In high school, I wasn’t awkward at all.  I had all the right clothes, hung out with all the right people, and got invited to the best parties.  Plus I dated the hottest guy at school.

Okay, so none of that is true.  Especially since my school was all girls.

If you don’t think about high school (whether it was years ago or you’re still there) and cringe, this book may not be for you.  But I’m pretty confident that most people feel out of place and awkward during their teen years, and this book understands that feeling perfectly.

Mackenzie is bookish and clumsy, but is mostly okay with that because she has her ridiculously high GPA and close group of equally nerdy friends to keep her company.  So what if she attends study sessions instead of parties on the weekend?  There’s nothing wrong with that.  (I mean, that’s what I did, and look how I…oh, never mind.)

Except that a prime example of her embarrassing awkwardness is caught on camera and watched by millions on YouTube.  All of a sudden, Mackenzie goes from being invisible to being hounded by paparazzi.  Her wardrobe gets an upgrade, as does her social life. It’s a Cinderella story gone viral.  (There’s even a Prince Charming, naturally.)

This book isn’t groundbreaking plotwise, but it is a candid, humorous look at being a teenager in an age of ubiquitous networking.  Although in this media savvy era everything is interconnected and your personal life is just a double-click away, it’s still easy to feel alone and unnoticed in the world.  Ultimately, this story isn’t about Mackenzie transforming into a princess who will never have another awkward moment in her life.  It’s about a change on the outside helping her make peace with who she is on the inside.  It’s about acceptance of her differences and the realization that she has the power to decide which version of herself to project into the world.  It’s about fitting in and finding a place where she can belong, without losing sight of what makes her unique.

That being said, I’m glad YouTube and Facebook didn’t exist when I was in high school.  Some things are better off forgotten!

Join us here tomorrow for an interview with author Marni Bates as part of her blog tour promoting this book!