Moving in with twelve boys was not part of her plan.
Jackie’s goal is perfection–perfect grades, the perfect look, getting into the perfect school. If she can achieve that, then maybe her too-busy mom and dad will take notice. But when her parents die in a tragic accident, Jackie is shipped off across the country to live with the Walters, her new guardians…who just happen to have twelve sons (well, eleven, but their daughter, Parker, is basically one of the boys).
The Walter boys are loud, dirty, annoying–and, okay, some of the older boys might be Greek god level hot, but they don’t think a city girl belongs on their horse ranch. How is Jackie supposed to fit into their chaotic world when she needs to keep her parents’ memory alive by living up to the promise of perfect?
But as Jackie spends more time the Walter boys, she begins to wonder if the perfection she’s always strived for isn’t the only way to find love after all.
Three months ago, Jackie lost her mom, dad, and older sister in a car accident. Now, after living with her uncle temporarily, she is off to live with her mom’s best friend in Colorado. What she doesn’t know until the plane ride is that she has twelve kids, and eleven of them are boys. And after a very hostile welcome from the boys, she soon finds a way to connect with each one and earn a few new friends.
Obviously, there’s a love triangle in this book, which is an overdone trope, but it kind of works with this book because if a cute girl is surrounded by that many boys, it’s bound to happen. It doesn’t help that Alex and Cole were already on the outs (as we learn later on) to bring out jealousy in both of them as they fight for Jackie’s affections. And of course you have that one boy, Isaac, who flirts with Jackie in a semi-joking way because he’s the “bad boy” of the Walters.
For the most part, I loved this book. I kept looking forward to picking it back up and reading. More so for the characters than the plot. Most of them anyway. I honestly couldn’t stand Cole. He was a jerk, plain and simple, and I’m a little annoyed that Jackie ended up choosing him. Then again, Alex was kind of shallow toward the end anyway. In all honesty, I think Jackie should’ve ended up with Danny. Danny was such a sweetheart once Jackie broke through his shell and they got to know each other. Plus, he was a theater nerd and adorable.
The rest of the boys and Parker were all great as well. Nathan was the first to bond with Jackie, and his accident later on makes it that much more emotional for Jackie. The twins, Jack and Jordan, were funny (and a little annoying) with their need to film everything. Isaac and Lee were harsh at first, but you learn to love them later on, and of course the youngest twins, Zack and Benny, were the cutest little things. Parker, the only girl, is a tomboy and likes to play rough with her brothers, but a little time with Jackie helps her to learn that she doesn’t need to be just like her brothers to be accepted by them.
I feel like there was more to be explored in this book, especially with Jackie’s grief over her family. I don’t think that was touched on as much as it should’ve been. As well as more bonding or trouble with the boys, since there were so many of them. Again, I don’t think she should’ve ended up with Cole at all (well, the open possibility of it at the end) but it is what it is. I’d still recommend this book because of the characters alone.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Genie in a Novel 