Book Review:Will Work for Prom Dress by Aimee Ferris

Planning for prom’s supposed to be fun—the dress, the accessories, the devastatingly handsome date—but Quigley Johnson never thought that agreeing to her best friend Ann’s Betterment Plan would ruin her life!

After a series of bizarre part-time jobs, the prospect of being a live model for a fashion-design class has Quigley ready to throw in the towel, until she meets Zander. He may not be able to sketch, but he’s smoking hot, cool and funny, and every outfit he creates might as well be made for her. But is he too good to be true? Then there’s David, the self-professed “Art King” whose competitiveness has always meant cutting Quigley down, until he sets his sights on making her his prom date and “Art Queen.” And this preparation for the formal was supposed to make Quigley and Ann even closer, but it’s tearing them apart! How will Quigley make it to prom, when she’s barely making it through high school? (From Goodreads)

When I first picked up this book I expected some fun fluff. Even the blurb made it seem like a light read without much substance. I was delighted that Will Work for Prom Dress exceeded my expectations in numerous different ways. The first was that it had more substance than I was expecting. It's hard to explain this without giving away a major plot point, but it deals with the ramifications of acting without considering consequences. The story also looked at Ann's mother, and the father who isn't in her life. We read about this through Quigley's eyes, and that allowed me to see that Ann's mother did care about her daughter, even if it Ann didn't always believe it. The characters were both believable, and likable. It was easy to connect with Quigley, and I think that most readers will be able to find something that they have in common.

The romance was a nice addition to the story, but didn't take over the entire plot. In fact, the budding romance between Quigley and a certain character (I don't want to give it away) actually contributed to the growth of both characters. I also appreciated the time that it took for their relationship to move forward. One of my pet peeves is that strong female characters are ruined by falling in love with a guy after locking eyes with him across the room. Having the relationship build slowly over the book, and face a realistic problem was rather refreshing. There are two guys in the book, but I wouldn't really call it a love triangle. I may be afraid to label it that way, because I think people are totally turned off from the L.T now that it's a common occurrence in YA. So, I'll just say that she has two options to choose from, and does so in a non-annoying way (hurrah).

This was a great debut, and it reminded me that you should never judge a book by it's cover. I can't wait for the next book by Ferris!

Will Work for Prom Dress
By Aimee Ferris
Published by Egmont USA
240 Pages
Rating: B