Elodee and Naomi are identical twins and though in many other ways they are very different, they've always been close. A recent tragedy is threatening their relationship, however. Elodee begins to see them drifting farther apart. Its changed her relationship with her parents, too. Something has happened to the family that is so terrible it is left unspoken.

One of the results of this change in their lives is their mother accepting a position in Eventown, an idyllic planned community they visited once on a vacation. Elodee is angry about the change coming, but is angry also at the awkward treatment her family receives in their old community. In the end, they are all looking forward to a fresh start in Eventown.

Eventown is perfect. It is set in pleasant hills, the homes are all large, stone, and covered in roses. There are no cars - everything is in walking distance. While the rest of her family settles in to the new rhythms of life in Eventown, Elodee is uncomfortable. There's something off about the town and its people, and she is scared to see her sister drifting even farther away as she embraces Eventown's way of life.

I'm not familiar with Haydu's other work, but 'Eventown' was interesting. It examines how people experience emotions, good and bad, and how even the worst of experiences can help people come together. Tranquility can be achieved, but at what cost to yourself and others? The novel drifts into magical realism territory and won't hold up to overly serious scrutiny, but for its age level it successfully addresses these issues.

Words cannot describe how amazing this book was. It has a combination of romance, comedy, and drama. From it's quirky jokes to it's meaningful lines, this book is sure to find a warm place in your heart. I literally couldn't put this book down, it kept me fully immersed in the story. I felt like I was sitting in the chair right next to Bea, and in the car with Beck. If you need a book to read, I would recommend this one. OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu gets 4.5 Aaron Smiles out of five!

Before you even ask, yes I did sob a bit during the reading of this book. It's nearly impossible to read a story like Rules for Stealing Stars and not have some deep feelings. This is a story about sisterhood. About family. About the fact that sometimes a family can seem like they're holding it together, but inside they're each falling apart. If you love magical realism and contemporary Middle Grade stories, you're going to fall in love with this book.

I have a soft spot for stories about children. While most people see the pain that parents exhibit when a family is broken, they forget that the children feel it even more clearly. Looking at an an ailing parent, at the depression and anger that they're dealing with on a daily basis, is hard enough. Looking at that same parent through the eyes of a child is even harder. Imagine remembering what your family once was, and wondering if it will ever be that way ever again. Not knowing whether to love that person, or to pretend they don't exist to stop the hurt. Is it any wonder that I got emotional? I think not.

Really, it was the sisters themselves that made this story for me. Eleanor, Astrid, Marla and Priscilla (Silly to her sisters), were such beautifully rendered characters. Each one dealing with this unstable part of their lives in such a different way. Eleanor choosing to run away from it. Astrid choosing to loose herself in her hobbies. Marla, trying so hard to change things and internalizing her fear. Finally, poor Silly and her inability to understand why her sisters didn't want to rally together. I watched as she did her best to figure out where she fit in this broken family, and I felt her hurt.

So what of the magical realism? Well, it's definitely there. Corey Ann Haydu does a rather excellent job of bringing a bit of magic into the world of these girls. At first, I wasn't sure how I felt about this addition. I won't spoil, but it felt a little unbelievable. This is coming from a reader who opens herself to pretty much anything. However, the more I read the more I realized how perfectly the concept that Haydu was weaving into the story fit. Sometimes you don't know what you need until it's right in front of you. That's exactly what Silly and her sisters soon came to discover.

Rules for Stealing Stars is sweet. It's sad. It's full of the kind of feelings that will make you want to curl up to stop the heartache. It's a gorgeous story, and one that I'm very glad that I read.

Paul & Cate:

Tabitha’s relationship with her parents in this book was my favorite part of Life By Committee. There wasn’t really any reason other than the fact that their relationship with their daughter was so refreshing, and they were more like friends than anything else. They had Tabitha when they were sixteen, and she’s sixteen - so I’m assuming they’re in their early thirties. Which is so young. My only reservation when it came to their relationship is that I wish it had been explored more. There is a bit of tension, and it was never fully resolved. But other than that I loved the parent-daughter relationship.

UPDATE: I almost forgot about how Cate and Paul are both avid readers and make sure that Tabitha never loses sight of how important reading is and drag her away from her computer at times.

“This one here’s my best friend. We’ve got something special. Cate and I have very separate relationships with her. Like it should be.” - Paul talking about Tabitha. (pg. 188)

Life By Committee (LBC):

1. Tell a secret, you’re in.
2. Get an assignment, must complete to stay in group and have secrets kept.
3. New secret every week to stay an active member.

Everything about LBC was super intriguing. Tabitha stumbles upon this website during a time where she needed something to keep her going. The group essentially pushes its members to always go to the next level, to challenge themselves and see where it may lead them. And at first it’s great. But with each new assignment, the stakes are raised and it gets to a point where you’re not sure if this is really what’s best for the people involved. Over time, the assignments started to effect not only Tabitha, but the people she’s closest to. There was this one scene in the coffee shop where I was literally about to throw my book because things were getting so screwed up. And Tabitha realizes it. But she can’t not complete an assignment - because her secrets could be made public.

Even writing about it now is making me jittery.

Everything isn't black and white:

I really shouldn’t have liked Tabitha as much as I did. But she was a really compelling character and it was hard not to like her. I’m not justifying the things she does in this book, but I could see where she was coming from. She actually believes that the things she’s doing aren’t that bad and that everything will work out in the end. I also really felt for her because her “friends” dropped her because she decided that she was interested in her appearances and boys. She still liked to hangout with her family, and active read - she just had other interests as well.

Life By Committee has easily become one of my favorite releases of 2014. I have a few minor reservations, but nothing that could change that verdict. It’s a book that I’m already planning to buy when it’s released as a paperback, and I will then be rereading it because Corey Ann Haydu’s books are the kind that deserve to be reread.