Review: North of Beautiful

Book: North of Beautiful

Author: Justina Chen Headley

Publisher: Little Brown

Shelfability: Get!

We all moan about our looks from time to time. Take me: I spent my life giving out about the state of my pimply face and the size of my butt (it’s not small). But deep down most of know that we’re basically okay-looking, right? This is what I kept coming back to when I was reading North of Beautiful. The narrator, Terra, is a beautiful girl-tall, blonde and skinny, but all people can ever look at is the red birthmark that covers half of her face. Her mother spends most of her time trying to find the wonder treatment that will leave Terra clear-skinned and ‘normal’ looking, while her father devotes his energies to belittling and undermining his wife and daughter at every turn. Then by chance Terra meets a boy with a scar of his own, and her world tilts on its axis.

I loved this book. Terra was such a great narrator. I really warmed to her and admired her obstinacy and determination. But I also understood when she did something weak; after years of her father chipping away at her fragile self esteem I was surprised she had the strength to bring the novel to the conclusion it eventually reached. The supporting characters are also really well written; I Terra’s mother and her love interest Jacob. I nearly wanted to skip ahead to the end of the book because I HAD to know if they ended up together.

I’d recommend this book to anyone. It really reminded me to worry less about the small stuff.

Rating: 9/10

Book Haul

I am posting twice in one week.
I never do that, but I have the day off college and I’m making the best of it. Also, I have had a little book haul, which is exciting. Well, I’m excited about it, even though our postman hates me now, because apparently he doesn’t like ringing the doorbell to drop off packages. Well, I’m sorry about that and all but I’m still excited!

My postman is actually called Pat incidentally, whic always makes me smile.

So this is what arrived today:

Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler
Moonglass by Jessi Kirby
The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting (Body Finder #3)
The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen
The Traitor and the Tunnel by YS Lee

Now I have a problem. I have all these lovely books, plus another few that haven’t arrived yet, and I don’t know what to read first. I’ve been sitting and staring at the pile like a right weirdo all morning, and I still haven’t decided.  I might read The Last Echo first, purely because I loved the other two Body Finder books so much, but I just don’t know.

I think I’ll do eenie meenie. It worked when I was little and sadly, I haven’t changed that much.

And there's still more to arrive. I need to delete my Amazon account or else I'm going to end up really poor.

Lola and The Boy Next Door

Title: Lola And The Boy Next Door
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Source: Amazon/Book Depository
Shelfability: Get! Get now!

Oh my God. I say this about authors all the time but I don't undestand how on earth I missed Stephanie Perkins. The only excuse I have is that she hasn't been published in Ireland yet, which is a travesty of such epic proportions that I think I should write to the government or something. I'm sure they have more important things like the recession to worry about, but hey, maybe somebody knows somebody who can FIX THIS NOW!

Anyway, Lola! Lola popped up on my Amazon recommended reads and I liked the cover, so I looked her up on Katie's Book Blog and oh, my God, I'm glad I did because this book is amazing.

Lola is seventeen and about to start her last year of school. Things are looking rosy-she has a gorgeous, older boyfriend, a job she loves and she wears amazing costumes that she designs herself in her bedroom (which made me jealous enough to root out my sewing kit, I won't lie). But all of ths suddenly pales into insignificance when Cricket moves back in next door.

Cricket, as you may have guessed, is Lola's first love who broke her heart when he and his family moved away. But suddenly they're back-Cricket, his parents, and his stuck-up, nasty twin sister, who Lola hates. What's Lola going to do? Can she put up with the evil twin sister? Can she forgive Cricket for breaking her heart? Can all these things be accomplished while wearing a fabulous outfit? Read on and see...

If you have a shred of sense, you will beg, steal or borrow a copy of Lola (I do not condone stealing, it's only an expression and so on and so forth...). You need this book in your life. It's sweet, funny, romantic and really well written. Stephanie Perkins is my new idol. Now stop reading and go and get this book!