Perfect You

If I'm honest, I have no idea why I read this book. I'm not a fan of the cover at all, since it seems kind of boring and pointless and too brown to me, but I've read some other of Elizabeth Scott's books, and I think she's starting to become one of my favorite authors.



A lot of Perfect You takes place in the mall where Kate works to help out her dad after he quit his job. For some reason that I still don't understand, Kate's dad thought selling "Perfect You" vitamins was his dream. And while I think this was creative, I didn't understand his motives. Kate's dad does a lot of smiling and faking in this book, and I never really understood why.

I also didn't understand Kate's grandmother. While Kate's family sinks farther and farther into debt because her father won't step up and get a real job, Kate's grandma comes for a visit. All she seems to care about is appearances and money, but that wasn't my problem with her. My problem was that one moment she was talking about her shopping trip, and the next she was scolding Kate for the self-pitying she was doing and giving some odd piece of advice. The transition between Vain Woman and Real Grandma didn't seem natural to me.

Anna, Kate's ex-best friend, was probably the worst part of this book. Kate lets Anna walk all over her and then pretend she doesn't exist whenever her other friends are around, just because she wants to be popular. Sure, in the end, Kate realizes this, but through almost all of the book, Kate is pretty pathetic whenever it comes to Anna.

However, those are the only bad things I can seem to find about the book. Kate's relationship with Will involves a lot of making out, sure, and at times it didn't seem like it could be a real relationship, but Will wasn't some perfect guy, and he provided for some comic relief. :D Also, I actually knew what the characters looked like. Really knew. Because unlike most of the YA contemp. fiction I've been reading lately, Scott actually described what the characters looked like.

Overall: This is one of my new favorite books.

Reader reviewed by Harmony

This was the first Elizabeth Scott novel I read and even after reading a few more, it remains to be my favorite.

When you start it, chances are it will seem like any other teen novel. But once you get past the first chapter or so, it becomes one of the most realistic books out there. I was blown away by the characterization. Kates grandma is my current favorite grandma in teen novels and her parents were slightly abusurd but realistic. Her brother also made me giggle on a few occassions.

Then we have the main three Kate, Will, and Kates ex-friend Anna. I dont want to give too much away but lets say that I could easily relate to what Kate was dealing with, with Anna and I really wanted to slap Anna. Oh, and I have the biggest crush on Will possible.

The romance that developed was sweet and heartbreaking and perfect at the same time. Will was so sweet (hence, my crush) but not so perfect that he didnt act like a normal guy. I could completely see myself acting the same way as Kate did too.

Overall, this book is just one of those books that Im shoving in all my friends faces and going READ THIS. I absolutely adore it and I recommend it to absolutely everyone. Perfect summer read with substance!

Reader reviewed by cosmicdustbella

Kate Brown's life has gone downhill fast. Her father has quit his job to sell vitamins at the mall, and Kate is forced to work with him. Her best friend has become popular, and acts like Kate's invisible.

And then there's Will. Gorgeous, unattainable Will, who Kate pretends she can't stand even though she can't stop thinking about him. And when Will starts acting interested, Kate hates herself for wanting him even though she knows she's just his latest conquest.

Kate figures the only way things will ever stop hurting is if she keeps to herself and stops caring about anyone or anything. What she doesn't realize is that while life may not always be perfect, good things can happen--but only if she lets them.

Elizabeth Scott's Second novel was every bit as good as her first. Dealing with the average teen, the author explors the romantic, family, and friendship relationships of the average teen. Her characters are believable and easy to relate with. The book is both serious and funny at the same time, with witty lines from the characters and a story line that will have you reading well into the night to find out how it ends.

Reader reviewed by Bookluver-Carol

Kate Brown's life has completely changed. Her best friend lost a few pounds and became popular and is not talking to Kate anymore. Her dad quit his job to sell vitamins at the mall. Talk about embarrassing. Then there's Will who's so out her league and is starting to fall for her. What's a girl to do? So Kate in order to live her messed up life stops caring about everything.

Perfect You was an awesome book. I definitely recommend it to anyone who loves YA books.It's very realistic. It smart, funny, and will keep you reading it til' you're finished with it. It's one of my favorite books. The story is really good and you become entranced with the characters. It's a must read.Elizabeth Scott is an amazing author.

Reader reviewed by Hillary

Kate's life sucks. Her dad just quit his job to sell vitamins at the mall, her old best friend, Anna, hates her, and her brother, who has a college degree, spends his life laying on the couch at home. With no friends and no one to talk to, Kate is on her own. That is, until she and Will start hanging out at the mall together during their breaks. Oops, did I say hanging out? More like making out. Too bad Will's been with, like, half the school so it's not like this is anything special. It's just another hookup to him. Right? Unwillingly, Kate starts to fall for Will. But back at home, things aren't going so well. Life isn't so prefect anymore.

I liked this book. I thought it was a little hard to get into at first but after I got to the exciting part, it ended up being great. (If you look at the girl's feet on the cover, they're paler then the rest of her legs...weird....) I thought that Kate was a little annoying at times. And Anna was awful. I hated her a lot (though I think I hated Kate more for wanting to still be friends with her even though she was such a jerk to her!) Overall, it was a really good book and I would definitely recommend this book.

Elizabeth Scott is also the author of Bloom, Stealing Heaven (May 27, 2008), and Living Dead Girl (September 16, 2008).

Reader reviewed by Megan

Kates life is far from perfect. After losing seventy pounds, her best friend in the whole wide world dumps her to join the popular crowd. Not only did her dad quit his job, but he is now selling horrible infomercial vitamins at a tiny booth in the mall (and expects her to help out!) Her older brother got a college degree and is living at the house again. And then, there is Will.

Kate has secretly liked Will since (well& since forever). But, once he humiliates her in their first year of high school, she vows to never again show how she feels. So, when Will starts trying to talk to her again, she just snubs him. However, she has a harder time controlling her emotions when he kisses her behind the mall. She really likes him, but will she just become another statistic?

There is just one word I could use to sum it all up: wow. Elizabeth Scott amazes me again with her interesting characters and her wonderful plot. Kates story is something all teens can relate to: trying to find happiness when all we feel is unhappy. Kate certainly found her happiness, though it took the help of a few characters to shove her in the right direction. It amused me that Kate could not see that Will actually liked her, and I thought that it gave a cute twist to Scotts novel.

Reader reviewed by Holly

Kate Brown is having a bad year. Her dad quits his job to go sell vitamins at the mall, her best friend has gotten popular and now ignores her, and Will won't leave her alone. On top of that, she has to live with her college graduate brother who won't get off the couch. Her life is falling apart, or is it?

This book has everything and it touches the subjects gracefully. I devoured this book in one sitting. It is WELL worth picking up! It has wonderful twists and turns and is exactly like high school is!

Reader reviewed by Kristin

As I dived into this book, I automatically liked two things: Kate's witty remarks and the fact that her dad quit his job for vitamins.

What? I liked the event that ruined her life? Yes, well kind of. This event led her life to Will, who I adore.

Will, cute, funny, and totally liking Kate, even though she has no idea. How could she not pick up that Will was totally flirting with her?

However, the one thing that also bothered me about Kate was that she would assume things about Will so she wouldn't get hurt. However, they mostly backfired because they hurt Will and eventually her also. Her assumptions and the fact that she would not let him explain himself made her relationship with everybody especially Will very tumultuous.

However, I could definitely relate to Kate. She, of course, was in a much worse situation, but she was very real. Kate complained a lot (like me!), her parents were insane (like me), and she didn't really have any real friends (fortunately not like me).

SPOILER
Even though I hated Kate's former best friend, when she tried to talk to Kate again, I was sincerely happy for her! And when she realized her former best friend only cared about herself, Kate moved on. That is just awesome and tough of her.

This deep, touching book is about moving on and accepting the changes that come along with life, no matter how hard or easy.

Reader reviewed by Tasha

There is nothing perfect about Kate's life. Her dad just quit his job to sell crappy, infomercial Perfect You vitamins, she has to work-for no pay- at the hideous vitamin stand, and her best friend has become popular and doesn't even give Kate the time of day. If things couldn't get any worse they do. Her family is quickly falling into debt and then her pot-stirring grandmother has moved in with her family and is anxious to bash Kate's father at any opportunity that she gets. Then there's Will. He has a reputation of being a player, but when him and Kate start having secret make-out sessions behind the mall she hopes that maybe they're something different, after all Will is the only one who doesn't joke her about her dad's job. Even though Kate loves making out with Will, she doesn't want to like him. She's afraid that she'll just be another check on his never ending list of girls. What's a girl like Kate to do?


This was an amazing book. Kate's voice was so honest and heartfelt that I instantly got drawn into the book. I loved how the issues Kate faced were the issues normal teens face. There wasn't any of the fake drama that I sometimes find in teen books, which was completely refreshing. Kate was also hilarious. Her sarcastic remarks, especially the ones directed at Will, had me laughing extremely hard. Will was also a great character. He sounded so completely crush-worthy and honest, that I had a hard time not wishing he were real. Not only were the characters great and easy to relate to, but Elizabeth Scott's writing style was awesome. There was something about the way the words flowed on the page that really jumped out at me. While reading Perfect You I felt like I was so connected to the story that I never wanted it to end. I haven't read any of Elizabeth's other books, but I can certainly tell you I will be now! All in all this was a fantastic book that I highly recommend to any teen regardless of reading level or interests to pick up and read. It will give you a look into the real eyes of a teenager and know that you aren't alone in the problems you face.