Confessions of a Hater by Caprice Crane

Hailey Harper has always felt invisible. Now her dad has a new job and the family is moving to Hollywood. Just what Hailey needs: starting a new high school.

As she's packing, Hailey finds a journal that belonged to her older sister, Noel, who is away at college. Called "How to Be a Hater," it's full of info Hailey can really use. Has Hailey found the Bible of Coolness? Will it help her reinvent herself at her new school? Will her crush notice her? Will she and the other Invisibles dethrone the popular mean girls? After all, they deserve it. Don't they?

Caprice Crane's funny--and deeply felt--observations about high school, bullies, popularity, friendship, and romance will leave teens thinking...and talking.

Confessions Of A Hater is the story of a girl trying to survive high school and the mean girls who rule the school. I think most of us can relate to her struggles. It can be hard trying to figure out the politics of high school and fitting in versus being true to yourself. Confessions Of A Hater explores this through the eyes of a high school student named Hailey.

This book is full of fun witty dialogue that had me laughing out loud and sometimes even gasping in shock. The story was fun and Hailey was pretty cool and very likeable. I loved that she was artistic and sassy. Her relationships with her family were interesting to me and I liked the unique way she became closer to her sister by reading her old diary on "how to be a hater".

 All of the characters were pretty realistic, flaws and all, and I really like that. Skyler though, constantly had me thinking of Regina George from the movie Mean Girls. In fact the whole book often had me reminiscing of Mean Girls. That's one of the main reasons that I feel a little conflicted about this book. Because although the story did seem to lag in the middle some, and the outline and ending were predictable, there was still some surprising moments and the overall vibe is very enjoyable. I think it would probably be hard for a book about high school and dealing with the Skyler' s of the world, would be pretty hard not to make me think of that movie though, in all fairness. 

So with that being said I'll move on to saying that I really did like the voice of this book and the moral lessons about not losing yourself to fit in or stand out of the crowd, to just be yourself, even when that may seem difficult. The fact that we are all different is what makes this world interesting after all. It's just sad we can be made to feel ashamed of it, especially in high school!

 

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  April