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steph01924's review against another edition
4.0
I had a recollection of the plot of the first book, but to be honest, Sam and Jase's relationship was a blank spot for me. And I can't remember if Tim and Alice were even that much a part of that book. So aside from knowing Mr. Garret's accident and how many kids there were in the family, this was just like reading a brand new story for me.
I was not into Alice and Tim in the beginning. He was already deeply obsessed with her in a way that wasn't really explained, I couldn't see why she even would be into him, knowing what she knew of his spotty past and cleaning up his messes. Her wanting to go on a test date seemed out of left field. Maybe this was all hinted at in the first book, all those parts I'm forgetting?? So that was the weakest piece of this book. Once they were 'together', well, Ms. Fitzpatrick knows how to write some lovely scenes of two people falling in love.
The stuff with Cal was poignant and sad and although the ending felt a bit like a cop-out, it made me breath a sigh of relief that Tim.
In following with the trend of 'books I've read recently having similar themes', the parts about Alice and her large family were reminding me of Something Real by Heather Demetrios, where the idea is brought up about whether it's selfish for parents to have so many children when they can barely care for them, or spend any quality individual time with them, without burdening the older children to help in a way that some would consider above and beyond what's reasonable. There's no real right answer there, and both books shy away from making any sort of absolute statements.
All in all, this isn't going to be a book that I return to, and I will probably forget a lot of the details, but it was well-written and definitely sucked me in until I had to finish it. I will still keep an excited eye out for future books from Huntley Fitzpatrick.
I was not into Alice and Tim in the beginning. He was already deeply obsessed with her in a way that wasn't really explained, I couldn't see why she even would be into him, knowing what she knew of his spotty past and cleaning up his messes. Her wanting to go on a test date seemed out of left field. Maybe this was all hinted at in the first book, all those parts I'm forgetting?? So that was the weakest piece of this book. Once they were 'together', well, Ms. Fitzpatrick knows how to write some lovely scenes of two people falling in love.
The stuff with Cal was poignant and sad and although the ending felt a bit like a cop-out, it made me breath a sigh of relief that Tim
Spoiler
wasn't going to throw his life away to be a dad. Not saying that it wouldn't be a brave choice, and even be mutually beneficial for them both, but, man, he had the odds stacked against him (no education, no income, unsupportive parents), and it just felt too depressingly real-life.In following with the trend of 'books I've read recently having similar themes', the parts about Alice and her large family were reminding me of Something Real by Heather Demetrios, where the idea is brought up about whether it's selfish for parents to have so many children when they can barely care for them, or spend any quality individual time with them, without burdening the older children to help in a way that some would consider above and beyond what's reasonable. There's no real right answer there, and both books shy away from making any sort of absolute statements.
All in all, this isn't going to be a book that I return to, and I will probably forget a lot of the details, but it was well-written and definitely sucked me in until I had to finish it. I will still keep an excited eye out for future books from Huntley Fitzpatrick.
somelostbliss's review against another edition
4.0
Adorable story with a very endearing main character - Tim - and a really nice message. All the characters were so well written and loveable. Except for a select few, of course.
jackiehorne's review against another edition
4.0
http://romancenovelsforfeminists.blogspot.com/2016/02/learning-to-parent-huntley-fitzpatricks.html
shirleymak's review against another edition
4.0
SO GOOD I LOVED IT but I also didn't love it as much as I thought I would.
Spoiler
hello future me, here is what happened in the book. GUY: TIM (best friend of Jase who is from the first book) GIRL: ALICE (from the first book & sister of Jase) Tim gets kicked out of his house and moves into the apartment garage at the Garretts. Finds out he has a son. Finds out the son isn't his. and then him and Alice date. BASICALLY.books4susie's review against another edition
5.0
Loved seeing the continuation of the story. Hopefully Ms. Fitzpatrick's next book will be a couple of years in the future and be about Andy.
syndi3's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
i read the boy next door before. i found that book is so so. the characters and story is more targetting into YA. a bit flat.
this one, the boy most likely to, i thought will be more interesting.
tim is well known for never making the right choice and have a wild loose life. drugs and alcohol. alice is a young woman who try to do everything right. being big sister and daughter.
the two are force to evaluate their life when tim suddenly had a baby from a girl he barely knows.
i am not giving more spoiler.
40% of this book promises more interesting plot than the boy next door. but after that, it again fell flat. i can guess the ending by 50% of this book.
for YA audience this could be interesting reading. but for me.... flat.
this one, the boy most likely to, i thought will be more interesting.
tim is well known for never making the right choice and have a wild loose life. drugs and alcohol. alice is a young woman who try to do everything right. being big sister and daughter.
the two are force to evaluate their life when tim suddenly had a baby from a girl he barely knows.
i am not giving more spoiler.
40% of this book promises more interesting plot than the boy next door. but after that, it again fell flat. i can guess the ending by 50% of this book.
for YA audience this could be interesting reading. but for me.... flat.
alliehwilliams's review against another edition
5.0
I didn't realize this was Tim's story, or should I say I didn't quite remember who Tim even was, until I got about 10 pages in and realized how familiar everything felt. I actually intensely disliked Tim for more than half of My Life Next Door so I was surprised by how much I liked him here. I think I actually enjoyed the love story between Tim and Alice more than the one in My Life and that is saying a lot. Huntley Fitzpatrick has done it again.
michalice's review against another edition
4.0
Before I made a start on reading The Boy Most Likely To, I made sure to tackle My Life Next Door, even though these can be read in any order, I wanted to know the characters in order of book publication.
Tim is a slacker, he was expelled from school, and has been fired from more jobs than he can count. No-one has any hopes, high or low, for him. Alice is the complete opposite of Tim, and under normal circumstances this duo would never cross paths.
Before going into The Boy Most Likely To I already had feelings about Tim, and they were not good at all. I really disliked his lazy attitude towards everything, except on getting his next high, his next drink, or his next girl. Alice however was somewhat of a mystery to me. I both liked her but was also unsure, especially when considering some of her actions in the previous book.
As the book progresses we see both of these couple change. Alice was someone who you love or hate, I didn't really like her attitude at first, but how she stays around knowing what could happen really made me like her. Tim was someone how not only stands up for his mistake, but also maintains it to the very last second, even when the truth is revealed. How much he sacrifices and puts on hold for it all really made me see him in a different light, and by the time I had turned the last page I did feel sorry for Tim, but also loved him.
The Boy Most Likely To also follows on from the plot in the previous book, and we get to see how a deal is played out, but also cheated on. We get to catch up with characters we know and love, and also get some insight into others we haven't fully met yet.
Final Verdict
I have really enjoyed this series so far and surprise myself each time I fall in love with the characters. I have the other book in this series waiting to be read, but I would love a book from Nan's point of view.
Tim is a slacker, he was expelled from school, and has been fired from more jobs than he can count. No-one has any hopes, high or low, for him. Alice is the complete opposite of Tim, and under normal circumstances this duo would never cross paths.
Before going into The Boy Most Likely To I already had feelings about Tim, and they were not good at all. I really disliked his lazy attitude towards everything, except on getting his next high, his next drink, or his next girl. Alice however was somewhat of a mystery to me. I both liked her but was also unsure, especially when considering some of her actions in the previous book.
As the book progresses we see both of these couple change. Alice was someone who you love or hate, I didn't really like her attitude at first, but how she stays around knowing what could happen really made me like her. Tim was someone how not only stands up for his mistake, but also maintains it to the very last second, even when the truth is revealed. How much he sacrifices and puts on hold for it all really made me see him in a different light, and by the time I had turned the last page I did feel sorry for Tim, but also loved him.
The Boy Most Likely To also follows on from the plot in the previous book, and we get to see how a deal is played out, but also cheated on. We get to catch up with characters we know and love, and also get some insight into others we haven't fully met yet.
Final Verdict
I have really enjoyed this series so far and surprise myself each time I fall in love with the characters. I have the other book in this series waiting to be read, but I would love a book from Nan's point of view.
imabbyjay's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars. I was (and still am?) conflicted about how I feel about My Life Next Door. (Wow, I got the title wrong at first and had to look it up. I thought it was The Boy Next Door for some reason. That gives you an idea of how much it made a lasting impression on me.) My review is light and positive, but something I’m noticing with my reviews of contemporary books is that they’re always light and positive. Then the more I think about the book and reflect on it, I change my mind. So I’m trying to be more careful and truthful in contemporary reviews (not that I was lying before; but I tended to only skim the surface.) That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and flew through it in a couple of days. But one thing I do remember from the previous book, is all the melodrama. Like, I forgot how overly dramatic Huntley Fitzpatrick could be. But despite the drama, I was still completely hooked on the plot. It never grew too boring and it wasn’t very cheesy either.
The characters were very well-written! I like that Tim and Alice both had very distinct voices. It kept things interesting. I also really liked the depth both of them had, though I personally thought their relationship moved too fast. I don’t remember their interactions in My Life Next Door, so that might be part of it. Anyway, I feel like it could have unfolded more naturally. I did like the two of them together though, and I think they balanced each other out well!
While I don’t consider Huntley Fitzpatrick to be one of my favorite contemporary authors, I am considering picking up her other novel What I Thought Was True! Now that I’m finally on schedule with my reading challenge, I need to keep reading quick contemporary books in order to stay ahead or on track ;)
Spoiler
When Hester showed up with Cal for the first time, I just thought “Really? It’s going to be one of those books?”The characters were very well-written! I like that Tim and Alice both had very distinct voices. It kept things interesting. I also really liked the depth both of them had, though I personally thought their relationship moved too fast. I don’t remember their interactions in My Life Next Door, so that might be part of it.
Spoiler
But Alice broke up with Brad, then about a day later asks Tim out? Has she always been interested in him? I don’t recall.While I don’t consider Huntley Fitzpatrick to be one of my favorite contemporary authors, I am considering picking up her other novel What I Thought Was True! Now that I’m finally on schedule with my reading challenge, I need to keep reading quick contemporary books in order to stay ahead or on track ;)
ameserole's review
4.0
So this book, the boy most likely to, supposedly follows the book: the boy next door. However, I had no idea such a book existed until after I read this book. Let me just say that me reading them "out of order" will not change my review on this book nor will it dissuade me from reading the other book. For this being the first book I have ever read from Huntley I am not at all disappointed. I loved every character, as well as their background. I did read some of the reviews about how people liked this book because it gave more information about the other members of the Garrett family than the boy next door--but since I know absolutely nothing about the dads accident or why Samantha moved (which I assume will be mentioned in the other book) I will gladly be reading that to follow up.
Now onto this book. So the boy most likely is more about Tim Mason and Alice Garrett. Tim is best friends with her (Alice) younger brother and now he has moved into the apartment space above her family garage. Tim has had his fair share of bad luck--he was an alcoholic and now attends AA meetings and has been recently kicked out of his house by his dad. Oh yeah, and now he's a dad. And the baby momma---super crazy. I'm sorry but who leaves their baby in the car?!?! She did it multiple times and the wants to give it up for adoption. She also basically dumps the baby on Tim...like I get it, he didn't know about the baby until she told him (and forgot the baby in the car--idiot) but she can't be mad and hold it against him when she's the one who didn't tell him in the first place. BUT THE BABY--CALVIN (which I love that name because my first dog was named that :) ) ahhhh so cute. I love babies, especially in books. Plus Tim becoming a responsible adult because of meeting this child. ahhhh so cute. adorable.
Alice is a super feisty girl who can hold her own. I love her character because she is super relatable. I hated her boyfriend, Brad (I think?) because he was a total tool bag--which is probably why I can't remember his name. One thing, she is having her fair share of bad luck too. Bad luck in choosing a tool of a boyfriend (which thankfully she dumps) and having to deal with major family stuff. I think the one person I didn't like from the Garrett family is her older brother.
I love the relationship between Alice and Tim though so that's a plus. I hope, if there's a next book with another Garrett member, that Alice and Tim will still be in it--even for a smidge!
Now onto this book. So the boy most likely is more about Tim Mason and Alice Garrett. Tim is best friends with her (Alice) younger brother and now he has moved into the apartment space above her family garage. Tim has had his fair share of bad luck--he was an alcoholic and now attends AA meetings and has been recently kicked out of his house by his dad. Oh yeah, and now he's a dad. And the baby momma---super crazy. I'm sorry but who leaves their baby in the car?!?! She did it multiple times and the wants to give it up for adoption. She also basically dumps the baby on Tim...like I get it, he didn't know about the baby until she told him (and forgot the baby in the car--idiot) but she can't be mad and hold it against him when she's the one who didn't tell him in the first place. BUT THE BABY--CALVIN (which I love that name because my first dog was named that :) ) ahhhh so cute. I love babies, especially in books. Plus Tim becoming a responsible adult because of meeting this child. ahhhh so cute. adorable.
Alice is a super feisty girl who can hold her own. I love her character because she is super relatable. I hated her boyfriend, Brad (I think?) because he was a total tool bag--which is probably why I can't remember his name. One thing, she is having her fair share of bad luck too. Bad luck in choosing a tool of a boyfriend (which thankfully she dumps) and having to deal with major family stuff. I think the one person I didn't like from the Garrett family is her older brother.
I love the relationship between Alice and Tim though so that's a plus. I hope, if there's a next book with another Garrett member, that Alice and Tim will still be in it--even for a smidge!