On the Fence by Kasie West

Posted June 30, 2014 | 43 Comments

On the Fence by Kasie WestOn the Fence
Author: Kasie West
Published by: HarperTeen
Publication Date: July 1, 2014
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher

For sixteen-year-old Charlotte Reynolds, aka Charlie, being raised by a single dad and three older brothers has its perks. She can out-run, out-score, and outwit every boy she knows--including her long-time neighbor, and honorary fourth brother, Braden.

But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at a chi-chi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world of makeup, lacy skirts, and bedazzlers. Even stranger, she's spending time with a boy who has never seen her tear it up in a pick-up game.

To cope with the stress of faking her way through this new reality, Charlie seeks late night refuge in her backyard, talking out her problems with Braden by the fence that separates them. But their Fence Chats can't solve Charlie's biggest problem: she's falling for Braden. Hard. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.

Ahhh my dark heart has been set a-flutter! Kasie West has a knack for doing that to me with her writing. I’ve loved every book of hers so far, and On the Fence topped them all! I was left grinning like a fool and wanting to immediately read it all over again.

I love Charlie! She’s a 5’11” tomboy, who plays and watches sports right along the guys. Tall girls unite! The girl isn’t only smart and funny, she was confident and had healthy self-esteem. Even when she started to do stuff outside of her comfort zone and questioned things about herself, she still had a confidence about her. I enjoyed her personality and sense of humor so much. I can’t image anyone not liking Charlie. They suck if they do!

Oh, boy! Charlie was raised by her police officer dad and has three older brothers – Gage, Jerom, Nathan. They treat her as if she is another brother, even when it comes to roughhousing. I have two uncles who took no pity on me as I grew up, so I learned quickly that I had to keep up or get left behind. And you know what? I loved it. So I have a special place in my heart for this type of dynamic. The boys were so funny, especially Gage. The guy is a total flirt! Their antics and ‘never date a guy …’ rules for Charlie were too much fun!

That brings me to Braden. Who wouldn’t want their own Braden while growing up? He may live next door, but he practically grew up in Charlie’s home and is considered one of the family. Charlie and Braden’s relationship was so dang cute! I’m not going to get into details into what transpired, but I will say this: best friend romances rock!

This may be a romance, but it doesn’t just focus on Charlie swooning over a guy. Not at all. There is a lot more going on with Charlie and her life, and I loved every moment of it. Also, I got way too excited when I discovered this is set in the same world as The Distance Between Us and certain characters popped up! It was an embarrassing fangirl moment I had all alone.

I said it before and I’ll say again, I loved On the Fence! This is a book I will be forcing people to read by any means necessary. They’ll thank me for it later! So you have been warned. 😉

Note to Kasie: High five for the Woodward Park mention!

Tags:

43 responses to “On the Fence by Kasie West”

  6. Jenny

    YEAH CHRISTY!!!!! I’m so glad you loved this one as much as I did! Kasie West is just one of those auto buy authors for me, I know her books will always make me laugh and swoon, and this one was absolutely no different. I definitely would not have minded my own Braden growing up! I so hope we get more books focusing on this family. I’m not ready to see them go yet!
    Jenny recently posted…Review: Better When He’s BadMy Profile

    Reply
    • Christy
      Twitter:

      I never hesitate when it comes to one of her books. We need to clone her so we get more books faster! 😀

      Reply
  7. Andrea

    Okey doke. Well, I was won over by a 5’11” heroine! Shallow? I don’t care! It was always so hard to come across tall heroines when I was a teen, so when I see one now, I always give that book extra consideration.
    Thanks for the review, Christy!

    Reply
    • Christy
      Twitter:

      I always wonder if it’s shallow when I love a character more because she’s tall. It’s just something I connect with.

      Reply
  15. Brooke

    I really loved this book. I have to say that I enjoyed The Distance Between Us more, not sure why. Mostly I think b/c I wanted more of the romance in this book and I didn’t get it. It sort of fell flat when it came down to that important moment, at least for me.

    Reply
    • Christy
      Twitter:

      I adored TDBU, but I connected with Charlie and her situation more, so that’s why it was bumped up just slightly more than TDBU.

      Btw, every time I click on your blog link I get a 404 error code. 🙁

      Reply
  18. Tanja

    Tall girl! Main character is a TALL girl! Praise the heaven, but I cannot believe I’m reading this. I mean I have nothing against short people but I’m sick and tired of all those little delicate girls. C’mon we giants need some love too. Anyhow now I’m going to read this one even though contemporary is not really my thing. Great review, Christy 🙂
    Tanja recently posted…Waiting on Wednesday (#102)My Profile

    Reply
  22. Kirsty-Marie

    I’m 5″1. :/ I was smiling all the way through it, I couldn’t help it, it’s embarrassing. I read it at home (luckily, otherwise people would think I’m crazy) but it was just so damn cute and I couldn’t hate it. I loved the romance (wanted more, that was a bit mean)I did, but I loved the family dynamic more. It was just so nice to read a good realistic family for a change and even though what happened to them, they got closer instead of falling apart and it was just :D. IT was my first Kasie West too, so totally sold now. Buying the rest of hers as soon as I can. So I can be all 😀 again.
    Kirsty-Marie recently posted…Only Ever Yours Blog Tour: A Q&A with Louise O’NeillMy Profile

    Reply
  24. Francine Soleil
    Twitter:

    I loved The Distance Between Us! Mentioning about references to that book made me even more excited for this one! I should really get my hands on it soon! And I would really love to see their whole family dynamic. I grew up with 3 brothers and no sisters. And I can’t wait to meet thus girl who’s brimming with confidence!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

CommentLuv badge

You can add a link to follow you on twitter if you put your username in this box.
Only needs to be added once (unless you change your username). No http or @