One sentence summary of it all? Gorgeous isn’t gorgeously written, and if it is, I couldn’t tell because the plot was just too confusing. Now begins the actual review… well actually, I have to summarize the story first…
Contrary to Becky Randle’s beliefs, her mother wasn’t an ordinary person. She actually knew Tom Kelly, the Marc Jacobs of the story. After her mother dies, Becky gets an offer, THE offer. Tom Kelly will create three dresses to transform her, and I quote exactly, “the Most Beautiful Woman Who Ever Lived.” So much for Cleopatra… and for Becky Randle… because Rebecca is the newest it girl. Then Prince Gregory meets her, and Becky’s falling for him. Except for one thing: Gregory loves Rebecca, not Becky. Cue gasping.
This book wasn’t my cup of tea and won’t ever be.
Becky Randle has positively the most annoying narrative ever. It’s not that she’s annoying; it’s more that she’s boring. She lacks personality. I swear, her parents were bricks. She’s unsure of everything and has to ask her best friend for advice for every single thing. Becky’s lack of a personality is much worse than Bella’s weak personality (sorry, but that’s the best mainstream comparison I can think of).
Back to the plot. As you can tell by more summary, things in Gorgeous escalate pretty quickly. Mother dies, Becky gets an offer to be the Most Beautiful Woman In The World, she falls in love with the Prince… THIS ISN’T EVEN THE MAJOR PLOT TWIST. Oh my God, there are so many plot twists, but the major one is really close to the end and super confusing. Honestly, I don’t even think this book can count as chick-lit. It’s confuse-the-hell-out-of-the-readers-lit. No joke. It’s terrible. I don’t know what the author’s approach was, but if I had to guess, I would guess that he chose to go with the curve-ball-every-chapter approach. However, the backfired in countless ways, and I don’t even want to dwell on the plot anymore.
As you can tell, I’m pretty cynical. And negative. And critical. So it’s really hard for me to praise. However, as annoying as I found Gorgeous, one thing I will commend is the message. By the end of the book, you realize what Becky learns. It’s okay to not be the Most Beautiful Woman In The World. It’s okay to have acne or to have a flat chest. No matter what, everyone is most beautiful as them self. And that’s a wonderful message in itself.
Rating: 4 out of 10
Publisher: Scholastic (April 30, 2013)
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ISBN #: 9780545464260
Source: Netgalley
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