The Boy Most Likely To

In Huntley Fitzpatrick’s latest release, seventeen year old Tim Mason is The Boy Most Likely To utterly and completely steal readers’ hearts. In this long-awaited companion to My Life Next Door, the wryly humorous Tim is clean and sober and trying to get his life back on track when someone from his past drops a bombshell in his lap. For the first time in his life, he is trying to do the right thing, but in doing so, will Tim jeopardize his future plans and his tenuous relationship with Alice Garrett? Tim is used to being the family screw up so it is no surprise when his cold and distant father issues an ultimatum just as he moving out. Either he clean up his act for good by his eighteenth birthday or his father will yank all financial support including his college fund. When Tim’s original living arrangements fall through, his best friend Jase offers to let him move in the apartment over the Garrett garage. Tim is finally making progress with his sobriety and pursuing his GED when shocking news completely and totally upends his life. Tim is easygoing and laidback and one of his defense mechanism is hiding his insecurities behind self-deprecating humor. The people in his life expect the worst of him and unfortunately, he has made so many mistakes, he is convinced he can nothing right. Tim is used to taking care of himself and he is quickly overwhelmed when his wild days come back to haunt him. While it takes a good part of the novel, he finally begins to realize he deserves to be judged on who he is now, not his previous behavior. He also begins to understand that he cannot do everything on his own and he accepts help when it is offered to him. However, the biggest change for Tim is accepting responsibility for his actions instead of using drugs or alcohol to escape from his problems. Alice is beyond furious when she discovers Tim is moving into her apartment but when she learns the reason why, she is instantly sympathetic to his plight. However, she is not planning on taking care of his messes since she is already taking care of her siblings while her dad continues recovering from the injuries sustained in a hit and run accident a month earlier. Unbeknownst to the rest of the family, she has willingly put her college plans on hold until he is back on his feet. However she is barely keeping up with family’s hectic schedule and college when Alice is overwhelmed by stunning news about the family’s increasingly precarious finances. Alice initially has a difficult time viewing Tim as anything but her younger brother’s messed up friend, but a surprising friendship begins to form between them. Tim is quite flirtatious and in the beginning, their interactions are an amusing series of come-ons from Tim which Alice mercilessly rejects. The transition from friends to something deeper is slow and they suffer a few misunderstandings and miscommunications along the way. Alice is quick to misjudge Tim and he just as easily jumps to conclusions about her reactions to the unexpected complications in his life but they resolve their conflicts fairly swiftly. Although written from both Alice and Tim’s points of view, The Boy Most Likely To is primarily Tim’s story and the growth of his character is absolutely phenomenal. He has to go through some very difficult situations and it is immensely gratifying watching him discover the inner strength to do what is right despite the hardship he is facing. There is a great deal of depth to Alice’s character and it is quite rewarding seeing her loosen up and expose the vulnerabilities she hides behind her tough, control freak exterior. The romance between Tim and Alice is very sweet and despite their previous experiences, it is really the first meaningful relationship for both of them. The Boy Most Likely To is a truly captivating novel that is heartfelt and engaging. The characters are beautifully developed and though flawed, they are sympathetic and easy to relate to. The story is exceptionally well-written with a realistic plot and Huntley Fitzpatrick deftly balances real life problems with humor and compassion. All in all, a heartwarming and poignant young adult novel that I highly recommend to readers of all ages.

I was so happy when I got the news this would be about Tim. The broken boy from a cold home. It was a slow paced story about taking responsibility, growing up, letting people in and believing in yourself when others don't. Adult romance authors should take note on how falling in love really should be written from tjis author. I really enjoyed this story even if I didn't the same feels from it as with book one. But I really appreciated the pace. Seeing how they fell in love and really getting the why of the romance. Lately that part has been missing and it was such a relief to finally get that connection again. And getting real people, real characters. Tim was heartbreaking,charming, warm and so very lovable. It was easy to see how a girl like Alice would fall for him. Jase and Sam's involvement in the story was great, still real and not just passing by. I like Huntley Fitzpatrick's writing. And I will continue to read her books.

Oh, Tim. This book was everything. I didn't think I could love anyone more than Jase but Tim. OMG. This guy. And the list broke my heart a couple of times, Ms. Fitzpatrick. Jeez. I adored everything about this one. The way this kid sees himself is heart wrenching. And the way the rest of us see him. THANK YOU Alice, for loving him (and visa versa btw). I don't have a lot of words right now because they are all stuck in the back of my throat. It was fantastic to get little glimpses of Jase and Sam without taking away from Tim's story, too. This was written with fantastic thoughtfulness and even Nan got a little bit of redemption. A little bit. Every single freaking character in these stories owns me. From Dad(s) to mom to alllllll the Garretts. Patsy. Come on. Adorable child, you. Steal Tim's heart from Alice, why don't you. I feel like I could talk about this family of friends forever and I do hope we see more of all of them some day. LOVED it. So worth the wait.

I'm certainly not the target audience for this book. I'm a middle-aged man who only finds himself in the Romance section of the bookstore if I took a wrong turn at science fiction. But I absolutely loved it. To me, the most important element of a good book is a character (or characters) that you care about - and the ones I care about are those who try to do the right thing, even if they have a hard time understanding what that is. Tim is so desperately flawed, but in ways I've seen too many times - the scars left by self-absorbed, over-achieving parents. But he's so beautifully drawn that the reader can see the pure light underneath all that dirt, even if Tim can't see it himself. As he struggles, life throws obstacles at him, as life tends to do to us, but my heart was bleeding for him, wanting the universe (or the masochistic author) to give the kid a break. I can't imagine anyone not rooting for him to succeed. And, yes, there is a romance. While I also enjoyed "My Life Next Door", what makes the Boy Most Likely To better is that Jase's sister Alice (Tim's love interest) is less perfect. Sure, she's a good person, but we all get muddied trying to decide what the right thing is - and in life we are often forced to instead choose the least crappy option. Their romance and the course of their relationship is believable and "right". I read the book several months ago, but still think of Tim as an old friend, and even wonder how he's doing. There aren't a lot of characters that have had that reality to me - and I hope you'll make his acquaintance as well.

I don't think this was intended to be a standard romance with closure and a HEA, I think it was a kind of episodic exploration of the MCs' coming of age. I found it somewhat disappointing. Screwball Tim is dealing with the fallout from his past mistakes and no-nonsense Alice is forced to shoulder way more responsibility than she should at her age. I identified with her because I was her as a teenager, and I enjoyed the interactions of these two early in the book, but the big plot twist bogged down the story. I wasn't interested in unlikeable Hester or her weirdly pretentious grandfather, Waldo, and I suspected the outcome of the situation. Tim is given too many chapters for a character who isn't deep or insightful. I can't root for Alice's relationship with him. I think as much as she's overwhelmed by acting as substitute mother to her siblings, it's familiar to her, and she's attracted to Tim because he's like just another dependent.

I'm a hug fan of My Life Next Door, so I finally bought The Boy Most Likely after reading that one a third time. There is something so comforting about the Gartett family. I just love that we got more of them in this sequel following Tim & Alice. Tim's story was fun to follow. I hope the author writes more in this series following these stories and this interesting family.

So this book, the boy most likely to, supposedly follows the book: the boy next door. However, I had no idea such a book existed until after I read this book. Let me just say that me reading them "out of order" will not change my review on this book nor will it dissuade me from reading the other book. For this being the first book I have ever read from Huntley I am not at all disappointed. I loved every character, as well as their background. I did read some of the reviews about how people liked this book because it gave more information about the other members of the Garrett family than the boy next door--but since I know absolutely nothing about the dads accident or why Samantha moved (which I assume will be mentioned in the other book) I will gladly be reading that to follow up. Now onto this book. So the boy most likely is more about Tim Mason and Alice Garrett. Tim is best friends with her (Alice) younger brother and now he has moved into the apartment space above her family garage. Tim has had his fair share of bad luck--he was an alcoholic and now attends AA meetings and has been recently kicked out of his house by his dad. Oh yeah, and now he's a dad. And the baby momma---super crazy. I'm sorry but who leaves their baby in the car?!?! She did it multiple times and the wants to give it up for adoption. She also basically dumps the baby on Tim...like I get it, he didn't know about the baby until she told him (and forgot the baby in the car--idiot) but she can't be mad and hold it against him when she's the one who didn't tell him in the first place. BUT THE BABY--CALVIN (which I love that name because my first dog was named that :) ) ahhhh so cute. I love babies, especially in books. Plus Tim becoming a responsible adult because of meeting this child. ahhhh so cute. adorable. Alice is a super feisty girl who can hold her own. I love her character because she is super relatable. I hated her boyfriend, Brad (I think?) because he was a total tool bag--which is probably why I can't remember his name. One thing, she is having her fair share of bad luck too. Bad luck in choosing a tool of a boyfriend (which thankfully she dumps) and having to deal with major family stuff. I think the one person I didn't like from the Garrett family is her older brother. I love the relationship between Alice and Tim though so that's a plus. I hope, if there's a next book with another Garrett member, that Alice and Tim will still be in it--even for a smidge!

4.5 stars. A really engaging sequel. I couldn’t believe the character growth in Tim, Alice, Samantha etc. I always love plots where the character gradually begin making more thoughtful choices and become more selfless. Alice was amazing as the older Mason sister who kept the family functioning as her dad recovered from his accident and the mom cared for the dad. Tim earned respect from his family when he stepped up with Calvin. His responsibility with his AA meetings and everything showed how much the Garretts were influencing him for the better. Great writing, awesome chemistry and some good feels in this one.