Secrets of My Suburban Life (Paperback)

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Key Phrases: sex pervert, Secrets of My Suburban Life, Lauren Baratz-Logsted, Sadie Hawkins Dance (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

And you thought your life had a dark side....

Everything changed for Lauren ("Ren") after Harry Potter killed her mom. No,it's not what you think--Harry Potter didn't come to life and stab her oranything. A stack of those thick books crushed her. Now Ren is stuck out inthe suburbs of Connecticut, dragged out there because her father is too grief stricken to continue living in New York.

Ren tries to fit in at her new school, but the most popular girl, Farrin,keeps icing her out. Then Ren discovers that Farrin has a secret: She's beencommunicating online with an older man, and they are actually planning tomeet! Ren can't let Farrin go through with it--she's witnessed enough tragicevents as it is. So she comes up with the perfect plan to stop the perv. Butthen she finds out who he is...

Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse (January 8, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416925252
• ISBN-13: 978-1416925255
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,420,919 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun read!, February 23, 2008

By	Ratmammy "The Ratmammy" (Ratmammy's Town, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

SECRETS OF MY SUBURBAN LIFE by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Rating **** (4 Stars)

February 23, 2008

This reviewer rarely ventures into the world of YA books and Teen Fiction, and was not aware that SECRETS OF MY SUBURBAN LIFE was just that - teen fiction. But there was no doubt about it, that this book was very funny and enjoyable and regardless of being Teen Fiction or not, it was very good.

The story is narrated by Ren (Lauren), who is learning to deal with life with a single (widowed) Dad, moving to a new city, going to a new school, and trying to fit in with new friends. Ren's mother was a writer who happened to be killed by Harry Potter - a stack of Harry Potter books fell on top of Ren's mother and killed her. So, instead of continuing life in New York, Ren and her father, who also happened to be a writer, are now in the suburbs of Connecticut, which is very boring in comparison to New York.

Farrin is the most popular girl in school. Ren and Farrin "connect" when Ren is forced to join the cheerleading squad (since Ren was a failure at all other sports, and every student was expected to participate on at least one sports team). They are also in some of the same classes, and it's during one of these classes that Ren learns an awful secret that Farrin has been keeping. It's so bad that Ren's life will change because of it. Farrin has been secretly communicating with an older man via the Internet, and Ren is afraid that Farrin is about to make a big mistake. Ren figures out a way to impersonate Farrin online to intercept the pervert, but the "joke" is on Ren when she finds out who this pervert is that Farrin is about to meet!

The book is told from Ren's point of view, along with email communications between a girl (Sexgurl) and an older man (FDA), and Ren's letters to her mother, who she confides with and misses terribly. At times Ren appeared to be a lot older than her teen years, possibly because she's had to grow up that much faster after her mother died.

SECRETS OF MY SUBURBAN LIFE is populated by all sorts of characters typical to the average teenager's life. Ren's got a best friend, Shannon, who she left behind in New York and misses a lot. Shannon, however, has moved on with her life, and has some secrets of her own. Ren's got a crush on Jack, the most popular guy in school, who unfortunately is dating Farrin. Jack and Ren do strike up a friendship, to the astonishment of Ren, and she is secretly hoping Jack may start to have feelings for her. But the competition is pretty fierce. What guy wouldn't want Farrin for a girlfriend? Luckily for Ren, she manages to get involved with Jack's family by mentoring his little sister Amanda, a girl who is as obnoxious as they can get. Ren can't believe that the two are even related. Through Amanda, Ren is able to hang out with Jack's family, and comes closer to him than she ever imagined.

Ren is also making new friends at school, in particular T'Keyah who's related to a famous basketball player, but the two don't hit it off right away. It's a lot of work being the new girl in school, and Ren wishes that her mother never died.

While a good part of the story is funny and light, there are moments that are much more serious, as Ren deals with the death of her mother, being at a stage in her life when having her mother there was most important. Young readers will connect with Ren, who is the best part of the story and the reason to read it. A very likeable character, Ren is definitely the perfect protagonist.

This reviewer is recommending SECRETS OF MY SUBURBAN LIFE because it was such a delightful surprise. Filled with teens that many young readers will relate to, this book is fun to read. It was a very refreshing change for this reviewer, mainly because of the main character, Ren, and for the first time, this reviewer actually enjoyed a book that was aimed at a younger audience. - courtesy of Love Romances and More - M. Lofton

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love the protagonist, love the humor, love the book, January 11, 2009

By	Tamara Girardi (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm going to bypass the summary because it's been done time and again here. I just want to say that I love this book by Lauren Baratz-Logsted. Ren is a great character dealing with common teen issues such as the ex-boyfriend and making new friends. However, there are some unexpected challenges such as her mother being killed by JK Rowling and her hunting down a child predator even though the prey is not so nice. It's a fun story with great humor, but there is a lingering cloud of a serious issue - our children being unsafe online. Very well-balanced. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Compulsive Reader's Reviews, February 10, 2008

By	The Compulsive Reader (Big Rapids, MI, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

A lot has happened to Ren in the past few months...her mother has died (in the most unconventional way: crushed under a load of Harry Potter books), her father has moved them from their duplex in New York City to a regular house in the dreadfully boring suburb of Danbury, Connecticut, her best friend is barely returning her emails, and she is being ostracized by everyone at Waylord Academy. Everything in Danbury is the exact opposite of NYC. She is the only one who doesn't drive which causes her to resort to taking a cab everywhere via the small and often times unreliable Wheels Instead of Heels, and Waylord Academy requires every one of its students to participate in a sport. It is by default that she is thrown on to the cheerleading team, and into Farrin Farraway's evil clutches. Then Ren learns Farrin has a secret: she's been communicating with a mysterious older man online, and is planning to meet him. As much as she may despise Farrin, Ren can't bring herself to allow her to do this...especially when she thinks she might know who the man is.

Secrets of My Suburban Life is a page-turner that will suck the reader in. Baratz-Logsted's style is unique, and stashed with subtle humor. Ren's reaction to her mother's death is wholly believable and raw, from her emotional state to her frequent letters addressed to her mother that give the story life, and her expressiveness and loyalty are to be admired, and make her character real. There is a pleasant balance between Ren's grief and friend problems, and the disaster that she is desperate to save Farrin from, which makes this story relatable and plausible. Every word will count in this heartrending, witty, and suspenseful novel.

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