Review: On The Fence by Kasie West

How fun! That's what my first thought was upon sitting down with this book. I confess I actually ended up reading most of it in Barnes and Noble, it was that hard to put down! ;) From the cute cover to the sweet ending, it's a very entertaining read.

Charlie has grown up around all boys in her family (her mother died 10 years ago) and has a love of sports that rivals her brothers. Her tomboyish ways are endearing though and you can't help to enjoy watching as she begins learning all about "girlish" ways, namely makeup and clothes and...crushes. I think that's what struck me about Charlie. She acted her age. She was confused and unsure about lots of things (as most teens are), yet she never lost sight of herself, of what she enjoyed. She loves sports and isn't shy about it. She doesn't try to change her true self, even as she is still learning who her true self is. I loved how she enjoys life. Through all the embarrassing and frustrating moments, she still has a loving family surrounding her. And that is an awesome thing! I love a happy, and (mostly) settled family. Oh, they have their secrets, but none that are crazy-weird, and they have good reasons for them (at least in their own minds anyway). They're just normal. Hooray for normal!

And then there's Braden. Their fence talks are so sweet! They've both got confusing and hard things in their lives and to be able to open up to another person (somewhat anonymously, as they never discuss these fence talks elsewhere), about the hard stuff, is just what they both need to help them deal. They learn a lot about each other through this and when Charlie starts to realize her feelings may go a little deeper than just friendship, let's just say there's a few pretty cute (and embarrassing) moments. :D What I'm trying to say is that they get each other. And watching them slowly come around to how good they are together is great!

Fun...charming...delightful...it's a very likeable story! Like your favorite drink, it goes down smooth and leaves a sweet aftertaste. Well worth spending a few hours with! :)

Goodreads :: Amazon

He was right. He did know me well. Better than I thought he would. I didn't think he'd been paying such close attention over the years. He was always around, and being a year younger I was always interested in what he and my brother were doing. But I didn't think it went both ways. "Yeah, it counts," I said quickly.
"What was that?"
"Yes."
"Your voice sounds funny."
"Yeah, well, your face looks funny. See you tomorrow." I walked away from his laughter.