Friday, March 20, 2009

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

****North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley****

Originality- 18/20
Characters- 19/20
Remembrance- 8/10
Quote-ability- 8/10
Entertainment- 18/20
Ending- 9/10
Recommend to read- 8/10
TOTAL- 88/100
Grade- B

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?

Let me just start off by saying that I think the cover is striking. So simple but yet so raw. Which pretty much summarizes the book as well. Terra was one of those characters that had the ability to inspire me, she lived in an environment that was constantly putting her down but was able to hold her head up high and work hard for what she wanted. Which is something that I look for in a character. What she lacked though was confidence. It was great to have a character with an easily identified flaw. She seemed so perfect until you got up close. Terra was able to overcome obstacles with the help of Jacob. Oh how I loved Jacob! He's the sensitive and adorable guy every girl wishes they had. He was able to see past Terra's birthmark and help her come to terms and accept herself for who she is. Overall I think that North of Beautiful went way beyond my expectations and helped me realize that even the most beautiful people know their true north.

-Amanda

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I wasn't going to but I might read this book now. Excellent reveiw!