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paragraphsandpages 's review for:
By Your Side
by Kasie West
First off, I would like to thank the publisher and author for providing me this ARC to review. Please note that the version I read was an advanced copy, and certain events/language may be changed in the published edition.
“Even though I knew this might end in heartbreak, that he might make my life scary and complicated and unpredictable, I knew I couldn't let him walk away. Because I knew he'd also make my life happy and comforting and full.”
Stars (Out of 10): 6/10 Stars
Overall Thoughts: I liked this book, but didn’t love it. It was a quick and enjoyable read, but wasn’t the most unique in terms of characters or plot. But it still managed to draw me in, and I was pretty invested in the relationship by the end! I would have liked to see some more scenes better developed, and the solutions to the differing plot lines as well.
The Good: A good ending with closure, overall a decent and interesting book. A likable cast of characters for the most part as well.
The Bad: In terms of plot, seemed plain, somewhat “unoriginal” and matching the standard cliche of YA romance. In addition, some loose ends were never brought up again or resolved.
SPOILERS BEGIN HERE
The Characters: While I liked the cast of characters for the most part, some issues between them weren’t fully resolved, especially between Jeff, Dallin, and Autumn. I would have liked to see a better and more secure ending for them, and a better explanation of what they standing was by the end of the book. However, I did find Autumn’s anxiety to be pretty realistic (compared to experiences I’ve had with friends with anxiety), and I felt it did add another layer to the story.
The Plot: For the most part, this was fairly standard. Perfect, popular girl has whole life set up with a sporty jock. However, an event happens where she meets the typical bad boy, and her love life is suddenly thrown upside down. And, this perfect girl actually has this “super secret” secret that she just HAS to hide from her friends because they’ll judge her. And in the end, some vague reason that girl doesn’t like jock anymore, and goes with bad boy, and her friends all accept her secret, like we all knew they would from the start. But hey, I still enjoyed it. (My only other issue with the plot is the sudden disappearance of the idea that her friends didn’t realize she wasn’t there? And Jeff being a total jerk and trying to give Dax the wrong idea in the end?)
The Favorite Character: Lisa was a pretty good friend for most of the book, so I have to go with her.
This review can also be found on my blog: https://paragraphsandpages.wordpress.com/
“Even though I knew this might end in heartbreak, that he might make my life scary and complicated and unpredictable, I knew I couldn't let him walk away. Because I knew he'd also make my life happy and comforting and full.”
Stars (Out of 10): 6/10 Stars
Overall Thoughts: I liked this book, but didn’t love it. It was a quick and enjoyable read, but wasn’t the most unique in terms of characters or plot. But it still managed to draw me in, and I was pretty invested in the relationship by the end! I would have liked to see some more scenes better developed, and the solutions to the differing plot lines as well.
The Good: A good ending with closure, overall a decent and interesting book. A likable cast of characters for the most part as well.
The Bad: In terms of plot, seemed plain, somewhat “unoriginal” and matching the standard cliche of YA romance. In addition, some loose ends were never brought up again or resolved.
SPOILERS BEGIN HERE
The Characters: While I liked the cast of characters for the most part, some issues between them weren’t fully resolved, especially between Jeff, Dallin, and Autumn. I would have liked to see a better and more secure ending for them, and a better explanation of what they standing was by the end of the book. However, I did find Autumn’s anxiety to be pretty realistic (compared to experiences I’ve had with friends with anxiety), and I felt it did add another layer to the story.
The Plot: For the most part, this was fairly standard. Perfect, popular girl has whole life set up with a sporty jock. However, an event happens where she meets the typical bad boy, and her love life is suddenly thrown upside down. And, this perfect girl actually has this “super secret” secret that she just HAS to hide from her friends because they’ll judge her. And in the end, some vague reason that girl doesn’t like jock anymore, and goes with bad boy, and her friends all accept her secret, like we all knew they would from the start. But hey, I still enjoyed it. (My only other issue with the plot is the sudden disappearance of the idea that her friends didn’t realize she wasn’t there? And Jeff being a total jerk and trying to give Dax the wrong idea in the end?)
The Favorite Character: Lisa was a pretty good friend for most of the book, so I have to go with her.
This review can also be found on my blog: https://paragraphsandpages.wordpress.com/