By Your Side by Kasie West // Libraries and a Cute Premise

By Your Side, by Kasie West
Publication: January 31, 2017, by HarperTeen
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 346
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased
Rating: 

When Autumn Collins finds herself accidentally locked in the library for an entire weekend, she doesn’t think things could get any worse. But that’s before she realizes that Dax Miller is locked in with her. Autumn doesn’t know much about Dax except that he’s trouble. Between the rumors about the fight he was in (and that brief stint in juvie that followed it) and his reputation as a loner, he’s not exactly the ideal person to be stuck with. Still, she just keeps reminding herself that it is only a matter of time before Jeff, her almost-boyfriend, realizes he left her in the library and comes to rescue her.
Only he doesn’t come. No one does.
Instead it becomes clear that Autumn is going to have to spend the next couple of days living off vending-machine food and making conversation with a boy who clearly wants nothing to do with her. Except there is more to Dax than meets the eye. As he and Autumn first grudgingly, and then not so grudgingly, open up to each other, Autumn is struck by their surprising connection. But can their feelings for each other survive once the weekend is over and Autumn’s old life, and old love interest, threaten to pull her from Dax’s side.

My Thoughts:

If you have been paying attention to my reviews for the past few years, you probably are able to tell that I am a huge Kasie West fan. And I'm not the only one: look at the huge population of chick-lit fans who have been converted thanks to Kasie's books. There are some people who despise reading cheesy stories about romance and falling in love, however, they could definitely be a sucker for this writing. I adore contemporary romances (they're just such feel good reads), and By Your Side is not an exception to this statement. It's a book that is so realistic in comparison to other contemporaries out there in the YA world, and I appreciate that West also writes about the struggles people can have outside of the love, romantic world. 

Autumn, our protagonist, lives with anxiety, however, she hides this from her closest friends as she doesn't want them to treat her any differently. This is a huge secret to keep as it affects her social life and the way in which she interacts with her friends, especially her crush, Jeff, who she predicts will become her future boyfriend. One winter night after a studying session at the library, Autumn is stuck there, and is unable to leave until the following Monday due to a holiday. She quickly discovers that she is not the only one stranded in the library; her school's resident "bad-boy" slash rebel, Dax, is there, and he seems uninterested in forming some kind of friendship with Autumn. 

Evidently, being stuck in a library with someone for three days forces people to become friends. I mean, in this kind of situation, you're kind of supposed to use some survival skills, haha. I just adored the premise of this whole book, and how it was atypical in relation to the other cheesy, predictable stories out there. This obviously holds a lot of fluffy writing and happiness throughout, however, I found that it was special and unique. By Your Side had more to the story than just pure romance; it touched upon mental health topics, family, foster care and trauma. I don't know how Kasie West does it, but the mix between fluffiness (in terms of romance) and darker topics just works perfectly. I couldn't have asked for a better mix. 

Although this was not a 5-star read (as some of West's books were, in my opinion), I felt that it was a great, light, summer read that I have been seeking for ages. I initially picked it up as I wanted to be relieved of my terrible reading slump that has been bothering me for months, and it definitely did help abandon it. 

By Your Side was just too cute. I love Kasie West's ideas and the way she weaves in darker themes in the midst of a light, contemporary romance. I have three more of her books to read, and I should do that very soon. Cheers to summery reads!

Who is your favourite chick-lit author?