"A Short History of the Girl Next Door"

“A Short History of the Girl Next Door”

Written by Jared Reck

Review written by Diana Iozzia

            “A Short History of the Girl Next Door” was a beautiful and heartbreaking and nostalgic read that I absolutely absorbed in a span of two and a half hours during a nice comfortable night in bed. Our main character, Matt, grew up with Tabby, the girl next door. Tabby’s father is a workaholic, so she was almost raised by Matt’s parents as well. We meet our characters on the first day of freshmen year in high school. Tabby jumps into the back of the car of the popular senior boy, Liam. Instantly, you wonder who all of these characters are, and if they will fit into the stereotypical high school teenagers. I was so happily surprised by these characters and how they fit the mold of the archetypal characters, but they were still worthy and well-written characters.

            The novel follows Matt in his love for Tabby, but only occasionally does it become “bitter boy said that the girl he loves does not love him in return”. Personally, I’ve never been a fan of stories with unrequited love, because it always seems a little creepy and uncomfortable. A large sequence and my favorite portion of the novel is dedicated to Halloween. Matt agrees to dress up as a bald eagle to match with his little brother, Murray. After deciding against a popular kid Halloween party, Tabby shows up and they have a lovely time. We also see a really nice Thanksgiving with Tabby.

            There is a very big event that causes the second half of the book to change dramatically and tragically. I’d rather not use spoilers in my review, but it does say on the book cover that there is a tragic accident that causes Matt to spiral out of control emotionally.

            In all of my reviews, I list off details I have bookmarked and pages I have tagged to mention in my review, so I’ll be doing that now. These are aspects I liked and disliked about the book. Please avoid this list if you feel you may be spoiled in any way:

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1. There are some cringe-worthy scenes, but I think most of these bits are cringe-worthy because I am reading a book about teenagers, and I am currently twenty-one. The dialogue is usually on par for the teenagers, but Matt’s brother and his mom are a bit lost. Also, the online mean comments Tabby receives would probably never be written and sound like something a parent would assume kids say to bully each other.

2. So. Much. Basketball. I. Don’t. Care.

3. The titles of the chapters are very childish. Honestly, the book is about fifteen-year-olds, but there are many times this book has bits that would cater to younger children.

4. Tabby’s dad is regarded as cool for wearing a costume on Halloween, but he’s regarded negatively for working very hard to support his daughter???

5.  He’s bitter towards the love interest of Tabby, which creeps into the annoying “nice guy” complex. He needs to understand that Tabby is not going to be interested in him in that way and move on.

6. There is the age-old trope of the teacher who is too forgiving and too interested in his students’ lives. Think “Dead Poets Society”. However, I do relatively like Mr. Ellis. He’s smart, funny, and a good friend during the tragedy healing.

7. There is absolutely terrible poetry in this. I don’t really like poetry. And I especially don’t like high school freshmen poetry that’s meant to be unique, smart, and funny, when it isn’t.

8. Matt can be a sweetheart when he’s not complaining about being in the friend zone, i.e. his gift to Tabby for Christmas.

9. I like the parent dynamic in this book. I don’t often find YA fiction novels where the parents and the children have a strong, healthy relationship.

10. In chapter two, we read the heart-crushing tragedy. I don’t often feel sympathetic towards characters in books, but I felt broken.   

      

            I think I’ll cut off my review here, because I wouldn’t like to further reveal anymore, due to possible spoilers. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy the story as much as I did.

*I received this book as a complimentary copy for review from the publisher.*