I really wanted to root for both of these characters, especially Ruby. She was feisty, stood up for herself, didn't back down from a challenge, was incredibly kind and unselfish, and just seemed like someone I would like to have as a friend. Spencer was a little too uptight, but really had his brother's best interests in mind.
Unfortunately, they were both so ultra-competitive and wanted to challenge each other that they saw receiving kindness from each other as a weakness. It was exhausting. And did we need to hear about how beautiful Ruby was on every page? We get it - she was a pageant queen and she's gorgeous. If the point of the book was to say that beauty is only skin-deep, telling us about her beauty constantly definitely took away from that message.
I really wanted to love this book, but I just couldn't.
Unfortunately, they were both so ultra-competitive and wanted to challenge each other that they saw receiving kindness from each other as a weakness. It was exhausting. And did we need to hear about how beautiful Ruby was on every page? We get it - she was a pageant queen and she's gorgeous. If the point of the book was to say that beauty is only skin-deep, telling us about her beauty constantly definitely took away from that message.
I really wanted to love this book, but I just couldn't.