On the Fence by Kasie West

On the Fence

by Kasie West

She's a tomboy. He's the boy next door. With three older brothers, Charlotte Reynolds, aka Charlie, has always been more comfortable calling the shots on a basketball court than flirting with the opposite sex. So when her police officer dad demands she get a summer job to pay for the latest in a long line of speeding tickets, she's more than a little surprised to find herself working at a chichi boutique and going out with a boy who has never seen her tear it up in a pickup game. Charlie seeks late-night refuge in her backyard, talking out her problems with her neighbor and honorary fourth brother, Braden, sitting back-to-back against the fence that separates them. Braden may know her better than anyone. But there's a secret Charlie's keeping that even he hasn't figured out-she's fallen for him. 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. On the Fence is a sweet and satisfying read about finding yourself and finding love where you least expect it.

Reviewed by Kelly on

4 of 5 stars

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3½ Stars.
http://www.divabooknerd.com/2014/07/on-fence-by-kasie-west.html
Having never read a Kasie West novel before, I was pleasantly surprised. It was entertaining and endearing in places, but sadly I couldn't find any distinguishing qualities to set On The Fence apart from authors such as Jennifer E. Smith, Huntley Fitzpatrick or Miranda Kenneally. It follows the story of Charlie, who's only friends seem to her her four older brothers and their best friend Braden from next door. She can't relate to other girls her age, as she considers herself to be another one of the guys by being heavily into her sports and roughhousing. I really enjoyed the relationship between her and her siblings, she wasn't seen as a delicate girl, she was included in every aspect of their lives. But where they were overprotective about anyone being romantically interested in her, they would often wrestle her to the ground and playfully elbow her, wind her and rough her up. If she can handle being taken down what was essentially four muscular young men, surely she could handle her own romantic interests.

Having grown up without any female influence, Charlie has become what is seen as a tom boy, wearing no make up, not concerned with her appearance and prefers to dress in athletic gear, being basically image of her brothers. So when she meets Linda and make up artist Amber, her transformation begins. Charlie never seemed comfortable with easing into her 'femininity', she hid her new clothing from her brothers and made sure to wipe any residual make up off before she went home. With her new sense of style, Charlie didn't seem herself, she was self conscious and felt as though she was just appeasing others.

Her slow building romance with Braden was sweet and heartwarming and my favourite aspect of the storyline. The shared conversations on either side of the fence allowed readers to see the sensitive side of Charlie and how much the two had shared with one another throughout their lives. With the introduction of Evan, a young man that Charlie met while at a cafe with her new circle of friends, we finally see that Braden may be jealous, taking an instant dislike to the possible love interest in Charlie's life. But Charlie, having no romantic experience with the opposite sex, has no idea that Braden is brooding. But Evan never stood a chance, he has only seen Charlie as a girl who doesn't play sports, takes care of her appearance and plays the stereotypical role of fashion loving, helpless girl. She feels she can't be herself around him, and is torn between two worlds. She soon starts to realise that her feelings for Braden may be more than a harmless crush.

It was cute, sweet and refreshing to see two characters that didn't follow the usually contemporary storyline, being irrevocably broken and seeking solace in another who can 'fix' them. Fans of My Life Next Door, Katie McGarry's Pushing The Limits series and the Hundred Oaks series by Miranda Kenneally will adore this book, as have fans of Kasie West.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 6 July, 2014: Finished reading
  • 6 July, 2014: Reviewed