A review by stephxsu
One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones

4.0

After reading this book, you will want to rush to the library to get your hands on every novel-in-verse you can find, even if you didn’t used to like poetry.
But of course, you will be let down, because no other novel-in-verse can really compare to this one.

Reading the title, I had expected something depressingly deep and serious. However, Sonya Sones’ third novel-in-verse is surprisingly snarky and fun, all the while managing to be poignantly real. 15-year-old Ruby’s mother has just died, and she’s going all the way across the country to L.A. to live with her Oscar-winning actor father, Whip Logan, who abandoned her and her mother before she was even born. Needless to say, Ruby is excited not a whit, especially as this move takes her away from her boyfriend Roy, her best friend Lizzie, and her mother’s grave.

At Whip’s extensive mansion, Ruby determinedly avoids Whip’s bonding advances, instead favoring his personal assistant, Max, who has a big heart. She also has trouble adjusting to her very “unique” school, especially her Dream Interpretation class, because her head is almost always wrapped up in missing Roy, Lizzie, and her mom. Perhaps, though, a shocking severance from her East Coast life will wake her to new possibilities in her new home.

Ruby is funny, emotional, and someone you definitely want to be friends with. I highly recommend this book.