Review: My Life With the Walter Boys by Ali Novak

Posted March 31, 2014 by Kim in Reviews / 1 Comment

Review: My Life With the Walter Boys by Ali NovakMy Life with the Walter Boys by Ali Novak
Series: My Life with the Walter Boys #1
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Publication date: March 1, 2014
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Format: eARC
How I got it: From the publisher
Add it: Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon
My rating:

My Life with the Walter Boys centers on the prim, proper, and always perfect Jackie Howard. When her world is turned upside down by tragedy, Jackie must learn to cut loose and be part of a family again.

Jackie does not like surprises. Chaos is the enemy! The best way to get her successful, busy parents to notice her is to be perfect. The perfect look, the perfect grades-the perfect daughter. And then...

Surprise #1: Jackie's family dies in a freak car accident.

Surprise #2: Jackie has to move cross-country to live with the Walters-her new guardians.

Surprise #3: The Walters have twelve sons. (Well, eleven, but Parker acts like a boy anyway)

Now Jackie must trade in her Type A personality and New York City apartment for a Colorado ranch and all the wild Walter boys who come with it. Jackie is surrounded by the enemy-loud, dirty, annoying boys who have no concept of personal space. Okay, several of the oldest guys are flat-out gorgeous. But still annoying. She's not stuck-up or boring-no matter what they say. But proving it is another matter. How can she fit in and move on when she needs to keep her parents' memory alive by living up to the promise of perfect?

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration.
This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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My Thoughts

I want to get all gushy over this book, but I’m going to try to restrain myself. Did you know the author wrote this book when she was 15 years old? 15?! If you’re looking for a young adult novel with an authentic teenage voice, look no further. It doesn’t get much better than this.

There was so much to love about this book. The writing was fantastic and authentic. Jackie’s inner dialogue was perfect and her interactions with the other characters felt so real. I adored Jackie immediately. I found her easy to connect with. And the Walter boys? Oh. My. God. Talk about a cast of interesting characters. From the standoffish to the swoony and everything in between, they were absolute perfection. They weren’t carbon copies of each other. They each had a unique personality – good or bad – and there was more to all of them than met the eye. Watching Jackie navigate her new life in Colorado, both with and away from the boys, warmed my heart.

The only thing about this book that bothered me was the ending. I wanted more. Of course, at the time I finished, I didn’t realize there was a sequel coming, so I was distraught that it ended like it did. But now I can anxiously await that sequel and see where life takes these characters next. I read the first couple pages on Wattpad and I neeeeeeeeed this book, like, now.

My Life With the Walter Boys was neither light and fluffy nor overly deep. It dealt with the hard truth of grieving not only the loss of loved ones, but of the life you once knew but did it in a way that I never found to be particularly difficult to handle. I definitely felt some emotions and my heart broke for the loss Jackie was dealing with. I laughed and cried. But mostly I smiled. There was just something about these characters that made me happy. I can see why this book got so much attention on Wattpad. It has quickly moved up my list of favorite young adult contemporaries. I can’t wait for the sequel.

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Kim

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