My Life Next Door

 Title: My Life Next Door

Author: Huntley Fitzpatrick

Description: The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?
My Opinion: "My Life Next Door" is a happy, rippling novel fpr youth, which is perfect for summer. Both main characters, Jase and Samantha, are sympathic teens with logical and natrual feelings. They aren't happy the whole time, but have phases of beeing sorry and phases of being happy like every other teen.They are 3-D characters, with common problems and the feeling of first/true love.
Not being just a lovestory the novel tells about typical problems, from the fight with the best frined to the disregard of the parents. After getting some time to understand the situation and knwoing the persons, the reader hears about a surprsing problem. Samantha has to lern to make her own decisions - the reader goes to be part of this development.
One of the reasons for my decision to read the novel a second time immediatly are the deep ideas, which are behind the actions. Nothing in the book just happens. Instead everything has a reason and has consequences for the happenings later. The sub-plots are goood integrated into the story and the sub-characters are lively and good shown. In this way they can include other themes like drugs and alcohol by youth. 
Extraordinary and another reason, why I liked the book that much are the Garrets. Jase's familiy. Funny, bracing, fascinating, extraordinary - there is a lot more. All the time I jsut wished Samantha would go back to them or to Jase. What she's doing - looking inside of there life - is the same thing the reader is doing. A lot of times I wished I would knwo the family in real life.
All in all: A wonderful book, that makes a good mood. It makes it possible for the reader to fall into another worl and to forget everything around you!