Reviewed by Amber Gibson for TeensReadToo.com
Can a perfect body make up for an imperfect face?
Terra Cooper hopes so, though she knows that no matter how great her figure is, it won't stop people from staring at her port-wine stain. Her birthmark has always haunted her, a stubborn red splotch marring her face, that won't go away no matter how many expensive laser treatments she undergoes. The latest technology always loses the battle with Terra's face.
Terra's birthmark isn't her only problem, though. If only life were that simple.
Although Terra is accepted into Williams College, her first choice East Coast school, her father says it is out of the question. What he doesn't understand is that his overbearing presence is a big contributing factor to why Terra longs to flee from Washington. She would feel guilty for leaving her mom alone to fend for herself against her father's never-ending onslaught of insults. However, like her older brothers, Terra wants nothing more than to leave and start someplace fresh.
With a dysfunctional family and a boyfriend, Erik, that knows her body far better than he knows her, Terra has nothing to anchor her in Colville, Washington.
When Terra inadvertently (quite literally) runs into a Goth Chinese boy and his coffee bean mogul mother, her life takes an interesting turn. Jacob understands her in ways that Erik could never even aspire to. It's almost eerie how clearly he sees past her façades and can read her mind.
Is it cheating to visit China with a boy who is not your boyfriend? How about if your mother and his mother are along for the ride?
Justina Chen Headley seems to get better with each book she writes, and NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL is by far her strongest work thus far. Headley never oversimplifies emotions or situations, and even her periphery characters have impressive depth. With an eclectic mix of cartography, collage-making, and geocaching, she paints a tender story with hipster flair.
Headley celebrates Terra's successes and strengths as well as her struggles and vulnerability with a complexity rarely achieved in literature.
Can a perfect body make up for an imperfect face?
Terra Cooper hopes so, though she knows that no matter how great her figure is, it won't stop people from staring at her port-wine stain. Her birthmark has always haunted her, a stubborn red splotch marring her face, that won't go away no matter how many expensive laser treatments she undergoes. The latest technology always loses the battle with Terra's face.
Terra's birthmark isn't her only problem, though. If only life were that simple.
Although Terra is accepted into Williams College, her first choice East Coast school, her father says it is out of the question. What he doesn't understand is that his overbearing presence is a big contributing factor to why Terra longs to flee from Washington. She would feel guilty for leaving her mom alone to fend for herself against her father's never-ending onslaught of insults. However, like her older brothers, Terra wants nothing more than to leave and start someplace fresh.
With a dysfunctional family and a boyfriend, Erik, that knows her body far better than he knows her, Terra has nothing to anchor her in Colville, Washington.
When Terra inadvertently (quite literally) runs into a Goth Chinese boy and his coffee bean mogul mother, her life takes an interesting turn. Jacob understands her in ways that Erik could never even aspire to. It's almost eerie how clearly he sees past her façades and can read her mind.
Is it cheating to visit China with a boy who is not your boyfriend? How about if your mother and his mother are along for the ride?
Justina Chen Headley seems to get better with each book she writes, and NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL is by far her strongest work thus far. Headley never oversimplifies emotions or situations, and even her periphery characters have impressive depth. With an eclectic mix of cartography, collage-making, and geocaching, she paints a tender story with hipster flair.
Headley celebrates Terra's successes and strengths as well as her struggles and vulnerability with a complexity rarely achieved in literature.
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