Secrets of My Suburban Life Book

Yowza. This one was bad. But I had fun, so it wasn't completely a waste of my time.

Everything about this book is done poorly. Ren is incredibly shallow and self-centered, and everyone around her has the same paper-thin personality. The stakes are never really that high, because Lauren Baratz-Logsted never allows anyone to take anything seriously. It's one long string of awkward happenings and it all ends okay. Who cares that our heroine is dumber than a sack of rocks? She gets a boyfriend, yay!

I wanted to sympathize with Ren. The themes of change and loss were briefly touched upon, but they weren't handled with care and felt like an afterthought. And honestly, why did Ren not consider calling the police when she found out Farrin was chatting with an older man? It never occurs to her until two-thirds of the way through the book, and even then someone has to point it out to her. It's amazing how truly idiotic every single character is, not one of them is intelligent at all.

The cast is diverse (kind of), but it doesn't even matter because it's not handled respectfully. Pretty sure Mohammed is just a glaring stereotype, which is a shame, because he was the closest thing to a likable character.

But you know what? I enjoyed myself reading this book. Sure, it was a dumpster fire and included death by Harry Potter books, but I at least had fun hating it. I didn't rage and I don't feel cheated having given it my time. If you're looking for a trashy, easy read, this fits the bill.