A review by missprint_
Life by Committee by Corey Ann Haydu
5.0
It isn't Tabitha's fault that her breasts are bigger now. It isn't her fault that she likes wearing makeup as much as she likes reading margin notes in used books. It isn't her fault that Joe seems to like talking to her more than he likes talking to his crazy-eccentric-special-snowflake girlfriend Sasha Cotton.
But it might be Tabitha's fault when she kisses Joe. And when she does it again.
Normally, Tabitha would so not be that girl. But with the help of a website called Life by Committee, Tabitha starts doing a lot of things she wouldn't normally do in the spirit of being more. At first sharing secrets and completing assignments to keep those secrets safe is easy. The assignments are empowering and push her limits.
When Tabby becomes more involved in the site, and the stakes get much higher, she has to decide how far she is willing to go, and who she is willing to hurt, to be more in Life by Committee (2014) by Corey Ann Haydu.
Life by Committee is Haydu's sophomore novel.
Tabitha is a great heroine. She struggles with a lot of things throughout Life by Committee. Obviously, there is the morality issue with cheating. But Tabitha is also trying to understand her place in a world where the rules are constantly changing not because of anything she has done but simply because of how she looks. (And sometimes not even that in the case of her changing home life.) The way Tabby, through Haydu's prose, grapples with feminism and slut shaming and loneliness--problems she can't always articulate, or even give a proper name--is shattering.
Tabitha is incredibly lonely at the start of the novel. She tries to reshape her life without the friends she had assumed were a given but it's hard. Then Tabitha stumbles upon Life by Committee. LBC is an anonymous online community where users share secrets and complete assignments (more like dares) in the name of being more and leading their best lives. The wisdom in joining such a site is, of course, debatable. But Haydu does such an excellent job of bringing Tabitha and her hurt to life that it makes sense. Readers begin to understand how Tabitha might become this person who is completely consumed by people she has never met.
The great thing about Tabitha is that she knows exactly who she is and who she would like to be. When Tabitha gets involved with LBC, she starts to question a lot of the ideas she has about herself. Sometimes that leads to empowering moments. Unfortunately it also leads to some heart wrenching decisions that are so obviously Bad Ideas they become painful to read.
Those choices, the power and allure of LBC, are hard to understand at times. Unless you remember being that lonely high school (or college) student trying to find your way. Unless you remember the thrill that can come with telling everything that matters to someone who will never meet you, never be able to really judge you. Life by Committee captures that heady mix of connection and anonymity found on the Internet so very well.
Life by Committee also subtly highlights the pitfalls that can come from such a scenario. It's wonderful to have friends online saying "yes!" to every risk you want to take. But without the context that comes from knowing a person in real life, it's also difficult to ever adequately understand the consequences and the aftermath of those risks.
At the end of Life by Committee it's safe to say that Tabitha comes out a little wiser and a lot stronger. Because this book is on the short side (304 pages hardcover) readers don't get to see all of the payoff after Tabitha realizes she can find her own way, all by herself, but the development is there. The growth and the hint at something more--LBC-inspired or not--is there in the final pages.
Although she has her stumbling blocks, Tabitha remains a smart and capable heroine throughout. While she doesn't always make the best decisions, she always learns. And that, really, is all anyone can hope for. Life by Committee is a shrewd, clever read that raises all of the right questions for its characters and readers. Highly recommended.
Possible Pairings: Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo, Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg, To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han, The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart, Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero, The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott, Unbreak My Heart by Melissa Walker
*A review copy of this book was acquired from the publisher at BEA 2014*
But it might be Tabitha's fault when she kisses Joe. And when she does it again.
Normally, Tabitha would so not be that girl. But with the help of a website called Life by Committee, Tabitha starts doing a lot of things she wouldn't normally do in the spirit of being more. At first sharing secrets and completing assignments to keep those secrets safe is easy. The assignments are empowering and push her limits.
When Tabby becomes more involved in the site, and the stakes get much higher, she has to decide how far she is willing to go, and who she is willing to hurt, to be more in Life by Committee (2014) by Corey Ann Haydu.
Life by Committee is Haydu's sophomore novel.
Tabitha is a great heroine. She struggles with a lot of things throughout Life by Committee. Obviously, there is the morality issue with cheating. But Tabitha is also trying to understand her place in a world where the rules are constantly changing not because of anything she has done but simply because of how she looks. (And sometimes not even that in the case of her changing home life.) The way Tabby, through Haydu's prose, grapples with feminism and slut shaming and loneliness--problems she can't always articulate, or even give a proper name--is shattering.
Tabitha is incredibly lonely at the start of the novel. She tries to reshape her life without the friends she had assumed were a given but it's hard. Then Tabitha stumbles upon Life by Committee. LBC is an anonymous online community where users share secrets and complete assignments (more like dares) in the name of being more and leading their best lives. The wisdom in joining such a site is, of course, debatable. But Haydu does such an excellent job of bringing Tabitha and her hurt to life that it makes sense. Readers begin to understand how Tabitha might become this person who is completely consumed by people she has never met.
The great thing about Tabitha is that she knows exactly who she is and who she would like to be. When Tabitha gets involved with LBC, she starts to question a lot of the ideas she has about herself. Sometimes that leads to empowering moments. Unfortunately it also leads to some heart wrenching decisions that are so obviously Bad Ideas they become painful to read.
Those choices, the power and allure of LBC, are hard to understand at times. Unless you remember being that lonely high school (or college) student trying to find your way. Unless you remember the thrill that can come with telling everything that matters to someone who will never meet you, never be able to really judge you. Life by Committee captures that heady mix of connection and anonymity found on the Internet so very well.
Life by Committee also subtly highlights the pitfalls that can come from such a scenario. It's wonderful to have friends online saying "yes!" to every risk you want to take. But without the context that comes from knowing a person in real life, it's also difficult to ever adequately understand the consequences and the aftermath of those risks.
At the end of Life by Committee it's safe to say that Tabitha comes out a little wiser and a lot stronger. Because this book is on the short side (304 pages hardcover) readers don't get to see all of the payoff after Tabitha realizes she can find her own way, all by herself, but the development is there. The growth and the hint at something more--LBC-inspired or not--is there in the final pages.
Although she has her stumbling blocks, Tabitha remains a smart and capable heroine throughout. While she doesn't always make the best decisions, she always learns. And that, really, is all anyone can hope for. Life by Committee is a shrewd, clever read that raises all of the right questions for its characters and readers. Highly recommended.
Possible Pairings: Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo, Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg, To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han, The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart, Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero, The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott, Unbreak My Heart by Melissa Walker
*A review copy of this book was acquired from the publisher at BEA 2014*