My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody

Brooklyn Pierce has a problem—make that lots of problems. Ever since she accidentally burned down a model home she threw a party in, she’s come to realize that that has just been one in a long string of bad choices. And since Brooks would rather not be thrown in jail again, she knows that something has to change. So she comes up with a brilliant plan: she’s going to start a blog and have her readers make her choices for her. Now every decision in her life will be put to a vote, and Brooks will do as her readers tells her, since she figures they know best. And for a while, it goes well, even if Brooks finds herself doing things she’d never be caught dead doing before, like joining the debate team. But soon she’ll have to realize that she can’t give up complete responsibility for her life; there are some choices that she’ll just have to learn to make for herself.

My Life Undecided is many things, including sweet, touching, and utterly hilarious. Brody offers readers a delicious glimpse into the life of Brooklyn, a girl who unintentionally can’t seem to stay out of trouble. It’s simultaneously outrageously funny and a little horrifying to read about a girl who’s so fed up with the way her life seems to be going that she willingly relinquishes control (mostly) to an anonymous audience on the world wide web. Yet for all of Brooks’s dramatics, her life isn’t all that extraordinary. Yes, it’s true that most teens can’t claim to have experienced most of Brooklyn’s exploits like burning down a model home, but underneath it all, she’s just a girl who feels a little lost. Brody really emphasizes this by showing Brooks’s dilemmas with friends, guys, and family. Now these are the big three that all teen girls have to deal with. I loved reading along to watch Brooks’s character grow from a timid, self-conscious girl to one who is comfortable in her own skin. My Life Undecided is a thoroughly enjoyable read that kept me smiling and giggling as I turned the pages, and I can’t wait to see what new comedic and contemporary stories Brody produces next.

My Life Undecided is the perfect read for any teen girl on a lazy day and will especially appeal to fans of Into the Wild Nerd Yonder by Julie Halpern and The Oracle of Dating by Allison Van Diepen.

Rating: 4.25

Review copy from publisher Macmillan