“I’ve got seven days to come clean to my new dad. Seven days to tell the truth…”For sixteen-year-old Tiffany Sly, life hasn’t been safe or normal for a while. Losing her mom to cancer has her a little bit traumatized and now she has to leave her hometown of Chicago to live with the biological dad she’s never known.Anthony Stone is a rich man with four other daughters—and rules for every second of … daughters—and rules for every second of the day. Tiffany tries to make the best of things, but she doesn’t fit into her new luxurious, but super-strict, home—or get along with her standoffish sister London. The only thing that makes her new life even remotely bearable is the strange boy across the street. Marcus McKinney has had his own experiences with death, and the unexpected friendship that blossoms between them is the only thing that makes her feel grounded.
But Tiffany has a secret. Another man claims he’s Tiffany’s real dad—and she has only seven days before he shows up to demand a paternity test and the truth comes out. With her life about to fall apart all over again, Tiffany finds herself discovering unexpected truths about her father, her mother and herself, and realizing that maybe family is in the bonds you make—and that life means sometimes taking risks.
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I really loved this story! Tiffany Sly Lives Here is full of humor, sad and relatable moments, a complex family situation, and interesting neighbors one might call crazy but I found it all refreshingly different. A wonderful novel from a great storyteller.
Tiffany has recently lost her mother to cancer and is preparing to leave her grandmother, best friend, and all that is familiar and safe behind to move in with a father she knows nothing about. But before leaving Chicago, another man comes forward claiming to be her real father. Fearing she might end up in an episode of Maury with paternity test drama, Tiffany keeps this to herself and still leaves her hometown, which I understand because that’s a lot to deal with on top of her mother’s death. To Tiffany’s surprise, her rich father has a wife and four other children. No one prepared her for that, and she was certainly not expecting Anthony Stone to be so religious and controlling. His character had me rolling my eyes and shaking my head constantly. And every time he’d say something inconsiderate or just utterly off, I’d get frustrated with his wife and wish for Tiffany to tell him about her other father.
It was easy to hope one man was her real father, just for being so polar opposite to the other and being so much nicer and open. But even while Tiffany was having a hard time, she had a gut feeling who her real father was.
Aside from the two father drama of the story, I did like her younger siblings, even London. No matter how stuck-up she was. Her attitude was kind of understandable, being that she was the eldest for a while and here comes this other older daughter changing things up in her life. London’s character was a story in itself and admittedly, I laughed when she ended up in that dilemma because of how she presented herself to the outside world.
There were other interesting aspects of the story that took us away from the family drama now and then. For instance, I liked the moments where Tiffany made an effort with her stepmother and was willing to help with her youngest sister. It always brought a smile to my face and I wished Anthony would make as much of an effort. And the Stones’ neighbors and their son were such lovable people. Tiffany’s connection with Marcus was a delight, accepting him in spite of his difference and how everyone else treated him. Marcus has a warm and polite nature. It was so sad learning about his problem, but I loved that he lived without fear and celebrated every moment with his family. More power to him and his mothers.
I don’t want to give too much away. I’ll just conclude by saying this story will have you laughing, clenching your fists in anger, and tearing up. And you go through these emotions from start to finish. It’s one of those books you don’t want to pass on. I highly recommend reading this one!
Davis builds a unique situational YA novel with complex characters within a rich storyline. A page-turner that leaves you guessing until the end.
Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now was a very good book. Dana Davis does a great job addressing the issue of mental illness and how people easily disregard it like its a choice people make. Tiffany’s struggle with her anxiety was so well done and I really just wanted to hug her and tell her everything was going to be ok.
We also see how Tiffany must immerse herself into a family of people she never knew. I’m not gonna lie, her father is too much. Tiffany’s father has a million rules in his house and when it comes to his girls. Add on top of that the fact that they are all Jehovah Witnesses and I was would have been out if it was me. I have to give it up to Tiffany for taking all these changes in stride and cheering for her when enough was enough for her.
What I loved about this book was Tiffany. So much is thrown at her right after her mother dies. Her anxiety is at an all time high, she must live with a family she has never known, lost her faith in God, and befriends a peculiar boy. I loved Tiffany just wanting to just be Tiffany Sly. The guitar playing, music loving girl who misses her mom. I really just felt for her and really ended up loving her character. She is by no means perfect, but she was real, and that to me made her very lovable. She stumbled, said the wrong things at times, let her anger consume her, the grief she felt was sometimes too much, but she didn’t let her dad dictate the type of her person she decided to be. If I was her I would have run away from her dad.
Nonetheless, Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now is a very good book. I highly recommend this book. Dana Davis is an excellent writer and this book is powerful and beautiful. I’m so glad I finally gave this book a try.
Good story for teens with step siblings, or half siblings trying to adjust to life in a different location with a family you recently discovered.
Note: this book was published by my imprint, Inkyard Press.
Dana L. Davis is a true talent and Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now showcases her gift for making you laugh through your tears. Poignant, witty, insightful and every so often LOL funny, TSLHN is an unforgettable read about a girl sent to live with the father–and siblings–she never knew she had.