My Messed-Up Life

Susin Nielsen

Violet is not impressed with her TV director dad: he’s decided to abandon his family in Vancouver to start over with a new younger wife in LA. To Violet, it’s like he’s traded his old life for a better one – complete with new and improved children. To make matters worse, her mom has taken up with a dorky new man called Dudley Wiener.
Violet decides to take control. She needs a new stepfather who is perfect, charming and will show Dad what he’s missing: she needs George Clooney, Hollywood superstar.

Reviews

"My Messed-Up Life is another funny, well-observed story from Susin Nielsen... it's a bouncy read with characters to whom readers will soon feel a strong attachment."
BookTrust

"Sassy and candid... Especially affecting are Violet’s struggles to accept her father’s new family and her devotion to both her mother and Rosie. A bonus: Clooney makes a cameo"
starred review - Publishers Weekly

"Nielsen has created a story that is both funny and touching and well worth the read. Highly recommended"
CM Magazine

"Laugh-out-loud humor deftly mixes with insight into a troubled girl’s pain over her parents’ divorce, keeping readers involved on every page … This comic novel scores"
Kirkus

"...warm, funny and highly engaging."
The School Librarian

"This hilarious book is fast-paced and witty, but beneath the laughs, Violet is a pre-teen struggling with the complexities of her parent’s relationships."
Inis Reading Guide

"Violet is a complex, appealing character ... a very engaging read"
Booklist

"A lot of cleverness and fun ... Some delectable secondary characters (and) a couple of lovely plot twists ... Buy it"
National Post