Book Review: Of All the Stupid Things by Alexandra Diaz

Of All the Stupid Things by Alexandra Diaz

Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Release Date: December 22, 2009
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Pages: 272
Received From: Author + Publisher

Summary: When a rumor starts circulating that Tara's boyfriend Brent has been sleeping with one of the guy cheerleaders, the innuendo doesn't just hurt Tara. It marks the beginning of the end for an inseparable trio of friends. Tara's training for a marathon, but also running from her fear of abandonment after being deserted by her father. Whitney Blaire seems to have everything, but an empty mansion and absentee parents leave this beauty to look for meaning in all the wrong places. And Pinkie has a compulsive need to mother everyone to make up for the mom she's never stopped missing. This friendship that promised to last forever is starting to break under the pressure of the girls' differences. And then new-girl Riley arrives in school with her long black hair, athletic body, and her blasé attitude, and suddenly Tara starts to feel things she's never felt before for a girl--and to reassess her feelings about Brent and what he may/may not have done. Is Tara gay--or does she just love Riley? And can her deepest friendships survive when all of the rules have changed?

My Review: Alexandra's debut novel Of All the Stupid Things is enticingly fierce. Her writing is subtle yet powerful. The suspense hooked me from the first page until the end. I especially loved the first sentence, "Of all the stupid things he could have done, Brent Staple had to go and do that." I was immediately intrigued and wanted to find out who this Brent was and what did he do? There are three friends, Tara, Whitney Blaire and Pinkie, which I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know. Pinkie, who I quickly related to was the paranoid, "mother hen" of the group, I hate to say this but sometimes I play that role in my clique. And so, I was drawn to her character, I also loved how caring and loyal she was to her friends. Whitney Blaire is the typical rich, spoiled girl who has looks to kill for. While, Tara is the athletic girl who carries her emotions bottled up inside. Tara's world is changed upside down when a crazy rumor surfaces around school. Supposedly Tara's boyfriend Brent hooked up with one of the guy cheerleaders. Yup, that would make him gay. Tara couldn't get over the rumor and broke up with Brent. Then a new girl comes into town and Tara is smitten with her, but she isn't into girls, so that's where her confusion starts. Riley not only brought confusion to Tara's sexuality but also created a rift between the three girls.

I loved how scandalous the love triangles became and couldn't believe how rumors could ruin friendships. I always thought it was chicks before sticks, but hey in this case maybe it's chicks before other chicks? I know that makes no sense. I like how this novel introduced many themes such as friendships and same sex relationships. The premise was original and I enjoyed it a lot. However, I must warn my young readers their is one part in the book that's a little graphic, but it only lasts for like 5 seconds. Just skip it if you don't feel it's appropriate because it truly is a good book! Also Alexandra will be making a guest post soon, so look out for that! Yay!
My Rating: 4.7 out of 5
Author's Info:
Alexandra Diaz is a Cuban-American spending her time between Bath, England and the rest of the world. She has an MA in Writing for Young People and has led various workshops since she was fourteen. As a result of being homeschooled for most of high school, she’s fascinated by teenage school life and the drama that occurs in those quarters. One of the reasons she writes is to experience life in someone else’s shoes. She is a “jenny of all trades” having worked as a nanny, teacher, film extra, tour guide, and dairy goat judge (seriously) among several other jobs. In addition to traversing the world, she enjoys hiking, swing dancing, and the prospect of flying.