Review: Then I Met my Sister

Author: Christine Hurley Deriso
Publish date: 2011
Source: Library

"Summer Stetson lives inside a shrine to her dead sister. Eclipsed by Shannon's greatness, Summer feels like she's a constant disappointment to her controlling, Type A momzilla and her all-too-quiet dad. Her best friend Gibson believes Summer's C average has more to do with rebelliousness than smarts, but she knows she can never measure up—academically or otherwise.

On her birthday, Summer receives a secret gift from her aunt: Shannon's diary. Suddenly, the one-dimensional vision of her sister becomes all too solid. Is this love-struck, mom-bashing badass the same Shannon everyone raves about? Determined to understand her troubled sister, Summer dives headfirst down a dark rabbit hole and unearths painful family secrets. Each revelation brings Summer closer to the mysterious and liberating truth about her family—and herself."

I picked this up on a whim at the library and ended up loving it! I could have read it in one sitting, but I started it before I went to bed and got about halfway through before I was too tired to keep going, then finished it this morning. I had never heard of the author, Christine Hurley Deriso, or even seen the book on any blogs, which surprises me. I thought the storyline was really intriguing and I did not want to put it down because I was always eager to know what was going to happen next.

I really liked the main character, Summer, and her friend Gibs, who is sweet, smart, and nerdy (just my type!). I found them both likable and enjoyed Summer's sarcastic, yet honest, outlook on high school and life in general. I'd definitely like to get this for my classroom library at school and will be recommending it come fall!

Next: Right now, I have Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly, Spoiled by the Fug girls, Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott, or Into the Wild for school. Decisions, decisions