The Sunshine Crust Baking Factory

This may be a case of “you had to be there”. On the surface, the story reads like as a girl who really wants to fit in with the in crowd. She has one shining moment in which she is a hero to the people who are her heroes. There is an accidental romance, and a bunch of roommates who fight too much about everything. I found myself “reading” into it trying to find meaning. Perhaps it's about the disappointment of growing up and the things you idolize are not as great as your thought. Or maybe it really is about a movement that existed, but I don't feel the book ever managed to convey the feeling of the atmosphere in that time (in fact, it's like a snapshot of the afterparty because the heyday seemed to end with the RotSqat group, and Sid is never really a part of that).

It bothered the hell out of me how MEAN everyone was to Sid. Everyone. Love interests included. Her “friends” are clearly using her. The only time they seem to want to be with her is when they need a body guard, as Sid is supposed to be a larger-sized girl. How heavy could she have been with all of that physical activity and no real food? Sheesh. Sid is disposable. Also, what was the point? Sid squats, she gets a job, and she sits around taking abuse (and occasionally a party). If Sid had been doing all of this to put herself through college or an art school, I would have been more on board. I wish I had gotten a better idea of what other squatters were doing at that time and where they came from.