The Complete History of Why I Hate Her

by Jennifer Richard Jacobson

Book Overview

Nola wants nothing more than a summer on her own--and a job at an upscale Maine coast resort sounds ideal. Waitressing three meals a day, but lots of beach time in between, some freedom from her big-sister role to Song, who is undergoing chemo back home in Massachusetts, the chance to make some friends. Enter Carly, the perfect pal, full of jokes, ideas, energy--and experienced at being away from her mysterious family. But Carly is much more complicated...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0689878001
• ISBN13: 9780689878008
• Release Date: April 2010
• Publisher: Atheneum Books
• Length: 181 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

Loved it!

I have to admit that at first, I found that the storyline was a little slow, however, I continued reading because a few blogger friends of mine had mentioned that this book would be "my" type of book. I am glad that I did. Once I got pass the first chapter or so - which I now see was crucial to the storyline as an introduction of our character Nola and her family life, I found myself getting completely involved in Nola and her "hopes" for the summer. I immediately felt for her - it is obvious that what is going on at home, especially with her sister's illness is absolutely overwhelming her and all she wants is to be able to get away and live a "teenage summer". Nola finds a job away from home, as a waitress, and immediately hooks up with a new friend Carly - and while, at first, things go well, it is obvious that Carly is not really the BFF that Nola hoped she would be. The most fascinating aspect of this book is the interaction between the two girls - and specifically how Carly slowly starts to show her true character and how Nola tries to deal with it - or not. This book takes a harsh look at friendship and how it can be as dysfunctional a relationship as any other kind. There is a love interest for Nola that acts as a bit of a trigger that sends Carly almost completely into the land of the sociopath, but other than that, I did not really care or connect all that much with the romance. This book is about girls - and how they can be best of friends or the worse of ennemies - very, very scary. The writing is very good and the pacing was great, most of the time. I am not someone who enjoys lots and lots off detail in my stories and, at times, Jacobson, could bog herself down a little bit, but then, she would pick up the pacing again which would put the storyline back on track. I liked this one.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Nola wants to escape her home life. That basically means Song, her younger sister who is battling cancer. It's not that she doesn't love her sister or anything; Nola just wants to be able to live her own life without those constant worries. She heads off to a resort in Maine, and there she meets Carly. They become quick friends, and Carly seems like the perfect person to hang out with on a summer vacation. Nola will soon learn, though, that Carly can be rather twisted and isn't all that she seems. Carly is a bad influence. She lies and creates unnecessary drama. Nola thinks she can handle it, until Carly pushes her one time too many. I ended up really enjoying this book. Nola was a good character that I found easy to connect with. Even Song, her sister, was a spunky girl who was fun to hear about. The story picked up quickly, and I found that the pacing throughout the book was just right. I never grew bored with it. I liked the secondary characters, though we didn't hear much about them. I would have enjoyed learning more about the other characters and Nola's relationships with them. I felt the book was lacking in that area. However, THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF WHY I HATE HER is an awesome book that portrays just what a "frenemy" really is. The dramas of teenage relationships are explored truthfully, and I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a quick, emotional read. Reviewed by: McKenzie Tritt

Watch Out for Crazy Carly

First off, I couldn't WAIT to read this one. This book was a really quick read having only been 181 pages. Has anyone ever seen that movie "Single White Female"? Well that movie pretty much explains this book. Main character Nola meets Carly on her way to her summer job at a resort in Maine. They hit it off like two old pals on the way there and eventually depart to their destinations. Somehow a couple days later Carly ends up being Nola's roommate. They begin the fastest friendship I've ever seen. They've become a dynamic duo with Carly taking the lead. Slowly but surely Carly begins spilling Nola's secrets, making her feel silly in front of their friends and more importantly Nola's crush Harrison. Carly begins to take on things that make Nola...Nola. She wants to run, she wears Nola's clothes, she cuts her hair exactly like her, she contacts Nola's dying sister. Pretty damn creepy if you ask me! There's a huge blowup at the end courtesy of Carly and Nola is forced to make some hard choices. For me the ending was a bit abrupt. A couple of my questions went unanswered. All in all I liked reading about Crazy Carly's (as I've nicknamed her) antics. She was completely nuts but soo entertaining. Hopefully there's a part two!