Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Review: Beautiful

Beautiful - Amy Reed- Simon Pulse
The "Facts": Paperback, 232 pages, 1 day to finish

 
 (Click the image to link to Goodreads)
 
 
Summary: (From Goodreads) When Cassie moves from the tiny town where she has always lived to a suburb of Seattle, she is determined to leave her boring, good-girl existence behind. This is Cassie’s chance to stop being invisible and become the kind of girl who’s worth noticing.

Stepping into her new identity turns out to be easier than Cassie could have ever imagined… one moment, one choice, changes everything.

Cassie’s new existence both thrills and terrifies her. Swept into a world of illicit parties and social landmines, she sheds her virginity, embraces the numbness she feels from the drugs, and floats through it all, knowing that she is now called beautiful. She ignores the dangers of her fast-paced life… but she can’t sidestep the secrets and the cruelty.

Cassie is trapped in a swift downward spiral tinged with violence and abuse, and no one—not even the one person she thought she could trust—can help her now.
 

My Review: Ouch. This book is not pretty. There were many things I disliked about this book, but before I begin let me tell you that when I purchased this book, I also bought Amy Reed's 'Crazy' as well. When I was reading this book, I honestly thought 'Crazy' was describing this book...
 
According to the blurb, it's easy to imagine that this book is about the change in Cassie as she becomes a 'pretty popular' one. Well... it is and it isn't. When the book starts, Cassie has already become 'pretty and popular' at her new school. It takes a bit to realize that this book picks up right away without really introducing the characters.
 
Secondly, the plot gets confusing. It's hard to imagine Cassie being as stupid and naïve as she comes off, and she jumps around a bit. It's hard to follow her train of thought. As soon as you think you've figured her out, she changes. In most cases, this is a good thing: we like to see development and evolvement in characters. For Cassie, it's less of a developing character and more of 'we need to get this plot point out.'
 
To be truthful, I'm not even sure how I would describe the plot to someone. I would say 'read the blurb on the back, but then throw away and idea about the plot like you think you have.'
 
The only good thing about this book? The only reason why I am giving it 2 stars instead of 1? The ending. I actually rather liked the ending, and found it fitting and surprising given the author's tone throughout the rest of the book. However, that is all I will say before I give away any spoilers!


Rating: 2 stars 

*This book contains details and mentions of: underage drinking, drug use and abuse, eating disorders and violence among others. I would recommend reading this book before giving it to someone that you feel might be *iffy* or triggered by these subjects.***


***Can't you tell I'm a school librarian?


Jenni

No comments:

Post a Comment