I enjoyed it. Why did Frankie tell all those lies and not ask “Why?” to her dad? ( )

I really can't stand epistolary novels, so I'm already pre-disposed to dislike here. Just couldn't get past the method and into the meat of the thing. ( )

Frankie lives in a tiny town with her widower father and two younger brothers. She thinks things are going pretty good until her father is away on a business trip and meets a woman that he likes. Suddenly, Frankie envisions her entire world being turned upside down, and she starts going to great lengths to maintain the status quo. The formerly always-good Frankie begins reading her father's mail, cheating, lying, etc.
Ayanna, the woman his father has fallen for, works at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., caring for the naked mole-rats. Frankie begins emailing with Ayanna, to try to convince her to stay away from her family, but Ayanna turns out to be much smarter than Frankie would have expected.
The first half of the book shows Frankie's steady plummet into the depths of dishonesty, and makes her a less than likable character. The second half has a little more plot development and (of course) Frankie's eventual redemption. ( )

Funny, wise, short, heart-warming - just about a perfect book for me.?� Frankie is a little too self-centered imo; I would have liked to have gotten to know some of the other characters just a little bit better.?á Still, all of them were authentic, sketched clearly, with a firm enough outline that the reader can fill in that outline.?á There are even exciting bits and bits that brought tears to my eyes.?á Oh, and it's short, you can make time for it.

I liked how Frankie described her father, in the throes of falling in love, as: He sounds like someone who swallowed a soap opera."?á I liked how the dead mom was described in part by how she added personality to their home: "She ... lacquered old family photographs onto the dining room table so that we'd always be eating with the whole family."?á (I want to do that!)?á

And I like this, from Frankie:?á "[S]ometimes I stand still and imagine what it would be like to be deaf or blind.?á If I could see the creek splashing over the rocks and not hear it, would the creek look different??á Would I see more colors in the water??á If I could hear the treetops rustling in the wind and not see them, would the sound become visible in my mind?"" ( )

Nice use of emails and text to illustrate some life-lessons and to tell the story of the growing relationship between a middle schooler, and her father's long distance new lady-friend. ( )