I received this book for free from HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
On the Fence by Kasie West Published by HarperTeen on July 1st 2014
Genres: Contemporary, YA
Source: HarperCollins
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For sixteen-year-old Charlotte Reynolds, aka Charlie, being raised by a single dad and three older brothers has its perks. She can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows—including her longtime neighbor and honorary fourth brother, Braden. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world of makeup, lacy skirts, and BeDazzlers. Even stranger, she's spending time with a boy who has never seen her tear it up in a pickup game.
To cope with the stress of faking her way through this new reality, Charlie seeks late-night refuge in her backyard, talking out her problems with Braden by the fence that separates them. But their Fence Chats can't solve Charlie's biggest problem: she's falling for Braden. 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.
Very readable and incredibly character driven, On the Fence was the perfect pick for a cold Sunday afternoon. I can’t say that I loved it quite as much as I had expected to based on the slew of 5-star reviews I had seen, but it was definitely a sigh-worthy read that left me smiling at the end.
Our protagonist, Charlie, has an easy, relatable voice that instantly pulls you in. She’s a tomboy, she loves sports, and she’s living with her dad and 3 brothers, plus a neighbour who pretty much lives there, too. That gives us a great, hectic family dynamic that I thought was just wonderful. The brotherly banter, the silliness, their overprotective nature towards Charlie – it’s all super sweet and fun to read. It also gives the book all the more heart. All these characters are carved with distinct personalities and quirks that make them memorable. My favorite is definitely Gage with his sense of humour. Even the dad is awesome and built with a lot of layers. The poor dude is just trying to figure out teenage girls – Lol!! Characters don’t end there, though. We also have Charlie’s co-worker and a new friend (her first girlfriend!) who help Charlie figure out who she really is besides her brothers’ sister. They make her leave her comfort zone and try new things and I liked that about them.
Charlie herself though, while easily engaging and three-dimensional as a character, can be frustrating at times, too. Mostly because she’s so stubbornly oblivious to Braden’s feelings for her. Even when it becomes very obvious, she would think up of dumb excuses or reason it out in a way that kept him out of her reach. Have more confidence, girl! Then instead of just being honest she starts dating this dude who’s totally wrong for her – she needs to be a fake and change who she is to convince herself he likes her. Then we have the whole “she’s gorgeous but she thinks she’s ugly or plain or unattractive” ordeal which always irritates me. All in all, Charlie’s a very well-written character with a compelling voice, but I found myself frustrated with her a lot. I just wanted her to stop putting herself down so much when it came to how she thought others saw her.
There are many layers to this story. Charlie’s mom died when she was little, leaving her with nightmares even after all these years, and of course, lots questions. There’s a story there and it ends up bringing in quite a bit of emotional depth. There’s also her relationship with her father that Charlie feels is crumbling. As if maybe he resents having to deal with raising a girl. Ultimately, though, this is a love story. And it’s a romance that has chemistry flying off its pages. From friendship to romance is one of my favourite love stories so this was just perfect for me. We see her and Braden as best friends, then we see her develop stronger feelings for him. This is obviously confusing and a bit worrisome for her – no one wants to lose such a close friend by turning it into something more, but you just know they belong together so you can’t help but root for them. Their nightly talks at the fence, their easy friendship, the banter and teasing; it all strengthens their connection and we can easily see the love they have for one another. There’s none of the dramatic love at first sight insta-love trope, it’s just… real.
On the Fence is the book to read when you’re in the mood for a light read that still has depth, substance, and a wonderfully sweet love story.
3.5 Hot Espressos
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I love Kasie West! I really loved this one, glad you enjoyed it! 😀
Lisa (Fic Talk)
I haven’t seen many reviews for this one, but the ones that I have seen have all been glowing 5 stars. I’m always happy to find other reviews that share a different perspective while still liking the book. Sometimes all the 5 stars can really lead you astray. Thanks for sharing, Giselle!
Soma Rostam
I have been hearing so much about this book from various bloggers
I am definitely interested in some light hearted contemporary read
GREAT review deary
Your reader,
Soma R.
jazmen
This book was just okay for me. Didn’t bowl me over or anything but it was cute. Great review 🙂
Pili
I really loved this one too! It was such a cute and interesting read, really Kasie West is a master at writing contemporaries that I enjoy and leave you feeling good!
Quinn @ Quinn's Book Nook
I definitely didn’t enjoy On the Fence as much as I was hoping to either. I liked it, but my frustrations with Charlie really affected how much I liked this book. She really was so frustrating.
Nick @ Nick's Book Blog
I thought this was a really sweet read too and I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I really love the bond between Charlie and her brothers. And the romance was adorable! I only wish we got to see them more as a couple after they admitted their feeling!
Lovely review, Giselle!
Carole Rae
I am on the fence with “On the Fence”, haha, but it does sounds pretty good. 🙂
Megan
I’ve heard a lot of good things about this one, so too bad it wasn’t 5 stars for you. But it sounds like you still enjoyed it. I’m kind of sick of main characters who fall into the beautiful-but-doesn’t-know-it thing.
Sophia
Glad you enjoyed this! 🙂 I do agree with you about the whole “thinks she’s ugly but actually gorgeous” thing, though I really liked this book. I love Kasie West in general~great review!
Rashika
I felt so differently about this book than everyone else .-. I mean in spite of the fact that Charlie frustrated you, you could relate to her. I ended up being so frustrated that I didn’t find much to like about her. I hate that she buries her head in the sand in terms of Braden. It’s so ridiculously obvious that he feels the same way and it still amazes me that she didn’t even speculate about the possibility that he could feel anything for her. SERIOUSLY.
Plus I’ve also never liked the ‘she’s pretty but doesn’t know it’ trope so that again made it harder for me to like her :/
My favorite character was actually the father though. I felt so bad for him having to try to figure out how to raise a teenage girl on his own while trying to shelter her from a certain truth (not that I think that was wrong or right..I just imagine it’s hard being a parent in general).
I am glad you enjoyed it better than I did even if you didn’t love it the way you had expected to.
Lovely review, Gee!! 🙂
Milka@ReadReadRead
Great review! I did quite enjoy this one, though like you, I was slightly disappointed after reading some hyped up 5 star reviews for the book.
I did like the cute love story, romance parts though and I remember it being a fairly quick read, so no harm done there.
The Distance Between Us was a bit better than this one actually 🙂
Eileen
I really loved everything about this book, especially Charlie’s family. They’re just too adorable 🙂 So glad you enjoyed this too!
Jeann @ Happy Indulgence
Like you, I didn’t quite award this one 5 stars either but I still think it was a lovely best friend romance with a bit of complexity which was lovely. There was quite a bit of depth to the relationship she had with Braden, and it was great seeing it evolve into a romance. Lovely review Giselle!
Alreem
I add it this book to my TBR list about a week ago, sound good!! I love Romance book between friends 🙂 lovely review
Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
Sometimes a light read like this hits the spot! I really need to pick this one up.
Jennifer Bielman
I really love this book but yeah, it wasn’t quite five star worthy. I really loved the characters though. All the supporting ones had such great personalities and added so much to the story.
Vi
I really love a character-driven book and I’ve been meaning to read this book. I’ve loved West’s other books and everyone seems to love her contemps, so I’m hoping I’ll enjoy this one. I’m not really liking the sound of Charlie, but hoping I can look past all that.
Cambrie
Hmm . . . I feel as though this book wouldn’t be my cup of tea. I’m always up for a romance, but quite honestly, I’ve always been picky. If the protagonist is going around with other guys, or “looking for attention,” I’m quite easily scared away from the story. However, that doesn’t seem to entirely be the case with, On the Fence. Still, I agree with the reasons she annoyed you, and I feel as though those things would annoy me too.
Great review!
– Cambrie xoxo