The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick

The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Published by Penguin Young Readers Group on August 18th 2015
Genres: Young Adult, Social Issues, Family, General, Love & Romance
Pages: 416
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Goodreads

Also by this author: My Life Next Door

A surprising, utterly romantic companion to My Life Next Door—great for fans of Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han Tim Mason was The Boy Most Likely To find the liquor cabinet blindfolded, need a liver transplant, and drive his car into a houseAlice Garrett was The Girl Most Likely To . . . well, not date her little brother’s baggage-burdened best friend, for starters.For Tim, it wouldn’t be smart to fall for Alice. For Alice, nothing could be scarier than falling for Tim. But Tim has never been known for making the smart choice, and Alice is starting to wonder if the “smart” choice is always the right one. When these two crash into each other, they crash hard.Then the unexpected consequences of Tim’s wild days come back to shock him. He finds himself in a situation that isn’t all it appears to be, that he never could have predicted . . . but maybe should have.And Alice is caught in the middle.Told in Tim’s and Alice’s distinctive, disarming, entirely compelling voices, this novel is for readers of The Spectacular Now, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, and Paper Towns.

In this companion book to My Life Next Door, bad boy Tim Mason is The Boy Most Likely To (in a bad way) but Alice Garrett is the girl who believes that he is something more. Tim is trying to turn his life around (with a little help from the Garrett family) when the past catches up to him. Will he rise to the occasion or fall on bad habits?

This book is one of the books I was most anticipating this year. I love the world Huntley Fitzpatrick created in My Life Next Door. I reread that book in preparation for this one, and also What I Thought Was True (set in the same universe but with different characters.) All three books are great summer reads though all are very different.

Tim was a standout side character in MLND so I was glad to see he got his own book. Alice also made a strong impression in her brief appearances so it was good to get to know her better. Plus, if you liked the Garrett family in MLND you will be pleased that they are all over this book. Both Alice and Tim’s perspectives are included so we get to see the struggles each are dealing with.

Without giving anything away, I have to say that I was caught off guard by some of the curveballs in this book. There is some carryover angst from the events of MLND but the additional twist made things very complicated. Although this wasn’t really what I imagined this book to be, the new conflict does provide for some excellent character growth.

Tim had a crush on Alice and it seemed like she saw him as just her younger brother’s annoying friend. Their romance plays out slowly as it becomes harder for them to deny their chemistry. Both Alice and Tim have full plates so their romance is on the back burner though there are still swoon-filled moments.

I liked all the scenes at the Garrett household and checking in on MLND’s Sam and Jase. As always the Garrett kids provide some comic relief from some of the serious situations. I wouldn’t complain if there were more books featuring the Garrett’s.

Huntley Fitzpatrick did a great job with the dual perspectives, and I especially enjoyed Tim’s POV. I enjoyed the setting, the family theme, the romance and following these characters on their journey. This was a fast summer read for me and I can’t wait to see what this author does next.

The Boy Next Door is on sale August 18.

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