The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick

The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Release Date - August 18, 2015
Publisher Website - Penguin
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 432 pages
My Rating - 4.5/5
**received from publisher for review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

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 house

Alice 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.

I love companion novels. I love that they allow you to glimpse characters you know and love while allowing you to fall in love with new characters in the process. It's rare, however, when I love a companion novel more than I love the starting book in the 'series'. The Boy Most Likely To is one of those rare companion novels that surpassed my expectations in every way and cements Huntley Fitzpatrick as a must read author for those who love contemporary young adult novels.

The character development is the crux of this novel. It's the strongest, and most fulfilling, element of the story. Tim's transformation from the hot mess we meet in My Life Next Door, to the young man at the end of this novel is staggering and a delight to experience. Characters are Huntley Fitzpatrick's niche and her talent truly shines with Tim. We get complex, messy characters to go with the complex, messy situations she puts them in. The complexities of humans, family dynamics, and feelings are all explored in her novels with great success.

Getting to know more about the Garretts was a pleasant surprise of this novel. Patsy, once again, steals the limelight with her cute attachment to Tim, and her adorable nicname for him (which happens to be 'hon'). Any scene with her is a delight as she provides a light touch of comic relief  that balances out the more heavy plot. This family is so filled with love, and their acceptance of both Tim and Samantha only proves how big their hearts are. Family doesn't always mean blood relatives. Sometimes your family is the one you make for yourself, and Huntley Fitzpatrick embraces this truth in her writing.

Those expecting the swoon worthy romance of My Life Next Door may be a touch disappointed. There is romance in this novel. Tim and Alice have quite a spark, but it's not the focus of the novel the way that Jase and Sam's romance was in My Life Next Door. This novel instead offers up an unexpected love story. One that is too spoilery to fully discuss, but this love story is vital to Tim's character growth, and the plot. This storyline may not be surprising, or all that new, but Huntly Fitzpatrick uses it to great impact.

Alice and Tim share the spotlight with each of them getting to tell their story. This story belongs to Alice as much as it does Tim. Alice struggles with responsibility. After the events in the first novel, Alice feels like she needs to be strong for her family. The weight of that presses down on her as she deals with trying to be everything for everyone. Asking for help is a foreign concept to her, as she doesn't want to impose on anyone else. Seeing her grapple with that, and stealing moments that are just for her was eye opening. I can relate to Alice in many ways, and seeing her realize that she can make herself happy sometimes, instead of sacrificing for everyone else all the time, was inspiring.

This book is a lot of things. It's the book most likely to hold the most unexpected love story. It's the book most likely to make you laugh, swoon and cry. It also happens to be the book most likely to turn you into a Huntley Fitzpatrick fan for life.