All the Things You Are

by Courtney Sheinmel

Carly Wheeler lives a charmed life. Her motheris a stylist for the soap opera Lovelock Falls, she lives in a nice house, and goes to an excellent private school. But when her mom is arrested and charged with embezzlement, everything starts to unravel. There are shocking stories about her mother's crimes in the local newspaper. Carly's friends start avoiding her. And her stepfather starts worrying about money. How can Carly put her life back together when it feels like she's missing all the pieces?

Genres: Young Adult, Middle Grade, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Family, Fiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published June 14, 2011

About the author

Born in California. Raised in New York. Went to law school, now write full time. Love: long walks, fresh notebooks, the smell of brownies, pomegranate seeds. Don't love: yogurt, spam (the email kind, and the food kind), deep water, deserted city streets.

Newest book: THE SECRETS OF LOVELACE ACADEMY, co-written with Marie Benedict, available on April 22, 2025.

I love to hear from readers! Email me! Ask a question! I promise to reply.

Reviews

[Myrtle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The characters were one sided and Carly seemed like a 3rd or 4th grader but definitely not 7th grade. I'm in 7th grade and I was appaled by how young she seemed. Also, the ending was very cheesy but overall it was a great book

[Bre · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was well written and it is written from a cool perspective.

Carly is a middle school student having a normal life. Being best friends with the popular girl named Annie definitely helps her until her mother gets arrested. Her life has changed since then. Annie has now broken their friendship and her faux pa is now living with his other children.

I didn't like the ending because it was a cliff hanger. Is there gonna be a second book?

[Yareli Becerril · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, and boy, did I feel bad for Carly. I mean poor her! I also have to say that I felt bad for her mom to but it was mostly her fault. I would recommend this book to everyone because I think that this book is very poignant. I would recommend to everyone.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a First Reads Giveaway book. I think every teen and pre-teen girl should read this book!

Carly is 12 and when her mom gets arrested for embezzlement Carly has to come to terms with her mom's mistakes and learn about what it means to be a true friend.

This book does an excellent job showing that our actions and decisions have consequences that impact not only us but those around us too. It also shows what it takes to be a good friend to others, especially when they are in crisis.

This book is definitely geared to teen and tween girls but I enjoyed it as well. I even teared up in a couple of places. :) This is a good, clean book that has a good message that we could all learn from. I highly recommend it.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carly's dad died when she was 6 weeks old. Mom re-married a man that Carly calls Faux Pa (a nice play on words). He has 2 children from a previous marriage that spend quite a bit of time with Carly and her family. All this seeming tranquility is brought to an abrupt halt when mom is arrested for embezzling! Carly struggles to deal with the loss of friendships, resulting trust issues with her mom, and basically trying to re-adjust to a new world view.
The story is well-written but the emotions seem a bit flat.

[Catherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

So glad I only spent a dime for this book. It is boring, mostly telling not showing. I can't imagine the age group this is written for reading it. I mean, do they even have soap operas anymore? Great cover though.

[Stephanie A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aw, a sweet little story about a girl with two awesome parents and a good relationship with both of them, I've missed that. Sure, technically her mother did a bad thing, but I feel about as judgmental toward her as I did to Lori Loughlin, which is to say...that was a real dumb choice you made girl, but I wouldn't end a friendship over it. And although I would definitely be peeved about getting dealt a huge financial blow because of my spouse's greed, I don't think I'd end a marriage over it, either (no spoilers for the book, just projecting my worries). Those are probably my special morals talking again, but at least you know I'll have your back as long as that won't get me charged with anything.

Anyway, I just wanted to hug everybody getting their life turned upside down and am glad this book exists, especially for any kid who might have gone through the same thing. The assumption is that while parents do get arrested, they're rarely if ever the white middle class moms, so I think this book fills a niche. It's honestly pretty informative about what happens in this situation, too, since the daughter is allowed to tag along to meetings with the lawyers as well as court hearings.

Two aspects I loved:

+ The punny (and affectionate) name of "Faux Pa" for a stepfather. Amazing.

+ The title being taken from a Carly Simon lyric, and woven deftly into the story in a few different ways. And speaking of Carly Simon, the regular discussion about what the lyric "clouds in my coffee" from another song might have meant, before the answer is revealed at the end (I didn't even realize what song it was from, so I was as intrigued as the average target-demo reader)

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

For Carly Wheeler, life is good. She lives in a beautiful house with her stylish mom and her stepfather whom she loves. Carly’s mom is a stylist for the popular soap opera Lovelock Falls, and Carly and her best friend Annie love going with her mom to the set.

But in an instant everything changes when Carly’s mom is arrested and charged with embezzlement. Carly’s entire world is turned upside down. Her friends stop talking to her and she constantly worries about what’s going to happen to her mom. Money is tight and Carly doesn’t know what is going to happen to her home. Life suddenly isn’t so good anymore.

When I picked up this book from GalleyGrab, I wasn’t aware that it was a middle grade title. While this definitely wasn’t a problem, it was a little unexpected when I began reading and found that Carly was a bit younger than I originally thought. With that said, I still definitely enjoyed the book. This was the first middle grade book I’ve read since I was probably middle-grade myself, and I think this was a great place to start.I was extremely impressed by Sheinmel’s writing.

Sheinmel perfected Carly’s pre-teenage voice. From page one, I was completely engrossed in Carly’s story and I felt her emotions as strongly as I imagine Carly felt them. When Carly learned about what her mother had done, I honestly felt a pit in my stomach and wanted to yell out, “it’s not fair!” Sheinmel truly captured the emotions in a way that made readers feel as if they were Carly themselves.I also loved Carly’s strength. While she certainly didn’t like her situation and couldn’t do much to change it, she struggled with the changes in her life, but she remained strong. I kept trying to put myself in Carly’s shoes as I was reading the book…it doesn’t seem like a good place to be.

I was interested in Carly and her best friend Annie’s friendship. As soon as things went sour, Annie promptly ditched Carly. I think this was a pretty realistic plot line. Although Annie was immature and not very nice, this is exactly what I can see happening if a situation like this happened in real life. I obviously wasn’t Annie’s biggest fan, but I thought it was nice that Sheinmel kept this story so realistic.

Like my friend Lauren said in her review of this book, the plot really is one of a kind. I was impressed by the unique story. I’ve definitely never read a book about a young girl dealing with a serious issue like embezzlement. The fact that Sheinmel took on this tough topic was pretty impressive. I think young girls who read this book can learn a lot from a protagonist like Carly.

I especially liked the educational aspect of this book. Readers learn a lot about the court system and all that goes into a trial. I know I certainly learned some new things that I never knew before. I like that part of the book took place in the court room…I especially think young readers who pick up this book will be intrigued by these scenes.

A major theme in ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE is forgiveness and the importance of learning to forgive. With forgiveness comes acceptance. While Carly certainly doesn’t have to forgive her mother for losing her trust, she chooses to and is better off because of it. With that forgiveness came a sense of peace, and gave Carly to courage to move on.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

After Courtney Sheinmel’s Positively, Courtney and her books officially landed on my book radar, because she has such a knack for writing memorable and poignant middle-grade fiction. Thankfully, her newest release, All the Things You Are, did not disappoint.

In Carly Wheeler’s life, everything is nearly perfect. She has a best friend named Annie whose funny and one of a kind. She attends a diverse private school filled with lots of interesting and nice people. Best of all, her mom works on Lovelock Falls, one of the top soap operas, and because of it Carly and her friends are constantly meeting celebrities and wearing fancy clothes. However, everything changes when her mother is accused of embezzlement. Suddenly, everything is different. She’s dodging questions, her mom, who has always been there for Carly, seems to be drawing back into her own cocoon, and her best friend has betrayed her in the worst way possible. Worst of all, Carly still does not know what exactly happened with her mom…Did she really commit embezzlement? Will she go to jail? Will Carly ever be able to forgive her for turning everything upside down? Only time and more pages can tell in this one of a kind contemporary read.

One of the things I always love about Courtney’s books is that she always introduces likable and charismatic characters, Carly being one of them of course. Carly and her story managed to take a hold of my heart from the very first pages, because not only did I relate to Carly in some basic ways, as will any tween or teen girl, but also her story is one that is so innocent yet heartbreaking. I especially loved reading about the relationship between Carly and her mother. It was strong yet the impact of the drama and deceit weighed heavily on it, causing lots of drama that constantly managed to test it.

The premise of this story is also nearly one of a kind. I do not think I have ever read a book about embezzlement; much less, what happens after to the family of the accused after everything is said and done. It caused for lots of twists and turns as more info was brought into the story, and it allowed Carly and other characters to go from being sometime selfish and materialistic to being stronger people who realized that money is not everything. A coming of age that was unique and memorable to say the least.

Courtney’s writing was also fabulous. I loved what she did with the characters, and how will she brought their emotions and feelings across the page. Better yet, I loved how this story did not exactly have a happy ending; instead, it was realistic but hopeful.

Sweet and heartwarming, Courtney Sheinmel’s All the Things You Are is yet another fantastic addition to middle grade, one that will be sure to satisfy previous fans and bring new ones to the mix.

Grade: A+

[Missy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carly's grown up with it all. She's never wanted for anything, and she's the envy of all the girls at her private school, but when she hears a whisper one day about her mother, she had no idea it was all about to fall apart. When the whisper becomes a raging torrent of press, anger and confusion, Carly isn't sure where her place is anymore. Her friends don't want her, her mother's actions confuse her, and she just wants everything to go back to normal. Can she grow up and adapt, or will Carly succumb to the confusion?

I don't read a lot of MG, and All the Things You Are was marketed as YA, but I feel I should point out that Carly is more of a tween than a teen. That said, I think it works in both age groups. Now that that's out of the way, this was my first read from author Courtney Sheinmel, and I was intrigued to see her take on contemporary fiction. She has a wonderful writing voice. The story flows well, and it is extremely realistic. Opting for a simplistic and minimalist approach to Carly's voice, the author lends a sense of heartbreak and reality that is uncluttered, unpolluted and completely pure. All the Things You Are is a story of both heartbreak and growing up, giving the reader the best of both worlds.

I will say, however, that I'm not sure All the Things You Are is the most original story when remarking on the plot, alone. The overall premise of riches to rags has been done time and again, and when you read a book that strikes you in that realm, other reads tend to pale in comparison. In my case, I found myself comparing this a lot Dark Song by Gail Giles - a read that completely blew me away. It is important for me to mention though that All the Things You Are takes a decidedly more delicate approach to Carly's story. Rather than angst, we have sorrow, and rather than defiance, we have a young girl that is trying to cope with her new life in the best way she knows how. Carly grows up in All the Things We Are, restoring the heart and soul of the story without being overly cliche or hitting you over the head with sweetness which, in the end, makes up for what I thought was a less-than-original plot. Plus, the author's execution, including the writing voice, tangibility of the characters and overall theme made for a powerful read.

All in all, I think All the Things You Are is a strong addition to the contemporary market today, and I'm definitely a fan of the author's writing style now. I give it a 4 out of 5, and I highly recommend it to fans of both YA and MG, especially those who enjoy contemporary fiction.


I received this eARC free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book I've read by my new favorite author, Courtney Sheinmel. (The first was My So-Called Family.) Each of Sheinmel's books focuses on a particular contemporary issue. In All the Things You Are, which is for a middle grade audience, she explores the ramifications of a mother's criminal activity, and her subsequent arrest.

At the start of the book, Carly and her best friend Annie are on a special visit to the set of a popular soap opera called Lovelock Falls, where Carly's mom works as the cast's stylist. As they visit with different cast members and wander from office to office, the two girls overhear a conversation between Leigh, Carly's mom and her friend and boss, Vivette, that sounds somewhat suspicious. Though Carly tries to ignore it, she is troubled when Vivette is arrested the next day for embezzling money from the show. Carly is sure her mom had no part in the stealing, until the FBI comes for her as well. Then everything starts to fall apart. Everyone at school sees the sordid details of Carly's mom's crime on the news and even Annie won't hang out with Carly anymore. And though Carly loves her mom, she finds it hard to forgive her for lying to her family.

This was such a fast-paced read, and there was truly never a dull moment. The legal details of Leigh's case were so interesting, and the emotions Carly experienced as she realized her mom would have to do some time in jail felt so real to me that I could really put myself in Carly's place and imagine the story from her point of view. I've read one other duo of books having to do with an incarcerated parent (Sunny Holiday and Sweet and Sunny by Coleen Murtagh Paratore), but this one focused on a scenario I've never read in children's literature before.

Like Sheinmel's other books, this one also does a great job of portraying a loving and supportive stepfather. This is a recurring theme in Sheinmel's novels, which I believe must be inspired by a great stepdad in her own life.

Finally, I thought the title really reflected what this book is truly about. Yes, Carly's mother committed a crime, but she is much more than a criminal, and it's because of Carly's ability to see all aspects of her mother that she is ultimately able to forgive. I really enjoyed this one. Recommended especially to middle school girls who like contemporary stories about real-life issues and family dynamics.

[Chrissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

**Disclosure: I received this novel as a free e-book from S&S Galley Grab. Although I am highly smitten with free books, all opinions are my own and are uninfluenced by the price I paid for the reading experience.**

Getting right down to business -- starting with the plot. ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE centers around Carly, a preteen with a pretty glamorous life. She goes to a ritzy private school, courtesy of her mom's high-profile job as a fashionista on a well known soap opera. Carly is no stranger to high end clothes or superstar diva celebrities -- so what more could a young girl want out of life, right?

One day Carly overhears a strange conversation between her mother and her mother's boss. Although she doesn't particularly take notice, she hears something about things "going too far" and "needing to stop". Only later when her mother is arrested on charges of embezzlement and conspiracy does Carly realize just how much can suddenly go wrong.

Now, Carly's best friend has abandoned her, refusing to mingle with the daughter of a criminal. And Carly is having a rough time growing up as it is -- so now, growing up without her mom? How will she ever get by?

Only when she really learns the meaning of forgiveness will Carly learn how to truly get on with her life.

I'd never heard of ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE, nor am I familiar with Courtney Sheinmel, but wow, I'm definitely glad I got a chance to read this through Galley Grab! I was drawn in right from the start! The author does a fabulous job with telling her story in a way that feels simplistic but wonderful -- just enough detail to keep things moving but not enough to really bog things down. The narrator's perspective was fresh, innocent, and youthful, which definitely kept things feeling genuine and age appropriate. The plot was interesting, and I definitely found myself invested in the character of Carly, which can be a bit harder to accomplish in a YA novel, I think.

I definitely enjoyed this novel, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for a sweet, kind-hearted coming-of-age story.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the Things You Are by Courtney Sheinmel
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2011
258 pages
MG; Contemporary
4/5 stars

Source: Received a free ARC via Simon & Schuster's GalleyGrab program in exchange for an honest review.

One day thirteen year old Carly's mother is arrested for embezzlement and conspiracy, throwing a wrench into her pretty enjoyable life. She attended a private school, was friends with the most popular girl in her grade, loved her mother and her cool job as a wardrobe mistress on a soap opera, and enjoyed their life with Faux Pa, her stepfather. However the arrest of her mother causes troubles in all of those places.

Her best friend shies away causing Carly no end of bewilderment and eventually resignation about Anna's fickleness. It also affects her friendship with most other kids as they don't know how to handle the awkwardness. Her home life is even more fraught as Faux Pa can't believe the lies perpetrated by her mother and their relationship deteriorates. Carly is of course confused about how the person she knows is also the person who broke the law, resulting in anger and a whole bundle of emotions toward her mother.

One fun theme running through the book is talk about Carly Simon who is Carly's namesake and especially about the lyric "clouds in my coffee." I don't really know Simon's songs but I do enjoy "You're So Vain" so that was cool.

Overall: Quiet, sweet book about a young girl in a very difficult situation.

Cover: I feel like the girl's pose is very awkward but that otherwise it's an okay cover.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The lost crown” was a great book about Russian history. I knew about the two revolutions, which took place in Russia in 1917, but they’re always described in history books of the perspective of the population, never of the family of the tsar. So it was nice to finally read the story of their point of view. I also didn’t know they were all killed in the end, so I could also learn from the book. I recently read another historical fiction book, which was great as well. They contain not only great stories, but also tell a true story in a modified way. I really liked that the book was written of every of the four girls’ perspectives, which made the story far more realistic. Their emotions were very well pictured, so you could always feel like they must have felt. I especially liked Anastasia, who was really bold sometimes, but did everything she could to help her family. I also liked the descriptions of the different places the tsar family lived in between those 4 years. At the beginning there was also a list of charcaters, so you had an overview and there were some Russian phrases as well, so you knew what they meant, when they were mentioned in the book. There were also some nice pictures of the family of the tsar in the end taken at several places.
Overall, it was a great historical read, taking place in a time not too long ago. Some things were new for me and I really liked the epilogue, where Sarah Miller told about some mysteries ranking around the death of the tsar family. I enjoyed the different perspectives and characters of the the family members.

[L_manning · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot. It's the story of Carly, a girl who lives a fairly privileged life. She goes to a very nice private school, and she gets a lot of perks from her mother's job as a stylist on a soap opera. Sounds like a pretty nice life, right? It is until one day Carly's mom get arrested for embezzling from the soap opera. Suddenly Carly's life is turned completely upside down.

One of the main themes in this book is forgiveness. Carly is angry at her mom for making her lose friends and her regular life. She's also upset at those people she thought were friends that abandoned her. Slowly through the book, she comes to terms with things. She also learns that she will have to forgive some things. Carly also learns about acceptance. She learns to accept not only her life, but she also learns to accept those people who are trying to be true friends through it all.

I felt the author did a fabulous job of getting into the mindset of the 12-13 year girls. They vacillate realistically between being kids and being young adults. The ending isn't wrapped up into a neat little bow, but it instead allows you to draw your own conclusions. I liked that, because it follows real life. Things aren't always easily concluded. I felt that Carly's growth was at a reasonable pace. This was a good book, and I sure it will be enjoyed by more than just the intended age range.

Galley provided by publisher for review.

[Bibi Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is pretty intriguing, and Sheinmel does a good job of creating suspense even though you pretty much know that the mother will do time and also that the outcome for the daughter will be heavy but not devastating. Which beings me to the aspect of the book that's both a plus and a minus. These are middle class or upper middle class people with a lot of resources. Actually in today's economy, they are almost certainly upper middle, but they would have passed for middle a while ago. So the main character's experience is hardly typical of what a kid with an incarcerated parent would be going through-- even if, to buy into that invidious distinction, they're incarcerated for a white collar crime. Nothing much seems to change in terms of the character's material circumstances (they have to move from a house to a condo I think?) and thus she has the luxury of time to think about how all this feels and what it means. I think this is a pattern with middle-grade books, both for good and for ill: the characters have more material security than a good number of the readers, or else the issue of material security is glossed over. I wonder how many of the kids reading these books either feel a twinge of envy or simply can't relate.

[Nicole (Reading Books With Coffee) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was just okay for me. I know I was supposed to feel bad for Carly, but I just didn't care that she was going through a hard time. Overall, I just couldn't muster up any kind of sympathy or emotion for Carly, her family, and her friends. It was hard to relate to, as far as a close relatively embezzling money to support me goes. I guess I can relate to wondering if I can trust people after they've betrayed it, but the book just felt bland.

There wasn't a lot of emotion in it, and I was really bored. Schinmel did a lot more telling than showing, and I was bored out of my mind reading about what Leigh (Carly's mom) court case was like. I kept waiting for something interesting to happen, and unfortunately, it didn't get interesting.

I did like that Carly learns things like forgiveness and who her real friends are. And her stepfather did stick by her, even though he didn't have to. She calls him Faux Pa, which was cute the first few pages, but by the end of the book, it got way too cutesy and annoying.

It gets a 2 out of 5. It was okay, but a little bit younger than what I expected.

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carly has the perfect life. She goes to a great private school and her best friend is the most popular girl in school. Her mom is a stylist for the hottest soap opera on daytime TV. She is popular and her mom is awesome. That all changes when her mom is arrested for embezzling money from the very soap opera that has employed her for eight years. Now, Carly doesn’t know what to think of the mother she so dearly loved, her friends at school don’t want to be her friends anymore and she may have to move away from everything she has ever known. In this story, Carly deals with her emotions about her mother and about her life. The story is told with the accuracy of a teen’s thoughts and emotions. I know my girls will enjoy this book!

Price: $15.99
Suitability: 6-8 grade
Genre: Chick-Lit
No illustrations, no censorship issues
FIC SHE

[Cate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. I read it in fifth grade but I wanted to reread it because I didn't quite understand what was going on the first time I read it. It was a quick read, I finished it pretty quickly. This book was different than anything I have ever read before. It was about a girl, Carly, who once had everything, all the clothes she wanted and lots of friends, but in one day her whole world collapsed. When Carly's mom is sent to jail due to illegally using her company credit card, Carly's friends start to ignore her, and her dad begins to really worry about money. There were two themes in the book. The first theme was that you're true friends will stick by you no matter what. The second was that no matter how big the problem, you can always find a way to make it a little bit better. All in all, this book was a touching and great book.

[Ariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot: I had a hard time getting into this book at first. It started slow and wasn't very interesting, but luckily it picks up soon after and ends well.



Characters: I was really annoyed with Carly's best friend Annie. She was selfish and a miserable person, and I didn't think Carly deserved her as a friend. I did appreciate how their friendship ended up, however.



Setting: I liked that part of the book was both on the set of the show, and in the court room. It helps the reader visualize where the characters are at.



Overall: I liked this book once it caught my attention. It had a good moral to it and an ending that wasn't bad. I do feel however that the ending was cut a tad short.

[Louisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a few reviews before posting my own and for the most part I do agree with a lot of the criticism.

I too had a really hard time caring what happened to this family--Carly included. The only main character that I felt at all emotionally invested in was her stepfather, the archly coined Faux Pa. Dude, that poor dude.

However, the novel's saving grace was a well-drawn army of peripheral characters. I loved her neighbor Amelia, her school-friend Lauren. Even her step-sister Jessa.

From what I remember of the other two books I've read by Sheinmel, I left with a similar impression.

Here's to her next effort though.

P.S: did appreciate the many Carly Simon references.

[Christie Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like that the conflict in this story is unlike what readers typically find in YA novels. Although most youth haven't faced the issue of a parent going to prison, I think a lot of the feelings and situations Carly experiences are ones that teens will make connections with even though what they are personally facing may be quite different. Carly has a friend say mean things to her and exclude her; she worries that her parents will divorce; and she has to learn to forgive. These sitatuions are real to teens, and I think a number of readers will really like this book. It may be a tough sell to boys, though.

[Stasia Kehoe]

Almost-thirteen-year-old Carly's life is thrown into chaos when her mom is accused of embezzlement. From going to school in the wake of scandalous news articles, to dealing with the wide-ranging reactions of classmates, to being swept into the jarring world the criminal courst, Courtney Sheinmel creates a richly textured story of a girl dealing with the fact that her family will never be the same again. An gripping and powerful read.

[Tracie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carly has a good life with her mom, who works as a clothing stylist on a popular soap opera, and her great stepfather whom she calls lovingly, Faux Pa. When her mom is suddenly accused of using the show's credit cards to make personal purchases and pay bills things start to change. All of which will ultimately teach Carly about friendship, including how to be a better a friend herself, love and forgiveness. I'd actually give this 3.5 stars. It is readable, realistic and interesting.

[Gayathri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was about a girl named Carly whose world was turned upside down when her mom got arrested for embezzlement.I think that when Annie's (Carly's best friend) mom got arrested,I felt like that was too much of a coincidence and that event was way too rushed. I also really hated Annie's and Carly's friendship.Annie did not deserve Carly's friendship:) Overall,it was a nice, enjoyable read.

[Lisa Nocita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carly's mom is kind and loving. Carly admires her mom and feels lucky to have such a fashionable and loving mom. But Carly's mom made some bad choices and they've finally caught up with her. She is going to prison and Carly's life is in upheaval. What will happen to her and her family? Told from Carly's twelve year old perspective, her story is poignant and real.

[Ekta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full review on Sniff Books, Not Drugs: http://tinyurl.com/63op6q7

To Sum It Up
A light read that dealt with the theme of forgiveness and acceptance.
Relatable characters and understandable situations.

*THANK YOU GALLEY GRAB! Much love <3

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Far too much exposition and random descriptions, boring narrative--and really, no point. What a convoluted and random plot. Seems someone had intimate knowledge of a court case and wanted to educate kids on it? But why?

[The Library Lady · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is reminiscent of "problem" novels of the 70s and 80s. I liked this but didn't love it. My 12 year old daughter felt the same way. Found Carly calling her stepfather "Faux Pa" to be an unnecessarily cute touch.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book if only for the fact that the mother embezzles and is convicted. Plus which the mother is in the soap-opera industry. Both elements you don't usually come across. Our protagonist, Carly, has her life up-ended and that's interesting.