Review Detail

It took me three trips to Barnes and Noble before I finally managed to find this book in stock. I can't say that it was worth it. I wanted to like it, I really did. It had really good potential.

Plot: When I read the blurb I was really excited; it was a plot I'd never heard of before and it told eight different stories. But, this is where the problem was. At 331 pages, it sounds like plenty of room for eight different stories, right? Wrong.

There just wasn't enough for eight different stories. They were good story lines, they just weren't done well and to the extent to make this book amazing.

Characters: Honestly, I didn't read this book all that long ago and I couldn't remember any of the characters' names. I knew the basic outline of each story, but I had to flip though the book again just to jog my memory for this review.

Freshman- Danielle and Abby. I felt a little sympathy for Danielle, who had to deal with her boyfriends getting teased because of her. But, I couldn't feel any connection at all with Abby, who's narration just picked apart her sister. I don't expect to be able to connect to all eight main characters, but I'd like to at least feel sorry for her.

Sophomores- Candace and Lauren. I really liked these two because Candace was listed as ugliest because of her personality, not her looks. When Lauren starts taking over her group she has to reevaluate how she treats her friends. Lauren was one of my favorites. Her story was simple enough to fit in with several others and not take up enough room, but long enough that you get to know her and root for her.

Juniors- Sarah and Bridget. Sarah spends the book "rebelling" and embracing her part on the list as "ugliest". She doesn't shower, or brush her teeth and wears the same clothes all week. I was a little confused by her story, but I loved Milo. Bridget is, in the words of Pretty Little Liars, using ugly tricks to stay pretty. Her little sister is Abby's best friend, so it makes for a neat relationship there.

Seniors- Jennifer and Margo. The story between these two alone could have been a book, but instead we got a rushed version in between other girls' stories. They used to be best friends, but now that Jennifer's been listed as "ugliest" for four years in a row, Margo's friends want to invite her into their group to make up for it.

Their relationship builds up to surprising ending, but it could have been so much better if we got more of their story and characters. The thing with the ending though is that it's not hinted throughout the book. It's just like, you know what? This is how it should end.

They all could have been great characters given more page time.

Writing Style: It switched between so many different point of views that it would take me a few pages into reading a chapter to remember the story line, or I'd have to flip back to the girl's previous chapter because I'd forgotten what they were in the middle of.

Overall: This book had the potential to be amazing. It was there. It was just too rushed and choppy. It's an original plot that just wasn't executed very well. Don't get me wrong, Vivian is an amazing writer, this book just fell short.

The gist of the book really makes you think about high school and how we classify people. This is just a person or two writing a list that says that you're "pretty" or you're "ugly" and that changes the girls' relationships with different people drastically. It's very true to life and eye opening.

Despite all that, I just didn't find it a very good book.