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leesuh's review against another edition
4.0
Having read and loved Jessica Brody’s Unremembered I was too excited to check out her contemporary work. 52 Reasons to Hate My Father had been floating through my brain for a while. Add in the interest in a stellar title and people telling me it was good and it’s safe to say I was over the moon to pick this book up.
52 Reasons to Hate My Father has one of the most unique concepts I’ve ever seen/read anywhere. I was expecting this to be a quick, light read (it was), but I was happy to discover that Lexington Larrabee wasn’t just a spoiled brat. There were reasons for the way she was and conflict in her life I wasn’t expecting to get a look into. I have to be honest, at the end of this novel I actually got a little misty because of how sweet it was.
I know the title is a little bit misleading, but Lexington Larrabee goes through one hell of a transformation in the duration of the novel. I actually think that her character arc is one of the most complex I’ve read before. That’s not to say that she had a lot wrong with her and she overcame it or anything like that, but the change in her outlook on life was so radically different by the end of the book. And it was written so well. Like, I can totally see it happening in real life.
At the end of the day I’m not really sure what to say about this book. I loved 52 Reasons to Hate My Father so much. I wish I could go back with a clean slate and read it again like I’ve never read it before. If you like contemporary I definitely, definitely recommend you read this book. It is so good and I promise you won’t be disappointed.
52 Reasons to Hate My Father has one of the most unique concepts I’ve ever seen/read anywhere. I was expecting this to be a quick, light read (it was), but I was happy to discover that Lexington Larrabee wasn’t just a spoiled brat. There were reasons for the way she was and conflict in her life I wasn’t expecting to get a look into. I have to be honest, at the end of this novel I actually got a little misty because of how sweet it was.
I know the title is a little bit misleading, but Lexington Larrabee goes through one hell of a transformation in the duration of the novel. I actually think that her character arc is one of the most complex I’ve read before. That’s not to say that she had a lot wrong with her and she overcame it or anything like that, but the change in her outlook on life was so radically different by the end of the book. And it was written so well. Like, I can totally see it happening in real life.
At the end of the day I’m not really sure what to say about this book. I loved 52 Reasons to Hate My Father so much. I wish I could go back with a clean slate and read it again like I’ve never read it before. If you like contemporary I definitely, definitely recommend you read this book. It is so good and I promise you won’t be disappointed.
sarahanne1994's review against another edition
4.0
At first, it was easy to not like Lexington because she was a rich and spoiled brat, even at the age of eighteen. It was fun watching her go through the list and grow and change. It was fun seeing how inept she was using a vacuum, and seeing how she began tto adapt to each new job.
chapteriosity's review against another edition
5.0
There are plenty of parts that I love in this book. Funny, awkward, touching and heartfelt moments that make me sympathize to Lexi. I know at the beginning she sounds like an ungrateful-spoiled-daughter who does nothing but drinking and partying and shopping. However she gradually starts to learn a lot of important life lessons as she goes through weeks of doing low-wages jobs which her super busy father had
set.
I pretty much enjoyed the book, laughing at some funny scenes and tearing up a bit on heartfelt moments. But what I like the most is Lexi’s close relationship with her human best friends and canine best friend.
Holly is a Papillion dog she rescued some time ago and since then they have been growing closer and closer. The way Holly cares about Lexi is just cute and I can’t help but smile.
I myself like dogs and I also have a few at home. And Holly reminds me of them. Sometimes my dogs will wait for me in front of the bathroom door. Every time I get home (and every single member of my family), they will greet us enthusiastically and wag their tails so hard that it might hurt a bit when it slaps my leg. And I also believe dogs have a high sense of loyalty and understanding that even exceeds human occasionally. (I’m sure you all have heard about Hachiko, a Japanese dog that waited for his owner for more than 10 years)
In “52 Reasons to Hate Your Father”, we get to watch Lexi changes into a mature 18-year-old girl. The book may doesn’t focus on Lexi’s love life, but it centers around her relationship with her dad. And ends with an unexpected realizations. That love is not a mere business negotiation. That she has the potential to be a greater person. And more importantly, her dad isn’t as cruel as she always thought.
Here are a couple of quotes I love the most from the book:
“People can be so annoying sometimes. With all their stupid opinions and hidden agendas. But dogs? Dogs don’t have any agendas. They’re as honest and open and devoted as you can get. And that’s why they’ll always cheer you up. They’ll always love you. No matter how badly you screw up.”
“Because apart we might be different as night and day, black and white, right and wrong, but together we create two sides of a whole. Together we balance.”
set.
I pretty much enjoyed the book, laughing at some funny scenes and tearing up a bit on heartfelt moments. But what I like the most is Lexi’s close relationship with her human best friends and canine best friend.
Holly is a Papillion dog she rescued some time ago and since then they have been growing closer and closer. The way Holly cares about Lexi is just cute and I can’t help but smile.
I myself like dogs and I also have a few at home. And Holly reminds me of them. Sometimes my dogs will wait for me in front of the bathroom door. Every time I get home (and every single member of my family), they will greet us enthusiastically and wag their tails so hard that it might hurt a bit when it slaps my leg. And I also believe dogs have a high sense of loyalty and understanding that even exceeds human occasionally. (I’m sure you all have heard about Hachiko, a Japanese dog that waited for his owner for more than 10 years)
In “52 Reasons to Hate Your Father”, we get to watch Lexi changes into a mature 18-year-old girl. The book may doesn’t focus on Lexi’s love life, but it centers around her relationship with her dad. And ends with an unexpected realizations. That love is not a mere business negotiation. That she has the potential to be a greater person. And more importantly, her dad isn’t as cruel as she always thought.
Here are a couple of quotes I love the most from the book:
“People can be so annoying sometimes. With all their stupid opinions and hidden agendas. But dogs? Dogs don’t have any agendas. They’re as honest and open and devoted as you can get. And that’s why they’ll always cheer you up. They’ll always love you. No matter how badly you screw up.”
“Because apart we might be different as night and day, black and white, right and wrong, but together we create two sides of a whole. Together we balance.”
heisereads's review against another edition
4.0
Review originally posted on Heise Reads & Recommends
When I read the summary of this book, I figured it would be a fun read, and since I thoroughly enjoyed Jessica Brody's last book, MY LIFE UNDECIDED, I decided to pick this one up on a break from fantasy books. It was a little bit predictable, but like a good chick flick, it was a comforting read.
22 Reasons to Enjoy Reading 52 REASONS TO HATE MY FATHER
1. It's a cute contemporary book
2. It has a splash of celebutante fascination culture, but looks at it with a critical eye
3. There is a sweet dash of romance with a really good guy
4. The writing is straight-forward in Lexington's head, which is a fun place to be
5. Characters figuring out their relationships with their families and fixing the damage
6. True friends who are dedicated, honest, and there for each other (even if they were very secondary characters and not around too much)
7. Ronaldo. No, really, he is deserving of his very own number and I wish there had been more of him in the story.
8. Ronaldo's family
9. Horatio & Kingston (notice the help)
10. The scene where Lexi takes Luke shopping (and stares)
11. The video message status update transcripts
12. The video message non-status-update transcript from Luke
13. The video message transcript ending wrap-up from Lexi
14. The family being truly at the heart of the story-more so than expected
15. Lexington's phone call with her brother Cooper
16. The list of the 52 jobs (hilarity can and will ensue) and eye-opening nature of how hard people work
17. The moment when we find out the why of those 52 jobs (so smart!)
18. It's clean enough for 7th grade, but will appeal all the way to beyond high school
19. The spy mission at the end
20. The heartfelt father/daughter moment
21. Lexington's self-discovery of her own strength of character
22. It's sassy, sarcastic, sweet, humorous, heart-warming, heartfelt, enjoyable, entertaining, and engaging personality
I've come to rely on Jessica Brody for these kinds of light, easy to read, engaging, fun books. Pick up 52 REASONS TO HATE MY FATHER the next time you're in the mood for that kind of read. I look forward to seeing what she'll have for us next!
When I read the summary of this book, I figured it would be a fun read, and since I thoroughly enjoyed Jessica Brody's last book, MY LIFE UNDECIDED, I decided to pick this one up on a break from fantasy books. It was a little bit predictable, but like a good chick flick, it was a comforting read.
22 Reasons to Enjoy Reading 52 REASONS TO HATE MY FATHER
1. It's a cute contemporary book
2. It has a splash of celebutante fascination culture, but looks at it with a critical eye
3. There is a sweet dash of romance with a really good guy
4. The writing is straight-forward in Lexington's head, which is a fun place to be
5. Characters figuring out their relationships with their families and fixing the damage
6. True friends who are dedicated, honest, and there for each other (even if they were very secondary characters and not around too much)
7. Ronaldo. No, really, he is deserving of his very own number and I wish there had been more of him in the story.
8. Ronaldo's family
9. Horatio & Kingston (notice the help)
10. The scene where Lexi takes Luke shopping (and stares)
11. The video message status update transcripts
12. The video message non-status-update transcript from Luke
13. The video message transcript ending wrap-up from Lexi
14. The family being truly at the heart of the story-more so than expected
15. Lexington's phone call with her brother Cooper
16. The list of the 52 jobs (hilarity can and will ensue) and eye-opening nature of how hard people work
17. The moment when we find out the why of those 52 jobs (so smart!)
18. It's clean enough for 7th grade, but will appeal all the way to beyond high school
19. The spy mission at the end
20. The heartfelt father/daughter moment
21. Lexington's self-discovery of her own strength of character
22. It's sassy, sarcastic, sweet, humorous, heart-warming, heartfelt, enjoyable, entertaining, and engaging personality
I've come to rely on Jessica Brody for these kinds of light, easy to read, engaging, fun books. Pick up 52 REASONS TO HATE MY FATHER the next time you're in the mood for that kind of read. I look forward to seeing what she'll have for us next!
britneyfan19's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
2023
Like I said I’m 2019, I really enjoyed Lexi. And I still hope it turns into a movie.
2019
I Really Enjoy this book, it’s such a fun read and made me laugh at what Lexi did or said. She made be a spoiled rich girl. But she also had a rough childhood, that made me feel sorry for her. I Would so love if Netflix turned this book into a movie, because it be such fun to see it come to life.
Like I said I’m 2019, I really enjoyed Lexi. And I still hope it turns into a movie.
2019
I Really Enjoy this book, it’s such a fun read and made me laugh at what Lexi did or said. She made be a spoiled rich girl. But she also had a rough childhood, that made me feel sorry for her. I Would so love if Netflix turned this book into a movie, because it be such fun to see it come to life.
artemishi's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Characters: 6, Lexi and her father are more developed as characters than Luke and just about everyone else in the story. But I wouldn't call them complex, realistic, or really well-developed. The secondary characters range from Plot Device to One Trait Personality. Of course, this is a contemporary, fluffy YA novel so I didn't really expect them to be.
Atmosphere: 7, maybe it's because I actually lived in LA for a time, but I had no problem picturing everything from the mansions with a gated entrance and manicured grounds to the cracked-window graffitied Inglewood apartment to the Filiberto's-esque fast food joint. There was definitely humor with the fish-out-of-water scenes, and even though I pretty much hated shrieky, spoiled toddler-attitude Lexi at the start (as the reader is meant to), that humor kept me immersed in the story until I could genuinely care about her enough to want to keep reading.
Writing: 7, the writing style was fun, the pacing was good, and it was the kind of fluff it purported to be, which I appreciate. There were a couple of scenes that pulled my nitpicky brain out (like Luke putting a hand on Lexi's shoulder while also having an empty champagne glass in one hand a plate in the other so I guess he has three hands?). But for the most part, it flowed smoothly and was contemporary without the character dialogue being unrealistically snappy.
Plot: 8, the pacing was good and the plot was nice in that the primary focus was Lexi's journey (the romance was a B plot, which I prefer). There weren't any big twists, but it was definitely a YA take on women's fiction, with a growth-and-family tale.
Intrigue: 7, I was stuck at home with a very sick dog and needed a total mental distraction, so it's tough to say how much of this keeping my attention was the book and how much was my running away from stress. That said, I did tend to read large chunks of it in each sitting, and I couldn't have done that without being at least a bit invested.
Logic: 7, the world building was pretty clear and based on our pop culture understanding of the very wealthy. Each character acted in accordance with their motive, even when we the audience couldn't fully understand said motive except in hindsight.
Enjoyment: 8, all in all I did enjoy it and enjoyed it pretty consistently. It didn't blow me away, but I'd likely read another fluffy YA by this author.
lexy740's review against another edition
4.0
I believed Lexington was a spoiled brat who's father wasn't around and a mother who died when she was five. her whole life was about going to and getting drunk, going shopping with her friends, and a summer planed by spending it on a private yacht. but after one night of parting going to far a betraying her fathers trust she loses something that she's wanted all of her life. with 52 weeks of hard labor to get it back it change her old shellfish ways for the better.
rigel's review against another edition
3.0
Be prepared to deal with an unlikable character for awhile... but the character development is real