An irresistible story from Kasie West that explores the timeless question: What do you do when you fall for the person you least expect?When Autumn Collins finds herself accidentally locked in the library for an entire weekend, she doesn’t think things could get any worse. But that’s before she realizes that Dax Miller is locked in with her.Autumn doesn’t know much about Dax except that he’s … much about Dax except that he’s trouble. Between the rumors about the fight he was in (and that brief stint in juvie that followed it) and his reputation as a loner, he’s not exactly the ideal person to be stuck with. Still, she just keeps reminding herself that it is only a matter of time before Jeff, her almost-boyfriend, realizes he left her in the library and comes to rescue her.
Only he doesn’t come. No one does.
Instead it becomes clear that Autumn is going to have to spend the next couple of days living off vending-machine food and making conversation with a boy who clearly wants nothing to do with her. Except there is more to Dax than meets the eye.
As he and Autumn at first grudgingly, and then not so grudgingly, open up to each other, Autumn is struck by their surprising connection. But can their feelings for each other survive once the weekend is over and Autumn’s old life, and old love interest, threaten to pull her from Dax’s side?
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By Your Side was everything I ever wanted in a realistic fiction. Sweet, clean romance and an awesome situation! I loved this book, cover to cover.
Loved this book! Read it in a matter of hours because I couldn’t put it down Nice story of an unlikely friendship turning into more than imagined.
It was an amazing book. No matter where I went I always had the book in my hand it was like my brain telling me to keep reading because it was such a great book. I really loved the twist in the end and it was so tempting to read until the book was finished but I could not I had to read a little bit each day. You need to make this a movie it would be such a great movie, PLEASE MAKE A MOVIE OUT OF THIS BOOK PLEASE!!!! it is a really good book!!!!! And can you make a part two please it would make a really good addition I really want more like this please!!!!!! And I think I will go read it again right now even though I had just finished the book
I’m a teenager in middle school I loved this book so so much it was a real page turner I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good romance page turner and it has some action in there but I can’t get over how I just could not stop reading it!
In many parts this is a predictable story. However, it doesn’t make it any less sweet and emotional! I like that Autumn and Dax get to know each other at a slow pace and that they are very different from one another (opposites attract, right?).
There are some unrealistic situations in the book, but I have no real problem ignoring them and focus on what’s interesting and what makes me emotional – both happy and sad.
I love Kassie West. The more I read the more I like her stories. This one was a little harder for me because I could relate to the character so well. I have had anxiety and am a people pleaser. I am working on both but it was hard to read especially the more she allowed her friends to make her choices for her. I was getting anxiety of my own just reading about hers. I was so happy with the way it all ended up. I would have loved more of this one. She has the most interesting ideas and makes a simple story so interesting.I wish we would have gotten more of the family and a little more back story and the two main characters. I really just wanted more of everything and I love when a book leaves me feeling like that. This was very clean. A couple of sweet kisses. 14 and up.
Enjoyed this book, the different characters and how the storyline went. It’s well written and easy to get lost in. Really enjoyed the characters.
Praise from the Clean Romance Team:
“Sweet YA romance that doesn’t shy away from difficult issues. Loved the characters.”
This is one of my favorites from Kasie West. I have loved her other books as well, but for some reason, I always come back to this one. I think it’s the character of Dax. I totally knew a guy like him in high school. He felt so real to me and I loved how his personality meshed so well with Autumns. This is a great, sweet, fun, swoony read. Highly Recommend!
When my sister first found this book I was saying saying how it look stupid and everything. but people say don’t don judge a book by its cover. SO one day I was bored so I decide to give this book a try now when I tell you I fell in love. I fell in love. This books was that good. It was kinda getting me sad but I like being sad during books. This book was AMAZING!!!!
I loved that this book kind of combined mysteries and romance it was amazing.
Had me at “locked in a library.” Cute story with wonderful characters.
This was my first Kasie West book, and I have to say I absolutely enjoyed it! I didn’t expect the book to go the way it did, and I don’t mind that one bit. I like the story and the route it took.
It was the light read I needed. There was nothing heavy, the writing was easy to read and not complicated, and it didn’t keep me *too* much on my toes. Perfect book for reading when you have school. I was able to finish this really quickly. If I wanted to, I could have finished it the day I started and had a bit of hours left in daylight.
The romance was very satisfactory. It kept me wanting more from Autumn and Dax, and held it out in front of me like a carrot on a stick. I liked how clear it was when it came to who was more fit for Autumn to date since there is a (kind of) love triangle.
There were times where I was surprised Autumn handled situations the way she did. I had expected her to confront how a character made her feel, but she didn’t. Not that it was a big deal, but I just didn’t see how she could take the blows and sit there.
Overall, the book was very entertaining and the writing style has to be one of my favorites! Can’t wait to read more contemporary romance books by this author.
4.5/5 Stars
Disclaimer: This review MAY contain spoilers.
This book delighted me so much! I felt heart soar, I laughed, I felt my heart ache, and I felt so fulfilled at the end. I cannot stop reading Kasie West books! I think that I am hooked for good.
I really connected with this book. Autumn, the main character, has generalized anxiety disorder and much of the book deals with her trying to handle her anxiety attacks. I have a social anxiety disorder that I have to deal with daily that I also take medications for so it was so easy for me to get in sync with Autumn’s character. The only people that know about her anxiety disorder are her parents, brother, and the mysterious boy that experiences one of her attacks while they are locked inside the library over the weekend. Autumn has never told her friends about her anxiety issues because she didn’t think that they would accept her, she didn’t want to be treated differently, and she didn’t want to make excuses for herself for having to take a step back sometimes. I thought that the representation of anxiety was very well displayed through Autumn’s character.
These characters were all fantastic! I loved Autumn, I loved Dax, and I loved her friends and family. I honestly felt that Jeff was annoying and immature in the beginning but I loved him at the end. He turned out to have such a big heart and showed that he really cared about Autumn. He even made me laugh at the end a few times with his carefree and charming personality. Dallin was irritating through most of the book, but I could understand his viewpoints throughout the book with his lack of knowledge of Autumn’s anxiety issues. I loved Autumn’s friendship with Lisa and her entire friend group as a whole. And I loved how they accepted her admission of her anxiety and supported her no questions asked. I loved the positive representation of family that was presented with both Autumn’s family and Jeff’s parents. I also liked the representation of not so great parents and the consequences and affects it can have on children through Dax’s story.
And on that note, I also liked the sensitive issues that were addressed apart from the anxiety disorder. Dax’s story was heart wrenching and moving. I liked seeing inside the foster care system and seeing that things aren’t always what they seem. I liked that West wasn’t afraid to give Dax a sad backstory full of heartbreaking things. I really did love his character. Dax and Autumn both had amazing character growth in this book and it was a pleasure to read.
The only thing that really irked me about this book was the unbelievable premise for the plot. The way that the plot develops is beautiful and I loved that, but in the very beginning, the fact that Autumn was trapped inside a library and had no way out and no way to call for help felt absurd to me. Strongly absurd. What library keeps its only telephones inside locked offices? And what doors refuse to open from the inside? Seriously? Apart from this huge oversight of unbelievability, I felt that the remaining plot points were played out beautifully.
Overall, I felt that this was the most emotional Kasie West book that I have read yet. (My fourth book from her in total!) I loved seeing more emotional circumstances and issues with the characters. It really made them feel more real and story more impactful. I have no doubt that Kasie West fans will adore this book!
Well Another Amazing book by Kasie I love all the books I have read of hers
I love Kasie West, but this wasn’t my favorite story of hers. I would have loved to get to know Dax better, but I actually found the main character a little annoying. I appreciated that West featured a teen with an anxiety disorder.
I did think some things were a little too far stretched for me.
This book has a big place in my heart for one of my favorite romance books. I really recommend reading it. Once it made me cry I was so happy/ sad
I loved this story so much! After reading so much fantasy a nice fluffy contemporary is what I needed. It is also what I got! On enjoyment scale this was amazing I love it, but sadly I am learning not to just take that into consideration and starting to work on my reviews more equally and this book had some problems! But I bloody loved it and it would be even better if these things would be fixed.
So one of the main problems I found in this book was with the main character Autumn having anxiety, it didn’t feel like that mental health problem was represented correctly, it felt like it was just a plot point rather than making it a prominent thing in the novel. Also, the fact that none of her friends could tell she had anxiety and yet, Dax, someone who she met in the library, could tell immediately that she had. I just don’t buy how they couldn’t have known about your friend having anxiety, even if they don’t tell you, there was loads of hints that she did have some kind of problem, it’s mentioned more than once how at times Autumn runs off in some social situations. Like I find it really hard to believe her friends wouldn’t know this. Even after her bag being found in Jeff’s car with her medication and they still didn’t know?! Like crappy friends. Real crappy friends. I also didn’t like the point where Dallin blamed Autumn for Jeff’s accident, it wasn’t her fault and I really didn’t like how at no point that was not addressed in this book, because nobody should be told it was their fault when it is an accident she could not control. So I really didn’t like that it didn’t address that.
Dax and Autumn really do not have much background to them they felt very 2D not having much personality or background. They try to bring in some of Dax’s past by introducing the conflict of his mother but that felt like a catalyst so Autumn and Dax could have an argument. It didn’t feel like they were going to go much further into his past and they didn’t. The same fo Autumn we don’t really know much about her which is very problematic because I like to know my characters and neither of them felt like they had a personality.
Though despite these problems I did actually in love with this book, the dream of being trapped in a library, hell yes?! So although it had problems it was what I needed after finishing so much Sarah J Maas and I really did love this book. It was simple and cute.
I enjoyed this Kasie West novel a lot. It was a bit different than her others. Not as light but in a good way. I enjoyed the depth of the characters and their uncertainty. Definitely a great YA romance read if you like books like The Goodbye Boyfriend: A Stand-Alone YA Contemporary Romance Novel (The Boyfriend Series Book 3)
I love everything Kasie West writes, and her latest contemporary YA is no exception. Her books are always the perfect mix of sweet, funny, and romantic. Someone perfectly described By Your Side as Molly Ringwald and Judd Nelson’s characters from The Breakfast Club getting locking inside a library for a weekend. Alone. During a blizzard. Yep. Go read it and smile.