North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction
Blurb (on back of book):
As he continued to stare, I wanted to point to my cheek and remind him, But you were the one who wanted this, remember? You're the one who asked-and I repeat-Why not fix your face?
It's hard not to notice Terra Cooper.
She's tall, blond, and has an enviable body. But with one turn of her cheek, all people notice is her unmistakably "flawed" face. Terra secretly plans to leave her stifling small town in the Northwest and escape to an East Coast college, but gets pushed off-course by her controlling father. When an unexpected collision puts Terra directly in Jacob's path, the handsome but quirky Goth boy immediately challenges her assumptions about herself and her life, and she is forced in yet another direction. With her carefully laid plans disrupted, will Terra be able to find her true path?
Written in lively, artful prose, award-winning author Justina Chen Headley has woven together a powerful novel about a fractured family, falling in love, travel, and the meaning of true beauty.
MY OPINION: *****
So I have to say, I just finished another book in about two or three hours so this book is kind of a distant memory to me. However, I do remember the basic premise of it so I'm going to try to make this short and succinct and talk about why I loved it rather than anything else.
First off, I loved the writing. It was really descriptive and I thought that it was quite sophisticated, which is something I'm not too used to anymore. It seemed to jump back in time almost when the writers of the world were writing long blocky paragraphs of description. The writing in this book was gorgeous and the wording was always placed just right so that readers could thrill along with Terra.
Secondly, I loved Terra herself. It's very rare for me to love the protagonist (I know, I'm a strange reader), but Terra was someone that I really connected with. Not that I bear a port-wine stain or have a completely messed-up family, but she was someone who said things that I could understand. Terra has a port-wine stain on her face and because of it, she feels flawed.
I just want to take a moment to say that everyone is flawed. It can be physically or an internal thing but everyone has something about themselves that they may not like. However,
everyone is beautiful.
Everyone is unique and that's what makes us special. I thought that that message was portrayed very clearly in this book.
Thirdly, I
loved Jacob (of course I did!). An Asian goth? That's something we rarely see in YA books nowadays. Yes, he was AMERICAN but that doesn't mean he doesn't come from Asian descent. Jacob was so SWEET and I cried along with him at the airport with Erik (nope, not a spoiler because you non-readers of this book have no idea what I'm talking about). Jacob was the most adorable guy ever and I really loved his character.
Terra's dad was seriously messed up and every time he opened his big fat mouth I wanted to scream at him to SHUT UP. JUST PLEASE BE QUIET. He complained about
everything and was so
controlling and
annoying and GAHHH. JUST SHUT UP. And Terra's mom? SHE SHOULD HAVE LEFT HIM. She says it's gonna mess up their family? Well, sorry to break it to you, but YOUR FAMILY IS ALREADY SCREWED UP. I hate to say it but this family portrayal was one of the most hated that I've read.
Their whole trip to China was such a relief from everything and I could really enjoy the story once that part took over. I really loved this book, but a lot of it was too much.
I would recommend this book to YA readers!
Main Character: Terra
Sidekick(s): Jacob, mom, etc
Villain(s): The dad (YES HE IS), Erik, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book was all very real to life.
Comments
Post a Comment