Yesterday, link you read my recap of the first stop of the Fall Fierce Reads Tour, sale featuring Jessica Brody, Leigh Bardugo, Gennifer Albin and Ann Aguirre. One of the books that I picked up, to support the store and get it signed, was 52 Reasons to Hate My Father…the only YA book that I have NOT read of Jessica Brody’s.

Today I had an immense amount of free time, and gobbled this up in a matter of HOURS. I’ve been reading SO many fantasy and sci-fi books, and ohmygod the amount of dystopian novels that I’ve been reading, that it felt SO good to get back to some good ‘ol fun contemporary novels.

So check out my review, spoiler free as always, of this fun book!

52 Reasons to Hate My Father by Jessica Brody 

GoodReads / Barnes and Noble / Amazon / Book Depository

Genre:

Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Part of a Series?:

Nope

You May Like if You Liked:

Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler, The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot, Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Age Recommendation:

14+: Only because Lexington’s casual use of alcohol may be a bit much for some kids. Other than that, story wise, its probably appropriate for 12+

Plot Summary:

From Good Reads:

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.

The Good:

Normally I write a “The Bad” section but I didn’t do it this time, because I honestly really couldn’t come up with anything. Maybe others won’t agree with me, but this book was perfect, for me, right now. I completely enjoyed it.

Honestly, I loved it. Like I said earlier, literally everything I’ve been reading lately has been sci-fi, paranormal, fantasy, dystopian and I’ve been really needing to read some contemporary lately. Badly. So this is beautiful and much needed. I read it in a matter of a couple of hours, and spent a lot of time laughing.

If you’re ever met Jessica Brody, you can definitely see her own voice in her novels. She makes me laugh, she’s silly, she’s kind of what I imagine myself as in the future, hopefully just going up and being silly and making people laugh.

Her stories have a lightness to them, while still having a great story with good lessons, and addressing real issues. In this novel, she addresses the idea of an absent parent and what kind of effect that has on a kid. She always addresses children born into luxury and what that does to them as well. While we’re watching Lexi struggle with her minimum wage jobs, in order to earn her trust fund, it can be easy for you to want to punch her in the face. Most people reading this book aren’t rolling around in thousands of dollars, able to do whatever they want, and buy whatever they want, whenever they want. I’m the girl who sits at home, watching her shows and working on her blog, while eating a nice bowl of spaghetti-os. So Lexi can be frustrating.

But I think that’s the point. Lexi is a frustrating person in the beginning of the novel. She’s wrapped in her luxurious lifestyle, and is so focused on her “poor me” attitude, due to her mother’s early death and her father’s barely there presence. She doesn’t really see past herself. But the more you get to know her, the more she grows on, and then the more she endears you. I loved Lexi. She had a wonderful sense of humor, and sure, she was a brat, but she learned from experience, the way we always do.

Plus, I just liked the idea of it too. The whole riches-to-rags thing is not a new thing; we’ve seen this story before. But her story was funny and unique and different. Her father forcing her to work a different labor intensive job each week was awesome. It was a chance for her not just to be in another person’s shoes, but in a ton of different shoes. Its a way for Lexi to learn much more about herself and about other people, and I think it was fun. Plus she didn’t lose her money, she just had to earn it, and I think that’s the beauty of the story. It started off as her desire to have her trust fund, but it takes on a life of its own as the story continues.

Plus, cute guys, come on. Luke is adorable, and he is so straight and moral and hard working and it reminds me of my boyfriend, who I had to smack a couple times in the past six years in order to have a little bit of fun. Luke and Lexi have influences on each other, and its so fun to watch their friendship unfold.

Rating:

5 out of 5 Stars

Recommended or Not?:

Definitely. I have loved all of Jessica’s books and I hope I’ll find time soon to dive into her adult novels as well. She has a great way of telling a story, and weaving humor and fun into it as well. Her novels are easy, fun reads that can put a smile on your face, and cheer up your day. If you’re looking for a break from all the “feels”, this is a great book for that.

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I hope you enjoyed this edition of the Book of the Week! Make sure to check this book, and others, by Jessica Brody soon!

So much awesome is coming soon: NaNoWriMo, book reviews for Jennifer Armentrout’s Sentinel and Marie Lu’s Champion, and even a couple of interviews! Super excited!

Happy Reading Everyone!