Review: On the Fence by Kasie West

On the Fence by Kasie West
Published: July 1st, 2014 (HarperTeen)
Pages: 296
Source: ARC for review via Edelweiss
Series: none
Buy the book: Bookdepository
Rating: ★★★★☆ ½


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.

Okay. Okay. I need to calm myself a bit. Or maybe I won't and I'll fangirl all over the place. Yes. Yes, I think I'm picking the latter. Because listen people THIS IS BANTERFLUFF TO PERFECTION. This book. These feels! ZOMG. So many feels while I read this on the train from Harwich to London. Within a few pages I already knew I was falling in love with On the Fence.

If it wasn't already completely obvious, Kasie West is an expert at writing chemistry. I was shipping the ship before the ship was visible at the horizon. West knows how to create characters, how to give them their own distinct personas and also knows how to write them realistically. I loved how she wrote Charlie's brothers and managed to give each of them their own personality and little quirks. They were their own individual without being just "one of the brothers" and I loved that. I *loved* their interactions with eachother, with Charlie, and of course, with Braden. SO MUCH BANTER I CAN'T EVEN. Gods, this was right up my alley. I loved those half-teasing remarks they shot at eachother. Gah.

The romance.. Oh my. The romance is so awesome and I loved it. Braden and Charlie have known each other for so long and I totally understand why it's so hard for both of them to let themselves fall in love. But man, the teasing, how they acted around eachother, I could practically feel the chemistry radiating from the pages. I loved how their relationship developed with the help of the Fence Chats and how we get to see Charlie going through all of her feelings for Braden while for the first time feeling like a girlygirl (which had me giggling several times, just so you know). It took Charlie a while to figure everything out but this was executed so wonderfully that I didn't even mind that it took her an eternity to realise that he likes her.

I could go on and on, raving about the awesome of this book, but it really is something you need to experience yourself. West is able to translate the story into words that make you feel all the feels. When I finished reading this book, I actually really sighed and held my kindle to my chest. Nuff said, right?