Too Good to Be True

Mostly Miserable Life of April Sinclair #2

by Laurie B. Friedman

April's looking forward to starting eighth grade with her best friends Billy and Brynn, especially since her new relationship with Billy is going so well. But this surprisingly un-miserable phase can't last forever--and of course her family is still so weird. When everyone is mad at April for what happens with next-door neighbor Matt, she'll have to figure out how to fix her friendships new and old, and she just might appreciate her family in the process.

Genres: Middle Grade, Romance, Young Adult

168 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Laurie Friedman is the author and ghostwriter of over 300 award-winning picture books, easy readers, chapter books, and novels for young readers including the bestselling Mallory McDonald series, the Moose the Dog easy reader series, the Camp Creepy Lake and Wendy & Willow chapter books, and may picture books including Cows in the House and Love, Ruby Valentine.

Reviews

[Safa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice book because it was also realistic, just like the first one.
I liked that April's dad gave her good advice, again because he's the only one she ever seemed to go ask for help whenever a lot was happening.

[Iris R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book.because it had some funny parts to the story. This book would be out of this world for anyone who likes the April Sinclair book series. This story focuses on a girl named April and her miserable life. (Like the rest of the series.). Near the beginning April and her friend went to a new restaurant in town and her dad ordered everything there because Aprils dad named Rex owns his own restaurant. But Rex was having a little trouble. He needed to use the bathroom so bad that he went into the girls restroom. When April and Brynn went to use the bathroom it smelled awful. Then they were hearing strange noise and then... her dad came out of the stall. Want to see what's happening next? Check this book out.

[Alana Janel Buce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! ❤

I loved the book! It is funny, charming, and I was hooked on every word! Thank you so much. I can't wait to complete the series! ❤❤😍

[*✧･ﾟn *✧･ﾟ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Matt really is that creepy older classmate that always tries to touch you...

[Paige Bredemeier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too Good to be True is one of the books in the series The Mostly Miserable Life of April Sinclair. It is about April's 8th-grade year. Her life is going great, she's got an amazing boyfriend a best friend who isn't mad at her and for once she actually believes in her grandma's happiness movement. The highschool's dance team is taking in 8th-grade girls to try out. Her and her Bff Bryn both really want to get in but with only 4 8th-grade spots will they be able to do it? The book shows you that sometimes what you have is enough. I like the constant drama and the fact that everything just falls apart at once cause that's definitely happened to me. I gave it 4 stars because it's really relatable to me and I understand how she feels when everyone seems to hate her all the sudden but, it was defiantly a middle school book with the drama and friendships and sometimes it was too much teen if that makes any sense.

[Kenzie Rae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yet another sweet, funny, and totally relatable book! This gets into the friendship problems of middle school, and what seems to happen every time life is good. Definitely recommend it!

[Katie]

I thought it was a great book that made me think about how this girl in the books life relates to mine or how our perspectives are the same

[Eden (Taylor’s version) · Rating 3 out of 5]

😩

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too Good To Be True is the second installment in Laurie Friedman’s series, The Mostly Miserable Life of April Sinclair. Told in diary format, the story narrates what happens when middle schooler April wins a spot on the dance team over her best friend Brynn, makes an untrustworthy new friend, accidentally kisses a boy who is not her boyfriend, and alienates said boyfriend.

The subject matter of this book has been covered by authors like Judy Blume, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, and Lauren Myracle, but despite the lack of original plotlines, it is still fun to read. April is a convincing character, with a great combination of likable spunk and irritating flaws. She does complain a lot, as the series name suggests, but the overall tone of the book is lighthearted and fluffy. The diary format makes the story move quickly, and provides a nice vehicle for allowing time to pass between important events without causing the story to drag.

The boy/girl interaction in the story is a bit more mature than one might expect from most middle grade novels, and it may be a shock to some kids (and parents) given the innocence of Friedman’s Mallory series, but including these slightly more sophisticated situations makes this a good stepping stone between middle grade and young adult. Interestingly, despite the higher maturity level, this book does share many of the same themes as the Mallory books, including forgiveness and learning to be a good friend. It should also be noted that this book features a strong and believably close father/daughter relationship, which is a rarity in middle grade books.

Too Good to Be True (and the first book, Can You Say Catastrophe?) will appeal mainly to middle school girls who have begun to outgrow Dork Diaries but aren’t quite ready for Sarah Dessen.

[Tracy Daley · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a cute middle grade book, but the problem I had with it was that it sounded like one of those stories about keeping the old friends because they are the good friends. Her old friend in this book was just as terrible as the new friend. I guess maybe its a realistic portrayal of twelve year old girls, but I really wanted someone in the story to have some redeeming qualities.

[Rita Nannini · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like middle school chick-lit this book personifies the genre. It is all about girls' feelings and how to deal. This is a quick read and not gritty at all.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm still not sure how I feel about this series. I did like this book better than the first book, but Matt is starting to freak me out.

[Heatherly Hardin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining story of life and friendship in middle school ;)

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

A worthy sequel.

[Kalson A · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that this book is a very interesting book that you can kind of relate to.

[paige wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was really realistic. I understood how she felt.