Review: By Your Side by Kasie West

Title: By Your Side

Author: Kasie West
Publisher: HarperTeen
Published: January 31, 2017
Pages: 346
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Source: Ebook

An irresistible story from Kasie West that explores the timeless question: What do you do when you fall for the person you least expect?

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 at 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?

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MY REVIEW

Disclaimer: This review MAY contain SPOILERS.

This book delighted me so much! I felt heart soar, I laughed, I felt my heart ache, and I felt so fulfilled at the end. I cannot stop reading Kasie West books! I think that I am hooked for good.

I really connected with this book. Autumn, the main character, has generalized anxiety disorder and much of the book deals with her trying to handle her anxiety attacks. I have a social anxiety disorder that I have to deal with daily that I also take medications for so it was so easy for me to get in sync with Autumn's character. The only people that know about her anxiety disorder are her parents, brother, and the mysterious boy that experiences one of her attacks while they are locked inside the library over the weekend. Autumn has never told her friends about her anxiety issues because she didn't think that they would accept her, she didn't want to be treated differently, and she didn't want to make excuses for herself for having to take a step back sometimes. I thought that the representation of anxiety was very well displayed through Autumn's character. 

These characters were all fantastic! I loved Autumn, I loved Dax, and I loved her friends and family. I honestly felt that Jeff was annoying and immature in the beginning but I loved him at the end. He turned out to have such a big heart and showed that he really cared about Autumn. He even made me laugh at the end a few times with his carefree and charming personality. Dallin was irritating through most of the book, but I could understand his viewpoints throughout the book with his lack of knowledge of Autumn's anxiety issues. I loved Autumn's friendship with Lisa and her entire friend group as a whole. And I loved how they accepted her admission of her anxiety and supported her no questions asked. I loved the positive representation of family that was presented with both Autumn's family and Jeff's parents. I also liked the representation of not so great parents and the consequences and affects it can have on children through Dax's story. 

And on that note, I also liked the sensitive issues that were addressed apart from the anxiety disorder. Dax's story was heart wrenching and moving. I liked seeing inside the foster care system and seeing that things aren't always what they seem. I liked that West wasn't afraid to give Dax a sad backstory full of heartbreaking things. I really did love his character. Dax and Autumn both had amazing character growth in this book and it was a pleasure to read. 

The only thing that really irked me about this book was the unbelievable premise for the plot. The way that the plot develops is beautiful and I loved that, but in the very beginning, the fact that Autumn was trapped inside a library and had no way out and no way to call for help felt absurd to me. Strongly absurd. What library keeps its only telephones inside locked offices? And what doors refuse to open from the inside? Seriously? Apart from this huge oversight of unbelievability, I felt that the remaining plot points were played out beautifully. 

Overall, I felt that this was the most emotional Kasie West book that I have read yet. (My fourth book from her in total!) I loved seeing more emotional circumstances and issues with the characters. It really made them feel more real and story more impactful. I have no doubt that Kasie West fans will adore this book!

THIS BOOK CONTRIBUTED TO THESE 2018 READING CHALLENGES

- Beat the Backlist Challenge
- Tackle My TBR Challenge
- Contemporary Romance Challenge

Check out my 2019 Challenge Page to see my progress!

While I enjoyed this book, I did find the premise of being locked inside a library without accessible telephones or doors that can open from the inside completely absurd. What is the most absurd or unbelievable premise or occurence in a book that you can recall?