By Your Side- My first Kasie West book!!!

                Hello happy readers!  I hope you had a great weekend.  I managed to listen to a cute little audiobook in some of my down time at work so I call that a win.  What I don't call a win is humidity so high it set off some smoke detectors….yeah that happened.  Fun.  Still I got to read/listen to my first book by Kasie West.  I had the pleasure of getting to meet and hang with her a couple years back.  I've had several of her books for a while always finding the covers and summary so cute and adorable but always getting pushed back but now I have done it, I started.  The first book I went with was my audiobook, By Your Side. 

Rating:  4.5 Stars

                Locked in the library for an entire long weekend.  This is what happens to Autumn when she makes a last minute run to the bathroom before leaving with a group of friends.  Trapped without any supplies or access to any phones or computers as it snows outside and you realize you will be trapped for the long holiday weekend.  But she is not alone.  She finds Dax Miller, the school loner and bad boy who did time in juvie and may be a druggie, is also in the library this weekend.   Autumn is convinced in the start that her friends will realize she is missing and come back for her, especially Jeff the guy she has a crush on and has been flirting back and forth with for a while.  But no one comes.  Instead they have to make the most of their time and try to live off the food left over in the fridge and maybe try to get to know one another or at least that is Autumns now plan.  But can the things learned in a long weekend stuck together survive the library and being pulled into real life?

                So this caught my eye because come on stuck in a library….as a book lover it sounds like an awesome idea.  But as a practical person I realize that it would suck because at least my library never had the most comfy furniture, no food, and iffy comfort supplies so being locked in not the best.  Books….yes.  Basic hygiene products and food…no.  Add to it the cold and I'd have to say not a dream location any longer.  All things Autumn, who isn't a huge book nerd, comes to realize as well.  She also has another problem….she has anxiety and doesn't have her medication and this is the definition of a stressful situation.  I liked that Autumn was very down to Earth and relatable.  She has anxiety, which I think was handled very well.  She also reminded me a lot of myself in that she doesn't feel comfortable in the spot light and wants to please everyone hating the idea of someone not liking her, even if it makes her uncomfortable to participate. 

                Dax on the other hand does seem to enjoy the library and reading time.  But Autumn is ready to get to know him.  She finds many different things to try and pass the time, from the TV in the break room with a couple of channels to the games she comes up with.  I loved it.  I would have enjoyed some book related games as well but you can't win them all.  Slowly she starts to understand Dax much better and sees he isn't what everyone says.  He is a very interesting character and I wanted to help him in any small way.

"Possibilities are exciting and endless.  Realities are final."

                The whole store doesn't take place in the library.  Half is library half is after.  I really enjoyed the library moments for sure but what happens after really upped the game.  There is a lot happening and it would stress anyone out but to add that on to normal anxiety and it's a pot at boiling point.  Dax and Autumn can both offer the other something they need.  Dax is so set on no commitment or friends but maybe Autumn has worked her way in there.  Autumn is so set on making others happy she never thinks about her own wants and needs, maybe Dax rubbed off on her a little too.  The story was very interesting for sure and I loved the slow build up of characters and romance.  Autumn and Dax are central for sure but I loved seeing her friend group as well and how it functioned nicely where you can have a large group but most of the times there is that one best friend like Lisa.  I could have enjoyed a story completely set in the library but seeing the aftermath of getting out really made things real. 

                All and all this book was uber cute and I can't wait to dive into many more of my Kasie West books.  I highly recommend it.  If you have read her other books which should I dive into next? 

                Until next time…