Book Review: I Spy the Boy Next Door by Samantha Armstrong

Rating: 3.8 stars

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is my honest review of the book.

Goodreads summary: Four p.m. spy sessions are the highlight of Mallory Taylor’s day. Observing the boy next door—one with a body and an attitude to match—has her perched beside her window so often it can't be healthy.

When she finally convinces her mom to let her go to public school, Mallory comes face to face with her neighbor, Troy Parker. And he makes it clear he wants nothing to do with her. His rejection awakens a newfound tenacity and maybe even a touch of recklessness. But when Troy starts to show up when she needs him the most, Mallory can’t help but wonder if there’s more to him than he’s let on.

Taking chances, breaking rules, and following her heart is all new to Mallory. And no one warned her just how fickle hearts can be. When she discovers that Troy isn’t at all the guy she imagined him to be, secrets rise to the surface that will change her life forever.

I really enjoyed this book. When I first started reading, I quickly got the impression that the story would be a somewhat generic YA romance with all the tropes that come with it. Girl pines after the bad boy, the bad boy has a secret that makes him act out, the girl has a gay best friend, and so forth. I Spy the Boy Next Door has all these things, yet from about the middle of the book and on, the mood changes. There is action, more romance, plot twists - and with this, Armstrong manages to make the story stand out from the many carbon copies that can be found in its genre.

I would definitely say that I Spy the Boy Next Door shined the brightest towards the end of the novel. The second half of the story was so much more enthralling and exciting than the first half, so much so that the two parts almost seemed incongruent. There were, of course, hints of what was to be revealed later, but the first half of the book felt shallow. Mallory was very fixated on Troy, but Troy didn't really do much besides narrow his eyes at her and not show up on time to math class. This meant the first part heavily consisted of Mal trying to figure out why he did these things, and because of this, it almost seemed like Mal's character depended on Troy. There wasn't much introduction to or development of who Mal was as a person. There were some shallow details given, but it was almost like the biggest part of her character was this crush she had on her mysterious neighbor. That, along with Troy's off-and-on personality, made it hard for me to invest myself in their relationship. However, things changed as more was revealed, and I felt that the chemistry between the two really started to come to life. They definitely had some sweet moments, Exhibit A: " I got you. Today and all the todays after," and I soon found myself really liking their relationship. With both the budding romance and the revelations of many a juicy secret, suffice it to say I was very entertained.

I do wish though that the side characters were given a bit more "character". All of Mal's friends seemed two dimensional, more of a prop to help Mal's story than a character in their own right. This was a commonality in both halves of the book, but I don't think it took away from the overall story. All in all, I found I Spy the Boy Next Door to be a fun read and I plan to check out the author's other stories.

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