Book Review: 52 Reasons to Hate My Father

52 Reasons to Hate My Father

By: Jessica Brody

Published By: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux

Publication Date: July 2012

Page Count: 352

Buy it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or IndieBound

Source: Kindly Provided by Publisher

Audience: Young Adult - Contemporary

Reading Lark was fortunate enough to be asked to participate in Jessica Brody's blog tour for this novel, but at the time I couldn't work it in for review. I was a little nervous to read this one - the summary on Goodreads sounded interesting - but the cover made me worry that it would be cheesy. This one took me totally by surprise and ended up becoming one of my favorite reads of 2012. I polished this one off in less than a twenty four hours because I could not put it down. It was the best way to spend a Saturday when I was recovering from a particularly grueling work week. Not only is this novel fun, but I also really enjoyed the messages it contains about family and responsibility.

This novel will resonate with many readers in this age of heiress celebrities and their tiny dogs. We see them splashed all over the covers of magazines in the check out line at the grocery store and on tv reality shows. It seems like you can't avoid knowing every single sordid detail of their lives. I have often wondered how celebrities respond to the total lack of privacy. It was interesting to get an inside look into the world of the spoiled and privileged in this novel. I loved watching Lexington change throughout the story from pampered princess to a young woman with a good head on her shoulders and a plan to take control of her life.

Lexington makes this novel. I wasn't sure I would like her at first. She's your typical wealthy, spoiled, stuck up elitist who doesn't realize that her lifestyle isn't how most Americans live. She takes everything she has for granted. However, when her father takes away her trust fund, she learns that hard work and determination are really what make the world go around. Her story is a powerful one; it made me truly think about the nature of my career. My initial wariness of her wore off pretty quickly and I began to see her merits. Her sense of humor kept me in giggles.

The plot originally reminded me of the movie, Billy Madison. This quickly faded when I realized that Billy and Lexi are really nothing alike. The only thing they have in common is a father who makes them earn their trust fund.

Another element I loved was the romance. It was sweet and realistic. I predicted it early on, but it didn't happen without a little conflict. Brody wrote it perfectly.

All in all, my first experience with Brody's writing was a great one. I loved this novel and had such fun reading it. It was a nice change of pace from my typical paranormal reads. While their were numerous hilarious moments, I was also happy to see that this book also had some serious undercurrents.

One Last Gripe: I wasn't ready for this one to end. 

My Favorite Thing About This Book: The character growth

First Sentence: My father is going to kill me.

Favorite Character: Lexi

Least Favorite Character: Caroline

Summary:

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.