Carrie Pilby by Caren Lissner

"1. List 10 things you love (and DO THEM!)
2. Join a club (and TALK TO PEOPLE!)
3. Go on a date (with someone you actually LIKE!)
4. Tell someone you care (your therapist DOESN'T COUNT!)
5. Celebrate New Year's (with OTHER PEOPLE!)"

My Rating: 10/10 <3

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication: 2003 (republished by Harlequin Teen on June 2010)
ISBN: 978-0-373-21010-7
Page Count: 330 Pages
Age Range: Young Adult

Caren Lissner's Official Web Page

Carrie Pilby is a 19 year old genius that graduated from Harvard at 18. Her mother died when she was too young to remember, and her father told her a Big Lie she still couldn't forgive him for.

Carrie guards herself too much and she doesn't have any friends--after all, being a genius doesn't necessarily mean that you're on top of the social ladder.

Carrie has a therapist--her father pays her to go to a therapist called Petrov. Petrov is sick of Carrie always closing herself up--so Petrov made the list so Carrie can fit in (or well, attempt her best to). Carrie doesn't really want to--she really thinks it's a waste of time and it's troublesome, but she tried to anyway.

So Carrie go and gets a job--she's proof reading for the lawyers in NYC. She meets different kind of people. She puts an ad on the Beacon--some kind of magazine that lets people put an ad for people who look for dates.

Mostly, Carrie considers a lot of people--okay, everyone--as hypocrites. Her father told her that when she skips 3 grades, she'll meet people that are like her in college (This is the Big Lie). She was 14 when she went to Harvard, she didn't know better--despite mathematical theorems, lots of literature, philosophical thoughts and pure curiosity and a very high IQ.

In Harvard, though, despite her having no friends (that lasts more than a week), she met Harrison, her English Professor. Harrison is smart, different and listens to her. He wasn't creep out by Carrie's constant usage of what others would call out as 'SAT words!' In fact, Harrison was amazed by her.

Carrie is young and smart. Carrie's learning about life in New York City, and she feels lonely on New Year's, on a tall building with at least 500 people underneath her on Time Square.

Caren Lissner's Carrie Pilby is sophisticated and full of pure curiosity. It's hilarious and simple--but also different.

What I love about this book: It's really funny! I've been having the same questions--but mostly feelings--what Carrie had felt. Even though I didn't skip 3 grades or went to Harvard at 14, I could definitely relate to Carrie. She deals with many emotional craziness that passes quite easily because she's been shutting herself out from the rest of the world--even though she wants to fit in. It's really hilarious and I love just even reading Carrie's thoughts.

What I dislike about this book: I didn't dislike anything! This book is a perfect ten! Even if you're not a curious person, reading Carrie Pilby will definitely be a very interesting experience!