Gingerbread

"Not like Sid and Nancy care much. I've done my parents the favor of becoming more or less invisible."

Gingerbread is not your typical teenage novel. Author Rachel Cohn begins the story with Cyd Charrise (named after the actress) narrating using her sharp tongue and San-Fran lingo.

The story flows into being more than about Cyd and Shrimp, her short, surfer dude boyfriend. It discusses her tough relationship with Nancy, her mother bent on making everything perfect. It talks about her relationship with Sid-Dad, her stepfather who will bring her coffee when she's in trouble and banished to "Alcatraz". Cyd also talks about Josh, her "hyper-boy" little half brother, and her other half-sib Ashley, who's seven years old and fifteen pounds overweight.

Going through the dysfunction with her sarcasm and doll/best friend Gingerbread at her side, Cyd finds refuge with Shrimp, his brother "Java", Delia, and Sugar Pie, the elder woman she's befriended while volunteering at the local nursing home.

As Cyd's dark past is uncovered, more is discovered in her future. She learns about true love, and acceptance of her mistakes.

But when Cyd gets in trouble and her mother sends her to live with Frank-Dad, her biological father, in New York, she takes the opportunity in a flash. As Cyd begins to learn more about her parents and her older half-sib's lives, will she be her natural, sassy self, or will she crack and let her secrets spill into the world.

One of the best books I've ever read. I could relate to Cyd very much, along with many of the other characters. A definite must-read.

"But I could tell that if he did, we'd have the same smile."