just loved them so much. I loved how close Tabby was with Matt’s family especially his little brother and grandparents. I also loved that even though she was becoming a little more popular by dating the popular senior at school she still loved Matt as a friend and didn’t treat him any differently.

Another favorite part of the story was the school aspects of the story. All of the teachers were so involved in the lives of all of their students especially Matt and Tabby and they stood by them when tragedy struck. I love how everybody in this book was so good to one another everybody was so supportive and it just felt like such a great community to be in.



  

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