Review: On the Fence, by Kasie West

Title: On the Fence
Author: Kasie West
Publication Date: July 1, 2014
Genre: Contemporary

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. -Goodreads

2 Stars

You could say that I am "on the fence" about this novel.

IT HAD TO BE SAID.

Meme creds: me.

Fellow pun lovers, were those perfect, or were they perfect? *snorts* Anyway.


If I had only read the synopsis and seen the cover, I most likely wouldn't have picked this up in a million years. (Yes, I did just admit to judging a book by its cover.) But, the fact of the matter is that Kasie West wrote this, AKA author of the amazing and utterly cute paranormal series, Pivot Point.

So I guess it was partly my fault for having false expectations and deciding to read a book based entirely off of author alone.

My main problem with On the Fence would have to be the uneventful-ness of the book. I kept waiting, waiting for that something to happen, and the next thing I know it's the end of the book, and I'm left feeling wholly underwhelmed. Not only that, but Braden, who has much love from the blogosphere, isn't very... memorable. *dodges bullets*

Charlie just made me feel awkward. Although I have a "girly" style I still enjoy playing soccer and football and contrary to her pigeon-holing, I stay away from makeup and glitter. I do understand what position she is in, because 1) I basically grew up around guys and 2) sometimes I do feel "different" from other girls. But that doesn't mean I should go around with these preconceived stereotypes and begin labeling everyone that interacts with me.

Unfortunately, I don't really see the brilliance that justifies the many 4-5 star ratings I've seen around Goodreads and on blogs. Maybe, and this is likely true, I expect far too much out of contemporary novels.