Review: 52 Reasons to Hate My Father by Jessica Brody

52 Reasons to Hate My Father by Jessica Brody

Being America’s favorite heiress is a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it.

Lexington Larrabee has never to work a day in her life. After all, she’s the heiress to the multi-billion-dollar Larrabee Media empire. And heiresses are not supposed to work. But then again, they’re not supposed to crash brand new Mercedes convertibles into convenience stores on Sunset Blvd either.
Which is why, on Lexi’s eighteen birthday, her ever-absent, tycoon father decides to take a more proactive approach to her wayward life. Every week for the next year, she will have to take on a different low-wage job if she ever wants to receive her beloved trust fund. But if there’s anything worse than working as a maid, a dishwasher, and a fast-food restaurant employee, it’s dealing with Luke, the arrogant, albeit moderately attractive, college intern her father has assigned to keep tabs on her.
In a hilarious “comedy of heiress” about family, forgiveness, good intentions, and best of all, second chances, Lexi learns that love can be unconditional, money can be immaterial, and, regardless of age, everyone needs a little saving. And although she might have 52 reasons to hate her father, she only needs one reason to love him.

Review:

Jessica Brody has quickly become one of my favorite contemporary authors. I've read all of her YA books (The Karma Club, My Life Undecided, and now 52 Reasons to Hate My Father) and each of them has been an enjoyable and entertaining read. Jessica always writes such strong, relatable characters and Lexington Larrabee was no exception. Even though Lexi lived a life completely different from my own, I still felt a connection with her and was rooting for her success. Jessica's novels are not only unique and original, but are fun reads that I can talk about with my friends and recommend to most anyone and know they will like it. 

52 Reasons to Hate My Father was another great novel by Jessica and I enjoyed getting to know Lexi and seeing what life can be like for the children of the rich and famous. Even though some would say her life is perfect, it is far from it, and as the novel progresses more and more of Lexi's layers are peeled back and it shows how she really is just a regular teenager. One thing I especially loved about this book was how it wasn't focused on romance, but more on Lexi and her character development. 

There were many important lessons imparted in this book; from the value of having a good relationship with your friends and family to the importance of understanding the world does not revolve around any one person. Each of the jobs Lexi worked at showed her something not only about herself, but about others as well. While it was entertaining seeing Lexi struggle to fit into the "normal" world, I was also encouraging her because I knew she could succeed. There are several interesting secondary characters and sub-plots that keep the book moving and I thoroughly enjoyed 52 Reasons to Hate My Father. 

My only complaint is that I wish we got to see more of Lexi working at the various jobs. Most of them are just skimmed over and only a few are actually focused on. Of course I understand the book would be way too long if it talked about all 52 jobs, but I still wish we could have learned a little more about some of them. Many of my favorite scenes took place at Lexi's various places of employment and it was refreshing to read about a character in high school that had a job (even though it was an unconventional twist in Lexi's case!)

Overall, 52 Reasons to Hate My Father was another great book by Jessica Brody and while it was not my favorite of all of her novels, I still really enjoyed it. Now I am just counting down the days until her next novel is released!

By the way, did any of you who have read all of her books pick up on the reference to My Life Undecided in this book? I loved that! 

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

July 3, 2012/Farrar, Straus, & Giroux/352 Pages/Young Adult

Source: Won (from author)

Other books by this author: The Karma Club, My Life Undecided 

1 of the 52 Reasons to Love Jessica Brody and Her Books

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To promote her new novel, Jessica Brody is touring various blogs and sharing 52 reasons to love her and her books! I'm here to share one of these as well as some other special features!

Being America’s favorite heiress is a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it.
Lexington Larrabee has never to work a day in her life. After all, she’s the heiress to the multi-billion-dollar Larrabee Media empire. And heiresses are not supposed to work. But then again, they’re not supposed to crash brand new Mercedes convertibles into convenience stores on Sunset Blvd either.
Which is why, on Lexi’s eighteenth birthday, her ever-absent, tycoon father decides to take a more proactive approach to her wayward life. Every week for the next year, she will have to take on a different low-wage job if she ever wants to receive her beloved trust fund. But if there’s anything worse than working as a maid, a dishwasher, and a fast-food restaurant employee, it’s dealing with Luke, the arrogant, albeit moderately attractive, college intern her father has assigned to keep tabs on her.
In a hilarious “comedy of heiress” about family, forgiveness, good intentions, and best of all, second chances, Lexi learns that love can be unconditional, money can be immaterial, and, regardless of age, everyone needs a little saving. And although she might have 52 reasons to hate her father, she only needs one reason to love him.

1 of the 52 Reasons to Love Jessica Brody and Her Books….

Jessica can't wait for the fall to see the new seasons of HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (her all-time favorite show) and THE VAMPIRE DIARIES.

for 51 other reasons, visit Anna Reads (August 30th) and Books Over Boys (September 1st), and stay tuned for more!

Visit this link to read an excerpt of the fantastic 52 Reasons to Hate My Father and keep your eye on my blog for my own review of the book soon!

Book Trailer 




Making of the Book Trailer

Review: My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody

My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody

PLEASE READ THIS! MY LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!

Okay, maybe that was a bit melodramatic, but I’m sorry, I’m feeling a bit melodramatic at the moment.

Here’s the deal. My name is Brooklyn Pierce, I’m fifteen years old, and I am decisionally challenged. Seriously, I can’t remember the last good decision I made. I can remember plenty of crappy ones though. Including that party I threw when my parents were out of town that accidentally burned down a model home. Yeah, not my finest moment, for sure.

But see, that’s why I started a blog. To enlist readers to make my decisions for me. That’s right. I gave up. Threw in the towel. I let someone else be the one to decide which book I read for English. Or whether or not I accepted an invitation to join the debate team from that cute-in-a-dorky-sort-of-way guy who gave me the Heimlich Maneuver in the cafeteria. (Note to self: Chew the melon before swallowing it.) I even let them decide who I dated!

Well, it turns out there are some things in life you simply can’t choose or have chosen for you—like who you fall in love with. And now everything’s more screwed up than ever.

But don’t take my word for it, read the book and decide for yourself. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll scream in frustration. Or maybe that’s just me. After all, it’s my life.

Review:

Jessica Brody's novels always have such fun and original premises. I adored her young adult debut, The Karma Club, and have been eager to read her next novel for months. My Life Undecided proved Jessica Brody cannot be stopped and I enjoyed every minute of this entertaining and unique novel. Filled with laughs, heartbreak, and more- I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait to see what Jessica next has up her sleeve!

Brooklyn Pierce has always had a little trouble making good decisions. Ever since she was a baby, Brooklyn's decisions have often let her astray and even to danger. And when one particular plan lands her in the police station and ruins her social life, Brooklyn knows she has to do something to make sure she never makes another mistake. So Brooklyn enlists the help of the world. Or at least her blog readers. Brooklyn starts a blog called "My Life [Un]Decided" and she posts polls for every decision she has to make and allows her blog readers to vote. Whatever the outcome of the poll is, that's what Brooklyn will do. One thing Brooklyn knows for sure is that her life will never be the same.

My Life Undecided was packed full of unique and well developed characters. Brooks, at first, irritated me a bit, but as the novel progressed she learned a lot about herself and how her actions impacted those around her. Brooks had a lot of interesting experiences and even when she didn't enjoy some of the things she tried, at least she did it. The plot was wonderfully developed and contained so many fantastic twists and occurrences. As she navigated her new life, Brooklyn discovered a side of herself she never knew existed.

I particularly liked the scenes Brooklyn spent volunteering at the nursing home. Mrs. Moody was a fantastic and unique character and her role in the story was one of my favorites. There was much more to her than met the eye. There were quite a few other secondary characters I liked and Brooklyn's love life also played a part in the story- and how all the polls in the world can't choose who you'll fall in love with.

There were some very important messages weaved into Brooklyn's story and the reader will definitely take something away with them. I enjoyed watching Brooks come up with different polls and to actually act on the decision her readers made for her. This made for an extremely entertaining and humorous read and I thoroughly enjoyed Jessica's sophomore young adult novel. All in all, I definitely recommend My Life Undecided. It's the perfect contemporary read and I can't wait to read Jessica's next book, 52 Reasons to Hate My Father (2012).

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

June 7, 2011/Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (BFYR)/320 Pages/Young Adult

Source: Publisher

Other books by this author: The Karma Club

Review: The Karma Club by Jessica Brody

The Karma Club by Jessica Brody

Madison Kasparkova always thought she understood how Karma works. It’s that mysterious, powerful force that brings harmony to the universe. You know—do good things and you will be rewarded, do something bad and Karma will make sure you get what’s coming to you. A sort of cosmic balancing act.

But when Mason Brooks, Maddy’s boyfriend of two years, gets caught tongue-wrestling with Miss Perfect Body Heather Campbell, and absolutely nothing happens to either of them—except that they wind up the hot new couple of Colonial High School, it seems like Karma has officially left Maddy in the lurch. That’s why Maddy and her best friends, Angie and Jade, decide to start the Karma Club—a secret, members-only organization whose sole purpose is to clean up the messes that the universe has been leaving behind. Whether they’re modifying Heather Campbell’s acne cream as part of “Operation Butterface,” or righting a few wrongs when it comes to Angie and Jade’s own slimy exes, they know they’re just doing what Karma should have done in the first place. They’re taking care of one another.

Sometimes, though, it isn’t wise to meddle with the universe. Because it turns out, when you mess with Karma, Karma messes back. Now Maddy must find a way to balance her life for good, even as everything around her seems to be toppling to the ground.

Review:

I LOVED The Karma Club! This was an exciting, fun, positive read. I didn't really know what to expect going into The Karma Club, as I haven't read any of Jessica's previous (adult) writing before. The characters, plot, descriptions, everything was pitch perfect and tied together to make a wonderful story.

To begin with, the characters in this novel were terrific. Maddy has to be one of my all time favorite protagonists. She was funny, inspiring, and just wanted to do the right thing. Her two best friends, Jade and Angie, were also great. Sometimes best friends in novels aren't that developed and I just can't get attached to them. I didn't have a problem doing that in The Karma Club though. Jade and Angie were each wonderfully developed and readers could relate to them, just like with Maddy. Maddy's parents were also likable and played large roles in the novel. You could tell they loved each other, even when they argued. Maddy's younger sister was a character I would have liked to see more of, other than a few random scenes she wasn't really a main character. Other than that, I have no complaints about the characters. They were all well done and realistic. I would love to see another book with any of The Karma Club's characters!

The plot was very original. When I first began reading I wasn't so sure, but the more it developed and moved, I realized how great and unique The Karma Club was going to be. The pranks the girls pulled were awesome, and I enjoyed watching them plot them out. Karma is something I didn't know a lot about, so I was learning along with Maddy and her friends. The novel was really inspiring in the way that it proved how good deeds get rewarded and bad deeds...don't. By the end, Maddy had to work hard to understand Karma, and where she went wrong with it. The way all of the bad things that happened to the characters tied together in the end was interesting, it definitely proved how important it is not to mess with Karma or other peoples' lives.

The romance aspect was very sweet as well. I don't want to give anything away, but let's just say the swoon-worthy guy Maddy falls for is definitely not who I was expecting :)

The Karma Club did have some serious and inspirational aspects to it, but overall it was a witty, entertaining, and overall well done YA debut. With memorable characters and a fantastic, well orchestrated plot, this is one of my favorite reads of 2010! Definitely go pick up a copy today!

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars

April 27, 2010/Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (BFYR)/272 Pages/Young Adult

Source: Publisher (ARC)

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The awesome trailer!