Book ~ "The Opposite of Tidy" (2012) Carrie Mac

From Penguin Canada ~ How do you come clean when your life is a mess?Fifteen-year-old Junie is barely coping. Her mother has started sleeping in the chair in front of the TV, and the house is so packed with junk, newspapers, cupboard organizers and other helpful items from the Shopping Channel that she can barely get in the front door. Her father is no help, since he’s always with That Woman. To top it off, she’s failing math.

So when Wade Jaffre, the hot new guy at school, offers her a ride home from school, it seems too good to be true. Junie surprises herself by accepting—and even talking! But as they approach her house, her parents are outside, screaming at each other. Junie doesn’t have to think twice about directing him on to her best friend Tabitha’s house, nor about continuing the charade of pretending she lives there.

Tabitha and her mother are understanding—and willing to go along, for the moment. But as the weeks go by, Junie’s lies start piling up and the opportunity to tell the truth seems to slip away. Until the day Junie’s world—and her mother’s—is literally turned inside out for the world to see, and Junie and her mother must face the consequences of her mother’s illness ... and the lies they both told to hide it.

I received a copy of this book at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

Junie doesn't have an easy life. She's failing math, even though her pal, Otto, is tutoring her. Marla, her mother, is a hoarder who doesn't shower and spends her days and nights in a chair ordering stuff off the Shopping Channel. Junie knows that if anyone finds out how serious the situation is with Marla, Social Services wouldn't let her live there any more and who would take care of her mother? Her dad had hired a life coach last year to help her mother but he ended up leaving Marla for the life coach, who Junie now despises and views as a homewrecker.

Along comes Wade, the new guy in school, and he likes her. Embarrassed and ashamed of her mother and their house, Junie tells him that her friend, Tabitha's house is hers and Mrs. D. is her mother. They get close and start dating.

That's a lot for a teenager to handle. Junie knows she's enabling her mom but when she tries to stand up to her, Marla lays the guilt trip on her. She's all her mother has.

Marla realizes she has an illness and makes a decision that she think will set her on the path of getting well ... but is she truly ready?

Though I'd consider this a book for young adults, I enjoyed it and would recommend it. The writing style kept me interested as did the story. I can't imagine anyone living like this. The tone is fairly serious as Junie struggles handle everything.