I'm having the review for February's book for my book club, The Reader's Lounge Book Club and also an ARC that I got from NetGalley! Thank you so much Emma for being amazing!
Since it's an ARC it's also part of my 105 Challenge and part of my books for review category!
The Boy Next Door by Katie Van ArkMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
The Boy Next Door was February's book for the Reader's Lounge (the book club I'm part of) and even though I started following pace, I ended up finishing it too fast because I needed to know what happened!
I found it a fun and quick read, that kept me turning the pages because I wanted to know when Gabe would finally get his shit together, and what was going on with Maddy's dad!
I absolutely adored everything that was about ice skating in this book, the training, the choosing of a new program with the choreography and the music. I've always loved watching ice skating (even if I cannot skate on ice or otherwise to save my life) and I know all the terms pretty well, so it was super easy to follow those parts of the book, and I feel I was as excited as Maddy to try for the triple Axel!
The relationship between Maddy and Gabe was alternatively sweet and frustrating for me. I liked that Maddy was proactive and knew what she wanted, but I really was irritated that Gabe kept on going on the secret thing and she went along with it. I was glad to have Gabe's POV because it kept me from wanting to punch him, because I could see how torn he was and how he thought he wasn't good enough for Maddy.
If the book would have only been about the skating and their relationship, it would have been enough, but then we had some added drama with Maddy's dad, and I feel like it was too much. It's also quite puzzling that give my line of work, I didn't guess what was going on at all!
What I really liked was that despite the drama and the hot and cold, both sounded like rather real teenagers, and I'm glad that the book was very sex positive, presented as something natural and showing how important consent and being sure about what you want is.
Not so in love with this one as I was with January's book, but very much worth the read for all the the ice skating bits! 3 to 3.5 stars to this one!
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We're very much on the same page with this one Pili! I liked Maddy quite a bit, but Gabe was frustrating for me through much of the book. I understood why he thought what he did, but eventually I just wanted them to use their words and tell each other how they were feeling. Communication is a good thing ;-) Still the ice skating aspect was really cute, I thoroughly enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I feel like most people had the most trouble with Gabe and his issues! Communication is really key!
DeleteThank you, Jenny!
I haven't read a book yet that focus' on the sport of ice skating so i'm definitely intriguied by that aspect of this novel. I haven't heard the best things about Gabe from other bloggers but i'd probably be like you and keep reading just to find out when he 'gets his shit together' LOL
ReplyDeleteLovely review :)
Lily @ Lilysbookblog
I really felt like shaking Gabe on occasion, and not only because he was going back and forth, but mostly because he didn't seem to explain things to Maddy, and that was so irritating! Thank you Lily!
DeleteI think I shall be taking a cue from you and going with some of the contemps you have picked (perhaps not this one) but you have taste I know I can trust. Great review dear!
ReplyDelete<3 Britt
Thank you so much Britt! And yes, I'd recommend starting with Since You've Been Gone, that one was amazing!
DeleteThis sounds good, but I think I won't be reading it soon. I trust your recommendations, but I always add your 4-5 stars reviews first! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your review, Pili!
Thank you so much, Lis! =D This one was cute but not to make it a priority!
DeleteMmm, three stars isn't enough to make me want to read this one when I already wasn't interested. I saw a really negative review for this one, so that turned me off. Sounds like I wouldn't enjoy the relationship story between Maddy and Gabe. I'm glad you didn't totally dislike this one!
ReplyDeleteAlyssa @ The Eater of Books!
Yeah, it's not one I'd have as a Pili Pushed book at all, Alyssa!
DeleteGreat review Pili. <3 I'm glad you enjoyed this book :) Despite not fully loving it :\ I have a print ARC for it, but not sure I want to read it :p I can't stand drama in books. Sigh. But I do think the rest sounds cute :) Thank you for sharing sweetie. <3
ReplyDeleteThere was a lot of cuteness, despite the drama! Thank you so much sweetie! <3
DeleteAh, ice skating is one of the only sports I enjoy! I do like these sport themed books because they are cute, but sounds like this one was full of drama. Lovely review Pili!
ReplyDeleteIt had both things in spades Jeann, both the cuteness and the drama, but I adored the ice skating bits so much!
DeleteI love figure skating! It is my favorite sport to watch, hands down. I love Jason Brown, the US men's singles skater. He has twin hair and ponytail to my son. Lol. Another Contporary that you have made sound interesting to a non-contemp reader like me. I wish I had more hours in the day to read all of these. :)
ReplyDeleteToo many books, too little time, ALL THE TIME!! We need more reading hours!!
DeleteI actually have a copy of this books so I should get to reading it soon! It seems like a simple and nice enough romance. I think I will like the iceskating aspect of it, but I hope that the things you find annoying are not too bad.
ReplyDeleteThe ice skating part will be awesome! I managed to enjoy it well enough, but prepare yourself for the drama, Olivia!
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