First sentence: I don't know everything about life yet, but I know at least one thing is true--life's easier when you make people happy.

Premise/plot: June may be starting sixth grade, but, her mother treats her like a toddler and her father treats her like an extension of himself. Since June is 100% a people pleaser, she only lives to make her parents happy--at some cost to her own happiness. Her father dictates her hobbies, her after school activities, her future career, etc. Her mother doesn't dictate the future so much as live in the past. (Like what kind of mom would pick out teddy bears eating pasta in a matching shirt/skirt combo for their kid to wear? Like I can't imagine it. As if that wasn't enough, we're supposed to believe the ensemble continues with ruffled socks. I just can't see this exaggeration helicopter mom existing.) June has her own friends....or does she?

June is "blessed" with a fairy godmother (of sorts) who uses her magical powers to make it so that June cannot lie. She has to tell the truth. (But does she really?) June's get-around in parts is to become evasive, disappear in tough situations, avoid and sidestep, and keep a BLOG (a blog seriously????) of her private confessions.

Her friendships may not survive the honesty treatment. And her relationship with her clueless parents may not either. Especially her father who has a rigid, my way or no way, zero tolerance level. Like speaking up and saying you don't want to play field hockey results in him throwing a temper tantrum for days, weeks, where he's too mad to talk to her and he reluctantly says I love you but I'm still mad at you. Like REALLY? SERIOUSLY???

My thoughts: There is very little emotional maturity in this middle grade fantasy. I don't expect the protagonist, the actual middle grader, to be emotionally mature and super-stable or extremely wise. But the parents in this one--especially the Dad--is RIDICULOUS.

I liked this one enough to keep reading. But I wasn't really sure if I was liking or loving what I was reading. ( )