Novak's first novel-which she wrote at age 15 and posted on social network Wattpad, where it gained a large fan base-is set just after 16-year-old Jackie's entire family dies in a car accident. She moves from New York City to Colorado with her mother's good friend, her new guardian. Now, Jackie will be living on a ranch with a family of 11 boys (including two sets of twins), their sole unfriendly sister, and a pet snake. The chaotic household's constant noise, sibling conflicts, and disarmingly laidback environment leave her disoriented, but also distract her from her recent tragedy. A compulsive organizer by nature, Jackie learns that not everything can be compartmentalized, and a messy romantic entanglement only throws her life into further disarray. Novak spreads the story thin, introducing multiple characters without developing them much. Prosaic descriptions at times undermine the story's emotional depth, and Jackie's response to her tremendous loss comes across as mechanical. Yet the themes of seizing rather than planning each moment and allowing for life's untidiness are explored with energy and humor. Ages 12-up. (Mar.)

Gr 8 Up-Jackie is used to high-rise apartments, the big-city life, and the prestige of attending a private school. Then, catastrophe strikes and her parents and sister are killed in a car accident. Jackie's nearest living family member isn't equipped to take care of her so he ships her off to her mother's childhood friend, Katherine Walters, in Colorado. Katherine lives on a horse ranch with 12 kids (11 boys and one girl). Jackie arrives to the house to a pretty cold welcome, especially because her new bedroom was Katherine's sanctuary and art studio. Six of the brothers attend the narrator's school where the attractive Walter boys are sought after by all of the girls. As she struggles to make friends and acclimate to her new environment, she begins to embrace her newfound siblings, and all of the drama that comes along with being the token female in family of handsome, if annoying, boys. Especially confusing for the protagonist is the palpable chemistry that grows between her and one of the brothers. Ultimately, life with the Walter boys helps Jackie cope with the loss of her family while embracing another one, and pushes her to discover who she really is in this coming-of-age novel. Fans of Huntley Fitzpatrick's My Life Next Door (Dial, 2012) will enjoy this rambunctious group of siblings. Jessica Lorentz Smith, Bend Senior High School, OR

When sixteen-year-old Jackie Howard loses her parents and only sister in a tragic accident, she has no choice but to leave her New York City home and move to Colorado with her mother's childhood friend, Katherine. Adapting to life on the ranch is quite a challenge for perfect, never-a-hair-out-of-place Jackie, who now has to share living space with all of Katherine's familyeleven boys and one tomboyin an often chaotic environment. While there are instant sparks between Jackie and the devastatingly handsome playboy, Cole, others in the household are less welcoming. Some of the boys dole out pranks; others are openly hostile. To complicate matters further, Jackie gets caught up in a love triangle with Cole and another brother, which sends tensions through the roof for much of the book. It is the driving force in my My Life with the Walter Boys, more so than Jackie's grief or her thoughts of home, which makes her decision at the end of the book somewhat surprising. It also leaves room for the sequel, the still-in-progress My Life as a Walter Boy, written from Cole's perspective.Readers should not expect a deep and heavy exploration of loss. This title will appeal strongly to boy-obsessed readers who will find the romance, particularly the chemistry between Cole and Jackie, to be quite engrossing and the teen voices credible.Cathy Fiebelkorn.