Common Sense Media Review
By Andrea Beach
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Jackie grows a spine in OK teen romance follow-up.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
MY RETURN TO THE WALTER BOYS picks up a few months after the events in My Life with the Walter Boys. After spending the summer back in her native New York City, Jackie flies back to Colorado to start her junior year of high school with her guardians, Katherine and George Walter. But she's nervous about how things will be with Cole, whom she kissed when she left for New York but then ghosted for most of the summer. She's not sure if she's ready to start something with Cole, even if he forgives her. He's about to head off to college, and wouldn't it make things awkward around the house if their relationship didn't work out? She needs the support of the whole Walter family, but she wants Cole. Can she ever have both?
Is It Any Good?
This long-awaited romance sequel is an improvement over the popular first installment. My Return to the Walter Boys benefits from a sharper focus on fewer characters (don't worry though, everyone's back), and fewer side plots mean fewer loose ends. Even better, Jackie is learning to stand up for herself, and learning that she doesn't have to meekly accept it when someone's giving her a hard time. Cole is still a problematic character who alternates between being the greatest guy in the world and being very cruel toward Jackie, which effectively keeps her off balance. Fans will be happy with the satisfying ending.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the strong language in My Return to the Walter Boys. Do teens really swear as much as the characters in this book do? Is it a big deal? Why, or why not?
How does Cole treat Jackie when he's upset with her? Do you see any problems with it? Should it matter when he's being nice, or is it OK to forget the bad stuff?
Did you read the first book, or watch the TV series based on it? Did you like both, or was one better than the other? And how does this volume compare?
Jackie begins to stand up for herself in this book. How do her communication skills change over the course of the story? Why do you think they change? Have you had to work on communicating better? What happened?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Romance
- Topics : Family Stories ( Siblings )
- Character Strengths : Communication , Perseverance
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Sourcebooks Fire
- Publication date : April 15, 2025
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 18
- Number of pages : 336
- Available on : Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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