Review: A Not So Simple Life (Diary of a Teenage Girl) by Melody Carlson

 

Summary from Goodreads:

Fifteen-year-old Maya Stark seems to have it all–fame, fortune, a Beverly Hills lifestyle, and an eighties pop star dad who’s making a comeback. But looks can be deceiving, and on the inside, Maya is miserable. Her parents are divorced, her dad is away on tour, and being biracial, she struggles with her identity. Then, to make matters worse, her mother has returned to using drugs and is quickly depleting their finances. In a plan to become emancipated from her messed-up mom, Maya takes a job on Rodeo Drive. Selling designer clothes compromises Maya’s earth-friendly “green girl” values, but she is desperate.

Just when Maya thinks she’s got it all worked out, her life caves in. Her mom “embezzles” Maya’s savings and is later arrested on DUI and cocaine possession charges and is facing jail time. With nowhere to live, Maya is sent to spend the summer with her relatives. In the collision of two very different worlds, Maya must figure out where she fits in–or does she fit in at all?

My Thoughts:
    I liked this book. Maya is the main character of the book and it's written in diary format. She's a regular fifteen year old girl, but her dad is a famous pop star from the 80s and her mom is a drug addict. Maya has basically had to raise herself because her mom leaves her for days at a time and her dad is on tour. This book was an easy read. It's the type of story where you read it and relax for the evening. Once I got into it, I wanted to know what would happen to Maya. I liked the Green tips at the end of every chapter especially about the multiple uses of baking soda. This was my first time reading this series and I plan on reading the second book of Miss Maya.