Review: I Spy the Boy Next Door by Samantha Armstrong

I Spy the Boy Next Door by Samantha Armstrong
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this eARC novel from BookSirens and the Publisher. This is my honest review.

Mallory NEEDS to go to high school. She’s been home schooled her whole life, and she wants a normal, teenage girl experience. Being stuck in her house with her mother and brother all day is not enough for her anymore. After convincing her mother (with her dad’s help) she finally gets to experience high school for her senior year.

And the biggest reason she wants to go: Troy Parker. The boy she’s been in love with for 5 years since he moved in next door. Don’t be mistaken – she’s never interacted with him, but Mallory knows she can’t get enough of him. She’s even gone so far as spying outside her window at 4pm when he comes back from his run, every day.

So Mallory goes to school with a lot of expectations. Most are fine, but Troy’s reaction to her doesn’t change. He’s surly, moody and glares at her. A. Lot. Mallory may be a good girl, but she is tired of the way he treats her, so she’s on a mission to fix this.

But Mallory has no idea what is really going on in her life. In fact, she’s completely blindsided when deep, dark, hidden secrets are revealed – and it seems Troy might have a role in the secrets. Now Mallory needs to figure out everything, and see if her feelings for Troy are even real.

I’ve seen this book floating around a lot, and I’ve ignored it for the most part. I think it was the odd, creepy title and the bland book cover (yes, I judge books by their cover…I can’t help it!). But I decided to get it a go this time, and I’m actually glad I did! I enjoyed it fairly well, which was a surprise!

If you like Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire, then this is right up your ally. In fact, they even mention Travis Maddox in here, which cracked me up because Troy is pretty much an exact replica of Travis.

There are a lot of twists and turns, mood swings up the galore, love and hate, mystery and reveals in this book. Mallory is pretty much naïve in all things, so seeing her learn is entertaining and revealing.

Again, I’m glad I finally read this and will be recommending it to friends who enjoy this genre.

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