A Short History of the Girl Next Door was published in 2017 by Jared Reck and follows the story of a boy, Matt, who’s crushing on his neighbor. Even though the book may not seem like much because of its length, it’s one of my all-time favorites.

Matt has to deal with basically being stuck in the friendzone and being unable to tell his crush, Tabby, how he feels. He has to watch another guy—who’s seemingly better and more athletic than him—take interest in her, as she doesn’t reciprocate Matt’s feelings. A little past halfway through the book, a major bombshell is dropped and Matt has to learn how to handle the outcome of events.

This bombshell is both my favorite and least favorite part of the book. It’s hard information to take in, but it makes the story so much stronger and unexpected. Reck does a great job with story development and all of the language-artsy aspects that each major turn seems so much bigger and more important to the story.

I love this book so much because of its storyline. Unlike many other books I’ve read, this one was unpredictable, which is always something that’s crucial to a story because it keeps it from becoming boring. A Short History of the Girl Next Door is anything but. If I recall correctly, I ended up reading it in a day or two because I didn’t want to put it down. 

The characters felt very relatable in that they all had visible struggles, but also ones they didn’t let others see, even their closest friends and family. The kids are in high school, which also offers an extremely prevalent experience. 

Overall, I highly recommend this book for anyone who has any interest in reading. It’s a quick read but a great story with lots of action and character development.