BOOK TOUR REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: The Dirt by Lori Culwell

Posted by Carrie

The Dirt

by Lori Culwell

YA Contemporary

Book Description

Lucy Whitley cannot wait to get out of Palm Desert. It’s not a place for a frizzy-haired science nerd, particularly when her fashion-obsessed older sister Sloane is the head of a clique of pretty girls who rule the school—and practically the whole town.Fortunately, life is about to change forever. Lucy’s dad is getting re-married, and then she can transfer to a boarding school in Connecticut, escaping all the mean girls and the endless whispers about the Whitley family scandal. Everything is going to be perfect—as long as the wedding goes smoothly.

MY THOUGHTS: 3 OUT OF 5 FLEURS DE LIS

The Dirt by Lori Culwell

Lucy Whitley is the only moderately normal one in a house full of otherwise crazy sisters. Sloane is the oldest, and queen of the popular girls at school, which makes her more than a little mean. Frankie is the youngest and a total adrenaline junkie…she’s kind of like the brother they never had. All three girls are being raised by their workaholic ex-NFL player dad, since their mother abandoned them and took their other sister, Megan, over nine years ago.

The girls are all ready to be in their dad’s wedding when something happens that brings it to a screeching halt. Even though the Whitleys’ lives are turned upside down, their dad is determined to make the most of it, and insists on uninterrupted family time during their Christmas break. The Whitley girls are forced to get along, and learn things about each other they never could have dreamed.

I’m starting to like contemporary YA a bit more, and it was refreshing to read a novel that centered around a family rather than a relationship. My feelings overall were very mixed, though.

All of the sisters have distinct personalities, but none of them are perfect. This makes for a very lively household, to say the least. Having a lack of parental supervision definitely adds to the craziness.

My biggest problem with this book was the end. Reading this book hit very close to my heart, because I am the oldest of 4 siblings, 3 of which are girls. My two sisters and I also have VERY different personalities, and we have been known to not get along a time or two. In spite of that, and no matter what any of us have done, we are always there for each other, and would never intentionally try to tear each other down. Unfortunately, the love between the Whitley sisters was just not there. I understand that Sloane had done some particularly nasty things, but getting back at her was not the way to go. I was disappointed in the way the book did not have the sisters make up at all towards the end, and we get the sense that basically Sloane’s whole persona, which she has worked on for her entire high school career, is ruined. No matter how evil she may be, you just don’t do that to your sister.

I did enjoy the author’s writing style, and it made for a very quick read. The book didn’t have many dull pauses or dragging moments. There were a few heartfelt moments that I liked a lot.

I liked the book, but I just think because of my particular history with my sisters, I wasn’t able to fully love it. I would recommend it for anyone who wants a fun, non-romance YA story.

View all my reviews

About the Author

Lori Culwell is the author of five books, including Hollywood Car Wash, a novel that was originally self-published, then was acquired by Simon & Schuster and re-released. She is the owner of Get Creative, Inc, a consulting company specializing in search-engine friendly content, and of BookPromotion.com,dedicated to providing authors with user-friendly websites, social media education, and book blogger outreach.

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Twitter: @loriculwell

Links to find/buy book:

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/279184.Lori_Culwell

http://www.amazon.com/The-Dirt-ebook/dp/B006CUNP0Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1353304503&sr=1-1&keywords=the+dirt+lori+culwell

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-dirt-lori-culwell/1107550456?ean=9781935961369