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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
Maybe it was just me, but I didn't "get" this book. NPR had is listed on its "best of" books as a funny YA book, but I didn't think it was funny at all. Not a favorite for me.
This book was a total shocker. Not at all what I expected and at first I want sure if I was going to actually finish it but I'm very glad I did. Review to follow soon!
First, let me say that I probably never would have read this book without Stephanie Perkins' tweet about it. I automatically added it to my to-read pile bc she always recommends good books even though it not usually something I'd read. Second, I fell in love with the cover. I'm a girly-girl, okay? Sucker for pretty dresses! And lastly, as soon as I read that there was a prince involved I had to read it. You see I've been looking for a "Real-Prince-falls-in-love-with-common-girl-blah-blah" for a few weeks now. (It might have to do with the whole Prince & Me movie I finally watched haha)
Anyways, let me tell you: once i started reading the actual book I did not think I'd finish it. It was completely misleading. The summary say that the dresses Tom Kelly makes "transform" her it LITERALLY mean it's "transforms her" like into a new person. Y'all don't understand how confused I was reading the first few chapters! And the whole cell phone ringing part? I don't even think I understood it lol but I'm very glad I continued on and finished it.
There were some parts I found ridiculous and felt the story could have done without: the cursing, and some characters were insane. The cursing was over the top and waay to absurd to actually be said. But whatever floats your boat, you know? I just think Roche could have done without the insane foul mouth.
Anyways, let's get on to Prince Gregory. Sometimes I was annoyed at the obvious parallels there were to the *actual* British Royals. (But I am ALWAYS annoyed when their are complete parallels in lit and in real life. I just don't give it much idea) but Gregory was sweet as he was funny. I have obviously never met a British Prince but I never expected him to be as funny and sarcastic as PG. sometimes the love he had for Rebecca was odd bc I felt like they fell in love all of a sudden and he was in love with her beauty but it sort of added to Becky's decision.
In the end, a lot of the magic is still sort of iunsolved but it didn't bother me as much as it did in the beginning. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and encourage readers to give it a try.
First, let me say that I probably never would have read this book without Stephanie Perkins' tweet about it. I automatically added it to my to-read pile bc she always recommends good books even though it not usually something I'd read. Second, I fell in love with the cover. I'm a girly-girl, okay? Sucker for pretty dresses! And lastly, as soon as I read that there was a prince involved I had to read it. You see I've been looking for a "Real-Prince-falls-in-love-with-common-girl-blah-blah" for a few weeks now. (It might have to do with the whole Prince & Me movie I finally watched haha)
Anyways, let me tell you: once i started reading the actual book I did not think I'd finish it. It was completely misleading. The summary say that the dresses Tom Kelly makes "transform" her it LITERALLY mean it's "transforms her" like into a new person. Y'all don't understand how confused I was reading the first few chapters! And the whole cell phone ringing part? I don't even think I understood it lol but I'm very glad I continued on and finished it.
There were some parts I found ridiculous and felt the story could have done without: the cursing, and some characters were insane. The cursing was over the top and waay to absurd to actually be said. But whatever floats your boat, you know? I just think Roche could have done without the insane foul mouth.
Anyways, let's get on to Prince Gregory. Sometimes I was annoyed at the obvious parallels there were to the *actual* British Royals. (But I am ALWAYS annoyed when their are complete parallels in lit and in real life. I just don't give it much idea) but Gregory was sweet as he was funny. I have obviously never met a British Prince but I never expected him to be as funny and sarcastic as PG. sometimes the love he had for Rebecca was odd bc I felt like they fell in love all of a sudden and he was in love with her beauty but it sort of added to Becky's decision.
In the end, a lot of the magic is still sort of iunsolved but it didn't bother me as much as it did in the beginning. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and encourage readers to give it a try.
My first reaction after I read the last word of this book was: what on earth just happened? As I collected my thoughts, and tried to reread parts of the story, this is what I concluded:
- The book is super fast paced. A lot happens to Becky, from her mother's death to her accepting the deal with Tom Kelly, to the process of her becoming the most beautiful woman on Earth. These events span over very few pages, making it feel unrealistic to me. Her decisions seem to rash and her accomplishments seem too easy.
- The protagonist could get quite annoying. I did not connect with her well, I did not agree with many of her actions, and I did not find her funny. Rudnik's has humor, but it did not show well here. Also, the romance between the prince and Becky did not feel right. It felt insta-lovey, and I really did not care about this couple. Everything was too perfect, and any complications were clichéd complications that we see in everyday YA. which leads me to...
- This book has so many clichés but manages to be very unpredictable at times... not necessarily in a good way. I appreciate the lessons and ideas about inner beauty, but none of the stuff seems new. Some, concerning relationships, I could see miles ahead. However, I was surprised by certain plot twists, especially the crazy ending! Which I did not understand...
- This book was SO confusing! Becky is supposedly transformed from average to gorgeous, with a dress. What magic is this? And no, she does not get surgery or other treatments. Yet everyone else saw a beautiful girl emerge. But HOW did this happen? In an otherwise normal, Earth-like world, I find it hard to believe in this one-off fantastical magic.
I did have some scenes that I liked, but they do not cover up for the holes in this book. I've read better books by this author, and unfortunately, Gorgeous just didn't meet my expectations.
Ridiculously cute. Ridiculously funny. Ridiculously unrealistic. Even the parts that weren't supernatural.
Review to come.
Review to come.
4.5/5
When I was in middle and early high school, I was obsessed with Meg Cabot. There was something playfully magical about her books, kind of like an incredibly fluffy cupcake that you don't want to eat because it looks too pretty. There wasn't much substance to her prose--she preferred the chatty to the poetic--but you didn't need that. And it wasn't like sugar, which is actively bad for you.
Eventually, something stopped clicking with Cabot and me. Her latest offerings just haven't hit it. I've missed, however, that chick-lit-with-a-brain kind of book that Meg used to release, and I think that Paul Rudnick may have filled that opening. I love Gorgeous for entirely different reasons than, say, why I love The Book Thief or The Raven Boys. But I still love it.
There is a moral to Gorgeous about inner beauty and that's nice and all, but it's not why I enjoyed the book. Rudnick is so snappy, and so surprisingly good at getting a teenage girl's voice. There's a raciness to the language and the sexual references that I've noticed make a lot of people question whether or not the book is okay for teens. Of course it is! It's perfect for teens because it gets them just right. (Albeit in a very mature, crazy situation.)
I can't really say what was real and what was fantasy or magic in Becky's weird adventure. And that's great, too. A lot of time is covered in the novel at a breakneck pace, but it doesn't seem rushed. The only reason why I took half a point off the rating is because the romance isn't really that detailed or developed. But it's still pleasing, and kissing really isn't the point of this one, so it's not a big deal.
Gorgeous is well-padded with excellent supporting characters, all quirky and unique. In particular, Becky's foul-mouthed best friend Rocher is a favorite, as is the mysterious Tom Kelly. I love books that satirize the celebrity culture, and Gorgeous does that like a champ. There was never a point where I wasn't interested in what was going on. (I also had a good laugh throughout, which is nice and palate-cleansing.)
Anything's possible, but I think you'd have a hard time going wrong with this one.
The Cover: Really simple and really pretty. I love that we got a hint of the impossibly beautiful Rebecca and the impossibly beautiful dress, without seeing all of them. It kept some mystery. The red skirt and red of the dress, as well as that lovely font, sticks out very well against the black background. 4/5
When I was in middle and early high school, I was obsessed with Meg Cabot. There was something playfully magical about her books, kind of like an incredibly fluffy cupcake that you don't want to eat because it looks too pretty. There wasn't much substance to her prose--she preferred the chatty to the poetic--but you didn't need that. And it wasn't like sugar, which is actively bad for you.
Eventually, something stopped clicking with Cabot and me. Her latest offerings just haven't hit it. I've missed, however, that chick-lit-with-a-brain kind of book that Meg used to release, and I think that Paul Rudnick may have filled that opening. I love Gorgeous for entirely different reasons than, say, why I love The Book Thief or The Raven Boys. But I still love it.
There is a moral to Gorgeous about inner beauty and that's nice and all, but it's not why I enjoyed the book. Rudnick is so snappy, and so surprisingly good at getting a teenage girl's voice. There's a raciness to the language and the sexual references that I've noticed make a lot of people question whether or not the book is okay for teens. Of course it is! It's perfect for teens because it gets them just right. (Albeit in a very mature, crazy situation.)
I can't really say what was real and what was fantasy or magic in Becky's weird adventure. And that's great, too. A lot of time is covered in the novel at a breakneck pace, but it doesn't seem rushed. The only reason why I took half a point off the rating is because the romance isn't really that detailed or developed. But it's still pleasing, and kissing really isn't the point of this one, so it's not a big deal.
Gorgeous is well-padded with excellent supporting characters, all quirky and unique. In particular, Becky's foul-mouthed best friend Rocher is a favorite, as is the mysterious Tom Kelly. I love books that satirize the celebrity culture, and Gorgeous does that like a champ. There was never a point where I wasn't interested in what was going on. (I also had a good laugh throughout, which is nice and palate-cleansing.)
Anything's possible, but I think you'd have a hard time going wrong with this one.
The Cover: Really simple and really pretty. I love that we got a hint of the impossibly beautiful Rebecca and the impossibly beautiful dress, without seeing all of them. It kept some mystery. The red skirt and red of the dress, as well as that lovely font, sticks out very well against the black background. 4/5
The Good Stuff
• Fabulous and not preachy messages about inner beauty, friendship, love
• Plenty of laugh your ass off moments (which was a tad embarrassing as I read much of it on the flight to Toronto from Calgary)
• Great friendship between Becky & Rocher – very realistic
• Never really wanted to marry a prince (I am more of a court jester kinda girl) but would change my mind for Prince Gregory
• Reminded me a little at times of Meg Cabot’s mixed with “Bridget Jones writer”
•
The Not So Good Stuff
• Story jumps around a little – not horribly, but just an fyi
• Sometimes the message of the story took over and the characters didn’t feel as real (again no big deal because the message is a fabulous one)
Favourite Quotes/Passages
“I sometimes wish that just like me, nobody had a face, just so we could all stop wasting so much time worrying about what we look like, and what other people look like, and how we measure up.”
“Mirrors are more dangerous than guns or cars or crystal meth, because they’re cheap, readily available and everyone’s addicted.”
“I decided that maybe everyone has at least a touch of dysmorphia; maybe it’s impossible for anyone to ever truly know what they look like.”
Who Should/Shouldn’t Read
• Any female over the age of 12 (Some strong language and sexuality)
4.25 Dewey’s
I received this from Scholastic in exchange for an honest review
• Fabulous and not preachy messages about inner beauty, friendship, love
• Plenty of laugh your ass off moments (which was a tad embarrassing as I read much of it on the flight to Toronto from Calgary)
• Great friendship between Becky & Rocher – very realistic
• Never really wanted to marry a prince (I am more of a court jester kinda girl) but would change my mind for Prince Gregory
• Reminded me a little at times of Meg Cabot’s mixed with “Bridget Jones writer”
•
The Not So Good Stuff
• Story jumps around a little – not horribly, but just an fyi
• Sometimes the message of the story took over and the characters didn’t feel as real (again no big deal because the message is a fabulous one)
Favourite Quotes/Passages
“I sometimes wish that just like me, nobody had a face, just so we could all stop wasting so much time worrying about what we look like, and what other people look like, and how we measure up.”
“Mirrors are more dangerous than guns or cars or crystal meth, because they’re cheap, readily available and everyone’s addicted.”
“I decided that maybe everyone has at least a touch of dysmorphia; maybe it’s impossible for anyone to ever truly know what they look like.”
Who Should/Shouldn’t Read
• Any female over the age of 12 (Some strong language and sexuality)
4.25 Dewey’s
I received this from Scholastic in exchange for an honest review
What the hell even happened here?
The story was not well put-together at all. The events were choppy, rushed, and so poorly-tied in with one another that I can't even remember when and how and in what sequence everything happened.
The plot itself started out interesting, but the execution was painfully dull. And worse than that, it's shallow. Like, the story just kept plowing on with little explanation (again, rushed) and I just kept shaking my head and thinking "Why are we here and how the hell did we get here because I don't understand how all of this shit is happening in under 150 pages with SO LITTLE EXPLANATION AS TO WHY."
Becky's characterization was two-dimensional at best. It wasn't that I disliked her- it's that there was no personality to dislike at all beyond her two defining character-traits, "plain jane made beautiful" and "small town girl making it big". Gregory was even worse- I don't even know what to say about him.
Which brings me to the romance: much like everything else in the book it was rushed as hell. Nice girl meets nice boy. Immediately and unrealistically falls in love ~against all odds~ and whathaveyou. The inclusion of stereotypical bitch-ex-girlfriend Jessalyn was just painfully cliche.
I don't know why this book was being hailed as 'funny'. The only character that came even close to amusing me was Rocher, who provided about 99% of the humor in this book, despite having a scant presence throughout it.
And see, the problem with that is that there are a lot of ridiculous parts of this book- one that stands out being Jate Mallow abruptly showing up and spiriting Becky away on his bike. Like... Where did that even come from? If the book were consistently funny and ridiculous (as promised), one might have said "oh okay that's supposed to be some weird outrageous thing that fits in with the book's theme."
But it's not. It's awkward and weird and downright stupid.
And the ending. The freaking ending. Where the HELL did that even come from?
The story was not well put-together at all. The events were choppy, rushed, and so poorly-tied in with one another that I can't even remember when and how and in what sequence everything happened.
The plot itself started out interesting, but the execution was painfully dull. And worse than that, it's shallow. Like, the story just kept plowing on with little explanation (again, rushed) and I just kept shaking my head and thinking "Why are we here and how the hell did we get here because I don't understand how all of this shit is happening in under 150 pages with SO LITTLE EXPLANATION AS TO WHY."
Becky's characterization was two-dimensional at best. It wasn't that I disliked her- it's that there was no personality to dislike at all beyond her two defining character-traits, "plain jane made beautiful" and "small town girl making it big". Gregory was even worse- I don't even know what to say about him.
Which brings me to the romance: much like everything else in the book it was rushed as hell. Nice girl meets nice boy. Immediately and unrealistically falls in love ~against all odds~ and whathaveyou. The inclusion of stereotypical bitch-ex-girlfriend Jessalyn was just painfully cliche.
I don't know why this book was being hailed as 'funny'. The only character that came even close to amusing me was Rocher, who provided about 99% of the humor in this book, despite having a scant presence throughout it.
And see, the problem with that is that there are a lot of ridiculous parts of this book- one that stands out being Jate Mallow abruptly showing up and spiriting Becky away on his bike. Like... Where did that even come from? If the book were consistently funny and ridiculous (as promised), one might have said "oh okay that's supposed to be some weird outrageous thing that fits in with the book's theme."
But it's not. It's awkward and weird and downright stupid.
And the ending. The freaking ending. Where the HELL did that even come from?
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What just happened.
3 hours ago this book was just sort of silly and I was gonna read for like 15 minutes and then go be productive or go to the gym or something but now its three+ hours later and I'm crying because Tom (and everyone else) is really dead and It's super sad but kind of okay at the same time.
While I loved the ending, I can't say that I was a fan of the writing style in general. I do not think I will be reading any more of this authors books...
This weird little Cinderella story was strange yet addicting.
Tom Kelly=Calvin Klein
Princess Alicia=Princess Diana
The Queen=Queen Elizabeth
3 hours ago this book was just sort of silly and I was gonna read for like 15 minutes and then go be productive or go to the gym or something but now its three+ hours later and I'm crying because Tom (and everyone else) is really dead and It's super sad but kind of okay at the same time.
While I loved the ending, I can't say that I was a fan of the writing style in general. I do not think I will be reading any more of this authors books...
This weird little Cinderella story was strange yet addicting.
Tom Kelly=Calvin Klein
Princess Alicia=Princess Diana
The Queen=Queen Elizabeth