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Book Reviews of Pretty Face

Pretty Face
Pretty Face
Author: Mary Hogan
ISBN-13: 9780060841119
ISBN-10: 0060841117
Publication Date: 4/1/2008
Pages: 224
Reading Level: Young Adult
Rating:
  • Currently 4.2/5 Stars.
 6

4.2 stars, based on 6 ratings
Publisher: HarperTeen
Book Type: Hardcover
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

4 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

landonsmama avatar reviewed Pretty Face on + 51 more book reviews
It's geared more towards teenagers, but nonetheless it's a good book. I found it engrossing and kind of cute.
donkeycheese avatar reviewed Pretty Face on + 1255 more book reviews
One cannot expect to be truly happy unless they accept who they are; body and soul.

Hayley is sixteen, about thirty pounds overweight and has a crush on cute Drew Wyler. Her best friend, Jackie, doesn't care that Hayley is overweight. She loves her for who she is, and is always telling her she has such a pretty face. The compliment of doom for any girl a bit chubby. Hayley's mom is always battling the bulge and has incorporated her new way of living into the whole family; no meats, plenty of exercise, and lots of tofu. Hayley is tired of her mom's nagging, and her new talking scale, and drowns her emotions with eating junk food in secrecy.

When Hayley's plan to capture Drew's attention backfires one day, Hayley drowns her sorrow in a large pepperoni pizza. Drew has his eye on Hayley's best friend Jackie, and would like Hayley's help hooking them up. But Hayley's parents are worried about Hayley's health, so they plan a trip for her to Italy to stay at a friend of her moms from college.

Hayley vows to herself on the plane to Italy that she will be good. She will not eat over a thousand calories a day, and when she returns to Santa Monica, she will be a new, thinner Hayley. But even Hayley's plan backfires when the family she is to live with plies her with good hearty Italian food upon her arrival. But after she settles in, she begins to tour the local Italian village and her perspective of herself and her body begins to change.

PRETTY FACE is a wonderful novel for any girl. You should eat healthy, but a healthy soul is just as important. Hayley is a wonderful and diverse character who meshes in without a ripple into today's society. Not all women are model thin, and they never will be. PRETTY FACE is absolutely charming and appealing!
abookwanderer avatar reviewed Pretty Face on + 43 more book reviews
A fun and quick read, perfect for summer vacation. Be prepared to smile, crave italian food, and have an overwhelming desire to chuck your television and smartphones.
GeniusJen avatar reviewed Pretty Face on + 5322 more book reviews
Reviewed by Jennifer Rummel for TeensReadToo.com

Hayley's self esteem plummets even further when the guy she's been crushing on asks her if she thinks her best friend would date him. She leaves the beach, a place that she hates due to all the skinny girls in bikinis, and eats an entire large pepperoni pizza without tasting it.

When she arrives back home, her mother can sense there's something wrong, but she's more concerned about her daughter's weight than her emotional health. Then her mother delivers the news: she's sending Hayley to Italy for the summer to live with her old college roommate. She hopes that this trip will help her daughter lose weight.

At first, Hayley is hesitant and yet excited about traveling. Part of her wants to lose weight and make her mother happy, but she simply loves food.

Once in Italy, Hayley begins to relax and adapt to the Italian way of life. She finds beauty in nature, the old buildings, the delicious food, and, finally, herself. She discovers the freedom to become comfortable in her own skin.

While Hayley's weight issues drive her actions, the primary focus of PRETTY FACE deals with finding and appreciating yourself.