“Being America’s favorite heiress is a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it. 

Lexington Larrabee has never to work a day in her life. After all, she’s the heiress to the multi-billion-dollar Larrabee Media empire. And heiresses are not supposed to work. But then again, they’re not supposed to crash brand new Mercedes convertibles into convenience stores on Sunset Blvd either.

Which is why, on Lexi’s eighteen birthday, her ever-absent, tycoon father decides to take a more proactive approach to her wayward life. Every week for the next year, she will have to take on a different low-wage job if she ever wants to receive her beloved trust fund. But if there’s anything worse than working as a maid, a dishwasher, and a fast-food restaurant employee, it’s dealing with Luke, the arrogant, albeit moderately attractive, college intern her father has assigned to keep tabs on her.

In a hilarious “comedy of heiress” about family, forgiveness, good intentions, and best of all, second chances, Lexi learns that love can be unconditional, money can be immaterial, and, regardless of age, everyone needs a little saving. And although she might have 52 reasons to hate her father, she only needs one reason to love him.”

Title: 52 Reasons to Hate My Father

Author: Jessica Brody

Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Publishing Date: July 3rd 2012

ISBN-10: 0374323038

ISBN-13: 978-0374323035

I loved, loved, loved 52 Reasons to Hate My Father! Here are some reasons why:

* Jessica took the touchy topic of the tattered father/daughter relationship and made it hilarious. There are so many hilarious lines and scenes that this book had me laughing out loud. The book starts off with Lexi, the main character, saying:

“My father is going to kill me.

   Actually, on second thought, he probably doesn’t have time to kill me. But he is going to send someone to do it for him. He’s really good at that. Sending people.”

After that, she goes on to describe the people who work for her father as magic elves.

* This father/daughter relationship? While Jessica did add humor, she also adds a lot of emotion and sadness to Lexi’s story. This isn’t just some pouty daughter and workaholic father. Lexi’s has scars; the scenes with her father are powerful and when Lexi’s emotion bubbled up, mine did too. Underneath Lexi’s hate, there’s a lot of hurt, which Jessica cleverly shows.

(Excerpt from the chapter “Cold Front”: “I sit up, feeling more daring than I ever have before, “Do you love her?”

   Again, my father doesn’t respond. But I think we both know the answer.

   “Then why are you marrying her?” I challenge his silence.

   When he speaks, his tone is once again flat and empty, “Marriage, like any relationship between people is a business arrangement. A negotiation.” My father straitens his tie and tugs at the lapels of his suit jacket, “Love has nothing to do with it. And the sooner you come to realize that, Lexington, the better off you’ll be.”

   I’ve spent nearly my whole childhood building up an immunity to my father’s callousness and icy approach to life. But no matter how long you work at it, how many years you practice, you are never immune to everything. Because you can’t predict when the next frost will hit. Or how hard it will bite.

   As much as I wanted to lie down and let the arctic mist roll right over me, I feel a stabbing sensation in my chest. The icicles have fallen. They’ve pierced through my skin. It’s a direct hit.

   And I loathe myself for being so weak and susceptible. I despise my own vulnerability.

   “You don’t really believe that, do you?” I ask in a feeble voice.”)

* There’s a reference to Jessica’s previous Young Adult book, My Life Undecided.

* There are so many quotes from the book that I love. I was practically bookmarking every other page, going “That line’s so powerful! That conversation’s so funny! This paragraph describes exactly how I’ve felt at times!”

* The way Lexi handles her jobs is hilarious, her video status reports even more so. Lexi has to Google How to turn on a vacuum cleaner and decides to wear different wigs and use different names on all her jobs. Oh, and Lexi’s job delivering flowers? Those scenes will have the reader smiling.

*Jessica makes her characters so likeable. Yes, Lexi just crashed her Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren convertible, valued at over $500,000, into a convenience store. Yes, Lexi’s remorse on this matter involves her not grabbing some aspirin from the store she crashed into. But she’s likeable. She’s funny and smart, she’s sassy and strong, she perseveres and she grows. I enjoyed Lexi’s unique voice so much.

* I enjoyed seeing Holly the Papillion, Lexi’s rescue dog. And as Lexi says about dogs “They’ll always love you. No matter how badly you screw up. No matter where you happen to crash your Mercedes convertible.”

This book made me want to laugh and cry; it perfectly added humor while addressing other problems. This book is one of my favorites, and it’s made Jessica Brody one of my favorite authors.

5 out of 5 teacups