Hello Everyone!
Overview (Non-Spoliery Section) This novel is in the same range as "Counting by 7s" and "Mockingbird". I am really interested in this genre, and this was a good addition to the previous books I have read. I really loved Candice. Her asides made the narrator's voice for me, and defined her from the other female narrators from the previous books that I have read in this genre. I feel like I would have liked the novel less if the narrator wasn't as strong and humorous. I loved Candice's view of the world, how she saw it the way it was and in ways that the rest of the world could not. She reverted to honesty during any situation that she was unable to find a better option in. ***Spoilers*** I feel like, at many points, the parents were a little extreme. While Candice explained to the reader that her family was the quintessential flawed family, I feel like sometimes the parent's were a wave of raw flawed and a huge "my family is actually being happy" moment. I really enjoyed the side characters, side characters that really built and drove the plot. Jen and Douglas were some of these side characters. We really don't get a lot of time with Jen but in the time that we spend with her we get a really powerful message. She is talking all about how her family is messed up and she throws the saying "But I guess that your family is one of the perfect families." Jen has no idea how messed up Candice's family is, but the reader does. And it makes the audience think a lot about how, in many ways, this is what we think of the world. Our family is messed up but everyone else’s lives are pretty perfect, which usually isn’t the truth. Douglas was a blast to read about. Him and Candice were so perfect together and he took the friendship that they had to the next level, he loved her. And it may not have been something that would have turned into marriage, we don’t get to see them get that far but the commitment that they had to each other and the truth that their friendship was based on was not only hysterical as a character, but they totally understood where each other was coming from. Things I liked: -Candice and the company of side characters that make this book a worthwhile read. -The humor of the novel. Things I didn’t like: -The parent’s got a little much at some points. -The ending seemed to gain too much positivity too quickly. -I don’t really feel like this brought anything overwhelmingly new but I feel like the characters drove the plot more than the storyline. It was still an enjoyable read considering. Overall: 4 out of 5 stars 89% -Jaime