My Invented Life by Lauren Bjorkman

Main Characters: Roz, Eva, Bryan, Andie, Nico, Johnathon

Summary:

Roz and Eva are sisters, close friends, and fierce rivals. Roz fantasizes about snagging the lead in the school play and landing sexy skate god Bryan as her boyfriend. Sadly, a few obstacles stand between her and her dreams. For one, Eva is the more talented actress. And Bryan happens to be Eva’s boyfriend. But is Eva having a secret love affair with a girl? Inquiring minds need to know.

Anna’s Thoughts

I have a sister (nah, you don’t say). I also have a best friend. The subject in those two statements are one in the same. In that way I can relate to much of what Roz is feeling with her sister. At some point, although it’s easy to remain close, you also grow apart, it’s simply a part of life. You go from stuffed animals and movies to boyfriends and… movies. Now, we’re not the huggy-huggy tell-you-anything type family, but I know without a doubt if there was something I had to tell someone, or needed to trust someone with, I could go to her. Which is what completely breaks my heart about My Invented Life: The fact that Eva doesn’t think she can trust Roz.

The beginning of My Invented Life is cute, sarcastic, and filling to the brim with sibling rivalry. The middle is full of mystery and Shakespeare. And the end is a tear jerking conclusion full of sibling revelations and self-discovery (and more Shakespeare). The plot was a tiny bit confusing at some points, and when Roz and Eva are talking to each other I got lost in who was saying what. Speaking of Roz and Eva, I love them so much. They are such believable teenagers, as well as believable sisters. I loved most of the side characters as well, and one thing I can say that everyone will get once they read it: I did not expect Bryan to be that way. I also absolutely LOVED the Shakespearean insults. They’re so ridiculous sounding, it makes it even better and even funnier, and makes it easy to turn a heavier scene into a lighter one. It’s weird to hear (read?) someone insult someone else and want to laugh.

The only problem with My Invented Life is that there doesn’t seem to be one clear shot of conscious plot. There is the main story line, which is Roz trying to figure out if her sister is in fact a lesbian. Other then that though the story is all over the place. It’s hard sometimes to realize when something is taking place, as it switches between being at home one day to being at school the next a lot through the paragraphs. Without a divider or a bigger break between those paragraphs the days get jumbled together.

I also was surprised to see a mentioning of Matthew Shepard in My Invented Life. I am glad that people are not forgetting what happened to him, and that they’re still (somewhat, even inadvertently) raising awareness for the absolute horrid things that happened, and that things like that can be prevented. I grew up with a ton of gay/lesbian/bi friends -guys and girls- and I am SO glad I was raised in a family, and in a town where I am free to be who I am no matter what that might be.

Over all though it was a fun story with plenty of twist and turns, I loved the characters, the plot -although sometimes confusing- was interesting and the writing was great. Lauren Bjorkman definitely has a new fan, and I absolutely can’t wait until her next book, Miss Fortune Cookie, in 2011.

About the Author:
Lauren Bjorkman grew up on a sailboat, sharing the tiny forecastle with her sister and the sail bags. She now lives in Taos, New Mexico, with her husband and two young sons. This is her first book.
Visit Lauren’s site to find out more about her and My Invented Life

You can also find out more about Matthew Shepard at Wikipedia or via the Matthew Shepard Foundation.