This book is about a girl named Ruby who has to deal with a changing dynamic among her group of friends, her fathers reappearance (during her 16th birthday party) after a 6 year absence, and her first love.. all in one week. All of this forces her to deal with her problems and take control (and responsibility) for her own life.
From the synopsis on the back of the book you would think this was a book about best-friends letting a boy ruin their friendship - but you would be wrong. There is a lot more going on and this small book had quite a story to it.
I found Ruby (as the main character, and the narrator) to be very relatable. She is really struggling with her parents and getting the answers she wants and needs. I felt that her friends were very well written characters and I liked that even people with the best intentions can really mess up and betray you, it can change your relationship but it doesn't have to end it.

I would recommend this book to someone looking for a book that deals with friends, family (especially divorce and problems with friends) and growing up. ( )

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

Ruby is on the verge of turning sixteen. Her friends have been planning her party for weeks. They all have gathered at her house for a pre-party. Her mom has made her favorite dinner - ziti. All is perfect, down to the vintage Polaroid camera her mother has given her. Then it turns horribly wrong. With the ring of the doorbell, her father, who has been gone for years, has come back into her life.

One night, when Ruby was ten, she sat and watched as her father walked back and forth loading up boxes and his suitcases into his blue truck. Then he just drove away. That was it. No contact, no reasons, nothing. After six years, Ruby has finally gotten on with her life, forgetting about her father (who she now simply calls Jim) and wondering why he left.

Ruby's friends all have different levels of advice. But when her best friend fails to hand over a letter that her father left for her the day after her birthday, she has more than her father to think about. She now wonders if she's ever really known her friends at all.

There are so many different levels of conflict in Ruby's life. At the age of sixteen, when girls should be celebrating the best time of their lives and the new independence that the age brings, Ruby feels like her world is falling apart. Not only does she not have a father in her life, she's not sure she can trust her friends anymore, and conversation with her mother is stilted at best. The only bright spot in her life is her possible boyfriend, Charlie. But Charlie may not be around for long either.

Ms. Vivian is a fresh new voice on the young adult book scene. The story is well-written and emotional. Ruby struggles with everyday issues that everyone can relate to. The story moves quickly to a satisfying conclusion for Ruby. A LITTLE FRIENDLY ADVICE is a story that everyone will enjoy and celebrate with Ruby as she comes into her own. ( )

A Little Friendly Advice has its ups and downs, but overall was a bit of a disappointment. If I had read this book by Siobhan Vivian first, I probably would have had a better impression, but having read Same Difference and knowing she's capable of great things, this was a letdown. The writing was fantastic, she really does know how to bring the masterful language, but the plot was pretty pathetic, not gonna lie. The situations were realistic, the dialogue was realistic, but the combination of the different plots just doesn't work. A lot of the emotions seem natural, but some seem extremely blown out of proportion. I'm also aggravated that there was even the need for a cliche love interest, and I feel it would have been a great book without that element. Family and friend issues are more than enough to deal with, but having that supportive boyfriend there, that's going too far. There is some obnoxious symbolism here, but I'm really not sure if it was intentional or not. I think what bothered me most was that a lot of this book was ridiculously shallow. Ruby has so much going on in her life, and how does she fix it? By getting drunk at age 16, of course. I'm not saying that's not realistic, I just don't think it was the best decision creatively. It is one of those scenes where I cringed the whole way through, and particularly upon seeing her mother's reaction. Other than that, plenty of flat characters that I had trouble caring about, not enough detail about the interesting characters and too much on the boring ones. The relationships are, with minor exceptions, extremely empty. Empty flirting, empty friendships, unfortunately accurate, but still empty. I was, for the most part, glad with the ending, although again, the love interest is just irritating. The plot twist at the end redeemed the book for me greatly, but I still greatly preferred Same Difference to this.

Rating: 2.25/5 ( )

It was ok. I was sort of outraged at Beth, and I thought that it should be a bit different. it sorta made me cry. and the whole jim thing was like hanging at the end. ( )

This novel presented a friendship that is not like your typical girl friendships- you know, the ones where all the girls are just so close and share everything and are practically sisters. This one presented one that is different, there are drifts between the girls and you realize, that's what makes it real and beautiful in its own way. The story presents friendship as something that is constantly being tested and worked on, and doesn't have to be perfect from the get-go.
Without spoiling the ending for those who haven't read it, I do want to say that I was surprised by the way things came out. For one thing, it does kind of explain some of the characters in the story, but it also makes you wonder if you can trust anyone at all. For someone whose been betrayed by her friends before, I totally understand Ruby's feelings. I loved one section near the end of the story:
Im not going to need Beth in the same way anymore. But I'm still going to need her. And she's going to need me to. ( )