Mundie Moms

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

52 Reasons to Hate My Father by Jessica Brody


Published by: Farrar Straus & Giroux
Released on: July 3rd, 2012
Source: ARC from publisher to review/blog tour
4.5 stars: I Really Enjoyed It
Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

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. -quoted from Goodreads

A fantastic read with moments of humor, heartbreak and a little bit of romance.

At first I was a little skeptical about reading this book, but my intrigue over whether or not Lexi can change won out in the end. I ended up really enjoying this book. In fact, I was really surprised with much I liked it. I mean the story after is about a billionaire's spoiled teenage daughter, and what she has to do to earn her $25 million trust fund, but the story is much more than that. Jessica Brody has written a well crafted story with a solid plot line, in-depth characters whom all grow and surprisingly change in many ways, and offers a realistic look into the lives of us every day hard working people vs those born into privilege. There's more to this story than just looks, I loved how Jessica was able to weave together a believable storyline and introduce me to a character I ended up loving.

Lexi starts off as your typical incredibly rich spoiled teenager who doesn't have a care in the world except for shopping, partying and hanging out with her friends. When I first met her she a total brat, lacked respect, and didn't care about her consequences. In reading between the lines with Lexi I knew there something else going on, and a reason for her acting out and it wasn't long before Jessica revealed what that was. It's that reasoning that hooked me with Lexi's story. I wanted to know what the cause was, how Lexi was going to fix it and is how she was going to change as a character over the course of her story. I have to say, I ended up loving this girl! There's so much more to her than meets the eye. She's a beautiful girl who's had her share of heartbreak, she's intelligent, and witty. 

There is a fabulous group of characters in this book, and each one plays a roll in Lexi's life. It doesn't matter if they're rich or poor, or from the working class, every character had an effect on Lexi's life both good and bad, most of the time it was for the better. I admired her best friends who were loyal and there to help her out through thick and thin. I also enjoyed meeting Luke! I got why Lexi was so irritated at him first, and loved it when she started to see him in a different way. They both learned a lot about each other and from one another in working together. I really enjoyed seeing their relationship grow. Aside from Lexi, the character that surprised me the most was Lexi's father. At first it was easy for me to see why Lexi was doing what she did to get her father's attention. I ended up seeing Lexi's father the way she did. As Lexi finds out, there's more to him than just the way she's always seen him, and I loved how Jessica unraveled the complex relationship these two have had and the reasoning behind.

This book is fabulous! It's one that got better and better with each chapter. I loved the meaningful messages Jessica gives to her readers and the way she does it. She not only allows her readers to connect with Lexi, but we see how each job effects and changes her and the lessons she learns from those she works with. There's a lot of character growth in this book, and with that came some heartfelt moments, bitter sweet ones, heartbreaking ones, and moments that were down right hilarious. I emotionally connected to all of them. The bits of humor in this book are fabulous! This is a wonderful story and one I'd recommend picking up!

Don't miss my blog tour stop & giveaway happening here

Blog Tour & Giveaway: 52 Reasons To Hate My Father

52 Days of 52 Reasons to Love Jessica Brody and Her Books

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

Brian, one of the love interests in My Life Undecided is based on her high school boyfriend--they drive the same kind of car.

for 51 other reasons, visit I Just Want to Sit Here and Read (August 7th), Chapter Chicks (August 9th), Fiction Folio (August 10th), and stay tuned for more! 


About 52 Reasons to Hate My Father (FSG, July 2012)

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.


52 Reasons to Hate My Father Trailer:


The Making of the 52 Reasons to Hate My Father Book Trailer:



The Giveaway: Thank you to Farrar Straus & Giroux, I have 2 copies of 52 Reasons To Hate My Father to giveaway to 2 lucky winners, 1 copy of My Life Undecided to another lucky winner.  To enter, please fill out the form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday: The Unnaturalists by Tiffany Trent


Published by: Simon & Schuster
To Be Released On: 7/14/12

In an alternate London where magical creatures are preserved in a museum, two teens find themselves caught in a web of intrigue, deception, and danger.

Vespa Nyx wants nothing more than to spend the rest of her life cataloging Unnatural creatures in her father’s museum, but as she gets older, the requirement to become a lady and find a husband is looming large. Syrus Reed’s Tinker family has always served and revered the Unnaturals from afar, but when his family is captured to be refinery slaves, he finds that his fate may be bound up with Vespa’s—and with the Unnaturals.

As the danger grows, Vespa and Syrus find themselves in a tightening web of deception and intrigue. At stake may be the fate of New London—and the world. -quoted from Goodreads

Steampunk, London, and danger.... SOLD! This sounds like an exciting combination and I can't wait to get my hands on this book when it's out next week. Based on that synopsis alone it sounds like my kind of book. What book are you waiting on?

Giveaway Winners!

Congratulations to the following giveaway winners:

#192- Sarah L

#153- Natalie A

#2- Lili

#78- Jen H

#51- Allie R

#18-Joannie S

#11- Leanne

#125: Jasmine K

Prize pack #1- Vivie
Prize pack #2- Holly
Prize pack #3- Lili

#7- Crystal

Thank you to everyone who entered!! All winners have already been contacted and have 48 hrs to reply to their emails. In the event a winner does not reply, a new winner will be chosen. 

Be sure to check out the other fabulous giveaways currently happening on the blog, via the right hand side bar. 

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