On the Fence by Kasie West

Title: On The Fence
Author: Kasie West
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: July 1, 2014
Pages: 320
Source: EW

Summary from Goodreads:
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.

Review

I have developed a theory that Kasie West is superhuman. She must have some superpower related to storytelling that allows her to produce quality novel after quality novel faster than the average human being. There is no other explanation for how she does it.

This story charmed the hell out of me.

Charlie lost her mother at a young age and has since been raised by her father and 3 older brothers (4 if you count her neighbor Braden whose practically family). As a result, she’s a complete tomboy and doesn’t know the first thing about being a girl. So when her new job unwillingly introduces her to fashion and make-up and “girl-talk” she feels way out of her comfort zone, endearingly so. But her insecurities go deep. She worries other girls will be able to tell she is not like them, or that her brothers will make fun of her for wearing make-up and pretty clothes. And above all, she worries that no boy will like her without all that stuff.

I thought Charlie was great. I loved that she was competitive and loved sports and could hang with the best of them. As someone who has always been a bit of a tomboy, and feels more comfortable around guys than girls, I felt like I shared more similarities with Charlie than I do with the typical YA lead. So I could understand and relate to many of Charlie’s insecurities. My heart went out to her. But it made me all the more appreciative of the journey she went on that gave her confidence in herself.

The family dynamic in this book was PERFECT. I loved her brothers and wish I could steal them for myself. All of the teasing, and playful-bickering, and family-competition provided countless smiles and laughs. And I loved how protective they were of her, even if it made me feel a little bad for Charlie. Then there was her dad who was such a good father. He had his own share of moments that warmed my heart.

And the romance, of course, was adorable and left me smitten. Kasie West really knows how to tell a good love story. Just the right amount of suspense, anticipation, tension, and cuteness. I really could go on and on about this book because there is so much to this story that deserves mention. It is wonderful, unique, flawlessly written, emotional, layered, charming.

Like I said, she must have superpowers.

If you haven’t read Kasie West’s work before, you really need to. If you have, you know how talented she is and probably don’t need convincing.