Blog Tour- Confessions of a Hater by Caprice Crane + Contest!

Confessions of a Hater by Caprice Crane
"High school was pretty much like this huge party I wasn't actually invited to, but I still had to show up to every day.

Hailey Harper has always felt invisible. Now her dad has a new job and the family is moving to Hollywood. Just what Hailey needs: starting a new high school.

As she’s packing, Hailey finds a journal that belonged to her older sister, Noel, who is away at college. Called "How to be a Hater," it’s full of info Hailey can really use. Has Hailey found the Bible of Coolness? Will it help her reinvent herself at her new school? Will her crush notice her? Will she and the other Invisibles dethrone the popular mean girls? After all, they deserve it. Don’t they?"- summary from Amazon

This is my first Crane book (I own one of her adult books and have been wanting to read her for years) and I gotta say, I really enjoyed it! Her YA debut is very funny with a lot of heart to it. Hailey's voice is compelling and one readers are going to love, though occasionally there were some places where she goes off on tangents that just didn't feel necessary. The back-and-forth girl fights are interesting, and Hailey and her friends come up with some crazy revenge plans.

Crane does a wonderful job though showing off the high school world and what it can entail and how far it can go sometimes. There's a plethora of diverse, well-developed characters and relationships, and the interactions are very realistic. I also loved that there was a friendship between a boy and a girl with no possibility of a relationship (and not because either is gay or asexual); it was a great touch and there needs to be more of that.

Even though it's not the intent of this novel (or YA novels in general), there's a great lesson here and one I hope readers will take away. It's better to love than to hate. Nothing lasting or substantial is gained from bringing other people down.

Overall, a pretty good YA debut and I'm really going to have to move her adult books to the top of my TBR pile soon!

and here's my interview with Caprice:

1) How did you get the idea for Confessions of a Hater?

I wanted to tell a story where the outcasts were the heroes. I wanted to make "smart" and "creative" and "clever" and "different" what was cool. Normal is boring. Judging people who are different than you is detrimental. I wanted to create a world where all kinds of people can rise up and the lines of what "popular" is would get blurred.


2) What prompted the switch from adult to YA, and was it difficult writing for the different age group? Will you continue to write each, or end up focusing on one?

I feel like there are always struggles with hierarchy in school, and in life, and it was time for an updated version of that story so I switched because that was the story I wanted to tell. I will probably write both but who knows? If someone wanted more YA and that became the focus I wouldn't be mad at it. I love that age and it's certainly not difficult for me to get in that mindset because of my years writing for MTV and my experience writing for 90210. Also, I'm incredibly immature. ;)


3) What's your favorite Jelly Belly jelly bean flavor(s)? Or, if you don't like those, your favorite snack to have while writing or as a reward for writing?

I love Jelly Belly's and can't name a favorite but I can name the worst - bubble gum. Why do we need candy that tastes like other candy? Is the jelly bean so insecure it wants to be more like gum? Be proud of who you are little Jelly Belly! By the way did you know that chewing gum has been banned in Singapore? The more you know...


4) What book(s) are you currently reading, or are about to start?

I'm about to start Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. I've had it for months and been meaning to read it and kept getting sidetracked but the time has come.

I've also got a hardcover copy of the book to give away as well! If you're a resident of the US or Canada, leave a comment on this post by Monday, Sept 2 at 9pm EST and you'll be entered!

To learn more about Caprice, check out these links:

Follow Caprice Crane on Twitter: https://twitter.com/capricecrane
Become a fan on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/writercapricecrane
Follow Caprice Crane on Instagram: http://instagram.com/capricecrane#
Author website: http://www.capricecrane.com/

The rest of the blog tour can be found here.