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Monday, June 30, 2014

Life by Committee by Corey Ann Haydu

Publisher: Katherine Tegen
Release Date: May 13, 2014
Source: BEA 14
Edition: Hardcover
Pages: 304
Rating: A
Goodreads


Some secrets are too good to keep.

Tabitha might be the only girl in the history of the world who actually gets less popular when she gets hot. But her so-called friends say she’s changed, and they’ve dropped her flat.

Now Tab has no one to tell about the best and worst thing that has ever happened to her: Joe, who spills his most intimate secrets to her in their nightly online chats. Joe, whose touch is so electric, it makes Tab wonder if she could survive an actual kiss. Joe, who has Tabitha brimming with the restless energy of falling in love. Joe, who is someone else’s boyfriend.

Just when Tab is afraid she’ll burst from keeping the secret of Joe inside, she finds Life by Committee. The rules of LBC are simple: tell a secret, receive an assignment. Complete the assignment to keep your secret safe.

Tab likes it that the assignments push her to her limits, empowering her to live boldly and go further than she’d ever go on her own.

But in the name of truth and bravery, how far is too far to go?
My motivation to read/blog/do almost anything besides watch Netflix has been somewhat non-existent for a few months. I feel like I belong in the music video of Summertime Sadness or something... pathetic, I know. Anyway, after picking up 5-10 different books and putting them down after the first chapter, I finally came across Life by Committee. I wasn't too optimistic, to be honest. After all, some of the other books I put down before LBC received RAVING reviews. If they weren't going to pull me out of my rut, why would LBC? And then... I read the first page... and then the second... and soon I was on a reading roller coaster that only went up, my friend. My emotions, however... well, that's a different story.

After reading LBC, I literally feel like I should tell every female I know to read it and learn something because way too many women have been the "side chick". I know, I know, every situation is different. Sometimes people fall in love while they're in a relationship with a different person... but in most cases, being the "side chick" is a very, very bad thing. I've never been the "side chick" and hell, I hope I never put myself in that situation, but Haydu writes in a way that made me feel like I was. If I ever had any temptation of going after a guy with a girlfriend (I didn't, FYI), well, you can say that is LONG GONE by now. While reading about Tabitha's journey, I had this pit in my stomach that I usually only feel during real-life situations that include heartbreak and loss. THAT is when you know you've struck gold. If an author can make me feel THAT close to a character, to the point of feeling like you're going through the same situation as them, well, that is gold.

Not only did LBC make me want to rage against people that made Tabitha (and myself) feel the way we did... but it also inspired me to be my bravest self and go for what I want in life... without being reckless and inconsiderate. Haydu showed me that life is too short to be anything but amazing. Haydu also showed me that it's okay to take chances in life because the end result might be life-changing.

This book is exactly what I needed at this point in my life. I feel empowered, brave, and my fear of showing any form of vulnerability has lessened. If you want a book to pull you out of your rut, make you fee like you're alive and inspire you, then I completely recommend  and peer-pressure you to read Life by Committee.