This is a spoiler-free review! My Life with the Walter Boys is now available to stream on Netflix.
To be completely honest, I watched the Netflix adaptation prior to reading this book, and when I found out that the author is officially writing a sequel, I knew I had to jump on this book before season two or the sequel were available. After Jackie's parents and sister tragically pass away in a car accident, she is forced to move in with her mother's friend and her literal soccer team of boys on a farm. True to my nature, I automatically started rooting for the older, more mysterious brother that is essentially a Conrad Fisher variant living in Colorado. I will always support the older brother in literally any scenario, especially when they are introduced in what is essentially a slow-motion realization.
When Jackie discovers the exact details of her new life -- living with twelve boys -- she is understandably shocked and has a rough introduction to the family. Many of the boys do not give her the warmest welcome, and some are downright wild in their treatment of her, especially Isaac, who is borderline sexually harassing her for a decent portion of the book. If I was her, I would literally lock myself in my room if I had to move from New York to Colorado. The number of twins in this family is absolute insanity -- there is not one, not two, but three sets of twins in this family and I was left just as confused as Jackie when learning everyone's names.
I cannot truly believe Jackie does not own a pair of jeans... surely there was a pair she needed for something... at least a themed party. There are fifteen people in this house now that Jackie has arrived, and yet this entire sports team of a family seems to only have two bathrooms, which is absolutely diabolical -- please build more bathrooms! Jackie does not catch a single break for almost the entire book as this gang of boys literally commit war crimes against her from the second she steps foot on their property. She lost her entire family in one second and they cannot even give her time to settle in before they are torturing her on a daily basis.
Cole... the boy who can do no wrong in my eyes. He is brooding, he is older, and he is absolutely the correct choice for Jackie, no matter how many people insist that Alex is the boy she should choose. Much like Jeremiah from The Summer I Turned Pretty, Alex throws tantrums like no tomorrow when he does not get his way, and is clearly jealous that Cole attracts a lot of attention from everyone, but especially from Jackie. There is quite literally a point in the book where Jackie compares Alex to a puppy... take that as you will.
This book was honestly a blast to read -- as a young adult romance, it keeps the reader entertained while still touching on more serious topics without allowing them to overtake the narrative. I have been in a bit of a reading slump, and this book truly had me getting back into the groove of things with its wholesome story and a fun love triangle. All of the characters acted their ages and the author did not make literal high schoolers act like mature thirty-year-olds, which was refreshing because you expect teenagers to act like teenagers. One thing that did tend to get to me was the fake cursing the brothers would do -- aka "What the fudge" and other childish replacements -- considering multiple characters do not censor themselves.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the Netflix adaptation was pretty spot on with the plot and events that occurred in the book when translating it to the screen -- there are obviously some differences and not everything is able to fit in, but the essence of the story is definitely present in the show. Some scenes in the book that I loved did not make the cut in the show, and I can only hope that in season two, they revisit some of these scenes and work them into the plot.
If you are looking for a quick romance read that is a mix of much-loved classic cliches and self discovery, My Life with the Walter Boys is just the book for you. For fans of Float by Kate Marchant, readers will be thrown into a story that is more than romance.
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