The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick (Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads)Published by Penguin Young Readers Group on August 18th 2015
Genres: Drugs, Alcohol, Substance Abuse, Family, General, Love & Romance, Social Issues, Young Adult
Pages: 416
Format: ARC
A surprising, utterly romantic companion to My Life Next Door—great for fans of Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han Tim Mason was The Boy Most Likely To find the liquor cabinet blindfolded, need a liver transplant, and drive his car into a house Alice Garrett was The Girl Most Likely To . . . well, not date her little brother’s baggage-burdened best friend, for starters. For Tim, it wouldn’t be smart to fall for Alice. For Alice, nothing could be scarier than falling for Tim. But Tim has never been known for making the smart choice, and Alice is starting to wonder if the “smart” choice is always the right one. When these two crash into each other, they crash hard. Then the unexpected consequences of Tim’s wild days come back to shock him. He finds himself in a situation that isn’t all it appears to be, that he never could have predicted . . . but maybe should have. And Alice is caught in the middle. Told in Tim’s and Alice’s distinctive, disarming, entirely compelling voices, this novel is for readers of The Spectacular Now, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, and Paper Towns.
We’re so super excited to get to kick off the blog tour for The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick If you’ve been following us here, you know that we adore Huntley so very much! Her stories are captivating and amazing and absolutely everything we look for in contemporary books!
Today, we’re featuring Tim’s playlist! I’ll just say that you must go check out all these songs!!
TIM’S PLAYLIST
Bad Kids: Blacks Lips
To me, this sums up Tim’s attitude about his past life—and the way he thinks his family sees him–at the beginning of the story. http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/blacklips/badkids.html]
Naive: The Kooks.
About the people in your life whom you just can’t be sure you can trust. Tim has such a divided attitude, protective, angry, confused, about several of the girls in his life—Nan, Hester…this song expressed all those feelings. http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/kooks/naive.html]
Staring at the Stars: Passenger
A song about not doing what you planned on doing what your life, with lines like “we could have done anything, we just never quite knew it was so” includes a lot of references to drugs and drinking [http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/passenger/staringatthestars.html]
Something Good Can Work: Two Door Cinema Club
Tim’s such a mix of optimism & confidence & terror that he’ll let everyone, including himself, down.One of the things I like best about himis that he’s always hopeful. In that way, he has something to teach Alice. http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/twodoorcinemaclub/somethinggoodcanwork.html]
On Top of the World: Imagine Dragons
For me, this song embodies Tim’s feelings about recovery, and also about the unexpected twist his life takes early in the story. http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/imaginedragons/ontopoftheworld.html]
Drift Away: Dobie Gray
About wanting to drift away and relax—something Tim has to relearn how to do—part of figuring out what to “do with his hands” [http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/dobiegray/driftaway.html]
It Ain’t Me, Babe: Bob Dylan
This is the first song I associated with Tim, who had come to believe he couldn’t be counted on. I listened to it over and over, especially when I was writing the ‘my nose’ shower scene. https://www.lyrics.az/bob-dylan/bob-dylan-live-1961-2000/it-aint-me-babe.html]
A Hard Rain’s A-gonna fall: Bob Dylan (here covered by George Harrison)
I saw Tim as a Dylan fan—someone who would appreciate the edge and irony in his songs. Also the words “my blue-eyed son, my darling young one” have always touched me—I think of my own son, and all sons, everywhere https://www.lyrics.az/george-harrison/concert-for-bangla-desh/a-hard-rains-gonna-fall.html]
You Can’t Always Get What You Want: The Rolling Stones
Tim references this classic in the “we want what we want when we want it” /Grape-nuts scene with Alice. http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/rollingstones/youcantalwaysgetwhatyouwant.html]
Dude (Looks Like a Lady): Aerosmith
Just thought Tim would like this song. http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/aerosmith/dudelookslikealady.html]
Starting Over: Macklemore
I played this over and over while writing both the Dark & Stormy scene early on and Tim’s ‘black moment’ in his father’s study near the end.
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/macklemore/startingover.html]
She’s Got You High: Mumm-ra
Song that could relate to Tim and Alice and how he feels about her. Hope and love and optimism: Tim. http://www.lyricsmania.com/shes_got_you_high_lyrics_mumm-ra.html]
Ways to Go: Grouplove
About turning your life around, and finding both yourself and someone who “gets” you http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/grouplove/waystogo.html]
She Moves In Her Own Way: The Kooks
One of the things I love about Tim and Alice together is that they appreciate one another for who they are and challenge each other to be better. That’s true love, in my book. http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/kooks/shemovesinherownway.html]
Best Day of My Life: American Authors
I first found this song when I was writing the “Goldilocks” scene where Tim finds Alice asleep in his bed—and then she watches his face the morning after—but it really works for their entire love affair. http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/americanauthors/bestdayofmylife.html]
Stressed Out: Twenty One Pilots
A song about having to grow up fast, and missing being a kid. Focuses a lot on being nostalgic and being told to grow up. I feel Tim would really relate to this song, its got a catchy happy melody but sad lyrics. Not just Tim though, I think everyone who gets lost, for whatever reason and whatever length of time, can identify with this song. We all try to remember those halcyon days before all the stress came down, and dream of finding a way back there. The key, for Tim, and me, and maybe you too, is to find it ahead of you. https://www.google.com/#q=Stressed+out+twenty+one+pilots
Cigarette Daydreams: Cage the Elephant
To me, this is about all those lost nights when we wonder who we are and what it’s all about – a song that I would imagine Tim playing in his car, a song about having a crush on a girl but not doing anything about it. Describes the girl as “so sweet, with a mean streak” kinda fits Alice a bit. http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/cagetheelephant/cigarettedaydreams.html
Vienna: Billy Joel
This song is basically about taking time to be where you are and enjoy life as it comes, instead of having to figure it all out by the time you are 18, or 28 or 58. It’s about how to live the opposite of a deadline. As Billy Joel said about his lyrics, “Slow down, you’re going to be fine. No matter what you do, be good at it, and whenever you get there, you get there.” http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/billyjoel/vienna.html
Mess is Mine: Vance Joy
This was my writing-the-tent-scene song! Relationships, even the great ones, are a messy business, and loving someone means stepping into their mess and letting them into yours. It’s chaos, but it’s joy and intimacy—and pretty much what it’s all about. The kinda song that would play when Tim and Alice are at the beach or during a montage of breaking into the fairground. A song about going through hard times with another person, but helping them through it. http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/v/vance_joy/mess_is_mine.html
Lego House: Ed Sheeran
“It’s so hard to say it but I’ve been here before and I’ll surrender up my heart and swap it for yours”. I think of this as Tim saying that when he’s tried before, he’s only gone back to his old ways, but he’s willing to do everything differently, stop protecting his heart, and trade it all for the things he wants to be able to say he cares about in the future. http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/edsheeran/legohouse.html
3 a.m.: Gregory Alan Isako
Kind of a late night self reflection song, would play during a sad moment in the book has a sort of lonely feel to it, but also sounds old fashioned. http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/gregoryalanisakov/3am.html
Overjoyed: Bastille
A song about having a really great connection with a person, with things like conversations and thinking about them. Kinda hard to describe. To me, it’s about that wonder you feel when someone listens to you, and really hears you. I thought of this during each of Tim and Alice’s deeper talks, but especially during the one in the rainy garage apartment, when she tells him what happened when she was 12. http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/bastille/overjoyed.html]
If you want to sing out, sing out: Cat Stevens
The ultimate “joy in accepting ups and downs and meeting them with hope” song. A good one for Tim’s final conclusions about life at book’s end. http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/catstevens/ifyouwanttosingoutsingout.html
Jaime’s Thoughts
I’ve been waiting almost three years for this book. Since the day I turned the last page in My Life Next Door I had to know more about Tim! I even mentioned it in my review! He was such a big part of MLND and his character was so charismatic I knew that there had to be more to his story. I can’t even tell you how excited I was when I found out that this was something that was going to happen in real life.
I’m not even sure how to review this book because there is so much that happens that I can’t tell you about without spoiling the journey. So let me first say this. Huntley Fitzpatrick does complicated families like no other. She creates incredibly layered characters that could be anyone in your family. She creates a beautiful story filled with bits of heartbreak, stolen moments, romance and unimaginable amounts of struggle but always, always filled with heart.
This is of course Tim’s story… but it’s also Alice’s story. Alice is Jase’s older sister. She’s got her whole life ahead of her yet, she takes on the problems of her parents and family as wholly her own. She has this intense desire to solve all the issues and be the solution to the problems that arise, only life is never that easy, because it involves giving up things she’s been planning for and even then there is no guarantee that the problems will go away.
Tim… you guys remember Tim. He uses humor as a defense and his self-deprecation is more than just making fun of himself. He’s hid behind drugs and alcohol for longer than one can imagine at the age of 17 and he’s come to realize with the help of his friends that there is more to life than getting so wasted you can’t remember things. But with that realization comes the responsibilities that he’d been avoiding for all those years and the things he’s screwed up along the way. I can’t tell you how many times I wish he were real so I could pull him close and squeeze him tight, even if he wouldn’t let me because you honestly have to love his outlook on life.
She moves closer; smells like I’ve always thought Hawaii would, green and sweet, earthy, sun and sea mixed together, smoky warm. Her greenish gray eyes, flecks of gold too –
“You’ve only got one dimple,” she says.
“That a drawback? I had two, but I misplaced one on a particularly hard night.”
She gives my shoulder a shove. “You joke about everything.”
“Everything is pretty funny,” I say, trying to sit up but sinking back, my back groaning. “If you look at it the right way.”
“How do you know you’re looking at it the right way?”
Alice’s head’s lowered, she’s still circling an index finger in the sand, only inches from brushing her knuckles past my stomach. The morning air is still and calm – no sound of the waves, even.
“If it’s funny,” I wheeze, “you’re looking at it the right way.”
Tim is a born flirt and Alice, well she doesn’t really put up with his shit … which oddly enough makes them perfect for each other and seeing the evolution of their relationship, the sweet moments, the passionate moments and the trials and tribulations… because there are plenty of those was just everything I could have hoped for and more.
Ultimately this story is about family and knowing that it’s not always the family that we’re born into that has our back and will be there to support us through our mistakes, nor will it be the people we share DNA with that we come to lean on and find a home with.
I know that this seems somewhat vague, that’s intentional because there are some things that I can’t divulge. You’ll have to read to find out what those things are, and I promise you’ll thank me for letting you experience it as Tim’s story unfolds.
All that said, if there was one thing that I didn’t really care for, it would be Brad’s story. Or his involvement… I don’t know how to say this without giving anything away, but I’ll just say that I feel like his part in this story felt unfinished and and not explored enough to ultimately have him be a part of this story.
BUT that is minor and not a huge part of what’s going on and I honestly only noticed it when I turned the last page and realized where that left off.
Oh!! Also – glimpses of Jase *swoon* and Sam and the rest of the Garrets only make this story even more amazing! If you thought you loved George in My Life Next Door, be prepared for even more cute from him and the rest of the gang.
Grab this if you’re looking for an incredible story of life and love and finding family where you least expect it. Once again Fitzpatrick made me fall in love with her characters and the Garrett family in ways I never could have anticipated!
Thank you Huntley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts!
Recent Comments