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Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that the main character decides to have sex with her Italian boyfriend and the scene is barely described. She also drinks some wine with her meals with permission from the family she is staying with. In the end, she learns a valuable lesson about accepting herself as a whole person -- instead of being focused only on her weight.

Families can talk about Hayley's criticisms of her L.A. hometown. Not only are the people around her obsessed with their bodies, they also often choose unhealthy convenience foods -- and drive too much. Ask your kids: Do you find this to be true? What can we do to combat this lifestyle? Can you think of any small steps that you could take as a family to become healthier -- inside and out?

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Kate Pavao

Hayley is a funny, spirited character whom readers will quickly identify with. And the descriptions of the Italian countryside, from domestic scenes with her summer family to the special spot her Italian boyfriend takes her to, lend texture and magic to her story.

Readers may at times get tired of all the American bashing, even if a lot of it rings true. Towards the end of the book, for example, Hayley has dinner with a bunch of young Italian kids and is amazed at the sophisticated conversation they have about politics -- in English. Could any place be as ideal as the Italian world the author describes? Probably not. And her portrayal of shallow L.A. is a bit overblown, too: When Hayley arrives back at LAX, the conversations around her are all about nannies, plastic surgery, and agents. In the end, this may be a good book to give teens struggling with body image pressures (read: pretty much every teen). Hayley's journey to become a person living in her "perfect house of me" is both charming -- and inspirational.

From The Book

Dad leans forward. "We've been talking to a therapist," he says. "She thinks you may be under too much pressure right now. Body image pressure."

I scoff. "Hello? I live in Southern California, where there are more gym memberships than library cards. Yeah! I guess I am under a teensy bit of pressure."
"How would you like a break this summer?" Mom asks... "Patrice has a big house in Umbria...She's invited you to visit for the summer."

Plot Summary:

There's a lot of pressure from her mom -- and her L.A. peers -- to be thin, and Hayley worries that she will never be anything more than the funny friend to the boy that she likes. When her parents send her to a friend's house in Italy, Hayley finds peace that she has never known. She is surrounded by healthy food, a family that enjoys talking, beautiful places to walk -- and even a cute boy who seems to think she is more than just a pretty face.

Related Books:

More Books about Body Image:
Fix by Leslie Margolis
Perfect by Natasha Friend
Dr. Susan's Girls-Only Weight Loss Guide by Dr. Susan Bartell

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