My Life Undecided [NOOK Book]

( 16 )

Overview

PLEASE READ THIS! MY LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!

Okay, maybe that was a bit melodramatic, but I’m sorry, I’m feeling a bit melodramatic at the moment.

Here’s the deal. My name is Brooklyn Pierce, I’m fifteen years old, and I am decisionally challenged. Seriously, I can’t remember the last good decision I made. I can remember plenty of crappy ones though. Including that party I threw when my parents were out of town ...

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My Life Undecided

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More About This Book

Overview

PLEASE READ THIS! MY LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!

Okay, maybe that was a bit melodramatic, but I’m sorry, I’m feeling a bit melodramatic at the moment.

Here’s the deal. My name is Brooklyn Pierce, I’m fifteen years old, and I am decisionally challenged. Seriously, I can’t remember the last good decision I made. I can remember plenty of crappy ones though. Including that party I threw when my parents were out of town that accidentally burned down a model home. Yeah, not my finest moment, for sure.

But see, that’s why I started a blog. To enlist readers to make my decisions for me. That’s right. I gave up. Threw in the towel. I let someone else decide which book I read for English. And whether or not I accepted an invitation to join the debate team from that cute-in-a-dorky-sort-of-way guy who gave me the Heimlich maneuver in the cafeteria. (Note to self: chew the melon before swallowing it.) I even let them decide who I dated!

Well, it turns out there are some things in life you simply can’t choose or have chosen for you—like who you fall in love with. And now everything’s more screwed up than ever.

But don’t take my word for it. Read the book and decide for yourself.  You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll scream in frustration. Or maybe that’s just me. After all, it’s my life.


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  • My Life Undecided
    My Life Undecided  

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher
“[A] fun and inventive take on the secret-blog concept.” —Booklist Online

“My Life Undecided is a super-cute read. Brooklyn constantly makes the wrong decisions, but it ultimately leads her to discovering her true self. I loved the blend of technology with modern day. A fun book!” —Teensreadtoo.com

“You’ll love it if . . . you want a book that you can read anywhere, from the airplane to the pool. This engaging story will grab your attention and leave you wanting more!” —Seventeen.com

“My Life Undecided is Jessica Brody’s story of fifteen-year-old Brooklyn, who feels like she’s never made a good decision for herself. She decides to start a blog and asks her followers to make her choices for her, only to find there are some choices no one can make for her.” —TeenVogue.com

“Brody taps into a universal human desire—who, at some point, hasn’t wished to surrender all responsibility for one’s decisions?” —Publishers Weekly

“My Life Undecided has a certain charm that will make it a popular read.” —VOYA

“Brooklyn is a sympathetic protagonist with whom teens will identify. Her journey is fun to read, and decision-challenged readers will learn an important lesson about self-acceptance along the way.” —School Library Journal

Praise for The Karma Club:

“Equal parts fresh, funny, and engaging, The Karma Club is the story of one girl’s attempt to speed Karma along, only to discover that Karma plays by its own rules. Jessica Brody has created a witty, endearing heroine in Maddy Kasparkova—this is one YA debut you won’t want to miss!” —Alyson Noël, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Evermore and Blue Moon

“All the fun and intrigue of Gossip Girl, with the heart of a Sarah Dessen novel and the soul of the I Ching.” —Gabrielle Zevin, author of Elsewhere and Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac

“Written with wit and panache. Readers will have fun with this one, and it might make them think a little, too.” —Booklist

“The action-packed narrative builds an impressive amount of suspense for what is essentially a comic romance, and readers might learn a thing or two about Buddhist philosophy along the way.” —Kirkus Reviews

“The Karma Club is exactly the book you’d want to read after getting dumped. With an effortless understanding of the teen landscape, Jessica Brody takes the classic tale of ‘what goes around, comes around’ and crafts a fresh, funny, relatable story that proves it’s never too late to admit your mistakes and set Karma back on its natural course.” —Rosalind Wiseman, New York Times–bestselling author of Queen Bees & Wannabees

School Library Journal
Gr 7–10—At 15, Brooklyn is decision challenged. Since she became famous for being trapped in an abandoned mine shaft at three years old, she's been known for her mistakes. As the sidekick of her school's most perfectly dazzling girl, Shayne, she doesn't have to make many of her own decisions—until one disastrous evening of partying burns down a house. Shayne turns her back on Brooklyn, and, feeling lost, Brooklyn starts a blog in which she polls her readers about what she should do, thus avoiding her own poor judgment. As she struggles to follow the results of the polls, she tries new activities and meets new people, including two handsome boys. In the process, she discovers that mistakes happen and that "perfection is only a word that makes you feel bad about yourself." Brooklyn is a sympathetic protagonist with whom teens will identify. Her journey is fun to read, and decision-challenged readers will learn an important lesson about self-acceptance along the way.—Mindy Whipple, West Jordan Library, UT
Kirkus Reviews

A teenager fed up with the consequences of her actions creates an anonymous blog and asks readers to take control of her life choices.

As a toddler, Brooklyn Pierce followed a lizard into a mineshaft, and her multi-day rescue operation received national television coverage. Now, having just burned down her realtor mother's model home in an ill-fated drunken party, Brooklyn is grounded, socially exiled and sentenced to 200 hours of community service. That decision-making is the issue at hand is impressed on readers at every corner, from the police officer who says of her mineshaft misstep, "I bet you regret that decision, huh?" to the You Choose the Story novels Brooklyn reads to Miss Moody, a cantankerous resident at the assisted-living facility where Brooklyn does her community service. Putting her every decision to a vote on her blog forces Brooklyn into new territory: She joins the debate team, hangs out with nerds to whom she has previously given the cold shoulder and forgoes sneaking out despite an invitation from a hot newcomer. That her blog becomes popular enough to go viral is difficult to believe, but the tugs she feels between her new life and her old one, her own decision-making and her readers', create engaging drama.

A pleasant, if gimmicky, romantic comedy. (Fiction. 12-15)

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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781429940993
  • Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
  • Publication date: 6/7/2011
  • Sold by: Macmillan
  • Format: eBook
  • Edition description: First Edition
  • Edition number: 1
  • Pages: 320
  • Sales rank: 162,486
  • Age range: 12 - 17 Years
  • File size: 517 KB

Meet the Author

Jessica Brody

Jessica Brody knew from a young age that she wanted to be a writer. She started "self-publishing" her own books when she was seven years old, binding the pages together with cardboard, wallpaper samples and electrical tape.
 
Brody graduated from Smith College in 2001 with a double major in Economics and French and a minor in Japanese. She went to work for MGM Studios as a Manager of Acquisitions and Business Development, and then, in 2005, she quit her job to follow her dream of becoming a published author.
 
Brody is the author of the young adult novel The Karma Club and two novels for adults--The Fidelity Files and Love Under Cover. Jessica's books are published in over ten foreign countries including the U.K., France, Germany, Czech Republic, Russia, Brazil, China, Portugal, and Taiwan. She now works full time as a writer and producer, and currently splits her time between Los Angeles and Colorado.

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Read an Excerpt


MY LIFE UNDECIDED (Charred to a Crisp)

The police station smells like burnt toast. As if someone popped a piece of sourdough in the toaster oven and forgot about it. Or maybe the flecks of smoky odor are just lingering in my nostrils from the fire. Rebellious stowaways clinging to the inside of my respiratory system like an annoying guest who refuses to leave long after the party is over.

And trust me, the party is way over.

I don't know how much the firefighters were able to salvage of the house. When I was taken away in the police car, the flames were still relentlessly devouring the place.

It feels like I've been in this stuffy little room forever. I think it's the break room because there's a table in the corner with a pot of coffee resting on a rusty electric warmer and every five minutes some cop comes in, pours himself a Styrofoam cupful, and gives me one of those "Boy, did you screw up" raises of his eyebrows.

There's absolutely nothing to do in here. Nothing to read and nothing to watch except the clock on the wall. And trust me, that thing has got to be broken. I swear it only ticks every five seconds.

There's a fat, balding man who keeps popping his head in to tell me that he's "working everything out," and that I "shouldn't be worried." He's supposedly a social worker who's been assigned to my case. And all I can think is Great, now I'm a case.

I keep waiting for them to bring Shayne in. At least then I'd have someone to talk to. She was right next to me when the cops showed up...and the fire trucks, and the ambulances, and the news vans. Her last words to me before I was handcuffed and taken away were "Don't worry, Brooks, we're in this together."

But for the last six hours, there doesn't seem to be anyone in this but me. Oh, and Phil, the way-too-happy-to-be-here-so-early-in-the-morning "social worker." I figure they're probably holding Shayne in another room. They always do that in the movies. Separate the criminals to see which one will talk first. Well, if they think I'm going to rat out my best friend, they've got another think coming.

I mean, the whole thing was initially her idea. But I'm the one who said yes. I'm the one who got us into the house. I'm the one who turned on the stove...

Fortunately, it wasn't my house. It wasn't anyone's house, in fact. That was the brilliance of it all. Or at least, that was supposed to be the brilliance of it all. It's funny how the word "brilliance" can take on a whole new meaning when you're sitting in a police station at seven in the morning.

Perspective.

Also a bitch.

Because according to Phil, the fact that it wasn't my house may not necessarily be a good thing. It's all so confusing and overwhelming. Everyone's been throwing around words like "trespassing," "arson," "jail time," and "underage drinking," and I have no idea what any of it means. Well, apart from the underage drinking. That one, unfortunately, I'm pretty familiar with. Especially now that the spiked punch is starting to wear off and the hangover is settling in. Believe me, it's not making this situation any better. I really wish I liked the taste of coffee right about now. Even that stale pot on the table over there is starting to look better than this tornado of a headache that's brewing above my temples. I try to sleep by resting my head down on the table, but the hard surface of the wood only exacerbates the throbbing. Would it kill them to bring me a Tylenol? Or a tranquilizer?

The door squeaks open again a little after ten a.m. and just when I think I'm about to get another disappointing glare from one of Colorado's finest, the uniformed officer with the name "Banks" engraved into his badge looks down at the clipboard in his hands, then up at me, and says, "Brooklyn Pierce?"

I nod, my pounding head still cradled in my hands. "Yes?"

I pray he's going to tell me that I'm going home. Or that Shayne is in the other room waiting to see me. Or that the get-out-of-jail-free fairy has come to wave her magic wand and spring me from this place.

But he doesn't say any of these things. Instead his forehead crumples and he studies my face with this confounded expression, as if he's trying to remember the capital of some obscure Central American country. "There's no chance that you're Baby Brooklyn, is there? That little girl who fell down the mine shaft all those years ago?"

Fantastic, I think with a groan. Just what I need right now. A reputation for making headlines.

"Yes, that was me."

Officer Banks raises his eyebrows, seemingly impressed at my celebrity status. "Wow. No kidding? So what was it like down there? Were you scared?"

"I don't remember," I reply through gritted teeth. "I was two."

He seems to be oblivious to my displeased tone because he just keeps on talking. "How did you end up down there again? Chased a rabbit or something?"

"Lizard," I mumble.

"I bet you regret that decision, huh?" Banks remarks with a chuckle that grates on my nerves. "Not the smartest thing in the world, was it?"

"Is there something you wanted to tell me?" I nod hopefully toward his clipboard.

"Oh, right," he replies, snapping himself back into the moment. "Good news. Looks like you're going home."

Thank GOD!

I jump up from my chair and rush toward him, feeling like I want to wrap my arms around his portly middle and squeeze him. Obviously, I restrain myself.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I exclaim. It's about freaking time they let me out of this hellhole.

I think about my soft, comfy bed, my fluffy white pillow, my clean, cotton pajamas. Fresh underwear. Toothpaste and mouth-wash. All the things you take for granted until you're stuck in a place like this for six hours straight.

But my relief is short-lived. Because the next words out of his mouth are the scariest ones I've heard all night. Scarier than "arson," scarier than "trespassing," even scarier than "jail time."

Officer Banks drops his clipboard down against his thigh and offers me a sympathetic wink. "Your parents are here."

MY LIFE UNDECIDED Copyright © 2011 by Jessica Brody

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 16 )
Rating Distribution

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(8)

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Sort by: Showing all of 16 Customer Reviews

  • Posted June 16, 2011

    Second review and great book

    Wow it was pretty osom. One thing i kinda didnt like was that in the book the love problem is like in every single book the boy u thot u loved is not who u love and the boy who was there all along is really the one. It was predictable but i still enjoyed it and read it under a day!

    2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 2, 2012

    My life undicided book reveiw

    I agree. In almost every book and movie there is always the popular guy that falls in love with her and then she finds out that the guy who really loves her is her geek guy friend. WAY predictable. But, i love the book!

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted December 29, 2011

    Fgn

    Gzv

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted June 22, 2011

    more from this reviewer

    Another Fantastic Book from Brody!

    Hilarious, memorable, and pitch perfect, Jessica has yet another winner with My Life Undecided, her newest YA novel!

    My Life Undecided starts the same day Brooklyn Pierce ends up in jail. For Brooklyn, this is not a big surprise, as she has always been a bit decisionally challenged when it comes to her life. From her "Baby Brooklyn" days, to the three times she has been rushed to the hospital after bad choices, Brooklyn has always ended up in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. However, this time changes everything, because not only does she have to participate in community service, but also at school she's suddenly a nobody, which makes her think there's only one way she can get her life back: start a blog in which her readers make her choices for her. Therefore, from her after school actives to whom she dates everything is now decided with a yes or no poll. Though can every decision be made this way? In addition, what happens when everything takes a spin for the crazy side once again? Only time and more pages can tell in this fast-paced adventure sure to charm even the most reluctant of readers.

    Brooklyn Pierce is one of best kinds of characters, because not only is she sweet and likable but she is also flawed, which makes her all the more relatable, in my opinion. I loved the focus on her bad decision making especially because what reader hasn't made a bad decision (or decisions) before? Better yet, I loved how Jessica tied this into Brooklyn's coming of age. I also enjoyed the supporting characters such as Brian, the nerdy yet adorable debate team boy, as well as Hunter, the good at heart popular boy, because both played such an important role in Brooklyn's story.

    The premise of this was also delightful, and one I had not seen much of before. I really enjoyed the addition of being able to read Brooklyn's blog as well as seeing how it always managed to switch and twist everything around. However, one of my favorite parts of the story had to be Brooklyn's community service, because not only did it introduce a great secondary plot point, but it also played a big role in shaping who Brooklyn became at the end.

    Lastly, Ms. Brody yet again proves what a great storyteller she is with My Life Undecided. Her writing was great- it moved in a swift pace and perfectly introduced key characters and plot points. Furthermore, I love the comedy that always comes with Jessica's books as well, because no matter how serious it gets, there is always a funny scene to lighten up the mood, and what reader does not what that?

    Contemporary fiction at its best, My Life Undecided is a book that should be high on your summer reading list; not only for its memorable and relatable characters but also for all the laughter it is sure to spark within you.

    Grade: A+

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 9, 2013

    Great book. Must read.

    This book is truly amazing. Read it. Read it now.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted December 27, 2012

    My life undecided!

    This book was really good. Brooklyn had a funny yet sarcastic yet deeply heartwarming voice. I think anyone debating to read this book most definitely should. Its a great voice and teens anywhere can really relate to this book. A+

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 8, 2012

    Good book!

    If you like drama, this is the book for you!

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  • Posted August 7, 2011

    more from this reviewer

    Reviewed by Jennifer Rummel for TeensReadToo

    Trouble follows Brooklyn. It might have something to do with the horrible decisions she makes. After her arrest, her parents pick her up from jail and she has plenty of time to start thinking of how to make her life better. Because she's grounded for eternity. To make matters worse, her BFF pretends the last five years didn't exist. Brooklyn, once a girl in the spotlight, becomes a wallflower. She starts a blog where her readers will make her decisions for her. Should she try out for the rugby team? Should she join the debate club? Should she continue to eat lunch in the library or try the cafeteria? She refuses to make a decision before polling her blog readers. But can she live with the choices her readers make? MY LIFE UNDECIDED is a super-cute read. Brooklyn constantly makes the wrong decisions, but it ultimately leads her to discovering her true self. I loved the blend of technology with modern day. A fun book!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted June 8, 2011

    more from this reviewer

    Fantastically funny!

    Jessica Brody knows how to bring the fun! I was giggling like crazy throughout this entire book. My Life Undecided was just overall a fun read! Although it was humorous and hit the spot, it was also heart breaking. It just captures everything about a real teen's life and the essence of decision making. Whether the decisions are just everyday ones or huge ones, it doesn't matter. They all play a roll in how things play out and this seemed to be the overall concept here.

    Brody has a crisp writing style and it plays along with the story so well that I actually got lost in Brooklyn's world! Brooklyn is quite the fun character. She's in style and up to date on the latest trends. She's popular and has a best girlfriend who has all the same interests...boys and fashion. That's all until she makes a very bad decision to throw an awesome party in her mom's model home, which goes awry. Brooklyn ends up getting into major trouble. She up and decides her decisions will be managed by her blog followers.

    I can't tell you how many times the narration from Brooklyn made me laugh...out loud. By myself. She was full of awesome and spunk. She wasn't afraid to go through with the decisions her blog followers made. Along the way she meets cute boys, Hunter and Brian. Hunter I wasn't really a fan of. He was too bad bad boy for me, as in he didn't make a good bad boy, haha! On the other hand, Brian, was the dorky-friend-type guy I fell for from the start.

    My Life Undecided is about learning from mistakes and taking all things into consideration. There's consequences and rewards, it comes with the territory of growing up. I loved the overall message here and it was written in such a fun way, there's no way you'd be bored! Romance plays a small role and (even though I love me some romance) I liked it that way. I liked that the focus was on Brooklyn's adventures and mishaps.

    I suggest this book to anyone who wants a fantastically funny read! I hope you all can get your paws on a copy.

    Review based on ARC copy

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 17, 2011

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  • Anonymous

    Posted November 10, 2011

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    Posted August 9, 2011

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    Posted April 14, 2012

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  • Anonymous

    Posted November 16, 2011

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    Posted April 8, 2011

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    Posted October 25, 2011

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