A Not So Simple Life Review

PUB DATE: July 2008

This is another great start of a series for Melody Carlson. I am really enjoying reading Melody Carlson’s books. What I really liked about this book was the green tips Maya offered at the end of each chapter on what to do to make your living environment greener.

For me I am thankful to live in an area where last summer we were provide bins to compost food, grass etc. I never realized how much we threw in the garbage until I started composting. Instead of throwing about 4 bags of garbage out weekly I am down to one small bag. Plus I am a big time recycler.

A Not So Simple Life is book one in the series of Diary of a Teenage Girl. Its about Maya Stark. She is a 15 year old girl who appears to have it all, famous parents, money, and a Beverly Hills lifestyle. Her dad was a 80s pop star who is making a comeback. (Does that sound familiar? It seems so many popstars seem to be making a comeback these days doesn’t it?)

When you really look into Maya’s life you realize its not as perfect as it appears. Maya is not happy. She is trying to get emancipated from her parents. More so her mother. Her parents are divorced. Her dad is away on tour and has very little time for Maya. Her mother drinks and does drugs. So any money Maya’s father sends her mother takes it to support her habit. Her mother will vanish for days on end leaving Maya alone to fend for herself sadly Maya is use to it and manages to get along just fine. Maya is mature beyond her years.

Realizing that in order to get emancipated Maya needs to make sure she has money in her bank account to show a judge she will be able to support herself. Maya gets a job at a chic boutique on Rodeo Drive. While working there she is approached by a woman who works at a Ralph Lauren store. From there she is told she could model. Realizing she could make money she decides to go ahead and begins to work as a model. Maya saves about ten thousand dollars and its all in her account until one day she goes to deposite a check when she realizes there is a mistake. Maya has only about a thousand left. Her mother took the money. Maya is furious. She goes home, her mother is gone and she starts looking around. She realizes that her mother found the paper work on the emancipation.

Maya is furious so she calls her father and tells him everything. She tells him she is going to kill herself but she doesn’t really. When Maya’s mother finally comes home Maya confronts her about stealing the money and her mother is like its our money not just yours. This angers Maya so they start fighting. Thankfully before it can get to physical her dad storms in. Her dad tells her to pack her things cause she is going with him. Things are fun on the tour until Maya realizes its getting old fast.

Figuring out what to do they come up with the plan for Maya to go live with her uncle Allen and cousin Kim. Her father will send money for her to live in and she likes that idea.

This story continues in book 2 Its A Green Thing: Diary of a teenage girl.