Ali NovakCritiques

Found via the Netflix series, which I'd happily binge-watched. Alas, a rare example of a screen adaption that was more nuanced and rich than the book.

¿Qué hace una alumna excelente y de comportamiento intachable viviendo con un rebaño de hermanos apestosos, escandalosos e insoportables? Si Jackie hubiera podido elegir, jamás habría terminado rodeada de doce chicos que ni siquiera entienden el concepto de privacidad, por muy guapos que sean los mayores. Pero el accidente de coche que han sufrido sus padres no le ha dejado elección: los Walter, tutores legales de los doce hermanos, también son ahora los suyos.
Los chicos Walter son el desastre personificado. Jackie aspira a la perfección.
Es más, se la debe a su familia. Se la prometió.
¿Cómo se las arreglará para encajar en esta nueva vida llena de caos... y de chicos?
Una novela romántica al más puro estilo Wattpad que cuenta con millones de lecturas a nivel mundial.

This was such a fun book to read and a much needed break from the heavy books I’ve been reading. Jackie looses her entire family in one night in a car accident. Her mom’s best friend, Katherine, steps in and offers for Jackie to come live with her and her family. Katherine leaves out the fact that there’s 12 boys waiting at home to meet Jackie. Walking into her new home, she’s thrown into an unknown world, very different than her NYC life. The book was entertaining and a great read, especially because two of Katherine’s sons are fighting for Jackie’s attention. If you’re looking for a fun story with a few laughs, this book is what you’re looking for.

I found this book to be fine. It wasn't bad exactly but it wasn't really all that good either. I found the characters to be both overly juvenile and overly mature at the same time. Also the plot was just way to unrealistic for me.

Jackie' parents and sister have been killed in a terrible car accident. Jackie has been living with an uncle but he travels a lot so her mother's best friend Katherine Walter decides to "adopt" her for a year. Jackie goes to live with the enormous Walter family which consists of eleven boys (and one girl?) on a farm in Colorado, Some of them are Katherine's biological children - two sets of twin boys, and some are nephews from her sister's failed life. So, not only must Jackie cope with the loss of her own family, she must try and absorb herself into this other giant family as well as coming to terms with the fact she no longer lives in New York but now is stuck in some tiny country town
To make matters even worse, there seems to be two of the boys Alex and Cole who are infatuated with Jackie and she must choose between kind-hearted, friendly Alex and roguish player Cole who gets her drunk the first time they go out together.
A fascinating book about being resilient and facing the truth about who you are and your place in families. I liked when the author strayed away from the central romance triangle into the lives of the other Walter boys although I was a bit confused about Parker as she was initially introduced as a boy. The Danny and Nathan characters as well as Lee the cousin all bring something to Jackie's story. I also liked that the boys' perspective was told in an additional chapter at the end of the book.
I read this book because a student raved about it and I can see why. Great read.½

Ahhh honestly fell in love with this book! I'm not really a huge fan of cliche's but this book was a whole other story. I have read books about boybands and the main female falling for them super quick but this was kind of refreshing. *SPOILER* The fact that the author added real-life problems and things in the book like Cancer, which is what the main female character's sister Cara was diagnosed with, brought more meaning into the Novel. Stella also focused on her career as well as a photographer which I admired because I'm obsessed with photography!! It was a fun, quick read!

"I'm sorry," he said, slowly untying the ribbon that held his mask in place. "It's just-I didn't want you to think of me any differently."

Somehow I kept my mouth from falling open. I knew his face, but my mind couldn't accept that he was the person looking down at me.

"My real name is Alec."

I haven’t read the first book in the Heartbreakers Chronicles, but I love a good Hollywood romance story - they’re always such a perfect quick read! And this one was no different. Paper Hearts follows Felicity Lyons as she meets and begins to fall for Alec Williams, a member of the world famous boy punk band The Heartbreakers. Paper Hearts was a fun, and surprisingly engaging read. There was an abundance of family drama, teen friendships, and some really swoony romance.

Things I Liked:
The entire book felt like a fantastic early ‘00 teen rom-com! It was filled with great friends, romance, and drama. The overall vibe of the story was summery and fun. While the story is not realistic at all, I still found it to be really engaging and so easy to read.

The romance in the story was really cute and fluffy. You can’t help but smile at Felicity and Alec and their unlikely romance. I like that we see them getting to know each other, and getting to know each other’s friends. I also really appreciated that they don’t confess their love for each other, after knowing each other for such a short amount of time. Kudos!

I loved the roadtrip aspect of the book because roadtrips are always fun! The adventure feeling really added to the teen rom-com vibe and created this invigorating and adventurous atmosphere that was a lot of fun.

I really appreciated the playlists at the back of the book! The story focused on celebrity and the band less than I thought it would, which I think really worked. It was more about Felicity’s personal journey, not a romantic one in relation to a famous person. The playlists were a nice touch to add a bit more music to the story without taking anything away from Felicity’s story.

Things I Didn’t Like:
I would have liked more development for Alec and his father’s relationship. You could understand the rift that existed and the strain it put on Alec, but I felt I always wanted more from their relationship. It would have helped to develop Alec a bit more outside of the band.

Unfortunately, this book had one of my least favorite tropes: miscommunication as a plot device. Felicity and Alec’s fight was just incredibly frustrating because Felicity refused to stop and listen to Alec at all. I understand she was having some trust issues, but I just wanted to yell at her.

I also think that all of Felicity’s family drama was pushing past believable territory into cheesy soapy drama. There was so much drama and angst compounded with secrets, betrayal, reveal after reveal. It got to be a little much, especially because a good chunk of it happened within like 25 pages. I appreciate that Asha told Felicity it was soap opera levels of drama.

Overall this was a super quick read that I knocked out in one sitting. It was heavy on the drama, but never felt weighed down or slow. The book had a great summer vibe and was a lot of fun.

I received a copy of the book from Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Read my full review of the book at seriesousbookreviews.com! Spoiler Free!
**I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.**

I was in the perfect mood to start this book and it hit the spot!

I wanted to read a book that had a swoon-worthy romance and great character development--and I really feel like this book delivered!

It was great watching Sloane and Oliver grow as individual characters as well as in their relationship. I feel like there was a great balance between the romance and the character growth throughout the novel which made it very addicting to read. I couldn't put this book down!

Sloane's family situation was very realistic and I felt like it grounded the slightly over the top romantic plot. I think most readers can connect with the various situations Sloane finds herself in: a sick relative, leaving for college, finding herself. The coming of age aspect was very well done.

And the romance...Oliver won me over pretty quickly! I also loved the rest of the band as well so I hope there are more books ;) I will say that I didn't really like this one romantic plot device used near the end but I understand why it was used, even if I didn't love it.

Check out more spoiler-free book and series reviews on my blog SERIESousBookReviews.com as well as read book series recaps!

Full Review: http://wp.me/p3txrs-14j

I’m an only child and for as long as I can remember I’ve loved big families. Some of my favorite movies, books, and shows growing up had lots of kids. They didn’t even need to be families (Babysitters Club, Daddy Day Care and Camp), but I did prefer the families. Cheaper by the Dozen, Yours, Mine and Ours, Full House, even those reality tv shows with the huge families. I just couldn’t get enough of them. Ever since I was a kid I wanted to be a Weasley. I just love big families. So needless to say when I found out about My Life With the Walter Boys I knew I had to read it.

It took awhile for me to get my hands on this book but when I finally did I couldn’t wait to start it. I really enjoyed it, though I feel like the main reason I liked it as much as I did was because of the fact that there was a big family. It was probably a three star book for me, but I had to give it four because of how big and crazy the family was. There is just something about the loud, hectic, messy fun the comes with big families that I just can’t get enough of. I just eat this stuff up.

Even though I doubt I will enjoy Ali Novaks other book, The Heartbreakers, as much as this one, I'm still excited to read it. I probably should have read that one first. I am planning on reading My Life as a Walter Boy soon.

On a scale of Astrophil to Stella this book is an adorable sonnet.
I fell in love with Oliver the moment he was introduced in the most adorable coffee shop scene. It was one of the cutest things ever. I had to sit down and breath deeply to keep from fangirling.Stella is absolutely fabulous. Her sass gives me life. Every single character in this book is complex and well developed. Every single scene in this book makes me wish my squad was that reckless and fun.
I have a soft spot for Wattpad books and Ali Novak is one of my favourite authors. Her writing is breathtakingly amazing. I love reading her vivid descriptions not to mention the heart-racing song Oliver writes for Stella which is gorgeous.
I would recommend this book to anyone absolutely obsessed with a boy band because this book will be totally #Relatable. In addition, this book should be read by people who enjoy romance, people who don’t, your next door neighbour, you cat, and the cute guy you ‘accidentally’ bump into at the coffee shop who smells absolutely heavenly.
I am absolutely obsessed with the Heartbreakers and I can’t wait to read Alec’s story in Paper Hearts this summer.

Jackie has relied on her own perfection to gain her parents approval...until they die in a tragic accident, and she must move across the country to live with her new guardians -- and their 12 sons.

Okay... cute.

Having a love of boy bands myself, I was really excited about this book. It sounded right up my alley. The fact that on the first page there's a Kirkus Reviews quote that says, “...Fans of boy bands will be on this like tattoos on Harry Styles's chest,” made my directioner heart sing, “Yesssss.”
It was very fan fic-y at first, which isn't really a bad thing, just a slightly obvious thing at some points I thought. I was glad Stella and Oliver met in Starbucks first and made a genuine connection as people, though. Of course, everyone saw it coming that this mysterious boy she met was clearly going to be the Oliver. I resented Stella a smidge in the beginning, especially at the signing. Seriously, you're going to stand in line and knock the boys you're about to suck up to and ask a favor for in a minute? As someone who has stood in line to meet celebrities myself, it kind of pissed me off.
The whole first day they met was kind of frustrating. It was a bit predictable and I wanted to yell at Stella for acting like such a snob. After that, I felt it transitioned really quickly from her family back to the Heartbreakers. There's not a lot with her family, and I feel like it would have been nice to get the little in-between bits. Not just with her family, either. The Heartbreakers has a good story line, but it's like it only highlights the major plot points, and basically completely skips over the rest. I truly think it could have been a few books, but they wanted to mash it into one. It's really choppy, and I feel like her relationship with Oliver sort of comes out of the blue. Not that we weren't expecting it, but I wish there was a bigger buildup.
I have one more complaint, which is that Stella did not arrange for The Heartbreaks to meet Cara. Like, what the heck? That's totally, completely unfair. Cara is obsessed with them, Stella didn't even like them, but she's the one spending all the time with them. I understand they're busy, and it's a very nice thing Stella and Drew did for Cara, but if I were in Cara's shoes, I'd be hoping for a little something more than some signed merch.
On the good side, I like reading about the boy band world. I love all the drama and excitement, but then that they're still mostly normal guys. I like the incorporation of Stella's choices and passion and confusion about her photography and her life. I love that she has a support system in the three boys who mostly act like her brothers, and the one who's interested in her. All the members of The Heartbreakers are completely loveable.
This book kept me turning the pages, and the ending was pretty marvelous. I'm anxious for the rest of the series. If you're into more serious reading, I'd look for another book. If you're into fantasizing and fan-girling, though, I'd definitely give this book a shot.

Once again, another Ali Novak read I enjoyed. Once again, I thought there wasn't enough story.
In 350 pages there wasn't enough story, you might ask. Well, there was also a relationship with twelve siblings, plus friends, and a dead family to address.
Let's start with Jackie's dead family. We hardly got details about them, really. In the beginning of the book she was about to leave for Colorado, so it's not like we got to know them through dialogue and stuff. We actually don't find out a whole lot of detail about her life in New York. To be fair, the book mentioned her family fairly frequently, and sure, she does grieve. I understand this is supposed to be two months later, but I feel that's definitely not enough time for the death of her entire family to be more of a scar than a wound already, which is what it felt like to me.
Next, twelve siblings. We did get to know them all a bit, but I felt like there was still stuff missing. There were scenes that were alluded to, but weren't actually in the book. I felt like there was some behind the scenes sort of stuff I was missing out on. Not that it affected the story, really, but still. I wanted more. I hoped for more with Parker especially. Seeing as how she was the only girl in the family, I wanted her and Jackie to get closer. She was hardly mentioned until one point in the middle of the book and then one (granted good) point at the end.
Next, friends. This wasn't as big of a deal, I guess, but there wasn't really much about the friends she made, or the one she left behind. There were two phone calls from her former best friend and a handful of meetings with her new ones.
On to what I did like, because the pros really outweighed those cons for me. The story line was great, all the scenes were great, the writing was good. Her relationship with all the Walter family members was beautiful, although, come to think of it, there wasn't a whole lot about the dad, George. I love how there were certain unique things that connected her to the boys individually. They had different passions and traits in common. She earned their friendship and trust and I love how they all stepped up as brothers and protectors of her.
I loved the love triangle. It developed so naturally, and it was actually kind of obvious in a good way. Both boys made sense for different reasons, and it was nice to see both of those relationships play out. While it ended amicably, I will admit I was expecting more romance, though the very ending is still pretty good.
In closing, I feel like there might have been more in the original wattpad book, or if not, there should have been, but it was still a great book. Also, I hope there's a sequel!!!

There are many teens who love books about hookups with boy bands, and who will be pleased by this new entry into the category.

This story is narrated by Stella Samuel, one of a set of 17-year-old triplets also including brother Drew and sister Cara. Cara has Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph system that can have a good prognosis, depending on the stage of the disease and response to therapy. The three siblings stay pretty positive, and Drew and Stella look forward to “out-gifting” Cara on their upcoming 18th birthdays. They live in Minneapolis, so it would be just a “road trip” to Chicago for Drew and Stella to go the autograph signing being held by Cara’s favorite band, "The Heartbreakers." Drew convinces Stella it will also be a good trip to take since the signing will be near a gallery of her favorite photographer; Stella is an aspiring photographer herself.

Inevitably, there is a “meet cute” between Stella and Oliver Perry, the heartthrob “bad boy” of the band. Furthermore, Stella and Drew get to hang out later with the guys, and Stella takes lots of pictures. The band’s publicist thinks the pictures are great, and offers Stella a job to go on a two-month tour with the band and post pictures and comments on a new blog site. But Stella is reluctant to leave Cara; she has always felt guilty for not noticing when Cara first got sick, and the thought of chasing her own dreams while Cara struggles seems like it would be a betrayal.

Discussion: It may seem so from the plot summary, but this is not really a mash-up of The Fault in Our Stars and Angie Stanton’s boy band books. It will not break your heart (contrary to what the title might suggest) and is a good coming-of-age story with a dash of romance, and rock-star-back-scenes fun.

Evaluation: All of the characters are bright, funny, and likable, and the overall story will gratify fans of this genre. Apparently it is only the first book of a series, which is also good news.½

Review Originally Posted At: FictionForesight

In accordance with current FTC Guidelines, please let it be known this book was received through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Summer Lovin'; 4 stars!

The Heartbreakers is a fun and entertaining read in spite of its emotionally laden plot.

A Quick Summary:

So before we actually begin, let me be upfront and honest. The only reason I originally wanted to read this book was because a reader pointed out that all I ever tend read and review is fantasy. Sure I read historical fiction, mystery novels, the occasional science fiction novel, etc, but they all have fantasy in them. Now really there are two main reasons for this. Number one, it’s what I like. That much should be obvious. Number two, it’s what I’m comfortable with. I know I can review fantasy novels, and do them justice, because I’ve done it enough. It’s my niche.

After I had it pointed out to me though, I realized I needed to branch out. Now this book didn’t actually come into play until about 3 days after that message. I was going through some potential new books and I happened upon this. In the past I have read some John Green, and after reading the description that is what I was expecting; John Green meets One Direction. Needless to say, because of the latter I wasn’t expecting much.

Alright so now that we’ve gotten that out-of-the-way, we can really get started.

So the basic premise for the plot is pretty standard and, in and of itself, isn’t that remarkable. Essentially it’s: girl meets celebrity guy and doesn’t know he’s a celebrity. Girl and guy hit it off together, and despite the fame they manage to become entwined, romantically. Personal problems play a major role, and it’s up in the air whether things will work out between the two.

Now, a bit of a deeper summary would be:

Our main character, Stella (STELLLAAAAA!!!! – sorry had to) is a triplet. One of her siblings, Cara, is sick with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (a type of cancer for those unaware). In an effort to make her sister’s birthday special, Stella and her brother, Drew, drive to get an autograph of “The Heartbreakers”, Cara’s favorite band. Despite the fact that both Drew and Stella dislike their music, they stick it out for their sister’s sake.

Prior to the signing, Stella decides to get some coffee at a Starbucks. Whilst there she meets this handsome and charming guy and starts to hit things off with him. As it turns out, this guy just happens to be Oliver Perry, aka the lead singer of The Heartbreakers. So now not only does Stella have to deal with this potential relationship, and her sick sister, but she’s also got to try to figure out what she wants to do with her life. Pursue a potential love interest, move on to begin her own life and career, or stay home and keep close to her sick sister.

The Good:

I think one of the biggest things that sticks out with this book is its ease of readability. It’s just that kind of book that you can pick up at any time and dive right into. It’s not overly emotional despite the fact that the main character’s sister has cancer; which I liked – the not so emotional angle, not the cancer! I’m typically not a fan of all the mushy / sappy / unbearably sad stuff that comes with books that focus on cancer. It ends up getting too heavy and takes me too long to recover afterwards. But I’m happy to say in this case, the emotional side was done quite smoothly. It’s not all about the cancer; and even when it is, emotions are brought back into check with the fun and hilarious interactions between Stella and the band.

A good portion of people have mentioned that they didn’t like the “insta-love” between Oliver and Stella, but I can’t say I mind it. In fact, I enjoyed it. For me, it made it easier to focus on the other issues. I wanted some fun, some goofiness, and that’s what I got. So maybe it was a bit one second nothing, the next love. I’m not opposed to reading it once in a while. It’s not like this book was trying to be something that it’s not. It’s not revolutionary in romance or contemporary; but rather a good, strong blending of both that left you feeling happy. What’s wrong with that?

I really did enjoy the characters. Sure they’re not the deepest people, but they are fun and entertaining. The emotions felt real, and I understood most of the time why a character acted or responded in a certain way. For instance, it made sense that since Stella felt responsible, or at least partially responsible for Cara’s cancer, that she wouldn’t want to seek any happiness out for herself. She put off living her own life as some sort of penance for not being there for her sister, even though there was nothing that she could do. Then later on when she has her crisis about whether to stay or to go off to college, the same thing happens. I understood that. It wasn’t unrealistic to think that she blamed herself, or even to think that she was scared to move forward. It fit the situation quite well.

The same can be said for the guys. I get how one second they’re all happy and go-lucky, and the next they’re fighting with one another. They are teenagers for crying out loud! They wanted to have fun, but they also wanted their independence, and the ability to make their own choices. So call them goofy, call them emotional, but don’t call them unrealistic; a bit shallow maybe, but I’m sure their personalities will grow with the series.

The Bad:

As far as negatives go, I really don’t have too much to say. In fact, a lot of it would be very nit-picky. Things like character depth and personality traits that I didn’t particularly care for are some of the smaller issues.

For me, even though part of the plot felt way to unrealistic, it was still enjoyable. If you allow yourself to believe something like this would happen, then it becomes fun, exciting, and adventurous. It’s a feel good contemporary, it’s that simple.

Really though, all the negatives came down to one thing: It had almost everything I didn’t know I was looking for, but never really wowed me. It was great, but it needed that one extra detail, that special something in order to push it over the top. Maybe a deeper relationship, maybe a bit more personality on some of the band’s end, maybe even some more background story.

Thankfully, this is a series! Based on the authors Wattpad release, it appears that each of the subsequent novels will be centered around a different band member’s “story”. The first was, obviously, Oliver’s story. The next release is titled “The Queen of Hearts”, and is supposed to be Alec’s story; with JJ’s and Xander’s stories to follow thereafter. Hopefully this will correct any problems and provide that extra something to push this series into the 5 star range!

Other:

Prior to its publication, The Heartbreakers was initially released on Wattpad. Although I wasn’t aware of it from there, I know many people are. In case you were curious, it was originally titled “The Heartbreak Chronicles”.

Overall:

Honestly, The Heartbreakers was surprising. Not so much because of its twists and turns, but because it’s actually quite good. I went into this expecting something just OK, something that wouldn’t be memorable, and looking back I’m pleased to say I was dead wrong. The writing is truly enjoyable, the characters are refreshingly interesting, and the plot and pace are intriguing enough to keep you well entertained. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I’ve enjoyed this book more so than a good portion of the fantasy novels I’ve read this year. It’s got just enough John Green in it to tug on your emotions without making you crumble into one big sobbing mess. Well worth the read, easily recommended, and with its large Wattpad following (38 million readers!) it would appear as if I’m not the only one to think so!

Oh, and in case you were curious, I went out and bought this book despite already having it as an ARC. For me, it was a no brainer. I can’t wait until I can preorder the next installment; and I’m going to try my hardest to wait for it to be officially published rather than read it on Wattpad.

(www.FictionForesight.com)

"4 out of 5 stars! Since freshman year of high school, Stella’s sister (Cara) has been battling cancer, now about four years later Cara’s battle has been getting harder. Therefore, to give Cara the “greatest 18th Birthday present EVER” Stella and their brother Drew attend The Heartbreakers (the “boy band” Cara loves) autograph signing to get Cara’s things signed by the band as the gift for her. However, the day of signing Stella’s life changes forever and her life gets more embroiled with The Heartbreakers with its leader singer Oliver than she ever expected…

I chose/requested to read this novel for the following two main reasons. The first reason is because I’ve had a sudden urge to read rock star romances lately and with its cover/description, this looked like a good one. The second reason is that this novel’s description reminded me of Ms. Rallison’s “Just One Wish,” because the main characters from both novels are trying to get something from someone famous to make their sick siblings happy, and since I really liked Ms. Rallison’s novel I hoped I’d like Ms. Novak’s novel too. As luck would have it, I liked “The Heartbreakers” quite a lot!"

Read more of my review and THREE TEASERS here: http://frommetoyouvideophoto.blogspot.com/2015/07/feasted-on-heartbreak-chronicl...

Jackie's learned that making and following lists helps keep her life orderly and predictable. Daughter of wealthy, successful parents, she would love to be as free and creative as her older sister, but knows she's more like her father. When a bad case of the flu lands her on the couch one night, it saves her life, but breaks her inside. The rest of her family is killed in an auto accident.
Her uncle foists her on her mother's best friend from college who she barely knows and it's the beginning of major culture shock in numerous ways. Instead of a penthouse apartment with maids, chauffeurs and art museum memberships, she finds herself living in a haphazardly constructed ranch house in rural Colorado. Instead of one sophisticated sister, she's dropped into a family with eleven boys and one tomboy girl. Instead of going to a private school with girls she's known for years, she's attending a public school that's scary and huge.
I expected Jackie to be somewhat snobbish, given her family wealth and veneer, but she was anything but. Instead, we have a girl trying to survive while being heckled and pranked by those she's living with, most of whom resent her addition to an already crowded household. When older brothers Cole and Alex, are attracted to her, it's not only stressful, but very confusing as is the reaction of the girls who befriend her, primarily because they think it will get them close to the hot guys she's now living with.
I liked the book and empathized with Jackie a lot. She didn't have much choice in her upbringing or what happened after she lost her parents. Coming from a high expectation family and having little dating/guy experience because she attended an all girls school, she was a fish out of water much of the time, especially when Alex and Cole were after her.
Verdict: a fun read and one school and public libraries should consider for their collections.

Much of the story felt a little forced - Jackie is grieving, but the emotion of her grieving is never really given expression. It feels very removed. One thing I did like about the novel was the idea that Jackie was hiding from her grief in her need to control her life and to control her relationships. Choosing the "safe" brother over the one she really felt emotion about was a perfect example of this. Part of my feelings about this book are probably due to the narration, which felt false.

I finally picked this up after seeing it on a Madison bookstore display last spring. The author, a Wisconsin native, had recently graduated from the UW Madison creative writing program. New Yorker Jackie Sinclair is sixteen when her parents and sister are killed in a car crash. When her uncle isn't able to care for Jackie, she is picked up by a new guardian, her mother's best friend from college. On the trip back to Colorado, Jackie learns she will feel more like a duck out of water than just the locale would indicate. The Walter family already consists of 12 kids, Jackie will turn it into a baker's dozen. The boys, of course, are gorgeous and shake up Jackie's preppy, one track mind and as the story moves on, you can see how good they are for each other. Since they range from older than Jackie to five year old twins, the book hits on a lot of situations in a short amount of time. I had no idea until I got to the note at the end of the story, about what a interesting path to publication it had. Novak wrote this story at 15. It was picked up by a 'real' publisher off of wattpad after having a lot of hits.

The first time I ever read My Life With the Walter Boys was probably three years ago on Wattpad. Honestly, it was my favorite eBook I had ever read at the time. As soon as I found out that it was published, I just had to buy it and read it again.

Although I love the story, and I love the characters, there are things that bother me about it. Jackie Howard is a girl from the Upper East Side in New York City, and when her life takes a turn for the worse and her famous parents and sister are killed in a car crash while she's sick at home, she is left to be looked after by a family member- who is never home. It's then decided that she is going to move all the way to Colorado with Katherine Walter- a woman who was good friends with her mother.

But wait, that's not all. Katherine has kids. A bunch of kids. Twelve, to be exact. Twelve BOYS and of course, they're all gorgeous. But wait... one of these boys is actually a girl, who acts like a boy. The real issue here is who are these people? There are so many characters in this novel that it's hard to keep track. Half the boys in the novel hardly make appearances, so when they do, we're left looking at the first chapter where she lists out each boy, how old they are, and what they like to do (another problem that I will be addressing soon). On top of the twelve boys, Katherine, her husband, Jackie, her group of friends, the boy's friends, and family, it's just overwhelming sometimes to keep track of them all.

Now, addressing the issue above, the book has a serious 'show, don't tell issue'. Ali Novak does a whole lot of telling us how things are, rather than showing. Jackie tells us how she feels about her family dying, but yet she doesn't really have the actions to prove it. In the first chapter, there is a scene where she and Katherine are on the plane going to Colorado, where Katherine tells Jackie everything she needs to know about the boys... and girl, who Jackie doesn't even find out is a girl until they all meet- you'd think that Katherine would tell her that she had a girl too rather than addressing her, too as a boy. Jackie takes out a pen and paper and writes the twelve names down, and then writes how old they are and what they like to do. Specifics. What's the fun in being told what they like? Why not have Jackie meet the boys (and girl) and THEN find out about them? This is only heightened by the fact that Jackie spends most of the book trying to get to know them.

There's also Jackie's character. She had lost her whole entire family, and yet she seems to get over it pretty fast, only having blips of hating herself and being sad. She relives the accident a couple times, but not a significant amount. She's a girl from the upper east side with a good head on her shoulders, but yet half the time she acts like a girl from well, Colorado. The first sentence of the whole book was about how she didn't ever own a single pair of jeans- her mom was a fashion designer, and she believed in making an impact and dressing up.

If that's what she believed in though, what did she wear while she was in Colorado? There was only a couple of times where she addressed what she changed into, and it was all designer, and if I remember right, each time they were destroyed (spaghetti incident?). Yet there are scenes where she's climbing trees like she's a natural. I think that if I lived on the Upper East Side of New York City my whole life, I would have an issue with living on a ranch and climbing trees and getting muddy. I mean I love that kind of thing, but city life is a whole lot different than a life on a ranch.

There are lots of different stories about the Upper East Side. It Girl, The Ivy, and my personal favorite, Gossip Girl. In all of these, there are snobby girls with hidden agendas and even the nicest girls make mistakes and befriend the wrong person. Yet Jackie's life seems... boring. She had one friend that we really know of, and brief love interests, and went to the ballet more than ever having a social life. She lived on the top floor of an amazing hotel. Both her parents were famous. Her mother, a famous fashion designer. Yet the only time we really ever hear about her moms fashion shows and her life are when she's talking about how she doesn't wear jeans, but her mom used them a lot in her fashion shows, and when Cole sees the picture of her model sister in her room and asks about her.

The love triangle. Ugh. I have a love-hate relationship with them. They can be entertaining when done well, and just... bad sometimes. This one was somewhere in between. It was okay, I guess, but for some reason I didn't forgive Alex, one of the Walter boys, as easily as Jackie did. But I can't get into it that much without spoiling it.

Why is every single boy popular and gorgeous? Even the Geeky Alex, who spends most of his time playing a game online, and Danny, Cole's fraternal twin who loves drama and is in the school's production of Romeo and Juliette as Romeo. I'm not trying to say that a geek is supposed to look like a geek or anything, but if Alex spends every waking moment in his room with this moldy pizzas and crusty socks playing this online game, and he's never in lunch because he's always in the library playing, how is he one of the most popular guys in school?

The Walter boys are treated like gods, and the love triangle between Jackie, Cole and Alex is somewhat awkward, especially because the one she is meant to be with isn't even concentrated on, making us ask about a second book, which could even be the whole idea.

Other than all the issues in the book I've talked about, the book is actually really good. We fall in love with the characters that are highlighted, it's just a lot of the main problems that make the book what it is is kind of... lost. There is just something magical about it, though, that has kept me hooked and made me want to read it and not put it down.

I would recommend this book to teens and anyone who loves a funny, light hearted tale of romance.

This was a quick read about a girl who loses her family in a car accident and is forced to move across the country to live with her mother's friend from college. She learns to her dismay that she will be living with a family with 11 boys.

Sex and Sensibility. She was goody-two-shoes. He was an obnoxious rascal. They both wanted the same thing, their place in the family. They would find even more in each other. But first they would have to grow up and learn to compromise.

Jackie has lived her whole life trying to fit in with her fashion designer mom, business man dad and beautiful loving older sister. She has molded herself into the perfect student , an organized fashion plate with no room for disorder. After losing her family, her life is turned upside down, when she goes from her perfectly ordered life in a New York penthouse apartment to a ranch in Colorado. There are 11 boys in the family, whose greatest pleasure in life is causing chaos in Jackie’s. It will take to time to convince the boys, and herself, that she belongs there. First she has to break out of her comfortable, orderly shell not only to fit in with the family, but find out who she really is now. She will make mistakes, fall in love, make friends and discover a family that would love her even if she wasn’t perfect.

I read this in an ARC and loved the book. It is a contemporary fiction, a romance, with humor, and a coming of age tale with all the required teen angst. It has a few flaws, one of the boys brings his one night stands home, after losing his sports scholarship, Cole becomes a player on another field without much rhyme or reason. The one small sister in the family of 11 boys, is almost lost in the storyline. But is it still a good read and guys it isn’t fantasy! Which I do love.