There is something disturbingly haunting about BEAUTIFUL. Debut novelist Amy Reed writes Cassie's dark story in a prose that stuns and lingers.
BEAUTIFUL is similar to edgy movies like Catherine Hardwicke's Thirteen in terms of content, but it is nearly poetic in its descriptions. Reed's writing allows Cassie to distance herself from all situations she doesn't want to be in, while simultaneously letting readers into Cassie's mindset. The result both characterizes Cassie and effectively draws us into her frightening world.
My main issue with this book was the lack of information we were given on Cassie's past, which would've acted as a comparison to and justification of Cassie's current behavior. Throughout the book Cassie hints at an unhappy life in her old townâbut is she a former good girl rebelling against her past? What is her motivation for falling in with the crowd she does? It is unclear to me what drove her to engage in the lifestyle she does, which made connecting with the story a little difficult.
Even so, BEAUTIFUL is a great read if you can stomach the material. It's eye-opening, gut-churning, and exquisitely written.
BEAUTIFUL is similar to edgy movies like Catherine Hardwicke's Thirteen in terms of content, but it is nearly poetic in its descriptions. Reed's writing allows Cassie to distance herself from all situations she doesn't want to be in, while simultaneously letting readers into Cassie's mindset. The result both characterizes Cassie and effectively draws us into her frightening world.
My main issue with this book was the lack of information we were given on Cassie's past, which would've acted as a comparison to and justification of Cassie's current behavior. Throughout the book Cassie hints at an unhappy life in her old townâbut is she a former good girl rebelling against her past? What is her motivation for falling in with the crowd she does? It is unclear to me what drove her to engage in the lifestyle she does, which made connecting with the story a little difficult.
Even so, BEAUTIFUL is a great read if you can stomach the material. It's eye-opening, gut-churning, and exquisitely written.
My Thoughts: I started reading this one and had it finished within a few days. We meet Cassie who is just trying to find her place in the world. She was always the goody good girl and never did anything wrong. That all changes though when she meets a few new friends. She starts doing drugs and having sex and just overall not caring about anything or maybe she cares too much and just lets it all go. I especially liked her friends sister which ends up surprising me what Cassie goes through with her. This book was a very raw look into a teenagers life and what it can be like. Cassie reminded me a lot of a friend I had in high school and how things could go one way for a teen or the other. Things like this really do happen though and I feel sorry for the teens who have to be confused like this and have to worry about where their next meal will come from. A devastating heart-wrenching novel of friendship and what a person will do to be liked.
Overall: Liked this one! Amy Reed knows how to tell a realistic story of what its like to be a teen in today's world and what is possible to happen to girls everyday.
Overall: Liked this one! Amy Reed knows how to tell a realistic story of what its like to be a teen in today's world and what is possible to happen to girls everyday.
Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com
BEAUTIFUL is a gripping, gritty, and realistic look into the life of a lonely girl finally shown some attention...albeit the wrong sort of attention.
Cassie and her family have moved from Bainbridge Island to the Seattle suburbs. It's the start of seventh grade, and Cassie has grown into her beauty. The kids at her new school don't know who she was prior to the move.
She starts to form tentative bonds with girls she would never have been welcomed to befriend at her school, when tough girl Alex grabs her from the cafeteria and instantly insists they be friends. She takes Cassie to where some of the older boys are hanging out during lunch, and Cassie is struck when the obvious leader of the boys calls her beautiful. It's from this point on that life spirals downward for Cassie.
Though things with James quickly go sour, she is absolutely caught up in the limelight that surrounds the new boy, Ethan. And Ethan wants HER! He can even drive. Cassie does anything and everything Ethan asks of her. But it's the destructive relationship she has with Alex that does the most damage.
Cassie literally does everything and anything in the pages of BEAUTIFUL. She goes from being the unnoticed nothing girl to the girl who has done acid, had sex, and dresses trampy, according to her father. Cassie's voice is almost defeatist in the way she acquiesces to everything suggested to her. It's not until she befriends Alex's half-sister that Cassie really starts to show any personality of her own. She finally learns to stand on her own two feet, ready to fight for what is right.
There are only two concerns I have regarding BEAUTIFUL. The first is that I still am not sure who the intended audience of the book is aimed at. Though Cassie is only thirteen and in seventh grade, the language, drugs, and sexual situations are for a far older reader. Also, for those that require a definite backstory for Cassie (i.e.: how she came to be beautiful and why they moved from the island to the mainland), they won't find it here.
Outside of those two concerns, though, BEAUTIFUL is definitely an eye-opening read.
BEAUTIFUL is a gripping, gritty, and realistic look into the life of a lonely girl finally shown some attention...albeit the wrong sort of attention.
Cassie and her family have moved from Bainbridge Island to the Seattle suburbs. It's the start of seventh grade, and Cassie has grown into her beauty. The kids at her new school don't know who she was prior to the move.
She starts to form tentative bonds with girls she would never have been welcomed to befriend at her school, when tough girl Alex grabs her from the cafeteria and instantly insists they be friends. She takes Cassie to where some of the older boys are hanging out during lunch, and Cassie is struck when the obvious leader of the boys calls her beautiful. It's from this point on that life spirals downward for Cassie.
Though things with James quickly go sour, she is absolutely caught up in the limelight that surrounds the new boy, Ethan. And Ethan wants HER! He can even drive. Cassie does anything and everything Ethan asks of her. But it's the destructive relationship she has with Alex that does the most damage.
Cassie literally does everything and anything in the pages of BEAUTIFUL. She goes from being the unnoticed nothing girl to the girl who has done acid, had sex, and dresses trampy, according to her father. Cassie's voice is almost defeatist in the way she acquiesces to everything suggested to her. It's not until she befriends Alex's half-sister that Cassie really starts to show any personality of her own. She finally learns to stand on her own two feet, ready to fight for what is right.
There are only two concerns I have regarding BEAUTIFUL. The first is that I still am not sure who the intended audience of the book is aimed at. Though Cassie is only thirteen and in seventh grade, the language, drugs, and sexual situations are for a far older reader. Also, for those that require a definite backstory for Cassie (i.e.: how she came to be beautiful and why they moved from the island to the mainland), they won't find it here.
Outside of those two concerns, though, BEAUTIFUL is definitely an eye-opening read.
