When Carly Wheeler's mother is arrested for embezzling, Carly's perfect life begins to fall apart as friends at her prestigious private school stop talking to her, her beloved stepfather starts worrying about finances, and her image of herself and her family changes. ( )

I enjoyed this book a lot. It's the story of Carly, a girl who lives a fairly privileged life. She goes to a very nice private school, and she gets a lot of perks from her mother's job as a stylist on a soap opera. Sounds like a pretty nice life, right? It is until one day Carly's mom get arrested for embezzling from the soap opera. Suddenly Carly's life is turned completely upside down.

One of the main themes in this book is forgiveness. Carly is angry at her mom for making her lose friends and her regular life. She's also upset at those people she thought were friends that abandoned her. Slowly through the book, she comes to terms with things. She also learns that she will have to forgive some things. Carly also learns about acceptance. She learns to accept not only her life, but she also learns to accept those people who are trying to be true friends through it all.

I felt the author did a fabulous job of getting into the mindset of the 12-13 year girls. They vacillate realistically between being kids and being young adults. The ending isn't wrapped up into a neat little bow, but it instead allows you to draw your own conclusions. I liked that, because it follows real life. Things aren't always easily concluded. I felt that Carly's growth was at a reasonable pace. This was a good book, and I sure it will be enjoyed by more than just the intended age range.

Galley provided by publisher for review. ( )

The book was ok, but definitely not to my tastes. I tend to not read MG books and was unaware that's what this was initially. ( )

Carly Wheeler has it all - lots of friends, all the right clothes, and an "in" at the hottest soap opera - her mom is the wardrobe designer for the show. Carly loves that her mom has such a cool job and that she's friends with the stars. But all that changes the day her mom is arrested for embezzlement. Carly doesn't know what to do. Her so-called friends avoid her, her stepdad is always angry, and her mom is breaking down. An absorbing read that demonstrates the pain of a disappointing parent and the power of forgiveness. Great for middle grade kids - very clean ( )