Perfect You

I never thought that I would love this book as much as I do. The reason that I started reading this book was because I wanted an easy read. Something light. And I did get what I want and more.

I love every character in this book except for Anna-Kate's popular ex-best friend.

Kate, is a character that I just get. Someone so easy for me to connect with. She is someone who doesn't realise her own self worth. She pushes away Will because she doesn't think he is really into her. She believes that her and Anna can be best friend again even though Anna treats her like dirt. Her family is falling apart and she feels like she has no-one to turn too.

Will is such a swoon-worthy. He made the novel funnier with his wit and charm, and the most interesting parts were when Kate's own cleverness popped out while she bantered with Will. Even on paper, they have so much chemistry you'd think the book would be sizzling right now. I also loved Kate's grandmother and Todd.

This novel is so good. So very, very good. Elizabeth Scott is a master at characters. Both Bloom and Perfect You have weight and substance. Yes, romance is involved in both. But life is always more complicated, more complex than just that. Her writing is for the heart, the mind, and the soul. Life. Love. Friendship. Family. School. Life isn't always beautiful. It isn't always fair. Its full of beginnings and endings. Some times you have to go with the flow.

Reader reviewed by mearley

Kate is a character many teenage girls will relate to.  Her best friend has found a new clique to hang out with, her parents are fighting, her brother is annoying, and the boy she likes is confusing.  Kate's father, going through a mid-life crisis, quits his job to sell vitamins at the mall.  Kate is forced to work with him and endure the scorn and pity of her classmates who pass by the vitamin booth.  To make things more confusing, Will, the hottest boy in school, won't leave Kate alone.  Elizabeth Scott captures the confusing high school culture without being too angsty.

Reprinted here with author's permission.

Reader reviewed by megannx3

The man character is Kate. Her best friend became popular and dumped her. Kate only had her as a friend and now she is all lonely. Her dad is having a mid-life crisis, and dumps his well paying job to set up a cart in the mall. Kate meets this popular gorgeous guy named Will while working there, and they hook up a time or 2.
I really enjoyed reading this story.
This author also wrote the book Bloom.

Reader reviewed by designsbymikayla

Just recently I read Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott. This narrative tells the story of Kate Brown as her life is both destroyed and rescued. Her life, for the most part, is great and everything is in order, but in six months, everything changes. This is due to the fact that 1.)Kate's best friend, Anna, has left her for the popular crowd after losing a ton of weight and now has forgotten Kate exists, and 2.)her, child at heart, father has quit his corporate job to sell vitamins at the mall. And to add even more frustration, Will, a classmate of Kate's who she pretends to despise but really loves, seems to be interested in her. However, her knowledge that he is only interested in her at the current moment and that after one date, he will move on, keeps her from allowing him to sweep her up. As the storyline progresses, Kate tunnels into herself, seeing it better to be by herself and rely only on herself rather than be dependent upon the people of her world that seems to be collapsing. When her father buys vitamins and health products in bulk and sells very little, the family goes into debt and while Kate works at her father's cart in the mall, her parents marriage cracks under the pressure and her mother must call for help. This results in Kate's maternal grandmother moving in with them and Kate's older brother gets a job, as compared to his previous life of dates and relaxation. Meanwhile, Kate finds that unattainable Will also works in the mall and soon become involved in an emotionless, make-out relationship. Kate longs for there to be more, but when Will tries to progress into a real relationship, Kate assumes he is only after one thing, a hook up. Kate finally caves under pressure/confusion and realizes that Will is truly interested, for the long term, in the same way she is. As they explore their relationship, her parents are forced in further debt due to the father's refusal to get a better job and they sell their house. Tension builds and the parents get a divorce and Kate's brother moves out when Kate, her mother, and her grandmother move into an apartment. Her father remains disconnected and she and her brother seem more connected due to their experience. The story ends with the developing relationship between Will and Kate and she realizes that life changes and that is what it is all about.

In my opinion, the characters in this book are very believable and realistic. As a teenager, many things change, most often, without regard to you or your opinion. It is very realistic to see how losing a friend, a father changing jobs, and a new personal interest could effect a teenage girl so significantly. However, the main idea/concept/lesson that must be learned is that change is part of life and without it we would be trapped in a world of indifference. As Christina Baldwin once said, "Change is the constant, the signal for rebirth, the egg of the pheonix."

Reader reviewed by Vanessa

Summary: Kate Brown's life is spiraling out of control. First, her dad quit his job to sell Perfect You vitamins and now she has to work at the mall. Her best friend Anna, became popular and now acts like Kate doesn't exist to hang out with her new friends. Kate's brother is 23 and his job is crashing the couch. And, even though Kate will not admit it, she can't stop thinking about Will. Will, who is so cute, but also has hooked up with almost everyone in their school. Kate thinks Will is just messing with her mind. Kate's life is nothing like it was the year before and she wishes she could go back in time to when everything was alright. However, she can't. Kate keeps expecting the worse out of life, and guess what? That's what she's getting... unless she changes it.
My Review (spoiler-free): Heartwarming, lamentable, and a good read. The beginning was amazing. The ending was amazing... like utterly amazing. Part of the middle wasn't 100% amazing. This book is about friendships: I felt really sad every time Kate tried to talk to Anna and she'd notice that Anna was trying not to be seen with her. It must hurt very much to be losing a friend, especially a best friend that you've been talking to since grade school. This book is about love: I loved Will and Kate's way of flirting... Kate tries to act like she doesn't care when in her mind she's dying to kiss him. I wish they got more scenes together in the book, though. This book is about families too: Kate's mom and dad really made everything so much more unbelievable and dramatic in Kate's life (wow, Kate's dad is embarrassing). I loved Todd's character, he's so lazy and laid-back but has good advice. Grandma seems like the most immature of all the characters but still I think she holds the fort down. I do recommend this book, despite this, I still liked Bloom better.
My Thoughts (read this if you've read the book, it contains spoilers): I can't believe parts of this book. First, I was so mad at Anna most of the book. How does she like being popular when Sam is cheating on her and Diane and Tara are annoying? It made me think how great it is to not be popular. Kate is really strong. She went through a lot in the book. The ending... wow I felt aghast. I can't believe Kate's mom and dad separated, it was just such a shocker and made this book much less light. I really liked her dad in the beginning, but he did choose Perfect You over them... what's up with that? The only thing that came out of good in this book is Will and Kate. I loved their chemistry and how Will was going through some of the same things Kate was. I wish there could've been more of them in the book. They got 20,000 make-out sessions and only one real talk. I thought it would've been a more love-book, instead of a family and friend-drama + the boy stuff. But it was still a good read. Can't wait to read Stealing Heaven!

Reposted at whatvanessareads.wordpress.com

Reader reviewed by Julie M. Prince

Sixteen-year-old Kate is in the embarrassing position of working at a mall booth with her eccentric father selling overpriced infomercial vitamins. Her father recently quit his normal job to pursue this dream, and as a result, things are going downhill fast in the Brown household.

To top it off, the one person Kate would usually turn to in times of stress and trouble is now pretending she doesnt exist. Her best friend, Anna, has shed 80 poundswell, more than that if you count Kate, whom she dumped along with all the weight. Now that Anna is running with the popular crowd, Kate is left on the sidelines.

The authors voice is easily distinguishable. If I were to read something else by Elizabeth Scott, like her previous novel, BLOOM, or her next one, STEALING HEAVEN, I wouldnt have any trouble recognizing her work. Shes just got that certain something that stands out.

This story is fun and relatable, with great, realistic interactions, especially between Kate and her older brother, Todd. I found Kates love interest, Will, to be my favorite character. He teases Kate in much the way boys tease the girls they like in grade school. Kate was at her best when she bantered back and forth with Will.

At times, Kates whining self-centeredness seemed a bit over the top, especially when she launched into the list of her lifes problems for the fourth or fifth time. This can be contributed to teen angst, I suppose, but I found it mildly irritating.

However, the fun story overrode the irritation, and I had trouble putting it down. I was anxious to see how things turned out with Kates relationships with Will and Anna, as well as whether someone would thump her dad upside the head to knock some sense into him. Id like to see more from Elizabeth Scott!

Im not the only one. Check out these other YABC reader reviews:

» Awesome - reviewed by Alexis

» An honest look into a teen's life. - reviewed by Tasha

» Amazing! - reviewed by Holly

» Nearly perfect! - reviewed by Kristin

» Kate's life may not be perfect... but the book pretty much was! - reviewed by Megan

» perfect you, perfect book - reviewed by Hillary

Off to turn another page&.

Reader reviewed by Alexis

I loved this book. Kate had problems and most main characters have the PERFECT life. I thought this book went too fast. It kept me reading and that is a good thing. I think that it was sad that Anna wasnt her best friend because she became popular. I think that it kinda stinks that her dad was making the whole family suffer because of his "dream" I think it was also sad at the very end, but it was also very good. I liked this book and would reccommend it to all of my friends without a doubt.