Review: My Life With The Walter Boys by Ali Novak

From Goodreads: Sixteen-year-old Jackie Howard is devastated when her parents are killed in a car accident. She has no one to turn to except for her mom's best friend Katherine Walter. Jackie quickly discovers that Katherine is no stranger to being a mom-she's got twelve boys! And every single one is a handful ... Adjusting to life with the Walter boys is not going to be easy, especially when two of them start to show an interest that definitely goes beyond brotherly. 

My Rating: 2.5 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: When I saw the synopsis for Ali Novak’s My Life With The Walter Boys, I expected a light, breezy read. Thankfully, I got that because My Life With The Walter Boys was just so full of drama – so much so, that I laughed at times because I couldn’t believe anybody saying or doing anything similar in real life.

There isn’t much of a plot in My Life With The Walter Boys. Instead, the book relies on the reader getting emotionally invested with its characters. For me, that didn’t happen to the degree that I wanted it to.

I’m not sure why some of the Walter boys were so interested in Jackie because I just couldn’t see what all the fuss was about. A couple of characters described her as a goody two shoes, and I think that’s an appropriate description since she was so boring and uptight. I did like though that she refused to be a doormat and let Cole walk all over her.

I also found the romance quite dull, particularly because neither guy appealed to me. Not only did Alex and Jackie have nothing in common, but they had no chemistry whatsoever either. As well, I didn’t like how Alex kept emphasizing that Jackie was his girlfriend because it made it seem like she was simply a property to own.

On the other end of the love triangle was Cole, who I thought was a major ass. Basically, I detested him for the way he treated girls and the way he acted towards Jackie and his brothers when he didn’t get his way.

The other Walters had equally distinct personalities, and I liked the way they interacted with each other. I also found their reactions towards Jackie when she moved in with them to be very understandable. As for the rest of the secondary characters, they were girls whose sole purpose seemed to be to gush over Cole or be one of his hookups.

Ultimately, I don’t think My Life With The Walter Boys and I were a great fit because the book seemed very juvenile to me. Novak apparently wrote My Life With The Walter Boys when she was fifteen, and I find that shows in the book not only through her writing but also because her characters – who were supposed to be older than her – didn’t act like their age.

My Life With The Walter Boys will be released on March 1, 2014 by Sourcebooks Fire. 

Comments About the Cover: I find it rather amateurish looking. 

In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (Raincoast Books) for free.