I think everyone has had a TMI moment at one time in their life. Becca unfortunately has a ton of them! The girl had me rolling on the floor. Well I guess Sarah Quigley had me rolling on the floor! I felt like I was stepping back in to my small town high school when I was reading this book. The characters held a overwhelming sense of deja-vu. I’m not exactly sure it that made this a more enjoyable read, but it did hold a more realistic aspect for me. Personally I related more to Becca’s friend Katie. I’m not a big talker, I usually won’t initiate a conversation and have a hard time butting in unless I’ve been spoken too directly. So the fact that Katie and Becca were able to maintain such a close friendship wasn’t a surprise to me. The blog entries where a little out there for me. They were funny, but at times it was a little too much for my liking. Even so the overall message was well displayed. Great characterization, witty dialogue, and an original plot make this a notable debut novel. ( )

I picked up Sarah Quigley’s TMI after reading a post about it on Cupcakes Take the Cake. And if you’re asking yourself why a cupcake blog would post about a YA book, I’ll just tell you that there is a lot of cupcake baking in this book. At times you have to wonder if these kids do nothing but bake and watch 80s movies.

While I am a fan of the Princess Diaries and the Georgia Nicolson series, I am not generally a fan of the confessional teen lit genre. I was totally drawn in by TMI’s cover, and like the writer over at CTtC, I too wanted to know why there were cupcakes on the cover.

Like many other teen confessionals, the novel focuses on the mishaps of the diary’s wayward writer. What is different about TMI is that the diary is really a blog, raising all sorts of questions about privacy and how much teens (and adults for that matter) should share on the internet.

Labeled the “Overshare Queen,” Becca decides that it’s time to change her ways and stop sharing so many details. Instead, she decides to create a blog to write her “overshares”. Everything is going great for Becca, she has a medium for expression (and can control the need to blab all the time), and it’s completely anonymous. Except Becca’s anonymous blog isn’t as anonymous as she thinks. High school drama ensues!

For readers who enjoy teen chick lit, this is a quick, fun read.

-Gricel @ thingssheread.wordpress.com ( )

Rating: 4.3/5
Age R: 13+
Release Date: April 16, 2009
Thoughts:
This book took me by surprise. I honestly thought it was gonna be just one of those YA novels, no offense Sarah Quigley, and I am so glad it wasn't! Now that Sarah, that girl can write and entertain. TMI made me laugh soo darn much, and not just on the inside, on the outside too. It's laugh out loud funny! I really liked it. :)
TMI is the story of a fifteen year old girl, Becca, who has a wee bit of a problem, she overshares a little too much. :) This ends up being a huge problem for her that gets in the way of her relationship with her freshmen boyfriend hehe, so she decides to turn over a new leaf. As her new year's resolution, she is going to stop being the overshare queen. Since she can't just keep all these thoughts to herself because she runs the risk of exploding (hehe), she starts a blog (!!!). She not only talks about her problems but she also creates these fantasies about her and her crush, Matt, who she'll be working with on the Grease musical. :) *I love Grease!!! She says a ton of stuff that is extremely personal and in the wrong hands ..well things could get really bad. But there's just no way someone can find it and besides she changes everyone's name including hers so there's just no way someone will find out. Or will they? Obviously you and I know someone will. You'll have to read this hugely entertaining book to find out what happens. :D
Did I say how much this book made me laugh? No? Well it made me laugh a LOT. hehe I love stuff that makes me laugh. I believe it's one of the greatest things in life, laughter I mean. :) I kinda hope there'll be a sequel even though at the same time I believe there shouldn't because a sequel to this book might not work out so well. I just really liked Becca's character, her personality, the way she talked and "wrote".
The book also made me REALLY sad at times though. I swear it's like you're there with Becca when she's "talking" about her life and the embarassing things that happen to her. You just feel so bad for her! I felt so sad for the poor girl sometimes that I thought I would cry. This is one of those books that many will relate to especially those who are "outcasts". I don't think she's an outcast I mean she has this one great friend, what more could you need?
The itty bitty problem I had with this book was that sometimes it honestly didn't seem like it was about teenagers. It seemed more like it was talking about middle school kids. Then again there were some thoughts that middle school kids just wouldn't have they just lack the hormones at that age. Either way I still really enjoyed the book and I think a bunch of others will too especially those up for a cute entertaining read.
Something I absolutely loved, besides the laughs and the 80's movies references, was that for the most part, this book was realistic. *Possible spoiler* You know how there's a ton of YA books and movies out there where there's a geeky boy or girl and they think "That guy/girl will never like me because I'm such a geek" then at the end he/she ends up with the guy/girl? Well this book was NOT like that and I loved that so much! I understand that in real life things like that do happen but when it's overly repeated it just gets freakin' boring especially since it doesn't always happen like this in real life. Sometimes the hot guy/girl really does not care for the "geek". *End of possible spoiler*

Notes: Doesn't the model from the cover look JUST like Taylor Swift except with brown hair and green eyes? Well I dont' think TS has green eyes, I don't know and I'm not looking it up, either way they look alike!! I really like that cover it's so pretty and colorful. If you notice, there are pictures referencing stuff from the book, I just love it because it's done in a really creative way, just like the book hehe

-tvandbookaddict.blogspot.com ( )

TMI was a fun and thoughtful book. I found it easier to relate to than most other books set in high school. Most of the things that happen in this book happen everyday in the halls of high schools. Also the characters seemed like people I know, definitely.

So while I myself related more with Becca's friend Katie (I personally tend to undershare) I definitely got a kick out of Becca, let's just say I have a few overshare queens in my own family! I definitely know what it's like to hear things about yourself from other people, nothing bad but not exactly something you wanted out there! But at the same time I know how easy it is to say too much and then realize well maybe I shouldn't have said that! I really liked all the other characters as well, especially Becca's crush Matt, her friend Jai, and her family!

A good chunk of the book revolves around a high school musical of Grease! Boy did I love that, I was totally a set painter in high school! I never wanted to be on stage though! About a year and a half ago I actually got hired by my former high school to do set painting, sound, and graphic design. It was a ball, mostly because my sister was in the musical! Where we went to high school the theatre is a big deal so it's great to see that reflected in this book!

And of course, I loved the blogging part of the book, gotta love it! And I definitely appreciated the author's descriptions of the evil that is a Minnesota winter, it's true y'all! Getting back to how realistic I found most of the book, I thought the ending was perfect, it was very believable for me. I can't wait to see what the author has in store for us next! ( )