On the Fence

ON THE FENCE shares some minor characters with THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US. Written by the same author, the wonderful Kasie West, this romance novel brings a lot of drama (as usual) and more sparks of attraction. Our narrator and friendly tomboy, Charlie (Charlotte Reynolds), gets a speeding ticket more times than she should, resulting in her father (who is a police officer) refusing to foot the bill. To reach the speeding ticket's demanded amount of a few hundred dollars, she takes a job at the last place she expects.

A boutique, basically a clothing store. Which is not a good place for tomboy Charlie, who doesn't know the difference between mascara and eyeliner.

Tossed into a brand new world, Charlie now has to navigate the complicated world of mascara, clothes, lipstick, and eye shadow. Chapstick used to be her friend, but now, she has to wear makeup and fashionable clothes for her work. Pretending to be a girl with an alive mother and someone who wears makeup has taken a physical and mental toll on our narrator. She goes to the fence and talks with Braden almost every night, and that is where the best parts begin. She is an intriguing character, but she is an even better narrator.

Braden is Charlie's love interest. Though he does provide some fresh drama and tension to the book, he isn't the main focus. Charlie is.

The book starts off with Charlie coasting along. The plot takes me along for the ride, and every transition flows smoothly, almost effortlessly. It keeps going (never speeding, never pulled over) until the ending, which is surprisingly undramatic. It ends sweetly, in a good way. Though I do find it difficult to get into the book and empathize with Charlie's problems, the book is greatly entertaining and hilarious in the right parts.

One of the best features of ON THE FENCE is Charlie's family. It is incredibly easy to imagine them. Those "lugs" (Charlie's brothers and Braden himself) are fiercely protective of their tomboy sister, which makes them endearing and adorable. Despite being Charlie's family and individual personas, they mesh together into one creature solely dedicated to Charlie's safety. With the exception of Braden, of course. He is his own character.

In conclusion, ON THE FENCE is a light-hearted book with a cute love interest and a whole bunch of personal baggage. Easy to read, the book isn't memorable, but it can take someone away for a few hours or so. ON THE FENCE is best recommended to those who enjoy a light romance, mild drama, and a lovable family.

Rating: Three out of Five

Source: Library

There are a few authors that are "auto-buy" for me. Kasie West is one of those authors. Her writing and stories flow so naturally that I cannot put them down. I was hooked in immediately with On the Fence.

What I loved: On the Fence is a contemporary that really feels like a contemporary book to me. It hits every point on my list. I love Charlie's voice. I liked that she wasn't a girly girl-and I also liked watching her transformation throughout the book. I feel by the end of the story she found a happy medium and felt really good about who she was. And then there was Braden....seriously, is there a better book boy than Braden right now???? I don't think so.

I loved watching their story play out. They both have different family dynamics and they were both supportive of each other as true friends (who just happened to be crazy about each other). Their story was easy to sink into and I think every reader would be pulling for them to figure it all out.

What left me wanting more: Nothing. This was absolutely ideal for me. Pick this up for a fun summer read!

What I Loved:
Kasie West is the queen of adorable. I’ve read all of her books and every single one makes me smile at both the romances and the friendships. On the Fence differs a little bit from West’s prior novels, both in heroine and tone. West tackles some darker issues in On the Fence, but manages to keep the tone fairly light even through the darker times. In addition, there’s a stronger focus on family and a bit less of a focus on romance, though that’s definitely an important factor too. On the Fence is a heartwarming novel about a tomboy who goes on a journey of self-discovery.

Charlie doesn’t really know how to be a girl. Obviously, she is biologically, but, since her mother died when she was only six, leaving Charlie with three older brothers and her cop father, she never received an education on womanly ways. Charlie loves to play and watch all sports, but has no interest in clothing or makeup. Her best friends are her brothers (Jerom, Nathan, and Gage) and the family’s neighbor, Braden. She’s the sort of girl who doesn’t know who Jane Austen is and doesn’t understand why a football match should be ended prematurely so a player can go mourn the loss of his grandmother. In fact, this early scene really bonded me to Charlie, since I suffer a similar lack of understanding sometimes.

Certainly, Charlie isn’t the first heroine to be better friends with guys than girls, but she may be the first one I’ve read who doesn’t actively dislike other women. Though she doesn’t understand other girls and is intimidated by them, Charlie doesn’t shame anyone for their way of life, unless they’re wearing text on their butt maybe. Charlie has a really healthy attitude and is very open-minded about the people that she meets. Throughout the book, she ends up bonding with people that she didn’t initially think she’d have anything in common with.

Forced to get a summer job after getting a second speeding ticket, Charlie gets a job at an eclectic little clothing store, close to where both Skye and Caymen from The Distance Between Us work. In different ways, she bonds with her boss Linda and makeup artist, Amber. Both of these characters could have easily been stereotypes, but West builds them out fully and looks beneath the surface. Charlie ends up allowing Amber to put makeup on her for demonstrations and having to dress up nicer for work. At first, Charlie feels like her work self and her sporty self are different people, and she spends the summer getting used to the fact that she has more depths than she ever imagined.

Though she does change her style throughout the book, the message of On the Fence is one of tolerance and open-mindedness. Charlie doesn’t stop loving sports or become some ideal of femininity. She starts wearing prettier clothes and feeling more confident, but only goes so far as she actually wants to and would never let that stand in the way of having fun. The romance plays into this too, as Charlie always thought she was just one of the guys and that none of them could ever actually be interested in her.

What Left Me Wanting More:
The romance is a slow burn, so slow that I am a little annoyed with this trope at the moment. I love it, but also JUST KISS ALREADY. Unlike West’s other couples, these two have a long association. The evolution from friends to love takes place largely during conversations overnight through the fence. Charlie has trouble sleeping because of nightmares about her mom’s death and Braden’s often awakened by his drunk father coming home late. By the fence, they alternately banter (in an adorable game of who knows more about whom) and talk about real things they’ve never discussed with anyone. I only wish I could have gotten to see more of them as an actual couple.

The Final Verdict:
Over this summer, Charlie learns more about herself and finally confronts the psychological trauma of her past. It’s impressive that West manages to deal so well with Charlie’s grief without making the book depressing. If you’re a fan of Kasie West, don’t worry because her streak of amazing is not over. If you’re not a fan yet, you can really start with any of them, but I think this might be my favorite one so far. This one or Pivot Point. Don’t make me choose!

I'm a huge fan of Kasie West and THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US was a favorite of mine last summer, so when I had the chance to read ON THE FENCE, I jumped at it.

I liked Charlie and her all-boy family dynamic and being the daughter of a cop myself, I could totally relate to the awkwardness of her relationship with her dad. Braden was probably my favorite character and his interactions with Charlie, both during the day and along the fence at night, made me feel all warm and fuzzy.

We also got a teasing glimpse of Caymen and Xander, although she (along with those creepyars dolls) is the only one who shows up on the page, albeit briefly. Skye played an important role in Charlie's story and I enjoyed getting to know her a little better. If I had to guess, I would say her story is up next.

My only qualm with ON THE FENCE was the lack of "together" time Charlie and Braden actually had after declaring their feelings for one another which left me frustrated. But as with West's other books, PIVOT POINT and SPLIT SECOND included, ON THE FENCE is fast paced, full of swoon, and clean. It makes for a fun summer read!