"My father's face remains a blank page but he leans in closer to me-close enough that I can feel his breath on my forehead. The proximity is making my stomach flip so I take an instinctive step back. 'You'll do it,' he promises ominously. 'Or you'll lose everything'" (51).
Title: 52 Reasons to Hate My FatherAuthor: Jessica Brody
HARDBACK
Amount of Pages: 335
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Release Date: July 3, 2012
Geared Towards: Teens/Light Reads
From: Author (Hardback Copy)
Summary (From Front Flap):
BEING AMERICA'S FAVORITE
HEIRESS IS A DIRTY JOB...
BUT SOMEONE'S GOTTA DO IT.
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 fifty-two reasons to hate her father, she only needs one reason to love him.
Wdebo's Review: I greatly enjoy reading stories in which heriesses/rich ungrateful people are taken down a notch and taught a lesson. That is the main reason why I decided to pick up this novel. I've never read any books by Jessica Brody before so I wasn't sure what to expect from her style and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
I liked the writing a lot. It was a lot of fun and was surprisingly easy to get into. Brody created a very convincing teenage voice which is not always an easy feat to manage. It was nice to see Lexi mature not only through actions but also her voice. In the novel, she also has to do "status updates" to her "babysitter," Luke, and I greatly enjoyed . They were funny and were another way to see her gradual maturity.
Now, on the subject of Luke. I really liked him and the inevitable connection/chemistry that formed between him and Lexi. Though I was not particularly found of the fact that their relationship at the end was pretty ambiguous seeing as how I like a defined love story in YA novels but it didn't bother me too much. I felt like it ended very well. Lexi, on the other hand, was an ok character. I did not connect with her as I would have liked with other protagonists. However, compared to other stories about rich, spoiled girls I surprisingly did not hate her at first sight. I harbored fairly indifferent feelings towards her. Which can be both a good and bad thing.
I was hoping that the stories would go into my depth about the jobs, but they didn't. At least they talked about them briefly in the status updates, but that was one of my main concerns about the book.
Cafe Cover Chat: The front cover is pretty good; however, all of the other random (Stock?) images on the flaps and back cover were pretty childish and not as good as the front cover. (B-)
All in all, this book is heaps of fun and for a big book it sure went by fast. Though it may not be the most insightful YA novel out there, it will definitely accompany you through a few enjoyable hours.
Grade: B+
~~~
And now for a little author interview with Jessica Brody. Jessica has written quite a few YA novels (7) as well as a couple of adult novels. She also happens to be the awesome founder of Free Book Friday.
Enjoy!
~~~
Jessica Brody: Sensitive. Motivated.
Tech-savvy.
W: Please describe a typical day.
JB: Get up. Get dressed. Drive to
coffee shop (because I can’t write at home!). Order same pastry and coffee as I
do every single morning. Write 1500 words (usually takes me about 2-3 hours).
Drive home. Gripe to husband about latest story crisis. Listen to husband
suggest ideas about how to solve latest story crisis. Shoot down everything
husband has to say because it’s stupid and he doesn’t understand anything! Wait
two hours. Realize husband is actually quite brilliant and his solution fixes
everything. Apologize to husband for being a difficult, moody writer (and
praise him for his brilliance). Eat dinner. Watch TV. Sleep. Repeat.
W:
What is your favorite color?
JB: Purple!
W: In the "About the Author" section of the novel, it says that you researched the book by doing minimum-wage jobs. What kinds of jobs did you do? How long did you do each job? what was your experience with different jobs? How did those experiences factor in with the novel itself?
JB: I had many jobs growing up and my parents
owned a restaurant for most of my teen and young adult years. I did every
single job in that restaurant. So I guess you could say I’ve been researching
this book for years! But one place that I’d never worked at was a fast food
restaurant. My friend happened to own one in Denver so I asked if I could
“under cover” for a day and train as an employee. I especially wanted to
research this location because a few really important scenes take place there
in the book and I wanted it to be as accurate as possible. Plus, I wanted to
know what it would feel like to come into a new restaurant/job and have no idea
what you were doing and have to learn it all on the job. I have to say I was
very overwhelmed. The job wasn't as easy as I thought it would be! And I put
some of that emotion into Lexi when she worked there.
W: What is something that you want your readers to get out of your novel?
JB: First and foremost, I always want my readers
to laugh. I write these contemporary stories to be a source of entertainment
and fun. After that, if my readers walk away with a little insight about life,
family, and love, then that’s a bonus!
W:
Who is your favorite character in 52 REASONS TO HATE MY FATHER? How about your
favorite character out of all of your books?
JB: I know it’s going to sound
strange but I’m going to have to go with Horatio, the butler. He was one of
those characters that I didn’t expect to be very significant and then ended up
having a much bigger role than I anticipated. I know, he’s not the most fun
character in the book but he was interesting to me as the author. He really
does love Lexi but he’s also always the consummate professional. He’s
constantly torn between fulfilling his duty to the family as an employee, and
his duty to Lexi as kind of a father figure, and that made for a fun dynamic in
his personality. It was entertaining for me to be able to hide his affection
for her in little subtle actions that some people may miss.
W:
I also heard that 52 REASONS TO HATE MY FATHER has been optioned for film. Can
you tell your readers the status on that?
JB: Yes! It’s very exciting! The
status is that it was optioned for film by a wonderful producer named Jane Startz
whose credits include The Indian in the
Cupboard, Ella Enchanted, The Babysitters Club Movie, and Tuck Everlasting (A bunch of really
great book adaptations!) She’s chosen a writer to adapt the book into a
screenplay and now she’s currently looking for a studio to attach to the film.
Still a pretty long way to go but I’ve got my finger tightly crossed!
W:
If you were stranded on an island what are five items you would want to bring?
JB:
1) A copy of “How to Survive on a
Deserted Island.” (I’m sure that book must exist somewhere!)
2) My laptop (so I can write)
2) My laptop (so I can write)
3) One of my dogs (to keep me
company)
4) My collection of HOW I MET YOUR
MOTHER dvds. I will NEVER get sick of that show!
5) An airplane to get me off the
island? Or is that cheating? Okay, I’ll go with my Magic Bullet so I can make
yummy island smoothies.
W:
Are you working on any projects right now? If so, can you tell us a little
about it?
JB: Last year, I sold a
sci-fi/suspense trilogy to my publisher and the first installment releases in
March, 2013! The first book is called UNREMEMBERED and it’s about a
sixteen-year-old girl who wakes up among the wreckage of a devastating plane
crash. She’s the only survivor but she has no memories and identity. The only
clue to her past is a mysterious boy who claims they were in love and that he
helped her escape from a top secret science experiment. It’s kind of like
a Bourne Identity for teens. I’m really excited about it
because the genre is totally new to me and writing the first book was so much
fun! Plus, it’s my first crack at writing a series so that presents a whole new
set of fun challenges. The second book, which I’m currently writing now, is
called UNFORGOTTEN and it will release in early 2014.
W:
Who are some of your favorite authors?
JB: In no particular order:
1)
Sophie Kinsella
2)
Suzanne Collins
3)
Emily Giffin
4)
J.K. Rowling
5)
Alyson Noël
6)
Jennifer Bosworth
W:
Do you have anything else you would like to add?
JB: Thank you SO much for featuring
me and my book! I hope you and your readers enjoy the interview! XO – Jessica
W: Thank you for
agreeing to do the interview! It was awesome to have you on TEBC~
~~~
Wdebo :)I have not been paid for my review or interview of the author.
I've been intending to read this one - I think I thought it was a lot fluffier, at first, than I now do. It sounds fun, though. Thanks for reviewing it - and for the interview!
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