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Book Review of Beautiful

Beautiful
Beautiful
Author: Amy Reed
Genre: Children's Books
Book Type: Hardcover
skywriter319 avatar reviewed on + 784 more book reviews


There is something disturbingly haunting about BEAUTIFUL. Debut novelist Amy Reed writes Cassie's dark story in a prose that stuns and lingers.

BEAUTIFUL is similar to edgy movies like Catherine Hardwicke's Thirteen in terms of content, but it is nearly poetic in its descriptions. Reed's writing allows Cassie to distance herself from all situations she doesn't want to be in, while simultaneously letting readers into Cassie's mindset. The result both characterizes Cassie and effectively draws us into her frightening world.

My main issue with this book was the lack of information we were given on Cassie's past, which would've acted as a comparison to and justification of Cassie's current behavior. Throughout the book Cassie hints at an unhappy life in her old townâbut is she a former good girl rebelling against her past? What is her motivation for falling in with the crowd she does? It is unclear to me what drove her to engage in the lifestyle she does, which made connecting with the story a little difficult.

Even so, BEAUTIFUL is a great read if you can stomach the material. It's eye-opening, gut-churning, and exquisitely written.