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A review by onceuponahardback
Picture Perfect by Alessandra Thomas
3.0
Okay, so the end of Picture Perfect mostly redeems the first 3/4 of the book. Mostly. I do love the message of the ending, which can be boiled down to "True beauty really does come from within."
How much better would the world be if women never had to believe that their dress size was the only thing about them that mattered? I believe women should be encouraged to be healthy and strong, whatever that looks like for each individual. I believe women should be told from birth that true desirability comes from their soul, not from society's definition of sex appeal.
The end of Picture Perfect delivered that message. The rest of the story....
I felt like too much time was spent gushing over the sex. Cat seemed to have a two track mind. One was her fat rolls, the other was sex. Love and romance mean far more than just having sex with your partner. The author had glimmers of this idea. Cat doesn't want to tell Nate she loves him during or after they have sex. Good. They `do other things' like cooking together, talking, etc. Nice. But those instances felt like feeble, token gestures. They were told, not shown, and glossed over, drowned in all the "OMG he's kissing all over my body, that must mean he loves my body!"
I would have liked to read more instances of Nate and Cat doing things other than having sex. The rock climbing was good. What about bicycling? Swimming? Canoeing? The author's attention to the sex scenes almost to the exclusion of other activities shows, in my humble opinion, where the true focus of the story lies. Yes, this is a romance of sorts, but to me, true romance happens when clothes are on. Chapters detailing a bicycle tour around Philly are not required. But a few paragraphs about such a trip, with silly attempts at holding hands while riding side by side, and how the activity makes Cat feel strong would deliver much more romance for me than just falling into bed. Canoeing requires teamwork, partnership, respect and learning to trust. That is developing a romance.
And that leads me to the sex scenes. In general, I found the narrative to be so...what's the word I'm looking for? Jumpy? Spastic? Convoluted? I don't know. I just know that I found them to be anything but sexy, romantic, or exciting. I like a sex scene that makes me blush or daydream at least.These sex scenes did not deliver much of that for me.
I would also have liked to read more about Cat's journey from "Nate makes me feel beautiful" to "I make me feel beautiful." For me, THAT is where the meat of the story lies. All we are told is that Cat throws herself into her design work, and spends hours in the studio. Suddenly she knows she is comfortable in her own skin. I would have like to have been shown. Does Cat try on her creations? How does it feel to wear clothes that don't pinch, bind or bunch up? How does she feel looking at herself in the mirror? How does seeing her scar in the reflection make her feel? Does she find it gives her character? Is it a symbol of her strength? There could have been so much more of a triumph to Cat's journey of self discovery. What a missed opportunity.
For me, Picture Perfect would be closer to perfect if:
a) More emphasis was put on the romance than the sex. In my humble opinion the sex scenes were not good enough to be erotica, which means the story would be better served if there was less of it.
b) The first 3/4 of the book could be cut back to 1/2 the story, about Cat's background, her issues and how being with Nate starts her on the path to accepting her `new' body. The third quarter should be about the details of that journey, and include Nate challenging Cat to put herself `out there' more. The last quarter should comprise the aftermath of Thanksgiving, and Cat's realization that she is beautiful just the way she is.
c.)Character Development is a huge miss here. I didn't feel connected to any of the characters. Questions are left open-ended about certain aspects of their lives. Very frustrating on that part.
I'm going to judge this book harshly and give it a 3 out of 5 stars. Some good, mostly let downs, but good morals overall.
How much better would the world be if women never had to believe that their dress size was the only thing about them that mattered? I believe women should be encouraged to be healthy and strong, whatever that looks like for each individual. I believe women should be told from birth that true desirability comes from their soul, not from society's definition of sex appeal.
The end of Picture Perfect delivered that message. The rest of the story....
I felt like too much time was spent gushing over the sex. Cat seemed to have a two track mind. One was her fat rolls, the other was sex. Love and romance mean far more than just having sex with your partner. The author had glimmers of this idea. Cat doesn't want to tell Nate she loves him during or after they have sex. Good. They `do other things' like cooking together, talking, etc. Nice. But those instances felt like feeble, token gestures. They were told, not shown, and glossed over, drowned in all the "OMG he's kissing all over my body, that must mean he loves my body!"
I would have liked to read more instances of Nate and Cat doing things other than having sex. The rock climbing was good. What about bicycling? Swimming? Canoeing? The author's attention to the sex scenes almost to the exclusion of other activities shows, in my humble opinion, where the true focus of the story lies. Yes, this is a romance of sorts, but to me, true romance happens when clothes are on. Chapters detailing a bicycle tour around Philly are not required. But a few paragraphs about such a trip, with silly attempts at holding hands while riding side by side, and how the activity makes Cat feel strong would deliver much more romance for me than just falling into bed. Canoeing requires teamwork, partnership, respect and learning to trust. That is developing a romance.
And that leads me to the sex scenes. In general, I found the narrative to be so...what's the word I'm looking for? Jumpy? Spastic? Convoluted? I don't know. I just know that I found them to be anything but sexy, romantic, or exciting. I like a sex scene that makes me blush or daydream at least.These sex scenes did not deliver much of that for me.
I would also have liked to read more about Cat's journey from "Nate makes me feel beautiful" to "I make me feel beautiful." For me, THAT is where the meat of the story lies. All we are told is that Cat throws herself into her design work, and spends hours in the studio. Suddenly she knows she is comfortable in her own skin. I would have like to have been shown. Does Cat try on her creations? How does it feel to wear clothes that don't pinch, bind or bunch up? How does she feel looking at herself in the mirror? How does seeing her scar in the reflection make her feel? Does she find it gives her character? Is it a symbol of her strength? There could have been so much more of a triumph to Cat's journey of self discovery. What a missed opportunity.
For me, Picture Perfect would be closer to perfect if:
a) More emphasis was put on the romance than the sex. In my humble opinion the sex scenes were not good enough to be erotica, which means the story would be better served if there was less of it.
b) The first 3/4 of the book could be cut back to 1/2 the story, about Cat's background, her issues and how being with Nate starts her on the path to accepting her `new' body. The third quarter should be about the details of that journey, and include Nate challenging Cat to put herself `out there' more. The last quarter should comprise the aftermath of Thanksgiving, and Cat's realization that she is beautiful just the way she is.
c.)Character Development is a huge miss here. I didn't feel connected to any of the characters. Questions are left open-ended about certain aspects of their lives. Very frustrating on that part.
I'm going to judge this book harshly and give it a 3 out of 5 stars. Some good, mostly let downs, but good morals overall.