TBH, Cece has no time for her boy-crazy friends. She wants to make a bigger impact in middle school than just choosing the perfect kissy cat-face emoji.
But that’s hard when Gabby and Prianka talk about their crushes 24/7. (To be honest, it’s way too much information!) Between nailing down summer plans, getting busted for iMessaging in class, and organizing the spring fair, things are getting rocky for the BFFs.
But when Prianka gets an SOS text from her friend Vishal, the girls realize they need to band together—because some of their classmates have bigger challenges than dealing with sixth grade stress.
A long bio can be kind of boring, so instead I'm going to pretend that a famous journalist (maybe Barbara Walters) is interviewing me. The only thing is, I'm making up the questions. If you think of any other questions you'd like me to answer, send me an email and ask away!
Q. Where did you grow up? A. I lived in Fairfield, Connecticut until the end of fifth grade and then I moved to Roslyn Heights, New York. That's on Long Island. But I don't have a bad Lawn Guyland accent, I promise.
Q. Do you have any siblings? A. Yes, I have two younger brothers. I always wanted a sister, but it's kind of nice being the only daughter in the family, and my brothers and I are really close.
Q. What about the rest of your family? Are you close with them too? A. Yes, family is really important to me. I talk to my parents and grandparents every day.
Q. Are you married? A. Yes, to a fabulous guy named Dave. We met at sleep away camp when I was sixteen.
Q. Do you have any kids? A. Yes, my daughter Aleah Violet Rosenberg was born on May 28th, 2010 and I personally think she's the cutest baby in the world, but of course I am biased.
Q. Do you have any pets? A. I had a miniature toy poodle named Yoffi, but he died in 2007. I miss him so much.
Q. That's sad. Do you think you will get another dog? A. I would love to adopt one very soon!
Q. What is your favorite book? A. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt is my favorite book in the whole entire world. I read it in sixth grade in Ms. Mayer's class. I have read many books since then, but Tuck Everlasting is still my absolute favorite.
Q. What is your favorite movie? A. I have two. Clueless and Avalon.
Q. What's one of the craziest things that's ever happened to you? A. I won a radio contest at the end of eighth grade! Someone from Z100 called me up and asked me to say the "phrase that pays" and I answered correctly. I won a thousand dollars.
Q. Did you always want to be a writer? A. No, not always. I wanted to be a hair stylist, then a concert pianist, then a rabbi. But I always loved making up stories, so I think writing is the perfect job for me.
Q. Where did you go to college? A. I went to Binghamton University in upstate New York. I was an English major with a concentration in creative writing. It's reallllllllly cold in Binghamton. Then two years after I graduated college, I went to The New School to get my MFA in writing for children.
Q. You mentioned that you met Dave at sleep away camp. Did you really like sleep away camp? A. YES! I loved it. I went to Eisner Camp in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. I would go back to camp forever if only I could. Sleep away camp is the best place in the world.
Q. Tell me some other things you really like. A. Okay. Here's a short list: sleeping late, fancy hotels, reading and writing (duh!,) peanut m&ms, flip flops, sweatpants, people watching, New York City, cheese omelets, weddings, pedicures, looking at old pictures and re-reading old cards and letters.
Q. Tell me some things you really dislike. A. Peas, mean people, rats and mice, sweating, pants and skirts with a side zipper, spicy food, uncomfortable shoes, people clipping their nails on the subway, feeling lonely or thinking about other people who might feel lonely.
Q. MY LIFE IN PINK & GREEN is about a pharmacy. Do you really like pharmacies? A. Yes, I love them! I love the way they smell and the way the aisles are arranged. I love when the pharmacists know the customers and I love looking at all the beauty products.
Q. Do you write every day? A. I try to, but in addition to writing I also work in the library at The Birch Wathen Lenox School in Manhattan. I love being around kids and books and talking to kids about books!
Q. I don't have any more questions. Is there anything else you'd like to add? A. Just that I hope readers like my book, and I'd love to hear from all of them if they want to talk to me!
I didn’t know this was a sequel to a book until I finished... I just pulled it off a shelf at the library thinking “Oh that sounds cool, a novel in text”. Maybe if I read the first book first, like I was supposed to, I would’ve enjoyed this one more. But sadly, that’s not the case. My first issue was all the abbreviations. “N e way, where r u? Tbh I’m lost”(not an exact quote, just an example). It made sense, with the text format, but it just annoyed me (I don’t text with too many abbreviations). Secondly, the dating made me very unconfortable. It might be my personal opinion, but the idea of sixth graders dating, with some not even twelve, is kinda weird to me.... Thirdly, all the xoxo’s. There were SO MANY xoxo’s throughout the book!!! They kinda hurt my head, so I had to try to ignore them the whole time.
Those are the only issues I really had. The plot was fine, the characters were fine, and everything else was fine. It was an interesting format, and I reccomend it! Just... learn from my mistake and read the first book first.
This book left a sour taste in my mouth. It wanted to raise important issues, but failed. Saying that we are “tolerant” of someone is incredibly conceited. It implies we are willing to suffer their existence; their existence is to be “tolerated.” The words “tolerance” and “tolerant” are not positive words of inclusion. Also the focus on the boy craze took away from the book. It says this is a book for 8 to 12 year olds. I wouldn’t want my 8 year old child to read a book focusing on girls being crazy for boys. Cece is right!
Fun continuation of the series. It continues to tackle heavy subjects while still remaining light and addictively readable. A very enjoyable quick read with just the right amount of emojis!
Nope. And yes today I'm being really lazy with my reviews, but I have 5 books to review and a meeting in 10 minutes. Deal with it. Sorry but I am not a big fan. Maybe I just read it in the wrong format?????????? (I read it online) Uh summary.... 🛑SPOILERS BE WARNED🛑 Basically girls texting each other and writing in journals and not liking bullying (This was good, but honestly a bit of a cliche and not really deep enough. Is kinda just saying 'oh I don't like bullying and yeah... well do a speech'). One gets kissed by a boy (ew) and all of them are like WOW accept for Cece (THANK GOODNESS FOR CECE) who says "Awkward!" and then they're in side chats being like "what's up with Cece she doesn't like us talking about boys how horrible are we floating apart oh noooooo". Oh yeah and there's also a camping trip. (It quite weird how there's all these side plots). And a fair/carnival/school event???? with a marriage tent. And duh Cece hates it. The Mom's are emailing (I don't think parents use email for casual communication.... I guess it's to make them seem old???) and saying things like, "OUR DAUGHTERS ARE REAL SUS". Uh... This book was a mess I'm trying to remember things.... Well Cece sends an email saying that she feels awkward with them talking about boys so much and asks if they can still be friends. (I'm in sixth grade and am almost 12, around the same age as these girls. I have actually no idea why she thinks asking them to talk about boys less would make them stop being her friends. I don't know. I might just be out of the loop.) Anywayyyyy her friends are emailing back saying "NOOOO CECE WE LOVE YOU SORRY WE DIDN'T REALIZE YOU HATE TALKING ABOUT BOYS EVEN THOUGH IT WAS REAL OBVIOUS BE OUR FRIENDDDD". So they keep being friends. And then some other junk happens... uhhhhh The end.
CONCLUSION: Not great book. Still read but be wary of over-emoji use. LAST SECOND EDIT: The words "TBH this may be TMI" are used like twice. And they have nothing to do with the plot.
"Epistolary" novel told entirely in text messages (and some emails & notebook pages) portrays the rambling, superficial, and tender thoughts of 3 middle school girls and their friends getting ready for their Spring Festival at school, planning their summer, and welcoming a refugee to their community.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
TBH, THIS MAY BE TMI is the second in a contemporary middle grade series, though it can easily function as a stand-alone. The book is told mainly through text messages, but also through passed notes, diaries, and emails. Prianka, Gabby, and Cece are BFFs and have been for a long time. Middle school is mixing things up, however, with new focuses on boys, social issues (bullying), and planning for the spring fair. They have also been making a point to include the new girl, Victoria, in their activities.
What I loved: This book is highly relatable for the middle school audience and great for reluctant readers who will speed through the text messages and text lingo. The problems the girls are facing are likely encountered by many children of this in between age, not quite feeling like they fit in, that their friends are getting into things that they are not sure they like, fear of being away from home at sleepaway camps (they are planning a summer camp), and navigating schoolwork and other friends. Perhaps most interesting in this book is Arjun's story. Arjun moved to their school from a place where he and his family were being bullied in really scary ways. People were calling them Muslim, even though they were Hindu, but regardless the profiling and bullying really escalated. Arjun shares his story through a planned speech, and this can be really helpful for children to learn about and understand the ramifications of.
While some of the communications seemed a little awkward, blunt or brief, I think this accurate to the age group portrayed, and middle grade readers will really enjoy reading this and the other books in this series.
Final verdict: Great for the middle grade audience, TBH, THIS MAY BE TMI is a fun and fast-paced journey through middle school issues. The unique format makes for an engaging book with broad appeal.
Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.
This book is pretty crazy with the drama that goes through text messages. The characters in this book are Cece, Gabby, Prianka, Vishal, Gabrielle, and Victoria. Victoria comes in the group chat with the three girls (Cece, Gabby, and Prianka) every so often, and Prianka, Gabby, and Victoria go through their 6th grade crushes, while Cece disagrees and think its irrelevant to have crushes so early in school. The reason I gave the book four stars is because there's a lot of drama going on, between a camping trip the girls try to apply for, school, diaries, emails/parents, summer plans/vacations, making time to hangout with each other and their crushes, a school festival, and one of the friends being bullied. The story honestly just gets crazier and crazier, making it very grabbing and short to read because of the short text messages. What I disliked was the amount of abbreviations used, because it's quite hard for me to remember, having to flip back to the last page to find the meanings can get quite annoying, but besides that the plot is great and I would recommend it to anyone who needs some spicy 6th drama in their life, with quick turn in events with each chapter!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Cecily, Gabby, and Prianka are all looking forward to the summer. To make sure they can spend the summer together,they plan to go to a summer camp, but Cecily is feeling a little left out because she is spending so much time as 6th grade rep, while all her friends only seem to be interested in boys. At the same time, Prianka's friend has a cousin who is moving in because he is being bullied at his school in Florida because of his religion.
TBH, This May Be TMI is the second entry in the TBH series. This story injects a little more depth because the school has added journal assignments that students must do to help them understand themselves and each other better. Also, the story line about the boy who is being bullied adds another layer to the story as the three girls and their friends try to figure out how to help him. It is still a little difficult to follow which student is saying what, but overall, TBH, This May Be TMI is a little better than the first book in the series and offers some well presented advice about bullying. 3 1/2 stars
TBH this book is rarely checked out at my library. Now I see why. It's rather boring. It's just a snapshot of communication between friends. Mostly text messages with a smattering of emails, hand written notes, and journal entries thrown in. It's a super fast read. Probably 3rd grade reading level. I'm happy to say that my 4-6 graders want more out of their reading material.
I will say it's an accurate depiction of the conversations likely to happen between middle school kids. Spring Fair. Boys. Summer plans. Injustice (or whatever you want to call it). There's typical exchanges like "What's up with so-and-so?" "Do you think so-and-so likes so-and-so." Lots of emojis. Lots of cliched texting shorthand. The friends clearly support one another and there's no backstabbing, so content isn't really questionable. Just, seriously, with all the texting kids do, do you really want their reading material reduced to this also? Our brains are going to start de-evolving if we aren't careful.
This is a continuation from the first book in the series. We follow the same group of girl friends (mainly) who attend middle school together. In this book, they meet a new kid (who is a cousin of a boy they know), and he and his family have moved to the area to avoid some religious hatred they were facing. This sparks an idea within their group to address the issue of religious tolerance at their school. The reader mostly reads text messages between the different characters, and every now and then a message from the school. Again, nothing crazy, and probably not memorable, but would be cute if you were a middle school aged kid reading these. I had no idea really what they were about before reading them.
I don't have very many comments about this book, but that's not really a bad thing! I don't have anything negative to say about this book, and I don't know how to explain how it was good. But...I do LOVE LOVE LOVE Lisa Greenwald's books- The Friendship List series as well as this series (so far, but I am 100% going to read the whole series!) Also, all of Lisa Greenwald's books are so relatable for middle-grade girls. I bet if you asked 50 middle-grade girls that have read her books, they'd say that it was pretty darn relatable. Yes, I might recommend this book to friends.
This book is pretty cringy. The emojis are overdone and it ruins the good message of the book. Its good that the author is trying to raise awareness for bullying but the way she did it made it seem like a joke. "peeps are being racist for no reason" "Oh no! no one deserves that *insert 8 crying emojis*" If I told someone I was getting bullied and they sent me crying emojis, I would be so confused. Also, I think there were too many abbreviations. It feels like they were only there to make the book feel modern.
MAJOR SPOILER ALERT 🚨 Anyways, I think this is the book Cece explains her feelings… right? Well, I loved Cece as a character but then she came out as Lesbian with Mara and I kinda didn’t like her anymore. Not to hate ❌, but, why do people have to include LGBTQ in every character? Also, in this one, I think the part about Vishal’s cousin getting bullied is SO no realistic 😭 like if someone threw tomatoes at MY HOUSE then I would call the cops ASAP like, bruh 😭. And way too cringy and weird. But for the good side, I think the romantic Non-Cece part of it was good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I tried to do the second book of this series and really had to stop a few times. There were so many characters I didn’t like. Also, I felt like this book had too many “agendas” and nothing really came to fruition. The tolerance, helping refugees, anti-bullying, all these great thoughts but nothing really seemed really told in detail. I just felt like this book was trying to be/do too many things that the overarching message was lost.
I'm keeping this short but I love this series so much! I love all of the characters and how they all have flaws but also have so many good qualities! I identify with cece the most, she is my fav character. Some people complain about how this book is all in text but I think that's it's honestly so fun! I'm bumping it down one star because I think that it's weird to have middle school kids sending each other emails. I feel like that isn't really popular
I found this series at the library for my 10 y.o. daughter. She loves them. For me, it was a little but stressful with all the back and forth and texting language, but obviously I am not the target audience. I think this is great for 4-6th grade, probably more girls than boys. Good larger life lessons embedded into the conversations. Overall, I'd say these are great little books for tweens/early teens.
By no means the best book I've read this year, but I can certainly see the appeal it would have for younger readers. Told in (pink) text form, this book manages to be mostly light-hearted, while still addressing the dramas of being a tweenager - friendships, relationships, tolerance, and changes in friends. An easy read!
I read the first book in two sittings, but this one in one sitting (it took a bit over an hour). It was an easy read, and I think even kids will be able to read it quickly. I really liked the progression of characters in this book. They did seem to grow. I also like that it is not all text. It is a good series and I do think I will read the rest.
I got this one because I saw it and had read the first one. I am not a huge fan of this series just because it is written just text messages and journals. It is cute and able to read in a day but other than that it seems its great for the younger kids.
This series is so addictive. I'm enjoying myself with every read, I can't wait till I read the next one. Like I said before, if you like to read BFF'S texting each other than this is DEFIANTLY for you. ♥♥♥
These books are so fun to read! The drama is hilarious, it's perfectly 6th grade. I liked that this one included some bigger more important issues, too, while still being light. I read it in an hour.
These books are so cute! Like I said in a previous review, the characters do have conversations in between texts and emails, so you feel a little bit out of the loop, but they're altogether some pretty cool books. Definitely relatable, and definitely a good read.