After losing her mother at the age of six, Charlie Reynolds is raised by her father and three protective older brothers (and an equally protective brotherly neighbor). Charlie lives for sports and has little patience for anything else. However, when she gets a job selling women’s clothing and makes some new friends, Charlie realizes she likes attention from boys outside of the usual pickup games. Not only that, her feelings for her longtime neighbor and friend Braden are changing as well.
On the Fence is the typical ‘boy next door’ story where the diehard tomboy turns into a young woman and her lifelong neighbor finally notices. In spite of all the cliches, I enjoyed this story and was pleasantly surprised by the depth of the main characters. It is cheesy, predictable, and some of the side characters are sadly underdeveloped, but Charlie, her brothers, and Braden make up for those weaknesses. This is a clean teen romance that also teaches the importance of being true to yourself. A light and harmless read.
Recommended ages 12 and up