Series: Genre: Publication.Date: August 18, 2015 Pages: 432 (eARC) Published By: Dial Books Website: Huntley Fitzpatrick The Boy Most Likely To on Goodreads My review copy:
Where to get:
A surprising, utterly romantic companion to My Life Next Door—great for fans of Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han
Tim Mason was The Boy Most Likely To find the liquor cabinet blindfolded, need a liver transplant, and drive his car into a house
Alice Garrett was The Girl Most Likely To . . . well, not date her little brother’s baggage-burdened best friend, for starters.
For Tim, it wouldn’t be smart to fall for Alice. For Alice, nothing could be scarier than falling for Tim. But Tim has never been known for making the smart choice, and Alice is starting to wonder if the “smart” choice is always the right one. When these two crash into each other, they crash hard.
Then the unexpected consequences of Tim’s wild days come back to shock him. He finds himself in a situation that isn’t all it appears to be, that he never could have predicted . . . but maybe should have.
And Alice is caught in the middle.
Told in Tim’s and Alice’s distinctive, disarming, entirely compelling voices, this novel is for readers of The Spectacular Now, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, and Paper Towns.
(Goodreads)
Quotes taken from an ARC and are subject to change
I devoured My Life Next Door. It was my first Huntley Fitzpatrick book and I fell in love with the way she wrote her characters, her romance, and her story (to this day, Jase remains one of my favorite book boyfriends). Shortly after my finishing of her novel, she announced that she was planning a sequel with Tim and Alice - I was pumped! As My Life Next Door progressed and his character grew, Tim became a favorite of mine and I was thrilled he and "Hot Alice" we're going to get a chance at happiness together.
The story begins with Tim moving into the garage apartment at the Garretts'. Joel has moved out and Tim uses the opportunity, with Jase's permission, to help get is life back on track. He is studying to get his GED, going to AA meetings, and generally learning what life is like as a decent person. This is such a huge turn around for Tim that you have to give him credit. But don't despair, he is still his ever charming self - just a sober charming self.
While Mr. Garrett is still laid up in the hospital, Alice (being the eldest living at home), finds herself wearing multiple hats. She is taking care of the family, the hardware store, ensuring medical bills are paid, and going to nursing school all while slowly developing feelings for Tim. Honestly, I don't know how Alice does it! She's like superwoman and a bit of a control freak. Alice is only 19 and while she does have an air of superiority around her, Tim even calls her on it a few times stating she is not is mother, at heart we know she is a deeply caring individual.
While Sam and Jase had a short road romance, even with a few road blocks, Alice and Tim's took a bit more time. They're romance doesn't fully blossom until maybe halfway through the book, not that there is any real issue with that and I like that Huntley takes the time and effort to give Tim and Alice their own romance. This delay in romance allows us to get to know Tim and Alice on a level we didn't experience in My Life Next Door and the dual-narration really gets into these characters' heads. Their relationship is slow and honest, giving Tim a chance to step-up and Alice a chance to step-down in realistic ways.
The drawback, however, is the numerous subplots. Obviously I'm not going to tell you what they are because "Hello, spoiler!" but I felt like some of them could have been taken out or toned down (one of them just seemed to go poof and that was that). Part of my issue with this is a I was hoping for more Tim-and-Alice and not Tim-and-Alice's-individual-promblems. Granted I know real life isn't only about romance and falling in love, and with a family as big as the Garretts there is bound to be bigger and numerous issues, so on the other hand it makes sense. There were times though where I felt like the plot was just kind of treading water instead of moving along.
At the end of the day, Huntley keeps her readers entertained, her characters true to themselves and individuals (not easy with so many characters - but having six kids herself she is probably very used to having multiple personalities around), and her romance sincere and thoughtful. At present she doesn't have any new books announced, but I'm looking forward to what she comes out with next!
As he's climbing the steps, Any comes over and calls, "Tim! You're a guy, right?"
"Last time I checked."
"Can I ask you a question I can't can't ask my brothers?"
"No," Jase calls.
Out the kitchen window, I watch Tim plunge down the garage steps, long legs, hands shoved in pockets. He hits the grass, headed for his car, washing clean and sparking by last night's rain, windshield plastered with stuck-on leaves, then shields hiseyes and looks toward our house. His face blazes, happiness purer and more unfiltered than I've ever seen from him. Like the whole wide world is dazzling with potential.
"He always gets to light the fire! I never do!" Harry groans.
"You're seven. You have years of pyromania ahead of you."
The story begins with Tim moving into the garage apartment at the Garretts'. Joel has moved out and Tim uses the opportunity, with Jase's permission, to help get is life back on track. He is studying to get his GED, going to AA meetings, and generally learning what life is like as a decent person. This is such a huge turn around for Tim that you have to give him credit. But don't despair, he is still his ever charming self - just a sober charming self.
While Mr. Garrett is still laid up in the hospital, Alice (being the eldest living at home), finds herself wearing multiple hats. She is taking care of the family, the hardware store, ensuring medical bills are paid, and going to nursing school all while slowly developing feelings for Tim. Honestly, I don't know how Alice does it! She's like superwoman and a bit of a control freak. Alice is only 19 and while she does have an air of superiority around her, Tim even calls her on it a few times stating she is not is mother, at heart we know she is a deeply caring individual.
While Sam and Jase had a short road romance, even with a few road blocks, Alice and Tim's took a bit more time. They're romance doesn't fully blossom until maybe halfway through the book, not that there is any real issue with that and I like that Huntley takes the time and effort to give Tim and Alice their own romance. This delay in romance allows us to get to know Tim and Alice on a level we didn't experience in My Life Next Door and the dual-narration really gets into these characters' heads. Their relationship is slow and honest, giving Tim a chance to step-up and Alice a chance to step-down in realistic ways.
The drawback, however, is the numerous subplots. Obviously I'm not going to tell you what they are because "Hello, spoiler!" but I felt like some of them could have been taken out or toned down (one of them just seemed to go poof and that was that). Part of my issue with this is a I was hoping for more Tim-and-Alice and not Tim-and-Alice's-individual-promblems. Granted I know real life isn't only about romance and falling in love, and with a family as big as the Garretts there is bound to be bigger and numerous issues, so on the other hand it makes sense. There were times though where I felt like the plot was just kind of treading water instead of moving along.
At the end of the day, Huntley keeps her readers entertained, her characters true to themselves and individuals (not easy with so many characters - but having six kids herself she is probably very used to having multiple personalities around), and her romance sincere and thoughtful. At present she doesn't have any new books announced, but I'm looking forward to what she comes out with next!
Pinterest Inspiration Board
While reading The Boy Most Likely To, there are few things / places that pop up every now and then. Some of them are significant and some of them not so much. However, something about putting all these imagines / themes into a Pinterest Inspiration board is pretty neat. Evie has done this with a few books, but I've never attempted it before myself. It was a bit daunting at first, but once I starting pinning a few things I would have a bunch of other things would pop into my head. Even while reading I'd come across a scene that I'd want to "pin." So take a look at my board below. Somethings you may catch on to or notice from My Life Next Door and a few things you'll only catch if you've read The Boy Most Likely To. (Don't worry though - no spoilers!)
*hosted by Penguin Teen*
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