Carson Phillips is in his senior year and has his whole life mapped out. He will attend Northwestern and eventually become the editor of The New Yorker. Needing to bolster his application, he starts a literary magazine at his high school, but is seriously short of contributing writers. Some surprising revelations turn into blackmail opportunities and Carson suddenly has the most popular kids in school in the palm of his hand.

Hilarious, dark, and very clever, Struck By Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal is an extremely entertaining read. Written by Golden Globe winning Glee actor, Chris Colfer, this story's main character is driven, conniving and ruthless. Carson Phillips is an outcast, and a jerk. He blackmails a slew of fellow students as well as a faculty member when he uncovers their dark secrets. Extremely smart, snarky and sarcastic, Carson is an interesting character who does gain some insight about himself over the course of the story. Language is graphic and frequent and sex is referenced and alluded to often. Some of the blackmail material involves a secret homosexual relationship, an inappropriate student/teacher relationship, semi-nude photos, as well as cutting and promiscuous behavior. Carson has a very close relationship with his grandmother, who suffers from Alzheimer's, and a dysfunctional relationship with his neglectful, alcoholic mother. The ending is surprisingly unpredictable, and fans of this story can look forward to seeing it on the big screen as it is currently being made into a movie.

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