Hardcover, 404 pages
Release Date: February 4, 2014Published by: Henry Holt & Co. (BYR)Stand-aloneSource: OwnFor fans of: Contemporary, Hot Literary Guys, GLBTQ, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Sparkly Covers, YASeventeen-year-old Bonnie™ Baker has grown up on TV—she and her twelve siblings are the stars of one-time hit reality show Baker’s Dozen. Since the show’s cancellation, Bonnie™ has tried to live a normal life, under the radar and out of the spotlight. But it’s about to fall apart . . . because Baker’s Dozen is going back on the air. Bonnie™’s mom and the show’s producers won’t let her quit and soon the life that she has so carefully built for herself, with real friends (and maybe even a real boyfriend), is in danger of being destroyed by the show. Bonnie™ needs to do something drastic if her life is ever going to be her own—even if it means being more exposed than ever before.
*MY THOUGHTS*
In my family there’s mostly girls. From me, to my sisters, to my cousins, to my cousin’s children. And to make it even worse we’re all exactly seven years apart. (It’s a little weird lol) And trust me, we couldn’t be more different if we tried. I used to think that with all our personalities and girlie meltdowns life couldn’t get any worse. But then, I read this. And now, let me just say…. THANK GOODNESS FOR MY FAMILY.
“‘…being a tv family , money is something we always just seem to have. Money and lots of random swag.“
pg 37
“‘My room with its pictures of travel destinations, is all about escape. It’s the only dream I’ve ever really had. But you can’t major in running away.“
pg 168
But even though no one else is listening, there is someone who sees how unhappy she is. Patrick. And let me tell you, ladies and gentleman, he is way too perfect. Everything he does centers around Chloe. Normally, I’d be all for that, but their relationship was a little intense for them to be in high school. But, no judgement because there are high school sweethearts out there in the world. I’m actually thankful she had him to go to because she really had it rough. She really deserved to get her happily ever after. Both her and her brother.
“‘Hate is a lot like love. It’s warm and fills you up until every part of you is tingling to release it.“
pg 281
What I loved most about the book was the characters. For there to be 13 children, 3 parents, 2 boyfriends, 2 BFF’s, about 3-4 camera/production people, and countless paparazzi, none of them felt flat to me.It really seemed like everyone had a purpose. Yes it was a bit chaotic, but look at the type of story this it. There was no way it wouldn’t be… My favorite character was Benny. I liked the MC, but Benny was such a strong character. In the way he handled some things I was a little reminded of myself and I had to go back and evaluate some things.
“‘It’s terrifying caring about someone this much. To allow them to be the air you breathe.“
pg 290
It’s funny, I put this book on my TBR because of its bright, beautiful cover. I wasn’t really expecting the inside pages to affect me like they did. Demetrios’ writing style sucked me in completely. I felt all types of emotions while reading this. I swooned, laughed, and even got a little misty eyed! (That scene with the boyfriend shirt?! Yeahhhh…)
“‘The worth of our existence seems to be measured in pixels, and megabytes and “likes.’“
pg 319
From the amazing characters, to the chaos that is her family, to the emotional wild ride I was on while reading this, I enjoyed every bit of it. So much so I stayed up until 5 am finishing it (ON THE DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME DAY SO I HAD ALREADY LOST AN HOUR OF SLEEP MIND YOU!) and I don’t regret it. Now I’m just a little shocked that this is a debut.
Overall, I give this
