ABOUT the BOOK
Author: Kasie West
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: 2017
Genre: Fiction; YA Contemporary
Source: purchased
FIND the BOOK ELSEWHERE: Goodreads
FIND the REVIEW ELSEWHERE: Goodreads
Rating: ★★★★
By Your Side by Kasie West | Book Review
STORY | For Autumn, her weekend just went from promise to despair. Just as she, her friends, and the boy she’s unashamedly crushing on plan to leave for a Friday night of fun, Autumn Collins is left behind – and locked in a library!
A misunderstanding between Autumn, her friends and the boy, Jeff, leaves her stuck in the library without a phone or means of contact with the outside world. To pile even more distress onto the situation, it’s a long weekend which means Autumn won’t be discovered until Tuesday. But then, she discovers she’s not the only library inhabitant. Dax Miller is also stowing away in the tome filled building, and together, they may just discover there’s more to first impressions.
REVIEW | It’d have to be a really bad day in my reading life for me not to enjoy a novel by Kasie West. Of the 4 or 5 novels I’ve read from her, not a one has disappointed. Sure I have favorites, but each one is a ray of sunshine. By Your Side follows in the same footsteps as its companions. Though delightfully simple, this plot delights from first page to last.
BOOK REVIEW | One Thing I Know – Romance on the Air!
Despite what the synopsis suggests, this novel is actually more than a locked-in-the-library YA romance. There are emotional hurdles you don’t anticipate, and a heroine who deals with anxiety. The hero also has skeletons with the unfortunate life story he carries like a burden. This one is a kind of bad-boy-meets-good-girl romance, only it’s not a “gritty” version of the story. Instead it’s still a joyful portrait of a first love.
The book takes the characters out of the library for a good portion of the novel, which I appreciate. Originally, my impression was that the story, like its characters, would become stuck in its locale. Fortunately, this isn’t the case, and instead, no matter where the author places us, the pages fly by. By Your Side doesn’t delve too deeply into family (such as Autumn’s), and instead focuses on Autumn and Dax, but this works for the characters. Though Autumn doesn’t have the most supportive friends, but, still… the book is cute.
When you want something quick and fast-paced that will leave you wreathed in smiles, By Your Side is a must read. It’s a perfect weekend binge read that will lift any mood.
Love #YALit? Don't miss this 2017 release from #KasieWest. By Your Side – Unexpected Love Blooms in Library | Share on X
Funnily enough, the first mention of Kasie West I ever came across was on your blog, and after reading On The Fence, I completely understood your love for her writing. While some of the concepts she uses excite me more than others, By Your Side was always at the top of my Kasie-books-I-need-to-read list; I’m so happy you’ve given it your tick of approval. Her Pivot Point duology is also high on that list, as is The Fill-In Boyfriend; thank you for giving me some clean secular YA authors to enjoy!!
…and yet *another* comment from you I neglected to reply to. Apologies.
Aren’t her books THE cutest?! I love all of them even though some are more of a favorite than others. I really should do some sort of collective post about her books because, yes, she’s always a favorite. :)
Ooo! I have’t read the Pivot Point books yet! Let me know all the thoughts if/when you read them – and thank you for letting me know you enjoy these. It’s always fun to find good old-fashioned romance reads. :)