Book Review: Gingerbread (Cyd Charisse #1) by Rachel Cohn

Title: Gingerbread
Series: Cyd Charisse #1
Author: Rachel Cohn
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published On: May 25, 2004

"I will be as wild as I wanna be."After getting tossed from her posh boarding school, wild, willful, and coffee addicted Cyd Charisse returns to San Francisco to live with her parents. But there's no way Cyd can survive in her parents' pristine house. Lucky for Cyd she's got Gingerbread, her childhood rag doll and confidante, and her new surfer boyfriend.
When Cyd's rebelliousness gets out of hand, her parents ship her off to New York City to spend the summer with "Frank real-dad," her biological father. Trading in her parents for New York City grunge and getting to know her bio-dad and step-sibs is what Cyd has been waiting for her whole life. But summer in the city is not what Cyd expects -- and she's far from the daughter or sister that anyone could have imagined.

My Thoughts:

Well, the book is short and sweet. I also may have cried a little.

At first I didn’t quite feel the story, until something was already happening (which was about 25% into it). I found it weird that she still had a doll, named “Gingerbread”, which has been her companion wherever she goes. (well not all the time, but you know what I mean). Anyhoo, the story is simple really. Cyd Charisse got expelled from her boarding school and sent back to San Francisco, where she met her “true love” Shrimp and an old woman for her best friend. She’s quite a problem child for her parents. Always misunderstood everyone around her. This novel is actually nice. We can pick up some good things from Cyd’s experiences as the story goes on. This novel is like a coming of age novel, where Cyd learns more of herself as events in her life unfold.

At the end of reading it, I learned to love her character, and can’t wait to find out more of what happens to her. :)