Of All the Stupid Things Review

Of All the Stupid Things by Alexandra Diaz

Publisher: Egmont USA

Release date: December 22, 2009

Source: Trade

When a rumor starts circulating that Tara's boyfriend Brent has been sleeping with one of the guy cheerleaders, the innuendo doesn't just hurt Tara. It marks the beginning of the end for an inseparable trio of friends. Tara's training for a marathon, but also running from her fear of abandonment after being deserted by her father. Whitney Blaire seems to have everything, but an empty mansion and absentee parents leave this beauty to look for meaning in all the wrong places. And Pinkie has a compulsive need to mother everyone to make up for the mom she's never stopped missing. This friendship that promised to last forever is starting to break under the pressure of the girls' differences.

And then new-girl Riley arrives in school with her long black hair, athletic body, and her blasé attitude, and suddenly Tara starts to feel things she's never felt before for a girl--and to reassess her feelings about Brent and what he may/may not have done. Is Tara gay--or does she just love Riley? And can her deepest friendships survive when all of the rules have changed?

Review:

I started and finished Of All the Stupid Things in one day. Something about it just really kept me hooked. From the first page I was pulled into the characters stories. The three main characters (Tara, Pinkie, and Whitney Blair) each shared their stories in alternating chapters. Their first person narrations were personal and refreshing. Of All the Stupid Things was honest and very realistic. I liked how at the end all the characters were really struggling to find themselves and by the end they’d discovered who they really were. I couldn’t choose a favorite narrator, but I really liked Pinkie. I understood her need to worry and her obsessions over calling everyone to make sure they were okay. I also felt for her when she felt left out when Tara and Whitney Blair were always together and left her out. At some point in their lives, everyone is always the odd one out and it’s not fun. Tara was also a great character. I hated how quickly she believed everything people told her and it was interesting to see how she dealt with her feelings for Riley. I haven’t read many books dealing with gay/lesbian characters and usually the gay character is kind of in the background. With Tara’s first person narration I could understand her feelings and how wanted everyone to except her. Whitney Blair was also a cool character. I hated how mean she was to David, the innocent, semi-nerdy boy who loved her, and wished she would give him a better chance. All in all I loved all the characters, and although I couldn’t really relate to a lot of them, Diaz brought the reader into the characters heads as if they were really there. The characters were really what made me love Of All the Stupid Things.

I not only really liked the characters, but the plot was original, too. It was fast paced and unique and dealt with friendship in a way I’ve never read about before. Tara, Pinkie, and Whitney Blair’s friendship was completely changed by the end of the novel and they all learned a lot of important lessons. I think all teenagers should read this, because it really made me rethink a lot of things I do. Pinkie’s nervousness about Tara being gay made me wonder- how would I react if my best friend revealed to me she was gay? Reading from both Pinkie and Tara’s perspectives made me realize how important it is to care about your friends no matter what their relationship status is. Not only does Of All the Stupid Things deal with bisexuality, it also dives deep into friendship and what it means to everyone involved. All in all I would highly recommend this book, and I can’t believe it was Alexandra Diaz’s debut novel!

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars