Tori's Review: My Life with the Walter Boys (My Life with the Walter Boys #1) by Ali Novak

My Life with the Walter Boys by Ali Novak
Series: My Life with the Walter Boys #1
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating: ♚♚♚
Pages: 368
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on March 1, 2014
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Sixteen-year-old Jackie Howard is devastated when her parents are killed in a car accident. She has no one to turn to except for her mom's best friend Katherine Walter. Jackie quickly discovers that Katherine is no stranger to being a mom-she's got twelve boys! And every single one is a handful...

Adjusting to life with the Walter boys is not going to be easy, especially when two of them start to show an interest that definitely goes beyond brotherly.

NOTE: I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, I feel so different when I read a published book that used to be a Wattpad book. On one hand, I'm very proud of the Wattpad author for making it so far with their writing, but on the other hand, I'm trepidatious before reading the book, because I know that Wattpad books are very different from published books. Nevertheless, My Life with the Walter Boys was no different from any other Wattpad book. I have to admit that it improved a lot from when it was first published on Wattpad, because I had read it then, but I still think the characters need to get a reality check before entering the publishing world.

The first things that irritated me about My Life with the Walter Boys were the characters. Jackie, for one, was stuck up, and I really didn't like her. She made decisions that were out of character. She was portrayed as a goodie-goodie who didn't drink and didn't go to parties, but lo and behold the moment Cole Walter tells her to, she does it! Then there was Alex Walter. He was very hormonal for a teenage guy, and that's all I'm going to say.

Finally, there's Cole Walter himself.

Oh, Cole Walter. What will I do with you? On one hand, I really liked Cole and his brooding self. But then as the story went along, he really started to irritate me as well. He thought he was all that when he clearly wasn't all that. Sure, he was hot, but he really didn't have a personality. The author gave Cole somewhat of a past to try and make him relatable, but I wasn't buying it. Also, I was extremely iffy on Lee and his supposed "hatred" for Jackie.

Other than the characters, the plot was fun. A bit dramatic, but I suppose that's what contemporary is about. The whole my-brother-stole-my-ex-girlfriend-but-it-was-just-a-misunderstanding fiasco between Alex and Cole got a bit old, but it kept things entertaining. In my opinion, everyone's problems were solved too easily. It was as if everything just sort of fell into place at the end, which didn't make me mad but didn't please me either. I like endings to be difficult, but the ending to My Life with the Walter Boys was nothing short of easy.

But the very, very ending/goodbye between Jackie and Cole was touching, and I found myself rooting for the two by the end of the book somehow. The end left at a hint for a sequel, which I think will be happening, according to Goodreads. (Plus, the sequel is on Wattpad, so... I probably won't read it unless it's published, though.)

In conclusion, this was a decent debut novel for a Wattpad writer to published author. The characters weren't my favorite, but I didn't despise them, which is good. The plot kept me entertained and kept my interest, which is also good. There were a few instances where things didn't quite match up, but I'm sure the book's ARC status is to blame, which should be no big deal when it's published. If you're looking for a fun, quick read, then this book is definitely for you! Remember that three stars doesn't mean that I didn't like it.