I absolutely loved this book up until the very, very end (as in, the last page or two) when I felt it got totally preachy and not in a way I tend to agree with. However, that being said, this book was amazing. I completely intend to re-read this book as soon as I can (it's way too long for me to re-read on a whim), and before I do, I plan on reading some of the references noted by the author. I'm very interested to read how the characters interact with Alice and Charlie prior to becoming famous, because there were a few I couldn't quite remember all the details of, which become important as the media becomes involved in their lives. Absolutely fascinating, it's hard to remember that this book wasn't written by "Alice" herself. I loved the Alice character and how real she was. I generally loved the story and all the amazing characters that almost seemed cartoonish (Charlies family)...this story is about friends and family, good times and bad, and how important it is to know yourself and take responsibilities for your own actions.