Things You Either Hate or Love: A Novel

by Brigid Lowry

Overview

Fifteen-year-old Georgia has to get to the Natural Affinity concert. She's obsessed with the lead singer, Jakob, and will do anything it takes to see him live. However, there is one major obstacle standing in her way: money. To earn some extra cash, she takes on a string of disastrous jobs, one ending worse than the next. Georgia also struggles with her weight, slipping grades, her lack of a boyfriend and the distance that seems to be growing between her and her best friend. Add to all that the tension with her mother, and life really starts to get complicated. True to Brigid Lowry's colorful style of writing, the book is peppered with lists Georgia writes in her diary, like "Ten things you can do with a sausage besides eating it" and "Great excuses for not doing my homework." Georgia is funny, honest, far from perfect, and will win the heart of every girl who has ever pined hopelessly after a rock star.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780312363086
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	04/17/2007
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.45(d)
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

BRIGID LOWRY is a well-known writer in Australia, where her novels Guitar Highway Rose and Follow the Blue were runaway successes with young readers.

Editorial Reviews

Readers will instantly relate to funny, honest 15-year-old Georgia….This is a well-executed story, with a vivid narrator sure to win readers' hearts.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Readers will be drawn in by [Lowry's] ability to paint word pictures of the main character's innermost thoughts and feelings. After reading this quirky, fun novel, teens are sure to request Lowry's Guitar Highway Rose and Follow the Blue.” —School Library Journal

“Lowry has created a wonderful character in Georgia, whose narrative ranges from hilarious to poignant as it relates familiar growing pains….A compelling, enjoyable read with a complex, irresistible protagonist who will engage many readers.” —Booklist

From the Publisher

Readers will instantly relate to funny, honest 15-year-old Georgia. "I like to think of myself as a brilliant creative person, but sometimes I just feel like a sad lonely girl with a big bum." Lowry (Guitar Highway Rose) covers familiar teen angst territory, from Georgia's tension with her single mom to a seemingly unrequited crush, but she handles the topics tenderly and realistically. Georgia's infatuated with the lead singer for Natural Affinity, and takes a string of bad jobs so she can fly to one of the band's concerts (one job comes to a sudden end when she angrily hits her manager with a loaf of bread). But when she starts working at a grocery store, she falls for a cute clerk who reads her his poem about toilet paper. Meanwhile tension with her mother ebbs and flows, but gradually comes to a head when Georgia learns a secret about her long dead father. Throughout, she writes lists in her diary, full of funny things such as "10 things you can do with a sausage besides eating it" and small heartbreaks (on the list "Ways in which I am like my mother" she writes: "We both miss the same man"). Ultimately, this is a well-executed story, with a vivid narrator sure to win readers' hearts. Ages 12-up. (Mar.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 8 Up-This story is made up of a series of journal entries and lists compiled by 15-year-old Georgia, who makes several unsuccessful attempts to earn the $500 she needs to hear her favorite group, Natural Affinity. She lives in Golden Bay, Australia, so she'll need a lot if she's going to fly to Melbourne for the May Day concert. Meanwhile, she struggles with her weight and appearance, obsesses over a particular guy, and tries to maintain a halfway decent relationship with her single mom. Lowry is also a poet, which is evident in her different styles of writing and colorful prose. Readers will be drawn in by her ability to paint word pictures of the main character's innermost thoughts and feelings. After reading this quirky, fun novel, teens are sure to request Lowry's Guitar Highway Rose (2003) and Follow the Blue (2004, both Holiday House).-Kathryn Childs, Morris Mid/High School, OK Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Weight-conscious Georgia is the Australian, 15-year-old equivalent of England's Bridget Jones. In an effort to earn enough money for concert tickets, she spends her summer holiday working a series of jobs, none of which she enjoys. Meanwhile, she attempts to understand her single mother, obsesses over boys and endures the ups and downs of friendship with her pal, Mel. To help sort out her feelings-and break the tedium of an uneventful holiday-Georgia begins making lists of random topics such as "things to do while watching a sunset," "ways in which I am like my mother" and "stuff I don't like that everyone else likes." Although not much else about this story is unique, Georgia's lists are cleverly wrought and typify a teenager's response to understanding who she is and defining her place in the world. Amid changes in her life, Georgia remains a likable heroine who stays true to herself. Cherie Whytock or Sue Limb fans will enjoy this latest addition to the ever-growing number of chick-lit offerings for teen girls. (Fiction. YA)

Kirkus Reviews