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One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies
My name is Ruby. This book is about me.
It tells the deeply hideous story
of what happens when my mother dies
and I'm dragged three thousand miles away
from my gorgeous boyfriend, Ray,
to live in L.A. with my father,
who I've never even met
because he's such a scumbag that he
divorced my mom before I was born.
The only way I've ever even "seen" him
is in the movies,
since he's this megafamous actor
who's been way too busy
trying to win Oscars
to even visit me once in fifteen years.
Everyone loves my father.
Everyone but me.
It tells the deeply hideous story
of what happens when my mother dies
and I'm dragged three thousand miles away
from my gorgeous boyfriend, Ray,
to live in L.A. with my father,
who I've never even met
because he's such a scumbag that he
divorced my mom before I was born.
The only way I've ever even "seen" him
is in the movies,
since he's this megafamous actor
who's been way too busy
trying to win Oscars
to even visit me once in fifteen years.
Everyone loves my father.
Everyone but me.
272 pages, Paperback
First published April 27, 2004
152 people are currently reading
7677 people want to read
About the author
Sonya Sones
17 books764 followersSONYA SONES has written seven young adult novels in verse: Stop Pretending, What My Mother Doesn’t Know, What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know, One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies, To Be Perfectly Honest, Saving Red, and The Opposite of Innocent.
Her books have received many awards, including a Christopher Award, the Myra Cohn Livingston Award for Poetry, the Claudia Lewis Poetry Award, a Los Angeles Times Book Prize nomination and a Cuffie Award from Publisher’s Weekly for Best Book Title of the year. But the coolest honor she ever received was when her novel, What My Mother Doesn’t Know, landed her a spot on the American Library Association’s list of the Most Frequently Banned Authors of the 21st Century. (To find out why, see page 46.)
Sonya has also written a novel in verse for grownups—the Los Angeles Times bestseller The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus, a coming of middle-age story about learning to grow old disgracefully, which was optioned by Michelle Pfeiffer, and has contributed poems and short stories in verse to lots of anthologies.
Her books have been recognized by the American Library Association as Best Books for Young Adults and Quick Picks For Reluctant Young Readers, and have received a dozen state awards for Best Young Adult Book of the Year.
Her books have received many awards, including a Christopher Award, the Myra Cohn Livingston Award for Poetry, the Claudia Lewis Poetry Award, a Los Angeles Times Book Prize nomination and a Cuffie Award from Publisher’s Weekly for Best Book Title of the year. But the coolest honor she ever received was when her novel, What My Mother Doesn’t Know, landed her a spot on the American Library Association’s list of the Most Frequently Banned Authors of the 21st Century. (To find out why, see page 46.)
Sonya has also written a novel in verse for grownups—the Los Angeles Times bestseller The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus, a coming of middle-age story about learning to grow old disgracefully, which was optioned by Michelle Pfeiffer, and has contributed poems and short stories in verse to lots of anthologies.
Her books have been recognized by the American Library Association as Best Books for Young Adults and Quick Picks For Reluctant Young Readers, and have received a dozen state awards for Best Young Adult Book of the Year.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 894 reviews
June 11, 2018
One of the first things the main character Ruby tells us is that she doesn't want the story of her life to be like "one of those hideous books where the mother dies and so the girl has to go live with her absentee father and he turns out to be an alcoholic heroin addict who brutally beats her and sexually molests her thereby causing her to become a bulimic ax murderer." I think the author had Ruby exaggerate this cliche plotline so much to distract us from the fact that the plot of this book is essentially exactly the same as the one Ruby is mocking.
1.) Mother dies
2.) Ruby is forced to go live with her absentee father
3.) Absentee father just happens to be an Oscar-winning actor
4.) Ruby is "numb" and can no longer feel grief
5.) Ruby makes no friends at school
6.) Ruby's only source of comfort is an unlikely character (in this case it's her father's gay "assistant/personal trainer/all-around lifesaver," Max)
7.) Ruby refuses to listen to her PERFECTLY NICE father's explanation of why he left and insists on hating him and forever believing that the divorce is his fault
8.) Ruby's best friend and boyfriend are hooking up behind her back (SHOCK!)
9.) Ruby's father and Max are gay and hooking up behind her back (SHOCK!)
10.) Inanimate object (broken bottle)/unimpressive situation (7-second earthquake) causes Ruby to have a revelation and the book ends with tears turning into laughs and a cheesy line like "I can remember hating palm trees. I can even remember hating California. I just can't remember why."
Along with a whole bucketful of other annoying things like the ENDLESS nicknames Ruby and her friend Lizzie make up for each other (Ruby Dooby, Lizzerella, Lizzette, Lizzandra, Rubinowitz, Lizanthamum, Rubinowski, Lizziola, etc., etc., ETC!) and the fact that Ruby was under the delusion that her grade ten relationship was going to withstand a permanent move to a different state were enough to make me hate this book. It did, however, keep me entertained enough to finish it and write this review. But it really is just another one of those hideous books where the mother dies.
1.) Mother dies
2.) Ruby is forced to go live with her absentee father
3.) Absentee father just happens to be an Oscar-winning actor
4.) Ruby is "numb" and can no longer feel grief
5.) Ruby makes no friends at school
6.) Ruby's only source of comfort is an unlikely character (in this case it's her father's gay "assistant/personal trainer/all-around lifesaver," Max)
7.) Ruby refuses to listen to her PERFECTLY NICE father's explanation of why he left and insists on hating him and forever believing that the divorce is his fault
8.) Ruby's best friend and boyfriend are hooking up behind her back (SHOCK!)
9.) Ruby's father and Max are gay and hooking up behind her back (SHOCK!)
10.) Inanimate object (broken bottle)/unimpressive situation (7-second earthquake) causes Ruby to have a revelation and the book ends with tears turning into laughs and a cheesy line like "I can remember hating palm trees. I can even remember hating California. I just can't remember why."
Along with a whole bucketful of other annoying things like the ENDLESS nicknames Ruby and her friend Lizzie make up for each other (Ruby Dooby, Lizzerella, Lizzette, Lizzandra, Rubinowitz, Lizanthamum, Rubinowski, Lizziola, etc., etc., ETC!) and the fact that Ruby was under the delusion that her grade ten relationship was going to withstand a permanent move to a different state were enough to make me hate this book. It did, however, keep me entertained enough to finish it and write this review. But it really is just another one of those hideous books where the mother dies.
February 7, 2008
One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies is Sonya Sones' third book written in verse. I actually read What My Mother Doesn't Know and What My Boyfriend Doesn't Know before this one, and I loved those two so much that it's hard to judge this one fairly on its own merits.
Although I really liked this book - four stars worth - I found its premise to be a little unbelievable: After Ruby's mom dies she has to go live with her dad, who she's never met, and who (by the way) also happens to be a famous movie star. With that said, I completely went along for the ride as Ruby moved across the country and started her new life in L.A. The book deals with her adjusting to her new dad, school, and potential friends, as well as the best friend and boyfriend she left behind. All without the steadying force of her mom.
In one part of the book, Ruby reminisces about an old tree that she'd sit in (before she moved) and read (the palm trees in L.A. are not too sit-able). She talked about the books she'd read there, which included: The Whipping Boy, Tuck Everlasting, A Wrinkle in Time, To Kill a Mockingbird, "every word Richard Peck ever wrote", Speak, Hard Love, Hope Was Here, and Charlotte's Web.
They sounded to me like book recommendations from Sonya Sones. Thank you! Some will be added to my to-read list. That also inspired me to check out Sonya Sones' web site:
www.sonyasones.com
It has some interesting things on it. She likes to take photographs, and you can see pictures she's taken of other authors that she's friends with (yes, Richard Peck is one of them). She also has a great list of YA book recommendations. It's worth a visit if you're a fan of YA lit and are looking for some new titles to add to your to-read list.
I got a little off-track there. OoTHBWtMD is a great book, and worth reading. I think in a few years, this and Sones' other books will be considered YA classics.
Although I really liked this book - four stars worth - I found its premise to be a little unbelievable: After Ruby's mom dies she has to go live with her dad, who she's never met, and who (by the way) also happens to be a famous movie star. With that said, I completely went along for the ride as Ruby moved across the country and started her new life in L.A. The book deals with her adjusting to her new dad, school, and potential friends, as well as the best friend and boyfriend she left behind. All without the steadying force of her mom.
In one part of the book, Ruby reminisces about an old tree that she'd sit in (before she moved) and read (the palm trees in L.A. are not too sit-able). She talked about the books she'd read there, which included: The Whipping Boy, Tuck Everlasting, A Wrinkle in Time, To Kill a Mockingbird, "every word Richard Peck ever wrote", Speak, Hard Love, Hope Was Here, and Charlotte's Web.
They sounded to me like book recommendations from Sonya Sones. Thank you! Some will be added to my to-read list. That also inspired me to check out Sonya Sones' web site:
www.sonyasones.com
It has some interesting things on it. She likes to take photographs, and you can see pictures she's taken of other authors that she's friends with (yes, Richard Peck is one of them). She also has a great list of YA book recommendations. It's worth a visit if you're a fan of YA lit and are looking for some new titles to add to your to-read list.
I got a little off-track there. OoTHBWtMD is a great book, and worth reading. I think in a few years, this and Sones' other books will be considered YA classics.
October 27, 2010
I really don't understand why young adult authors think that they have to make their characters clones of Holden Caulfield to create an interesting, worth-while story. In my personal opinon, it usually just turns into a whiny mess. To make matters worse, when the author compares their protagonist character to Holden directly in the text, the book turns into an automatic cheese-fest.
From the start, when poor little Ruby was whining on about "not being depressed", nope "not at all", I knew this was going to be one of those cliche, boring stories that I have heard so many times before, even in real life. If I can hear it from everyone firsthand, why on earth would I want to even waste my precious time reading through pages of teenage angst? I can just sit at the lunch table for all of that.
This book, in whole, without even further continuing on in this long rant, is written in such a way that makes me feel like the author just wasn't even trying- as if this was a piece that was written overnight. It lacks originality, has an extremely weak plot, and while the protagonist would be considered dynamic, her "epiphany" moment was weak. Overall, this was a huge letdown considering how stoked the person was who recommended it to me.
From the start, when poor little Ruby was whining on about "not being depressed", nope "not at all", I knew this was going to be one of those cliche, boring stories that I have heard so many times before, even in real life. If I can hear it from everyone firsthand, why on earth would I want to even waste my precious time reading through pages of teenage angst? I can just sit at the lunch table for all of that.
This book, in whole, without even further continuing on in this long rant, is written in such a way that makes me feel like the author just wasn't even trying- as if this was a piece that was written overnight. It lacks originality, has an extremely weak plot, and while the protagonist would be considered dynamic, her "epiphany" moment was weak. Overall, this was a huge letdown considering how stoked the person was who recommended it to me.
June 5, 2011
Ada apa sih sama Gramedia?
Kenapa buku-bukunya Sonya Sones selalu bisa gue temukan di acara bazaar buku Sepuluhribuan?
Sama kayak buku Ssst... Jangan Bilang-bilang Ibuku, buku-yang-judulnya-amat-sangat-panjang-ini pun gue temukan dengan harga sepuluh ribu saja di bazaar sekolah gue 2 minggu yang lalu.
Padahal menurut gue buku-buku ini ide ceritanya menarik loh. Cara penulisannya juga abege banget.
Jadi inget dulu jaman-jamannya SMA dan kuliah, setiap malam gue selalu menulis dengan gaya yang sama. Puisi wannabe. Setiap malam, selama beberapa tahun, hingga akhirnya komputer gue rusak dan semua tulisan itu hilang bersamaan dengan digantinya harddisk komputer gue. Hanya Tuhan yang tahu apa yang terjadi sama tulisan-tulisan itu.
Yah, sebagian masa remaja gue seakan ikut terenggut dengan hilangnya data di harddisk gue itu. *Tsah. *Terenggut bok, bahasanya.
Kalian semua sudah baca bukunya dong pastinya?
Apa?? Masih ada yang belom baca bukunya?
Yah :(
Padahal gue kan nulis review disini mau ngasih spoiler..
Tapi kalo gue kasih spoiler disini jadi ngga seru dong buat yang baca?
Ah kalian ga asik nih.
Belom baca bukunya masa mau lihat reviewnya sik?
............
Atau gimana kalo gini aja, kalian semua baca dulu bukunya, baru lanjut baca review gue?
Soalnya gue BENER-BENER mau ngasih spoiler nih disini.
Dan kalo gue ngga jadi ngasih spoiler, nanti malam tidur gue akan gelisah berguling ke kanan dan ke kiri. Kalo gue tidur nggak nyenyak, besok paginya gue bangun uring-uringan dan gue akan rewel sepanjang hari hingga orang-orang terdekat gue akan sangat kesal karenanya dan mereka memutuskan untuk tidak berteman lagi sama gue.
Lihat kan akibatnya kalau gue pengen ngasih spoiler terus ngga jadi?
CIH. MANJA!! *diludahin satu Goodreads*
Oh sebentar, gue luruskan dulu yah bagi yang belom baca bukunya.
Menilik dari judul bukunya "Salah satu buku mengerikan yang tokoh ibunya mati", disini kalian ngga akan mendapatkan cerita mengerikan apapun yang berhubungan dengan kematian si ibu.
Bukan berarti di halaman-halaman awal kalian akan membaca penderitaan si ibu, pertarungan batin si anak yang melihat ibunya sekarat, kemudian diikuti luka batin si anak yang menyaksikan ibunya meninggal dunia, peristiwa yang tidak akan bisa ia lupakan hingga ia sendiri pun meninggal nantinya.
Tidak.
Tidak-tidak-tidak.
Kalian tidak menemukan itu.
Ha!
Lalu apa, Far? Apa yang akan kami temukan dibuku ituuu?! *pembaca review mengguncang-guncang kerah baju Farah*
Ehem *mbenerin kerah baju*
Di halaman pertama begitu kalian membaca buku ini pun, tokoh ibunya sudah meninggal.
Nah, ngga sesuai judulnya kan?
Gue pikir mungkin ini ada hubungannya dengan cerita2 Lemony Snicket, yang belum apa-apa sudah mengklaim bahwa bukunya akan menceritakan 3 anak yatim piatu yang dilahirkan dengan garis nasib yang jelek yang akan menjadikan mereka magnet dari seluruh kesialan yang ada di dunia ini.
Ibarat kata, kalau ternyata si yatim piatu Baudelaire itu diadopsi oleh orang yang tinggal di sebelah rumah Ahmad Dhani dan ada paket bom buku yang ditujukan ke Ahmad Dhani, bisa dipastikan bahwa yang akan menerima paket bom tersebut adalah si anak laki-laki Baudelaire dan mereka kemudian meledakkan rumahnya sendiri. Dna harus mencari keluarga angkat lagi. Berkelana tanpa mengenakan alas kaki mengarungi Jakarta yang kejam ini.
Dan Ahmad Dhani pun akan cuma menengok ke rumah tetangganya, sambil memilin-milin janggut, dia berkata, "Apa sih? Paket bom buku aja heboh.."
FOKUS FAR!! *plakkk!* *ditampar*
Oh iya.
Kembali lagi ke bukunya.
Pemilihan kata-kata untuk judul buku ini sangat penting.
Semakin tragis judul bukunya, semakin banyak yang mau beli.
Kalaupun nggak ada yang mau beli, setidaknya bukunya bisa diobral hingga cuma jadi sepuluh ribu rupiah saja, lalu masih ada yang mau beli.
Salah satunya saya.
Yah, daripada judul bukunya berubah jadi, "Buku-mengerikan-yang-tokoh-ibunya-mati-dan-ternyata-bapaknya-adalah-artis-terkenal-Holywood-dan-tinggal-di-sebelah-Gwyneth-Paltrow"?
Nanti pasti pikiran kalian akan mengarah ke scene-scenenya Gossip Girl? Atau Glee? Dimana kalian mengharapkan akan ada scene si anak menyanyi I WILL SURVIVE di lorong sekolah?
Nggak.
Nggak akan ada yang semacam itu disini.
Atau kalau judul bukunya berubah menjadi "Buku-mengerikan-yang-tokoh-ibunya-mati-dan-dia-harus-pindah-dengan-bapaknya-kemudian-pacarnya-malah-pacaran-sama-teman-baiknya-sendiri-di-kampung-halamannya." pun, kalian pasti bertanya2, "Farah, kalau judul bukunya saja sepanjang itu, apakah sampul bukunya hanya akan dipenuhi huruf saja?"
"Iya, menurut saya juga begitu."
Tapi kembali ke judul tragis yang seharusnya menjual, si penulis pun tidak memilih untuk menuliskan "Buku-mengerikan-yang-tokoh-ibunya-mati-dan-ternyata-bapaknya-gay-dan-si-anak-baru-sadar-kalau-bapaknya-gay-setelah-dia-berumur-15-tahun".
Tragis mana sama judul aslinya?
Tragis berlebihan juga ngga bagus. Nggak menjual.
Tapi tragis yang pas takarannya, itu yang dicari pembaca.
"Tapi setelah membaca buku ini, kesan apa yang anda dapatkan?" tanya Reporter TVOne kepada Farah.
"Menurut saya, tokoh anak di dalam buku ini sangat kurang ajar. Harusnya judulnya diganti saja menjadi, "Salah-satu-buku-mengerikan-yang-tokoh-ibunya-meninggal-dan-anaknya-masih-menulis-surat-kepada-ibunya-dan-bertanya-bagaimana-kabar-kehidupan-setelah-kematian-lalu-melanjutkannya-dengan-HAHAHAHA-cuma-bercanda-mom""
Dan reporter TVOne pun tidak mengerti dengan apa yang gue katakan.
........................
Ah ya sudahlah.
Kalian sudah dapat spoilernya?
Bagus.
Saya bisa tidur dengan tenang.
Kenapa buku-bukunya Sonya Sones selalu bisa gue temukan di acara bazaar buku Sepuluhribuan?
Sama kayak buku Ssst... Jangan Bilang-bilang Ibuku, buku-yang-judulnya-amat-sangat-panjang-ini pun gue temukan dengan harga sepuluh ribu saja di bazaar sekolah gue 2 minggu yang lalu.
Padahal menurut gue buku-buku ini ide ceritanya menarik loh. Cara penulisannya juga abege banget.
Jadi inget dulu jaman-jamannya SMA dan kuliah, setiap malam gue selalu menulis dengan gaya yang sama. Puisi wannabe. Setiap malam, selama beberapa tahun, hingga akhirnya komputer gue rusak dan semua tulisan itu hilang bersamaan dengan digantinya harddisk komputer gue. Hanya Tuhan yang tahu apa yang terjadi sama tulisan-tulisan itu.
Yah, sebagian masa remaja gue seakan ikut terenggut dengan hilangnya data di harddisk gue itu. *Tsah. *Terenggut bok, bahasanya.
Kalian semua sudah baca bukunya dong pastinya?
Apa?? Masih ada yang belom baca bukunya?
Yah :(
Padahal gue kan nulis review disini mau ngasih spoiler..
Tapi kalo gue kasih spoiler disini jadi ngga seru dong buat yang baca?
Ah kalian ga asik nih.
Belom baca bukunya masa mau lihat reviewnya sik?
............
Atau gimana kalo gini aja, kalian semua baca dulu bukunya, baru lanjut baca review gue?
Soalnya gue BENER-BENER mau ngasih spoiler nih disini.
Dan kalo gue ngga jadi ngasih spoiler, nanti malam tidur gue akan gelisah berguling ke kanan dan ke kiri. Kalo gue tidur nggak nyenyak, besok paginya gue bangun uring-uringan dan gue akan rewel sepanjang hari hingga orang-orang terdekat gue akan sangat kesal karenanya dan mereka memutuskan untuk tidak berteman lagi sama gue.
Lihat kan akibatnya kalau gue pengen ngasih spoiler terus ngga jadi?
CIH. MANJA!! *diludahin satu Goodreads*
Oh sebentar, gue luruskan dulu yah bagi yang belom baca bukunya.
Menilik dari judul bukunya "Salah satu buku mengerikan yang tokoh ibunya mati", disini kalian ngga akan mendapatkan cerita mengerikan apapun yang berhubungan dengan kematian si ibu.
Bukan berarti di halaman-halaman awal kalian akan membaca penderitaan si ibu, pertarungan batin si anak yang melihat ibunya sekarat, kemudian diikuti luka batin si anak yang menyaksikan ibunya meninggal dunia, peristiwa yang tidak akan bisa ia lupakan hingga ia sendiri pun meninggal nantinya.
Tidak.
Tidak-tidak-tidak.
Kalian tidak menemukan itu.
Ha!
Lalu apa, Far? Apa yang akan kami temukan dibuku ituuu?! *pembaca review mengguncang-guncang kerah baju Farah*
Ehem *mbenerin kerah baju*
Di halaman pertama begitu kalian membaca buku ini pun, tokoh ibunya sudah meninggal.
Nah, ngga sesuai judulnya kan?
Gue pikir mungkin ini ada hubungannya dengan cerita2 Lemony Snicket, yang belum apa-apa sudah mengklaim bahwa bukunya akan menceritakan 3 anak yatim piatu yang dilahirkan dengan garis nasib yang jelek yang akan menjadikan mereka magnet dari seluruh kesialan yang ada di dunia ini.
Ibarat kata, kalau ternyata si yatim piatu Baudelaire itu diadopsi oleh orang yang tinggal di sebelah rumah Ahmad Dhani dan ada paket bom buku yang ditujukan ke Ahmad Dhani, bisa dipastikan bahwa yang akan menerima paket bom tersebut adalah si anak laki-laki Baudelaire dan mereka kemudian meledakkan rumahnya sendiri. Dna harus mencari keluarga angkat lagi. Berkelana tanpa mengenakan alas kaki mengarungi Jakarta yang kejam ini.
Dan Ahmad Dhani pun akan cuma menengok ke rumah tetangganya, sambil memilin-milin janggut, dia berkata, "Apa sih? Paket bom buku aja heboh.."
FOKUS FAR!! *plakkk!* *ditampar*
Oh iya.
Kembali lagi ke bukunya.
Pemilihan kata-kata untuk judul buku ini sangat penting.
Semakin tragis judul bukunya, semakin banyak yang mau beli.
Kalaupun nggak ada yang mau beli, setidaknya bukunya bisa diobral hingga cuma jadi sepuluh ribu rupiah saja, lalu masih ada yang mau beli.
Salah satunya saya.
Yah, daripada judul bukunya berubah jadi, "Buku-mengerikan-yang-tokoh-ibunya-mati-dan-ternyata-bapaknya-adalah-artis-terkenal-Holywood-dan-tinggal-di-sebelah-Gwyneth-Paltrow"?
Nanti pasti pikiran kalian akan mengarah ke scene-scenenya Gossip Girl? Atau Glee? Dimana kalian mengharapkan akan ada scene si anak menyanyi I WILL SURVIVE di lorong sekolah?
Nggak.
Nggak akan ada yang semacam itu disini.
Atau kalau judul bukunya berubah menjadi "Buku-mengerikan-yang-tokoh-ibunya-mati-dan-dia-harus-pindah-dengan-bapaknya-kemudian-pacarnya-malah-pacaran-sama-teman-baiknya-sendiri-di-kampung-halamannya." pun, kalian pasti bertanya2, "Farah, kalau judul bukunya saja sepanjang itu, apakah sampul bukunya hanya akan dipenuhi huruf saja?"
"Iya, menurut saya juga begitu."
Tapi kembali ke judul tragis yang seharusnya menjual, si penulis pun tidak memilih untuk menuliskan "Buku-mengerikan-yang-tokoh-ibunya-mati-dan-ternyata-bapaknya-gay-dan-si-anak-baru-sadar-kalau-bapaknya-gay-setelah-dia-berumur-15-tahun".
Tragis mana sama judul aslinya?
Tragis berlebihan juga ngga bagus. Nggak menjual.
Tapi tragis yang pas takarannya, itu yang dicari pembaca.
"Tapi setelah membaca buku ini, kesan apa yang anda dapatkan?" tanya Reporter TVOne kepada Farah.
"Menurut saya, tokoh anak di dalam buku ini sangat kurang ajar. Harusnya judulnya diganti saja menjadi, "Salah-satu-buku-mengerikan-yang-tokoh-ibunya-meninggal-dan-anaknya-masih-menulis-surat-kepada-ibunya-dan-bertanya-bagaimana-kabar-kehidupan-setelah-kematian-lalu-melanjutkannya-dengan-HAHAHAHA-cuma-bercanda-mom""
Dan reporter TVOne pun tidak mengerti dengan apa yang gue katakan.
........................
Ah ya sudahlah.
Kalian sudah dapat spoilernya?
Bagus.
Saya bisa tidur dengan tenang.
October 6, 2008
This book is amzing! I absolutley loved it, and would read it a million times! I loved thid book because it was realistic and imaginative at the same time. one of those hideous books where the mother dies is enjoyable and I liked being able to realate to Ruby being a teen just like me. I don't know how she handled her mother dying so well, I give her credit for being able to do that considering I wouldn't ne able to. I recommend this books to any girls interested in reading about a 15 year old that moves to Beverly Hills with her super rich, mega-famous father who she's never met. AWESOME BOOK!
July 27, 2015
I loved this really quick read in verse. Ruby is a young 15 year old who is on her way to live with her dad after her mother died, but Ruby is far less than happy to leave her home and friends and boyfriend. She truly resents her father for not being in her life; however, as is typical things are never what they seem.
Recommendation:Even if you don't normally read books in verse, make this one an exception.
Recommendation:Even if you don't normally read books in verse, make this one an exception.
May 27, 2020
For Kaska-boom: I enjoyed reading this book and watching Ruby transform as she worked through her feelings of grief and anger. Although there were portions of the book I found to be predictable and places that were somewhat inexplicable, I was ultimately surprised by the ending and that's always a plus for me.
June 27, 2017
Definitely for young adults. The middle just dragged on with more of the same "I hate my dad" dialogue and boring diary entries. There just was never any real exciting events that moved the plot along. I thought it weird that the author had Ruby devastated over her mothers death and then proceed to ask her in a diary entry how she is doing 6 feet under and various related entries like this. Just had a real flip tone about it and seemed out of place and got annoying after awhile . A lot of filler writing to take up pages in my opinion. Ruby after having to go live with her celebrity dad in Hollywood since her mom died, learns to fit in and accept her new situation. Great premise but lacking in substance. The end was the best part of the whole book.
January 30, 2022
Aww, this was actually quite sweet. It was predictable but I liked how so many sad, angry, or annoyed comments morphed into something positive towards the end. It’s a super quick read, but worth it if you like angsty teen books with happy (happyish?) endings.
✧ ✧ ✧
≪reading 31 books for 31 days of january≫
╰┈➤ 1. all that's left in the world by erik j. brown
╰┈➤ 2. the female of the species by mindy mcginnis
╰┈➤ 3. the battle of the labyrinth by rick riordan
╰┈➤ 4. exit west by mohsin hamid
╰┈➤ 5. don't call us dead by danez smith
╰┈➤ 6. warm bodies by isaac marion
╰┈➤ 7. the other side of perfect by mariko turk
╰┈➤ 8. the last olympian by rick riordan
╰┈➤ 9. counting down with you by tashie bhuiyan
╰┈➤ 10. a matter of death and life by irvin d. yalom and marilyn yalom
╰┈➤ 11. the new hunger by isaac marion
╰┈➤ 12. dorothy must die by danielle paige
╰┈➤ 13. starfish by lisa fipps
╰┈➤ 14. one true loves by elise bryant
╰┈➤ 15. chlorine sky by mahogany l. browne
╰┈➤ 16. for every one by jason reynolds
╰┈➤ 17. fight night by miriam toews
╰┈➤ 18. shooter by walter dean myers
╰┈➤ 19. wade in the water by tracy k. smith
╰┈➤ 20. we the animals by justin torres
╰┈➤ 21. locomotion by jacqueline woodson
╰┈➤ 22. the strength in our scars by bianca sparacino
╰┈➤ 23. forbidden by tabitha suzuma
╰┈➤ 24. the song of achilles by madeline miller
╰┈➤ 25. burned by ellen hopkins
╰┈➤ 26. muted by tami charles
╰┈➤ 27. one of those hideous books where the mother dies by sonya sones
✧ ✧ ✧
≪reading 31 books for 31 days of january≫
╰┈➤ 1. all that's left in the world by erik j. brown
╰┈➤ 2. the female of the species by mindy mcginnis
╰┈➤ 3. the battle of the labyrinth by rick riordan
╰┈➤ 4. exit west by mohsin hamid
╰┈➤ 5. don't call us dead by danez smith
╰┈➤ 6. warm bodies by isaac marion
╰┈➤ 7. the other side of perfect by mariko turk
╰┈➤ 8. the last olympian by rick riordan
╰┈➤ 9. counting down with you by tashie bhuiyan
╰┈➤ 10. a matter of death and life by irvin d. yalom and marilyn yalom
╰┈➤ 11. the new hunger by isaac marion
╰┈➤ 12. dorothy must die by danielle paige
╰┈➤ 13. starfish by lisa fipps
╰┈➤ 14. one true loves by elise bryant
╰┈➤ 15. chlorine sky by mahogany l. browne
╰┈➤ 16. for every one by jason reynolds
╰┈➤ 17. fight night by miriam toews
╰┈➤ 18. shooter by walter dean myers
╰┈➤ 19. wade in the water by tracy k. smith
╰┈➤ 20. we the animals by justin torres
╰┈➤ 21. locomotion by jacqueline woodson
╰┈➤ 22. the strength in our scars by bianca sparacino
╰┈➤ 23. forbidden by tabitha suzuma
╰┈➤ 24. the song of achilles by madeline miller
╰┈➤ 25. burned by ellen hopkins
╰┈➤ 26. muted by tami charles
╰┈➤ 27. one of those hideous books where the mother dies by sonya sones
April 10, 2022
This book took me by surprise. I'd never heard of it or the author, but I found it in the thrift store and the title made me pick it up. I scanned the back, realized it was about a girl and her celebrity father, and then flipped through it and realized it was also in verse!
Literally my favourite things!
And, as promised, the book was fast-paced, fun, emotional, and twisty. I love contemporary novels like this. They're just so...beautiful and fun. Don't know if I recommend this, due to some content stuff and the fact that it's in verse, but I had a blast.
Literally my favourite things!
And, as promised, the book was fast-paced, fun, emotional, and twisty. I love contemporary novels like this. They're just so...beautiful and fun. Don't know if I recommend this, due to some content stuff and the fact that it's in verse, but I had a blast.
May 25, 2019
I honestly didn't expect to love this book as much as I did. It left me speechless by the end of it.
May 31, 2019
In my opinion, I think this book was better than the other 2 books I recently read by Sonya Sones. The theme of the book sometimes you just need a little trust in someone and the world might eventually come together. This is the theme because throughout the book the main character named Ruby does not trust her dad who she hasn't seen in about 14 years and she won't even acknowledge him. When she does start trusting him though, he saves her life and they become very close. Every person has a story and Ruby wouldn't listen to her dad's because it was unbearable for her to hear. Eventually she did listen and it made her life a lot better.
March 8, 2021
A story of heartbreak and humor told in prose with a Hollywood setting. An easy and sweet read.
April 1, 2024
I first read this when I was 12. I needed a palate cleanser ok?
June 23, 2022
i read this for school and normally it wouldn’t be my type of book, but i LOVED it. i think it’s cool that it’s written in verses, so it’s dramatic and tense
June 6, 2011
One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies, by Sonya Sones is a book that is about a girl named Ruby, who grows up with her mom not being in the picture. She lives with her Aunt, has the best boyfriend and has a great best friend. She grew up not having a dad, but was able to watch him in movies. There came a day when she had to go to California to live with her dad, because her aunt decided it was time to go with her boyfriend and live her life. She ends up going to the school where all the famous kids go to school and she hates it. She lives in a big house but hates to be around her dad. She misses her best friend and boyfriend so much and the only way to stay in touch is to email. Her boyfriend is going to come visit at Thanks Giving but in the end things change. Her and her dad end up talking and exchanging things that have bugged them and they end up getting closer.
This book was very good and I would for sure read this again. It showed me that growing up without a dad is something that a lot kids go through and its something that probably is hard to go through. Ruby is a strong girl who had to deal with losing her mom, and moving all away across the Untied States to live with someone she hasn't seen since she was very young. This showed me that even when something goes wrong you always have people their that care about you and that will be there to listen to you.
I give this book 5 stars, I give it 5 stars because it was a book that I didn't want to put down and keep reading. It was also in poem format so it made it much easier and faster to read. I would suggest this book to any girls that like a story about a young teen going through the same stuff we go through day to day. There many twist and interesting things you wouldn't expect to happen. This is my number one Sonya Sones book!
This book was very good and I would for sure read this again. It showed me that growing up without a dad is something that a lot kids go through and its something that probably is hard to go through. Ruby is a strong girl who had to deal with losing her mom, and moving all away across the Untied States to live with someone she hasn't seen since she was very young. This showed me that even when something goes wrong you always have people their that care about you and that will be there to listen to you.
I give this book 5 stars, I give it 5 stars because it was a book that I didn't want to put down and keep reading. It was also in poem format so it made it much easier and faster to read. I would suggest this book to any girls that like a story about a young teen going through the same stuff we go through day to day. There many twist and interesting things you wouldn't expect to happen. This is my number one Sonya Sones book!
November 7, 2010
Dapat buku ini bonus dari promo beli 2 gratis 1 di Gramedia Gatsu. Lumayan :D beli 2 buku itu juga bukan buatku tapi buat papa. Bonusnya aku yang ambil, hahaha.
Lagi-lagi, novel ini berbentuk prosa-prosa singkat dan penuturannya cepat. Satu bab hanya berisi satu kejadian, dan itu tidak membuat pembaca bingung. Malahan gaya penulisan seperti ini mempersingkat waktu baca karena tidak ada detail remeh, tanpa mengurangi esensi cerita.
Ruby adalah remaja yang baru saja kehilangan Mamanya. Seakan itu belum cukup, kini dia harus tinggal denga ayahnya yang (ternyata) artis super beken, yang bercerai dengan ibunya bahkan sebelum dia lahir. Jadilah dia bersekutu dengan rasa kehilangannya, rasa benci pada papanya, dan rasa kangen habis-habisan pada sahabat dan pacarnya. Belum lagi harus tinggal di lingkungan serba mewah dan jetset, yang dulunya dia benci..
Buku ini cukup bagus, banyak kejutan di dalamnya, termasuk hal klise yang gampang diprediksi.
3.5 bintang!
Lagi-lagi, novel ini berbentuk prosa-prosa singkat dan penuturannya cepat. Satu bab hanya berisi satu kejadian, dan itu tidak membuat pembaca bingung. Malahan gaya penulisan seperti ini mempersingkat waktu baca karena tidak ada detail remeh, tanpa mengurangi esensi cerita.
Ruby adalah remaja yang baru saja kehilangan Mamanya. Seakan itu belum cukup, kini dia harus tinggal denga ayahnya yang (ternyata) artis super beken, yang bercerai dengan ibunya bahkan sebelum dia lahir. Jadilah dia bersekutu dengan rasa kehilangannya, rasa benci pada papanya, dan rasa kangen habis-habisan pada sahabat dan pacarnya. Belum lagi harus tinggal di lingkungan serba mewah dan jetset, yang dulunya dia benci..
Buku ini cukup bagus, banyak kejutan di dalamnya, termasuk hal klise yang gampang diprediksi.
3.5 bintang!
January 10, 2016
The title of the book sounds scary, but the book is really good and interesting. Of course the mother dies because that's the title of the book, but I'm not going to say how she died. Ruby had to move to a new place to live with her father and she wasn't excited about that. Ruby met and learned many things in the book, and also realized that it wasn't so bad moving with her father after all. I love this book a lot as well as other books that Sonya Sones has. While I was reading this book It made me think of one of my friend's who also moved to a new place and wasn't happy about it, but ow she enjoys staying where she is now. Sonya's books will change your life!
September 21, 2010
I read this in less than an hour. It's written in 'verse', which amounts to, as far as I can tell, regular prose organized to look like poetry. Maybe it's supposed to be free verse. There are also emails. So that was kind of weak to me. This style does not lend itself to depth or exploration.
However, the emotional aspects of the book were authentic but I thought they could have been more developed.
It is entirely possible that the reason I didn't like this book is that I am way outside its target market.
And I saw the Gay Dad thing coming from a mile away! Was I supposed to?
However, the emotional aspects of the book were authentic but I thought they could have been more developed.
It is entirely possible that the reason I didn't like this book is that I am way outside its target market.
And I saw the Gay Dad thing coming from a mile away! Was I supposed to?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2014
In love with this book! It's amazing , it shows how judging a person by their looks or ya history don't mean anything
February 12, 2018
I read this book in April of 2017 and I finished it in about two days, I loved reading this book and I highly recommend it. I Brought it everywhere with me (school, my grandparents house that is). Sonya Sones has conveyed so much emotion in this book for example Ruby is upset about her mother dying because she was her best friend and was able to talk to her about anything, another example is when she begins to live with her father, Ruby is cold towards him well because he practically abandoned Ruby's mother to raise her alone etc. At first I thought I wasn't going to like this book because I thought is was going to be boring but it was on my shelf so I decided to give it a try and I loved it. Ruby and Colette are my favorite characters but I'm not the biggest fan of Ray and Ruby's best friend because well Ray cheated on Ruby with her best friend. Ray and Ruby's best friend start becoming shady in the middle of the book but we don't find out why until later and when we do the bestfriends excuse is "It just happened I'm sorry"and Rays apology was basically saying how he's sorry for cheating.... I know long distance relationships are difficult but if Ray couldn't stay committed to Ruby he should have just told her but instead Ray makes plans come to LA to see her during Thanksgiving and she finds out he cheated on her the week before. The best friend emails Ruby a few days later and said that Ray dumped her for this girl whos been trying to get with him so Ruby forgives the best friend for what she did with ray. Overall I really liked the book it has emotion, character development, the writing is amazing, it is told in first person and is written in a interesting format and it had another interesting plot twist.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 2, 2017
This is my review
of the novel in verse,
"One of Those
Hideous Books Where
The Mother Dies".
Due to the
somewhat strange format
this book is written in,
I will be writing my review in the same fashion.
It's about a girl
(her name is Ruby)
and her mother dies,
sending Ruby to California
to live with her celebrity father Whip Logan
who, as far as she can tell,
she's only seen him in movies.
Ruby,
cool as she is,
is a singularity:
she is the center of her galaxy
no matter how many paparazzi are put in the way.
She has the most personality,
which is to be expected,
but it feels like she's the only character who is dynamic.
Despite that,
the story was enjoyable
and the verse format
gave creativity and overall awesomeness
to the story.
So, that's my review.
of the novel in verse,
"One of Those
Hideous Books Where
The Mother Dies".
Due to the
somewhat strange format
this book is written in,
I will be writing my review in the same fashion.
It's about a girl
(her name is Ruby)
and her mother dies,
sending Ruby to California
to live with her celebrity father Whip Logan
who, as far as she can tell,
she's only seen him in movies.
Ruby,
cool as she is,
is a singularity:
she is the center of her galaxy
no matter how many paparazzi are put in the way.
She has the most personality,
which is to be expected,
but it feels like she's the only character who is dynamic.
Despite that,
the story was enjoyable
and the verse format
gave creativity and overall awesomeness
to the story.
So, that's my review.
April 5, 2018
Recently, I’ve started getting back into the YA books I read as a teenager and this is one of my favorites. one of those hideous books where the mother dies was the first book I read that's written in verse instead of prose. I know this is more of a fad now, with books written in text messages even, but this book got it right. The format gives you short but detailed glances into the mind of a teenaged girl, Ruby, who has just lost her mother and now has to live with her estranged father. Sonya Sones does a pretty fantastic job of creating a very believable teenaged protagonist who, while occasionally dramatic, experiences and deals with trauma in a genuine way. I often find myself on the verge of tears while reading this book because I empathize so hard with this imaginary teenager and the struggles she goes through. It's a quick yet engaging and incredibly cathartic read that expresses the very important message that grief is sneaky and destructive and, while it may hurt for a long time, things will get better.
July 19, 2022
i read this book a ton in middle school and i loved it so much so i decided to reread it with biddie. i actually forgot how touching and hilarious it was—sure, it’s cringy at parts, but i just can’t explain how much this book means to me. being written in verse, it’s surprisingly more poetic than you’d think at places. ruby is kinda annoying and self absorbed, but she’s just 15, and it’s very relatable. the author portrayed early grief over a parent in such an unbelievably accurate way, and ruby’s hate of everything was also very accurate. i think everyone should read this book, and it can really be for any age group. it’s such an amazing quick read that’s both enjoyable and a little bit sad. perfect beach read for sure.
May 8, 2023
I have been wanting to read this for years reminds me so much of Ellen Hopkins
April 12, 2019
The theme of this book is that even if bad things in life keep on happening over and over, just be patient because soon something good will happen. Because When Ruby's mom dies she has to move away from her freinds to live with her famouse dad she has never met before.
March 6, 2020
It was a very interesting,easy book to read.
November 4, 2019
Pretty mature in spots but interesting otherwise.
March 13, 2013
I loved this book and really liked how it was written in-verse. It was fun and easy to read. There were no boring and drawn out parts of it. The story line was really interesting and I loved how it was from the point of view of a celebrity's daughter. The main character was pretty cool and had a really interesting life. Three main things that made me really like this book were its point of view, its relatability, and the author's writing style.
It was really cool how this book was told by the daughter of a famous movie star. I've never read a book thats main character is famous or is in some way related to a famous person. Most stories are told from regular people. Since Whip Logan, the movie star, was Ruby's dad she had a different opinion about him. While most people were obsessed with him and loved him she despised him. She didn't see him as this great idol and role-model like most people in the book did. She eventually liked him in the end but at first she hated everything he did. It was interesting to see a celebrity from the view of someone who knew he or she personally. I usually just hear about celebrities from the tabloids, not from their friends and families.
I loved how easy it was to relate to this book. Ruby is about my age and this book takes place during my generation. I could relate to Ruby and her feelings since she is a high school girl like me. I have friends that went through the same struggles that Ruby goes through in the book. The classes she took at her high school are much different than mine but I could relate to her dream analysis class. Many of the terms that were mentioned in this book I had learned in psychology class. It was funny how she mentioned Freud and Gestalt therapy. I could also relate to some of the celebrities mentioned in this book, like Cameron Diaz, Queen Latifa, and Brad Pitt. It made it easy to visualize the scenes since I know what those celebrities look like.
I really enjoyed the author's writing style. Ruby had a good sense of humor and sarcasm. The things she said were very witty and entertaining. The humor made the hard things Ruby was going through more light hearted and interesting. I was never bored while reading this book since it consisted of emails from her best friend and her boyfriend and not just Ruby's writing. We got to read their views first hand. The only poetry books I've ever read were children's books so I really liked reading this one.
I think that this book is definetely meant for girls. I don't think a guy would get the same experience from it. Ruby talks about many issues that a high school girl would go through so I think that it would be hard for a guy to relate to. I think basically any high school girl would love this book and find it very entertaining. Overall I loved this book and would easily read it again. I hope to read more books like this one in the future.
It was really cool how this book was told by the daughter of a famous movie star. I've never read a book thats main character is famous or is in some way related to a famous person. Most stories are told from regular people. Since Whip Logan, the movie star, was Ruby's dad she had a different opinion about him. While most people were obsessed with him and loved him she despised him. She didn't see him as this great idol and role-model like most people in the book did. She eventually liked him in the end but at first she hated everything he did. It was interesting to see a celebrity from the view of someone who knew he or she personally. I usually just hear about celebrities from the tabloids, not from their friends and families.
I loved how easy it was to relate to this book. Ruby is about my age and this book takes place during my generation. I could relate to Ruby and her feelings since she is a high school girl like me. I have friends that went through the same struggles that Ruby goes through in the book. The classes she took at her high school are much different than mine but I could relate to her dream analysis class. Many of the terms that were mentioned in this book I had learned in psychology class. It was funny how she mentioned Freud and Gestalt therapy. I could also relate to some of the celebrities mentioned in this book, like Cameron Diaz, Queen Latifa, and Brad Pitt. It made it easy to visualize the scenes since I know what those celebrities look like.
I really enjoyed the author's writing style. Ruby had a good sense of humor and sarcasm. The things she said were very witty and entertaining. The humor made the hard things Ruby was going through more light hearted and interesting. I was never bored while reading this book since it consisted of emails from her best friend and her boyfriend and not just Ruby's writing. We got to read their views first hand. The only poetry books I've ever read were children's books so I really liked reading this one.
I think that this book is definetely meant for girls. I don't think a guy would get the same experience from it. Ruby talks about many issues that a high school girl would go through so I think that it would be hard for a guy to relate to. I think basically any high school girl would love this book and find it very entertaining. Overall I loved this book and would easily read it again. I hope to read more books like this one in the future.
March 12, 2017
This was amazing. ❤
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