Book review: Carrie Pilby by Caren Lissner

My summary:

Carrie is a smart girl, she graduated from Harvard at the age of 19 but she is struggeling to fit in. Now Carrie is living alone in her apartment in New York, she spends her time watching movies, sleeping and she has regular sessions with a psychologist. Carrie has no real friends, by choice in her own opinion. She lives by strict moral and thinks most other people are immoral and obsessed with sex. 

A little taste from the novel:

"Wanna meet for coffee?" he asks.

There it is again. Why does it always have to be coffee? Why is it  that no one ever says, "Do you want to get carrot juice sometime?" Or, "I know this great peach nectar place." Those things are a heck of a lot healthier than coffee, and better tasting. If I ever meet someone who asks me to meet up for some fruit juice, I'll marry him.

My thoughts:

If you want to read a YA novel that features a quirky character then look no further. Carrie is, well almost at least, one of a kind. The reason why I say almost is because she reminded me somewhat of Holden Caulfield from Catcher in the Rye.

When the book first started Carrie annoyed me, she had all these strict moral rules and judged people left and right. No one was as good or as smart has she was. but it soon became apparent that she had issues that needed working out. Her psychologist challenged her to write a list and do all the things on it, as we witnessed Carries long journey thought that list she meets new people and she has new experiences that challenges her and the way she thinks. One thing I loved Carrie for was for being herself, not wanting to do like everyone else just to fit in. I think it's very important to stay true to one self but it is also important to accept that the people around you can be good even if they doesn't always behave the same way that you do.

Carrie's story is both sad and happy and if you stick with her throughout the book you will laugh with her and fall in love with her character. As a bonus I'm sure your vocabulary will have increased by the end of the book, at least I know mine did(but perhaps that's because English is my second language).

The cover:

A colorful contrast to the main character in the novel.

My rating of this book:

4 stars out of 5

Want a second opinion? Check out these reviews written by some of my book blogging friends:

J'adorehappyendings

Want to know more?

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Visit Caren Lissner's homepage 

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Carrie Pilby by Caren Lissner

Published: 2010(first time in 2003)

Pages(paperback): 336

Publisher: Harlequin

ISBN: 

0373210108 (ISBN13: 9780373210107)

Full disclosure: Review copy from Harlequin via Netgalley.

This book can be purchased from a number of local retailers and on-line book stores such as Amazon or The Book Depository (I'm not an affiliate of either). The latter store does by the way have free shipping to about 100 countries.