A gorgeous debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another
“One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time.”
The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?
A dreamy summer read, full of characters who stay with you long after the story is over.
1.) Pen
Journal. Keeping a journal was how I started writing, and for years I carried it and pens everywhere.
Now I find it hard to write without my fingers on a keyboard.
2.) Summer
The best season. I see the magic of other seasons, but I honestly wish I could live in summer.
3.) Dog
Golden Retriever (My favorites. Always seem happy).
4.) Romeo
Mercutio. I liked him better. Much more fun. Every time I read the play I kind of want to know HIS story.
5.) Neighbor
Now that makes me think of the Garretts. I would have loved to have them next door when I was growing up.
6.) Water park
My younger children are obsessed by water parks. Whenever we go anywhere, the first question they ask is “Is there a water park here”? Even if we are going to Manhattan in the depths of winter.
7.) Book
The best passport. And my most frequent accessory.
8.) Sport
Sport Swimming, skiing and biking are my favorites. One daughter is a dancer, one runs track, my son and my husband love football. Growing up I was famously unable to do any sport which involved throwing, hitting or catching or in any way dealing with a ball. This includes bowling.
9.) Shoes
Help. I’m shoe-challenged. I shop for them with people who know what they are doing and can steer me away from buying a duplicate of the exact same pair I bought last year and a decade before that and the decade before that…etc. Apparently there is a whole world out there beyond black pumps and flip flops.
10.) Internet
The enemy of concentration, but the friend of connecting with people everywhere. I try to shut it down when I’m working….but it’s like a siren….”Come on….just check Facebook…Twitter only takes a moment….” That said, I’ve ‘met’ so many amazing people online. Writing can be so solitary, and it’s wonderful how the Internet can take that away.
Thanks so much for stopping by, Huntley! Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for my review of My Life Next Door.