Review: Don't Call Me Baby by Gwendolyn Heasley

All her life, Imogene has been known as the girl on THAT blog.

Imogene's mother has been writing an incredibly embarrassing, and incredibly popular, blog about her since before she was born. Hundreds of thousands of perfect strangers knew when Imogene had her first period. Imogene's crush saw her "before and after" orthodontia photos. But Imogene is fifteen now, and her mother is still blogging about her, in gruesome detail, against her will.

When a mandatory school project compels Imogene to start her own blog, Imogene is reluctant to expose even more of her life online...until she realizes that the project is the opportunity she's been waiting for to tell the truth about her life under the virtual microscope and to define herself for the first time.

Don't Call Me Baby is a sharply observed and irrepressibly charming story about mothers and daughters, best friends and first crushes, and the surface-level identities we show the world online and the truth you can see only in real life.

Paperback, 304 pages

Expected publication: April 22nd 2014 by Harper Teen      

 

Terri's Thoughts:

 

I received this ARC from the publisher Harper Teen via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.  The expected publication date is April 22, 2014.

 

This story is definitely geared to the YA audience and would be fitting for readers the same age as Imogene (15) or slightly younger.  As a reader who is no longer in this demographic I put myself in the shoes of my niece who is.  Let me tell you I would have been mortified if my mom was blogging every detail of my life as Imogene's mother did.

 

The main gist of the story was the struggle of growing up, yearning for privacy and learning to communicate with those in your life.  There was no good guy or bad guy in this story.  It was about learning to understand others, really listening to them and finding a middle ground.  At times Imogene seemed immature and her mother insensitive however both actions came from an honest place.

 

What I like most about the story was the underlying message throughout about unplugging and spending real face time with those in your life.  In this day and age when everyone is glued to their computers, tablets and cell phones it is something that is lacking in many families and a really positive message to give, particularly with the age demographic that this story targets.  While I site here blogging it is also a message that I have received loud and clear.

 

Overall an entertaining read with a positive message!

 

 

About the Author

Gwendolyn Heasley is a graduate of Davidson College and the University of Missouri-Columbia where she earned her master’s degree in journalism. When she was a little girl, she desperately wanted to be the next Ann M. Martin- the author of the beloved The Baby-Sitter’s Club series. She’s incredibly grateful that the recession rendered her unemployed and made her chase her nearly forgotten dream. Her third novel Don't Call Me Baby comes out in April and her digital e-novella The Art of Goodbye (the sequel to Where I Belong) comes out in March.

She loves hearing from readers. Please email her at gwendolyn.heasley@gmail.com

She now lives in Florida with her husband and baby girl.

Website:  http://www.gwendolynheasley.com
Twitter: GwenHeasley