My Life with the Walter Boys
Author: Ali Novak
Genre: Young adult contemporary 
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Published: May 14, 2012
Pages: 368
My Rating: ★★★★★
My Life with the Walter Boys centers on the prim, proper, and always perfect Jackie Howard. When her world is turned upside down by tragedy, Jackie must learn to cut loose and be part of a family again. Jackie does not like surprises. Chaos is the enemy! The best way to get her successful, busy parents to notice her is to be perfect. The perfect look, the perfect grades-the perfect daughter. And then... Surprise #1: Jackie's family dies in a freak car accident. Surprise #2: Jackie has to move cross-country to live with the Walters-her new guardians. Surprise #3: The Walters have twelve sons. (Well, eleven, but Parker acts like a boy anyway) Now Jackie must trade in her Type A personality and New York City apartment for a Colorado ranch and all the wild Walter boys who come with it. Jackie is surrounded by the enemy-loud, dirty, annoying boys who have no concept of personal space. Okay, several of the oldest guys are flat-out gorgeous. But still annoying. She's not stuck-up or boring-no matter what they say. But proving it is another matter. How can she fit in and move on when she needs to keep her parents' memory alive by living up to the promise of perfect?
A girl's family tragically dies and she goes to live with her mom's best friend. 
I was not expecting to love this book. It was so good that I could not put it down. Heartfelt and fast-paced, My Life with the Walter Boys did not disappoint. The story revolves around a girl named Jackie. She is a type-A person with every single thing that she does. When her family tragically dies in a car accident, she is moved from her family home in NYC out into the country. Jackie goes to live with her mother's college friend. Her mom's friend has 12 kids that she has to adjust living with.

All of the characters have very distinct personalities that make it very fun to read. With so many characters you would think it would be hard to differentiate who was who but it was not at all. I give the author props for her steller writing! My Life with the Walter Boys is easily a new favorite of mine. The second book needs to be out already! The book explores grief in a beautiful way. Jackie and the characters were extremely relatable and fun to read about.

The story was easy to binge read in one sitting. Despite there being a lot of funny moments, this book still has a lot of heart and substance to it. Plots like these are easy to devour. This book was exactly what I was looking for to read. I wish more books were like this one. I was extremely invested in the Walter family. All of the Walter's were unique. Novak developed each and every character with such grace. 

Jackie and the Walter's grew to love each other like one big family. I loved how the book displayed the fact that blood does not make a family. At the beginning of the story, Jackie and the Walter family were unsure of each other but their growth to loving one another was absolutely beautiful. I loved seeing the acceptance of each and every character.

The love triangle in the book was also entertaining to read. The story had the perfect amount of drama and explored young love. I was very pleased with how the love triangle progressed. Some plot twists were added here and there but in all the best ways. I NEED THE SEQUEL NOW! It is supposed to be out by now but it isn't? I wonder if it is ever coming out? There is still a page for it on Goodread's so I will just remain hopeful. Five stars from this book nerd!
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Ali Novak is a Wisconsin native and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s creative writing program. She started writing her debut novel My Life with the Walter Boys when she was only fifteen. Her work has received more than 150 million reads online. When she isn’t writing, Ali enjoys Netflix marathons, traveling with her husband Jared, and reading any type of fantasy novel she can get her hands on. You can follow her on Wattpad, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat @fallzswimmer.