Gorgeous by Rachel Vail

Title: Gorgeous
Author: Rachel Vail
Age Group: Teens
# of Pages: 288
My Rating: 3/5

It sucks to be the one who is stuck in between two amazing siblings. This is how Allison Avery feels. Her sisters are pretty and talented while she is just... plain.

In the middle of the night, Allison wakes up to find the devil in her room! Instead of freaking out, she more or so assumes it is a dream. She trades her cellphone in exchange for having seven people to think she is gorgeous.

Now everywhere she goes, she gets complimented on her appearance. After tagging along to a photoshoot with popular girl Roxie, Allison receives news that she is picked as a semi-finalist for the teen contest! It is quite a surprise for herself and when her classmates heard about it, they start becoming friendlier. But at the same time, Allison runs into some troubles with her own friends.

The price for being admired, is it worth it? I have read one of Rachel Vail's older novels about three years ago called, If We Kiss. I don't remember much about it except my friend liked it.

The first thing I noticed about her writing in Gorgeous was that it was very brief. A lot more dialogue than actual description of what was happening. It made it a very quick read (and not a lot of character development involved because the feelings were not expressed). I finished it so fast that I didn't know I was done until I closed the book.

There were a couple of times when I was lost with Allison's and her best friend's relationship. One moment they were fighting and the next day they made-up. I was unsure of what to expect. The ending with the two was a little more different than what a regular YA reader would expect.

However, I really enjoyed the beginning where Allison and the devil were making their "deal". The scene was most amusing, making me think that the chapter would have been funnier as a cartoon strip. I wished to learn more about the devil but he was only there when needed. He appeared to be a very cool guy.

I related quite a bit to Allison in the novel. She skipped out on school to go downtown without telling her parents at one point in the story. After they discovered what she did, her mother completely flipped out on her, worrying that something could have happened and no one would know. I get that a lot from my own parents because I tend to go out without saying anything. Every time I get home, I have to face the disappointment. Since her family was running into some problems because of the economy's recession, I could totally sympathize. I am much in her shoes.

Gorgeous is the second novel in the series but you do not need to read the first, Lucky, to catch up on anything like I did. It is the kind of book to take to the beach, read in the car on a road trip, or chill with in the backyard. Doesn't require braincells to take in and gives you a light novel to kill time. Get a sneak peek of the novel here!

Review copy provided by HarperCollins.