By Your Side

by Kasie West

An irresistible story from Kasie West that explores the timeless question: What do you do when you fall for the person you least expect?

When Autumn Collins finds herself accidentally locked in the library for an entire weekend, she doesn't think things could get any worse. But that's before she realizes that Dax Miller is locked in with her.

Autumn doesn't know much about Dax except that he's trouble. Between the rumors about the fight he was in (and that brief stint in juvie that followed it) and his reputation as a loner, he's not exactly the ideal person to be stuck with. Still, she just keeps reminding herself that it is only a matter of time before Jeff, her almost-boyfriend, realizes he left her in the library and comes to rescue her.

Only he doesn't come. No one does.

Instead it becomes clear that Autumn is going to have to spend the next couple of days living off vending-machine food and making conversation with a boy who clearly wants nothing to do with her. Except there is more to Dax than meets the eye.

As he and Autumn at first grudgingly, and then not so grudgingly, open up to each other, Autumn is struck by their surprising connection. But can their feelings for each other survive once the weekend is over and Autumn's old life, and old love interest, threaten to pull her from Dax's side?

• ISBN10: 0062455877
• ISBN13: 9780062455871
• Publish Date: 31 January 2017
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Collins
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[Bianca]

Possibilities don’t hurt as much as realities. Possibilities are exciting and endless. Realities are final. That had always held me back with Jeff, the thought that if I said how I felt and he didn’t feel the same way back, that would be it. There would be no more “what ifs,” no more “might bes,” no more dreaming.

— I've never been disappointed with a Kasie West book until now. This was so dull and the characters felt flat. I admire the author for trying to explore deeper themes like anxiety instead of her usual cute stories, but this just didn't work for me.

[liz089]

It was so cute and adorable !! Please lock me up in a library !! Cute boy included !!

But well, it was really nice and cute and stuff, but I did not connect much. I really liked it, don't get me wrong, but I felt not invested as much as I would have liked.
The MC was likeable enough, and shares some treats with me, but I did not really, completely get into her. Dax was really cute and a nice guy. Haha.

It was all just nice and cute and not really much more than that? Not that deep or heartbreaking. But a really nice and cute story. Like how many times can I say nice and cute ? XD You get the point

Rating: 3.5

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Kasie West is on a short list of contemporary authors, who can consistently write a story that warms my heart, and puts a stupid grin on my face. She has a talent for writing these stories that are light and breezy, while still incorporating some real issues. She has done so again with By Your Side.

Me when I am reading a Kasie West book

This was supposed to be the night that Autumn declared her affection for Jeff, but instead, she is trapped in the library with the school's resident bad boy, Dax. Autumn thinks this is going to be the worst weekend ever, but then it isn't.

"Twelve hours trapped in a library and you're already a survivalist." "I crossed my arms. "You seem to enjoy making fun of me."
"I was being sincere. I mean, if ever in a real life-or-death situation, you've already learned how to throw books and scavenge for food."

The first part of the book had our MCs trapped in the library with no feasible way out. Both Autumn and Dax had preconceived notions about each other, but as time passed, each gave a little of themselves to the other, and they sparked a friendship of sorts. I really enjoyed the library scenes, especially when they were facing off in wacky games. It was fun and cute, but then these fun-cute parts would be followed by some really heartfelt sharing sessions.

The more I learned about Dax, the more I wanted to reach through the page and hug him. He was a loner, a little by choice and a little by circumstance. His life had not been easy, as he had been  abandoned by his parents, and had yet to land in a good foster home. In contrast to Dax's home life, Autumn had an awesome family and a great group of friends. I really fell in love with them and adored being immersed in all the warmth and love they shared with each other. The scenes with her and her brother, Owen, were some of my favorites.

He called after me. "You owe me some quality sibling time this week. No acting like I'm not here."
"I'll pick out the nail polish color tomorrow."
"Hey now. I pick out my own nail polish," he said.

It was very sweet watching this friendship unfurl and grow. At first, Dax avoided Autumn after their library lock-in, but she was not having it. Autumn kept showing up until Dax relented and agreed to friends of the distraction sort - no attachments. But it was more, so much more. Where Dax was mostly about Dax, Autumn put everyone else's needs above her own, often to the detriment of her own health. With Dax, she could just be, and he encouraged her to say no, if it would make her too anxious. He was understanding and supportive, and she was comfortable letting him in on her anxiety disorder, whereas, she had not told any of her friends.

"He's just a distraction."
"Television is a distraction. Dax is a hostile takeover."

Overall: West delivers another sweet romance filled with great characters, friends, fun, and family that will induce ear-to-ear smiles.

**I would like to thank Harper Teen for the advanced copy of this book

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[bookishzelda]

Kasie West does a great job of delivering stories that are fun to read with swoon. By Your Side definitely had those super cute swoon-worthy moments but It does deal with some issues, especially mental health. Which I thought was executed well through the main character..

Autumn was one of those characters that I liked for most of the book but there was definitely times where she annoyed me. I was frustrated with the most towards the end of the book when I felt she should have more faith in her friends. I liked how Autumn’s anxiety is dealt with and shown. You really get an understanding of how she feels and how people who don’t know would perceive it.

I really liked Dax. He is supposed to be the “bad guy” but it turns out that he was dropped into bad circumstances. None of his doing. He’s very calm and collected but I think it’s more because he doesn’t want to let anyone in. I wish there was a little more with his behind the scenes life. Only because of something that happens in the end of the book that I felt was a little unresolved.

I had mixed feelings about the Jeff situation. Not because of the love triangle or anything, just that it felt too easy. I’m not sure how to explain that really.

My favorite part of the book was Autumn and Dax being locked in the library. Ya I thought it was a little unrealistic that they couldn’t find a phone. Especially this day and age but I didn’t care. I thought all their interactions from beginning to end where great. They don’t become instant friends but being stuck together they find common ground. They start to feel close because they are seeing sides that nobody else sees. The relationship between Autumn and Dax is really what sold me on the book in it’s entirety. They just had such terrific chemistry.

I really loved Autumn’s group of friends. It was nice to have a book where people are not backstabbing you or turning on you because you have a problem. Dallin’s frustrations with Autumn are completely legit, even if he’s being a jerk before they work it out. I also like Autumn’s family and how close they are.

I would consider the book to pretty adorable. I really liked Autumn and Dax and their chemistry. It makes for a fun read.

[lizarodz]

Quite the Novel Idea https://quitethenovelidea.com https://quitethenovelidea.com/liza-reviews-side-kasie-west/So... I read The Distance Between Us and On the Fence and love them both, BUT I haven't read any other Kasie West's books.  I even own all of them. But I digress my dear readers, I did read By Your Side and loved it :)

By Your Side starts with a magical setting: the library. Now, any book that starts with books is bound to be awesome (just saying).  We start with Autumn getting locked in the library on a Friday before a long weekend.  She has no phone, food, clothes... and then she discovers that she's not alone after all.   She's locked in with Dax, a mysterious handsome boy with a not too stellar reputation.

'I was fine. There was no one in the library but me. Who else would be dumb enough to get trapped in a library?"

Autumn suffers from anxiety and although her family is very supportive and tries to protect her, she keeps this fact a secret from all her friends.  She doesn't want to be perceived as being different or weird.  Instead she deals with it by avoiding difficult situations, confrontation and escaping with things get tough.  However, when she gets locked in the library with Dax, she's completely honest with him in most things.  She's playful, honest, and tries her best to make friends with him.  Afterwards, she keeps looking for him and getting to know him better.

"Let me try."
"You can push a button differently than me?"
I nudged him with my shoulder. "Maybe."

Dax's mom was an addict and he has been in the foster system for a while.  This is the reason why he takes refuge in the library for the long weekend.  He's misunderstood and a loner.  He's smart, sensitive, very private and used to people not caring about him.   They become friends, partners in crime,  and then something more.  I love it when characters develop and grow and make each other better. 

When Autumn is presume dead due to an accident of one of her friends, she goes has a panic attack and Dax acts as the knight in shining armor.  She's able to see past Dax's facade and finds a friend that make her happy.

Autumn has a big group of friends that try to be supportive of each other, but not knowing about her anxiety, they pressure her into doing things she's not comfortable with.  Her family is present in the story, but not too prominent. What I loved more about the writing was the banter between Autumn and Dax, it's really something.  The story is not too complicated and it explores topics like anxiety, addiction and the foster system.

“Even though I knew this might end in heartbreak, that he might make my life scary and complicated and unpredictable, I knew I couldn't let him walk away. Because I knew he'd also make my life happy and comforting and full.”

Overall, I loved By Your Side. It was sweet, uncomplicated, quirky and moving.  Here's to books, cronuts, driving lessons, best friends, and photography.This review was originally posted on Quite the Novel Idea

[Rowena]

Kasie West writes cute, fun and fluffy contemporary young adult romances and this book was no different. This wasn’t my favorite Kasie West story but it was still a solid read.

Autumn Collins got locked in the library. She was also left behind. She had weekend plans with her friends at her best friend’s cabin and those plans went right out the window when she had to pee just as the library was closing and she got locked in the library…for an entire weekend. First off, this was totally unrealistic since I just don’t see this happening in real life but still. I went with it.

Autumn is stuck in the library over the weekend with Dax. The school’s loner who has a reputation for fighting. Nobody really knows Dax but they do know that he was sent to juvie after getting into a fight. Autumn has a crush on Jason and she was looking forward to hanging out with him over at the bonfire that her group of friends was heading over to after leaving the library. When she gets locked in the library, she starts to wonder when her friends will notice that she’s not with them. When the first night goes by and her friend’s don’t come back for her, she covers up what that might mean by trying to get to know the guy she’s locked in the library with…Dax.

Dax hasn’t had an easy go of this life thing. His mother liked drugs more than him, he’s been through a bunch of different foster homes and he’s trying as hard as he can to keep a low profile so that he can stay out of a group home and the minute he turns 18, he’ll be free. If that means that sometimes he’s got to sleep in weird places so that his latest good for nothing foster parents can get their party on, he’ll do it because what Dax wants more than anything in his life is his freedom.

Autumn and Dax develop feelings for each other but after they return to their regular lives, they slide right back into the lives they led before getting locked in the library. There are things that make things that way on Autumn’s side but it was still disappointing. Especially because Dax was disappointed in the way things were with Autumn.

My disappointment in this book stems from Autumn and how long it took for her to get her head out of her ass. The whole thing with Jason and then with Dax pissed me off because she was leading them both on while she took her sweet ass time to make a decision. It didn’t take long for me to read this book, it was really easy to fall into and even though it took me a little bit to warm up to Autumn, I liked Dax from the jump and I didn’t want to stop reading the book but even through all of that, this book isn’t my favorite Kasie West.

Grade: 3 out of 5

[KitsuneBae]

This post also appeared on Wayward Kitsune.

As of this time, By Your Side is my most favorite Kasie West book followed by The Distance Between Us. The whole time that I was reading this book, I cannot stop grinning from ear to ear. Who wouldn’t want to be locked in a library with a cute and mysterious hottie? I know, I wouldn’t mind (except the part where there’s no food and no changing of undies, ugh) especially if there’s a chance of cuddling with the mentioned hottie. Ha. Anyway, horniness aside, there’s so much more about By Your Side than your feel good contemporary romance YA. The book tackled deep issues like anxiety disorder, child neglect, loneliness, conquering fears, and trust. These things may sound heavy but trust me, Kasie West still managed to make By Your Side as fluffy as possible.

If you know me, I am more inclined to read angsty books than fluffy ones but Kasie West’s books really get me. And By Your Side was no exception. Although it kind of disappointed me that it wasn’t about books (because hello! Most of the story took place inside a library), I was glad that the wonderful characters (I totally ship Dax and Autumn), the plot, the romance development, and the various issues tackled in the book made up for that.

I’m definitely looking forward to more Kasie West books. But before that, I must read P.S. I Like You first.

Thank you for providing yours truly a free copy, Edelweiss!

[Ashley]

Love love love!

By Your Side was exactly what I wanted when I read it: adorable, warm, fun, and a little fluffy. Did I mention warm? The book actually talks a lot about the cold but something about reading it all snuggled up under blankets made me feel warm. Don't question it.

What was a cool surprise was the focus on anxiety. I didn't expect that! I thought it was done really well. I could relate to a lot of what Autumn described.

And I loved how Dax really grew on me. He came off as a bit of an ass at the beginning, but in true Pride & Prejudice style, I loved him by the end. 3 I did feel like the business with his mother just randomly dropped off unresolved though. I expected more closure there.

One thing I loved was how the conflict wasn't exaggerated. Yes there was some conflict, but it wasn't annoyingly dragged out like it is in some books. I really appreciated how the characters wrapped things up there.

Super fun book! 3

[ladygrey]

Of course I liked this book. Kasie West can always be counted on for cute, fun books and she doesn't fail with this one.

It's not quite what you expect, which I liked a lot. I liked how the plot evolved, how the flashbacks provided context and depth and mixed things up.

I liked Autumn's friends. Every single one of them. Especially that she had great friendships and how involved they were in the story.

I like Dax and how he calmed Autumn. But I tend to like honest, forthright characters who don't care what people think of them. Autumn was a good fit for the story even though I didn't find anything remarkable in her. Except maybe her tenacity. Still she's likable enough and her and Dax are cute.

Also, West totally made me laugh in the Acknowledgements. I hate to say it, because I don't want to detract from the book. But it might have been my favorite part.