52 Reasons to Hate My Father

May 21, 2012
Famous and spoiled teenage heiress Lexington Larrabee could give the Kardashians a run for their money in this opulent and fast-paced story. Lexi finally pushes her media-mogul father too far when she crashes her new Mercedes convertible into a convenience store after a night of partying. Fed up, her stereotypically distant billionaire father withholds more than love: he decides not to give his daughter access to her $25 million trust fund on her 18th birthday. The only way Lexi can get it back is to complete 52 menial jobs, one each week for a year. Lexi must report daily to her father’s college-age intern, Luke, after cleaning houses, bagging groceries, selling tacos, and more. Brody (My Life Undecided) makes her self-absorbed and snotty main character relatable—even likable—as she grows emotionally and gains insight into her father’s actions. Though the plot, including a rich boy/regular boy love triangle, is often predictable, sharp writing and over-the-top scenes will appeal to readers looking for a fun summer read. Ages 12–up. Agent: Bill Contardi, Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents.

June 1, 2012
There's no reason to hate this novel, but there are certainly plenty of reasons to feel apathetic about this formulaic work. After the shallow, childish Lexington Larrabee crashes her luxury car into a convenience store, her father takes control of her life. He's only a parent in biological terms to Lexi, so she's just counting down until she turns 18 and takes control of her trust fund. But her father says she has to wait a year longer, which she'll spend working 52 different jobs. She'll work menial, minimum-wage jobs, and she'll be supervised by Luke, an intern from her father's company. If she doesn't work, she'll lose everything. Predictably, Lexi pouts and whines until she learns valuable lessons about work and family from a new friend. There's romance, of course, and the expected happy ending. Characters are flat and stereotyped, and there's nothing surprising in the plot. The writing is competent, though, and at least Lexington's voice is engaging enough to snare readers. It's sure to be enjoyed by teens, but this novel is just another example of poor-little-rich-girl lit. (Fiction. 14 & up)

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September 1, 2012

Gr 7 Up-Lexington Larabee has grown up getting everything she wants without lifting a finger. Then, she crashes her brand-new Mercedes convertible into a convenience store after a night of partying hard and everything changes. Her distant billionaire father decides to withhold the trust fund she's been counting on receiving on her 18th birthday until she has completed 52 menial jobs (cleaning houses, filling tacos, washing dishes, etc.), one each week for the next year. As if that isn't humiliating enough, he doesn't even administer this punishment himself. Instead, he appoints his college intern, Luke, to be Lexi's babysitter. He drives her to and from her jobs and assesses her progress. While the plot is predictable with the requisite romance and happy ending, the story has surprising charm. Lexi's growth is believable-as believable as it can be within the confines of the premise, anyway-and readers see the specific lessons she learns as she works. For example, after a week as a maid, she realizes that "no one notices the help," a lesson that she uses later in the book during a nail-biting undertaking of corporate espionage to help her father's company. Brody also delivers an occasional turn of phrase (Lexi describes her sleeping dog as "a perfect little doughnut of fur") that makes this book perhaps not a standout, but at least a better example of the bad-girl-turned-good narrative.-Gretchen Kolderup, New Canaan Library, CT

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2012
Grades 8-12 Lexington Larrabee can't wait until she turns 18, when she'll come into her massive trust fund. But Lexi is a bit of a screwup. The latest? She crashed a half-million-dollar sports car while drunk. Her Mr. Mogul dad has had it and decides Lexi must work at a minimum-wage job for the next year. If she proves herself worthy, then she'll inherit. You know where this is going: rich brat gets her eyes opened. But there are also some interesting twists: Lexi tries to figure out why her father has always treated her so coldly, and there's a fun push-pull between Lexi and a college intern who's supposed to chart her progress.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)