Carrie Pilby by Caren Lissner

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Genre: Young Adult/General Fiction
Rating: 4.5 stars

Review: This book was definitely not what I had expected at all. To be honest, the cover and its synopsis on the back do not it enough justice. Carrie Pilby to me was a good read, simply put. It was so engaging, interesting, funny, very smart, and sometimes even heart warming. Its greatest strength is on the main character, Carrie Pilby herself. Her character is so real, basically. She's likable and unlikeable in the most perfect ways. One minute she's getting on my nerves, the next I'm in love with her. She has many flaws and negative qualities but then she also has so many good ones. This makes me feel like Carrie and I are friends, and it's what made me root for her, sympathize, and empathize with her along the way.

The thoughts in the book were extremely believable, raw, honest, and realistic. It could have been my own thoughts or yours, your neighbor's, or your best friend's. The events that happen here are also realistic as well. Having said that, this book deserves the 4.5 star rating because of its realness and honesty. It was unpretentious, and none of the things I've read in this book were stereotypical or cliche. I also found myself literally writing down several quotes and passages from here; it was wonderfully written, and it truly made me think outside the box. There were some moments when I was getting bored with it, but to be honest I sort of think that was the point - Carrie Pilby is such a talker. She rambles about the most random things that an ordinary person wouldn't even be thinking of in the first place. So this added to the feeling of listening to somebody real share her true thoughts and feelings. I liked it a lot, enjoyed it, and recommend it to mature YA readers.

Thank you to Nina who recommended this book!

9 comments:

  1. Good to see that you really enjoyed it! :)

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  2. Great review! The cover looks way cute and its good to know it feels honest :)

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  3. Awww, thanks! I'm always honored when someone likes it. Not everyone does, of course. Great blog! Keep writing...

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  4. I'm happy you liked this one! It's nice to read a book that makes you think for a change. lol

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  5. Aly - Yes I did! Have you read this before?

    juju - thank you. I do like the cover a lot too.

    Caren - Ah! Thank you for taking the time to comment on my little blog! I appreciate it. I really liked this character, and if there's ever a sequel, I would definitely read! haha

    Alexis - The cover IS cute! :)

    May - I agree. I really liked this one because I felt like it challenged me a bit to think outside my own.

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  6. There is a sequel! Check it out:

    http://www.amazon.com/Scenes-Holiday-Hanukkah%5CCarrie-Resolution%5CEmma-Christmas/dp/0373895372/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1300734120&sr=8-1

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  7. Hey everyone - just wanted to let you know what we have a team of great filmmakers working on a Carrie Pilby movie. We love the story of her journey, from her Pilby Parties to her sassy quotes - so we are crowdfunding the Carrie Pilby movie on Kickstarter! For a sneak peek, to learn more, or to help us out, visit us at http://bit.ly/CarriePilbyKS

    Best,
    Carrie Pilby Kickstarter Team

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