I honestly couldn't remember the last time I had finished a book in one sitting—probably need a minute or two to tread carefully through each review in this blog for these past twelve months. I picked up On The Fence by Kasie West this morning assuming that this book would last for a minimum of three days but alas, it turned out that I barely needed five hours to finish it.
On The Fence follows the story of Charlotte Reynolds who is more known as Charlie, the youngest in the household which consists of a father, three protective older brothers—Jerom, Nathan, Gage—and a close neighbor called Braden. She plays baseball, football, and any other sport skillfully with the four of them but when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know how to.
Everything changes though when she's forced to work in a chichi boutique near the beach. Charlie is not only obliged to dress prettily but she is also asked to be the canvas in a paid makeup session hence her introduction to the cosmetic world. And even strangest, she's now dating a handsome guy who thinks she's always had her makeup on and doesn't know a thing about baseball. Only one thing is still the same: her sometimes late-night talk with Braden by the fences that separate their houses.
As I have once said before, Kasie West's works are usually my go-to feel-good books so obviously, it's not unusual if I found On The Fence very sweet as well as fluffy. And the highlight of my reading? Certainly was the Reynold brothers (Gage was my ultimate favorite but the other siblings were equally great too). They were indeed quite protective of Charlie but it was not necessarily excessive, thankfully. I particularly loved the fact that the brothers still treated her fairly in their pickup games and treated her as their equal on all occasions. Sibling goals!
The romance between Charlie and Braden was quite swoon-worthy too. I was rooting for their relationship the whole time and even got excited to find out that it seemed to be progressing slowly but surely though sadly how it actually took place didn't exactly exceed my too-high expectation. Don't get me wrong, it was still really cute and as a bonus, Braden was a total babe, but I was hoping for more angst honestly, and possibly some more cute moments which from my lens is something West has always been famous for.
The thing that was quite close with a family drama in this book was told quite well though the conclusion seemed a bit rushed. However, I was beyond excited to uncover some crossover characters from one of my favorite West's books: Distance Between Us. I recognized Skye albeit not instantly, and Caymen also made one appearance with a mention of Xander, one of my favorite fictional boyfriends last year!
Well, in conclusion, I did enjoy this book a lot especially the first three-quarter hence my reading speed and pretty high final rating. It's too bad that the ending was not further developed or else I would boost it higher. Still, I would definitely recommend On The Fence if you're looking for a cute contemporary read or you're a fan of Kasie West's books in general.
Actual rating: 4.5★
