Warning: Contains spoilers!
There's a thirteen-year-old girl named Katie Sutton. She has a mom named Alison, a big sister named Mandy, a little brother named Jack, and a dog named Rascal. Katie has two best friends: her cousin Hannah & "Loops". They live in the small village of Brindleton, England, where most of the population is related to Katie. The family was heartbroken since the death of Katie's dad, but she thinks they've been well off recently. Until her mom starts dating Stuart, an environmentalist and P.E. teacher that tries way too hard to impress the kids. And Katie hates it.
Katie decides to use her grownup knowledge to pry her mother out of the hands of the sorta-mysterious "Boy Toy" (as Mandy calls him) and write down all her thoughts, ideas, and results in this diary. This adds family problems onto her countless friend problems, and not to mention, boy problems.
I just really loved this book. I liked how realistic Katie was compared to girls in real life. She had insecurities, imperfections, and complete mess-ups, and it's not like she rode through them all. I could totally understand why Katie felt the way she did, and I supported her all the way, even if she made stupid decisions. Because she's real. And it wasn't just Katie, it was a lot of the other characters, too.
I liked the interactions Katie had with her family and Stuart the most, but I also liked the stories of Katie and her friends. The whole time, though, had me on an emotional roller-coaster. Sometimes I'd be extremely sad, but other times I was laughing, which I ah-dore as well!
Overall, I'd give it ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 OUT OF 5 STARS! Totally recommend girls 13 and over to read!