Who Does Jackie Choose in the ‘My Life with the Walter Boys’ Book?

In the style of The Summer I Turned Pretty and The Vampire Diaries, My Life with the Walter Boys brings another brotherly love triangle to the screen. Since the show’s ending differs from the book, viewers will be wondering who Jackie (Nikki Rodriguez) originally ended up with.

While My Life with the Walter Boys has been gaining traction on Netflix, the series is based on the book of the same name by Ali Novak. Both the novel and show follow Jackie, a young woman whose life gets turned upside down when tragedy strikes her family. As a result, she ends up being taken in by the Walter family, who have seven sons. She soon grows close to the boys while trying to heal from her past. Of course, it’s not long before some feelings start to stir between Jackie and the hormonal teenage Walter boys.

Alex (Gentry Ashby) and Cole (Noah LaLonde) are the two boys who vie for Jackie’s attention the most. Alex is the shy, kind, bookish brother, while Cole is the athletic, charming, and troublemaking brother. Given that Alex’s love for Jackie is evident from the first time he sees her, it’s not long before the two officially become an item. However, it’s clear that Jackie and Cole also have their eyes on each other, and tension slowly builds throughout the series. The show will surprise viewers with its ambiguous ending, though, and lead them to the book for further answers.

Who Does Jackie choose in the book?

Netflix’s series ends without Jackie making an obvious choice, which is understandable since it’s not the official ending. The streamer has already renewed My Life with the Walter Boys for a second season. However, while waiting for season 2 to arrive, viewers may find some answers in the book. While the book ends a bit ambiguously, too, it still resolves a few important things.

In the Netflix series, Jackie doesn’t choose either brother. When Alex tells her that he loves her, Jackie finds herself unable to reciprocate the statement. Hence, Alex goes to bed drunk and heartbroken, while Jackie finds that Cole has fixed a tea set that holds significance to her. Jackie ends up going to find Cole and the two kiss. However, the next day, Alex is bewildered to find an apology note from Jackie. Cole is also surprised by her absence. It turns out Jackie left for New York without choosing either boy or resolving the love triangle.

In the book, Jackie also leaves for New York in the end. The major difference is that she doesn’t leave things hanging with Alex and Cole. Before she leaves, she decides to confess her feelings to Cole, and Alex overhears the conversation. Fortunately, though, there aren’t any hard feelings between the pair. After talking to each other, they mutually decide to end their relationship and accept that they are better as friends. Hence, the love triangle ends, leaving room for Jackie to be with Cole. Although she still leaves for New York, it’s implied that she’ll keep in touch with Cole. Hence, while they don’t explicitly end up together simply because of life’s circumstances, it’s quite clear that Jackie chose Cole in the end and officially ended things with Alex.

(featured image: Netflix)