This is a really sweet book that successfully blends suspense and coming-of-age with fantasy and a meaningful message. The 13-year-old protagonist, Lexie Diamond, struggles with pre-adolescent angst on many levels--she's coping with the sudden, tragic death (and possibly murder) of her mother, her father's quickly developing relationship with a woman she can't stand, and insecurity to the point where she's isolated herself from her peers, immersing herself in her own bit of cyberspace. Her obsession with her computer world is slightly reminiscent of Holden Caulfield's travel to the depths of his tortured mind, yet with Lexie, we have hope. We slowly watch as Lexie gains a new zest for life as she searches for the possible culprit behind her mother's death and learns about judging others too quickly, while cultivating new and unlikely relationships with others her own age. It's an absolutely great read that will inspire tweens and teens alike, and is even relatable to people past the young adult demographic. An excellent book! ( )

Do you recall reading those stories or books where the protagonist was trying to convince her father and friends that her step mom/dad's girlfriend was an evil women and that she was trying to make her life miserable by making her look like a bad person? Well, this would be the case with The Virtual Life of Lexie Diamond. Once more, we are introduced to a story where this plot is used and we have to figure out what are the true intentions of the "evil woman". Victoria Foyt throws in a humorous twist by combining technology and a hint of paranormal into this book.

Lexie Diamond is a young girl who has this philosophical belief that real life is lived through her beloved computer (called Anja-mac) and the world that we deem as real is in fact a virtual program called "the Bubble" that has us living in a lie. Lexie is also a loner with divorced parents. One tragic day, Lexie's mother is caught in a mysterious car crash that takes her life.

With this unexpected event, Lexie not only has to cope with her loneliness but she must also deal with her father as well who has a new and strange girlfriend. But when the situation just seemed to be as strange as strange can be, Lexie finds herself being able to communicate with her deceased mother through her computer. It seems that there is a divine portal where souls with "unfinished business" linger around that lies within the motherboard.

Good things about the book? Lexie and the divine mystery behind her computer's capability of hosting the power to hold lost souls. I found this idea to be quite cool and somewhat refreshing to read. Lexie's character and her traits, such as being a computer addict were very believable to me. I have a cousin who is quite obsessed with being on the computer and I was able to see some of those traits in Lexie's character, which deemed her to be a believable character.

Things I wasn't crazy about? The cliche' evil girlfriend plot. I have read plenty of books with this plot and I have to admit that it gets tiering reading about it. With the way it was executed in this book, I wasn't so surprised with the outcome because there are only two ways the plot could result: the woman was either truly evil or she was in fact good but just had a strange way of showing it.

Do I recommend this book? I don't think I would for older readers but for younger ones I think I might. ( )

Reviewed by Mark Frye, author and reviewer for TeensReadToo.com

THE VIRTUAL LIFE OF LEXIE DIAMOND is a suspenseful "whodunit" from actress and screenwriter Victoria Foyt, a first novel that effectively covers a wide gamut of emotional ground.

Fourteen-year-old Lexie copes with alienation at school and her divorced parents' disappointment with her computer-driven life. When her mother is killed in a mysterious car crash, Lexie finds credible evidence of foul play and is forced to adapt, change, and grow as person in order to follow the clues.

Lexie's suspicions grow as her father's fiancé shows her dark side after a series of private confrontations, actions which drive Lexie to make contact with her mother in cyberspace. To further complicate her life, Lexie must learn to trust people in "real time;" both her hunky neighbor and a popular "diva" at school, both of whom wish to be her friend.

Foyt adroitly welds the ether world of cyberspace with many common teen issues in both of Lexie's worlds. Her teen protagonist must use her strengths and weaknesses to solve the mystery of her mother's death and to save her father. As a result, the author has created a compelling character and an electrifying story that will hold younger readers until the last page. ( )

This is a sweet tale of what parent's can do to provide internal positive and empowering messages in their kids lives. The language is almost lyrical -- techno and spiritual at the same time. For those who know the Santa Monica bluffs, it will be a lovely tour of one of your favorite nieghborhoods too. It's also a detective story. Lexie's mom and dad have broken up for 6 months when her mom has a traffic accident and is killed. Other characters are "Jane Lewis" the new girlfriend, Wilson Wyler (mysteriously he has a dual role) Zoe, Oma (grandmother) Ajna Mac and Ajna Mac II.