Review : On the Fence by Kasie West

Summary (from Goodreads) 

Title : On the Fence
Author : Kasie West
Publication Date : July 1st 2014
Publisher : Haper Teen
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She's a tomboy. He's the boy next door…

Charlie Reynolds can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at a chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world. To cope with the stress of her new reality, Charlie takes to spending nights chatting with her neighbor Braden through the fence between their yards. As she grows to depend on their nightly Fence Chats, she realizes she's got a bigger problem than speeding tickets-she's falling for Braden. 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.

Fun, original, and endearing, On the Fence is a romantic comedy about finding yourself and finding love where you least expect.

Personal Thoughts 

Kasie West has proven over and over again that she is a reliable author. Her books always manage to make me smile and swoon and On the Fence was no exception. It's a charming story that fans will devour.

Having been surrounded by her brothers all her life, Charlie has grown to become a tom-boy. She enjoys sports and doesn't know how to act girly. Charlie and I had a rough start. She said something at beginning of the book that made her seem callous and insensitive. She did, however, grow on me, especially when she began to explore her more feminine side with the help of her new boss. It was entertaining watching her model and trying to avoid her brothers. Speaking of her brothers, these boys along with Braden were such a delight. Whenever they were in a scene, they managed to pull a laugh on me. On the Fence is a book that is the perfect definition of a beautiful family portrayal. The bond that exists between this siblings was heart warming and the flow of conversation between them was just so adorable. They would pull each others legs, tackle each other and act all rough around each other. The comfort level that they shared was very much palpable throughout the book. Charlie's father, too, had a strong relationship with his children despite him not being present because of his job. While I loved the interactions between the characters, I couldn't help but want depth to the characters themselves, especially Charlie's brothers. I wanted to get to know them on a more emotional level, but because of the short length of the book, that was nearly impossible.

Kasie West is the queen of fluffy romances, in my eyes. She knows how to develop a sweet romance without making it overly cheesy. The romance in On the Fence was, at times, painfully slow. I loved the relationship between Charlie and Braden and watching their friendship blossom into something deeper as they got to know each other on a more intimate level through their fence talks. Gaah the fence talks! They were so cute together. It also made me resent the fact that I never had a cute neighbor I could pour out my heart to! One of my complaints when it came to the romance though was that I wanted to see Charlie and Braden going out on dates together, but that didn't happen because it took them almost the entire book to divulge their feelings. I would have loved a few scenes with them doing coupley activities. On the Fence also attempted to handle multiple themes, but I felt like the book only scratched the surface of those themes, without diving deeper and allowing them to be developed better. Regardless, I got out of On the Fence exactly what I wanted : a cute, fluffy book to make me smile.

While On the Fence might not have been my favorite Kasie West book (that award belongs to The Distance Between Us), there's no denying that this lovely lady is beyond talented when it comes to writing YA contemporary books. I need her to write more books at a much faster rater, as selfish as that makes me sound.

Rating 

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 3/5
Characters : 3/5
Writing : 4/5

**Overall rating: 3.5/5**

Thank you to Edelweiss and Harper Teen for the e-ARC of On the Fence.