The Opposite of Tidy by Carrie Mac

Pages: 332
Intended Audience: Teens and Mature Tweens
Genre: Real life; social issue
Notes for parents: Subjects include hoarding, lying, and divorce. Some coarse language.

The Back Cover

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, it seems too good to be true. Junie surprises herself by accepting—and even talking! She doesn’t have to think twice about directing him to her best friend Tabitha’s house, or 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 everyone 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.

What the Back Cover doesn’t tell you:

This was a White Pine Awards official selection for 2013.

What’s good?

Excellent characterization and good, even story-telling make this a compelling read. Besides Junie’s problem of her mother’s hoarding, there’s a myriad of subplots – her dad’s desertion, her step-mom’s culpability, Wade, the lies, the media, the big family secret, and to top it all off, Junie’s failing math – that keep things moving forward without overwhelming the plausibility of the main character. Junie has a lot to deal with and it’s heartbreaking to watch the choices she makes as she carries the shame of her families problems, knowing full well that the lies will catch her in the end.  
Best part: Tabitha—the ultimate best friend

What’s not so good?

I can’t relate to the level of lying that Junie achieves and while I believe a friend would help her lie, I found it inconceivable that her friend’s mom would be part of the deception, especially a lawyer!  I also found the behind-the-scenes look at the television show to be a bit disturbing.
Worst part: I didn’t like the end.

Recommendations þþþoo

Overall, I really enjoyed the story. It flowed nicely, and though it was fairly predictable in the larger sense, there were smaller twists and turns that kept it entertaining. The side story with Royce and Jeremy was well done and probably would have made a great story on its own. Recommended.

Mac, Carrie. The Opposite of Tidy. Toronto: RazorBill, 2012