Book Review: Flawless by Lara Chapman

Sarah Burke is just about perfect. She's got killer blue eyes, gorgeous blond hair, and impeccable grades. There's just one tiny-

all right, enormous-flaw: her nose. But even that's not so bad. Sarah's got the best best friend and big goals for print journalism fame.

On the first day of senior year, Rock Conway walks into her journalism class and, well, rocks her world. Problem is, her best friend, Kristen, falls for him too. And when Rock and Kristen stand together, it's like Barbie and Ken come to life. So when Kristen begs Sarah to help her nab Rock, Sarah does the only thing a best friend can do-she agrees. For someone so smart, what was she thinking?

This hip retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac is filled with hilariously misguided matchmaking, sweet romance, and a gentle reminder that we should all embrace our flaws. (From Goodreads)

I can't stress enough how different this book was from the expectations that I had. I went in expecting a quick, cute read that was more about the drama than the characters. I couldn't have been more wrong. This book had strong characters, believable issues, and characters who learn to embrace their flaws.

Sarah was a really interesting lead character, because she has one major "flaw" and struggles with it. She has a very intimidating nose, one that people tend to whisper about as she walks by. That's definitely left a chip on her shoulder, one that's been made worse by her mother's less than subtle hints that she should consider rhinoplasty. At times she isn't afraid to stand up to people openly mocking her, but at times she's still dealing with her insecurities. I thought it was great to see her stick up for herself, and definitely believable for her to struggle with her image issues. The mom thing isn't as bad as it sounds, either. I expected her to be a horrible character, but you come to discover that she really cares about her daughter.

I think that the reason I enjoyed this book as much as I did was the friendship between Sarah and Kristen. Chapman could have easily made Kristen a horrible friend to Sarah, and one who the reader ends up disliking immensely. Instead she created a friendship that didn't fall apart, even with both girls liking the same guy. Yes, I did get frustrated when Sarah was called upon again and again to impersonate Kristen and write to Rock, but there was never any big overdramatic fallout. Sure, there were arguments between the two, but I never felt that they were unrealistic. It was really nice to see characters who supported each other, rather than trying to humiliate their "rival". Rock was pretty dreamy, too. Although, we all know that he should have just asked out Sarah to begin with.

I rarely give out A ratings, but I really loved this book. It took me by surprise, and surpassed any expectations that I had. I'm happy to say that this is one of my favorite reads of 2011.

Flawless

By Lara Chapman

Published by Bloomsbury

272 Pages

Release Date: May 10, 2011

Received for review

Rating: A

In My Mailbox (May 1)

In My Mailbox was created by Kristi of The Story Siren, who was inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. All of the synopses you see below were found on Goodreads. Here are the books I got this week...

Happy May! I realized that I haven't posted an "In My Mailbox" in a couple of weeks, but I got some books worth posting about last week.

For Review:

Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs

Tempest Maguire wants nothing more than to surf the killer waves near her California home; continue her steady relationship with her boyfriend, Mark; and take care of her brothers and surfe

r dad. But Tempest is half mermaid, and as her seventeenth birthday approaches, she will have to decide whether to remain on land or give herself to the ocean like her mother. The pull of the water becomes as insistent as her attraction to Kai, a gorgeous surfer whose uncanny abilities hint at an otherworldly identity as well. And when Tempest does finally give in to the water's temptation and enters a fantastical underwater world, she finds that a larger destiny awaits her—and that the entire ocean's future hangs in the balance.

Published by Walker Books for Young Readers

Release Date: May 10, 2011

Flawless by Lara Chapman

Sarah Burke is just about perfect. She's got killer blue eyes, gorgeous blond hair, and impeccable grades. There's just one tiny-all right, enormous-flaw: her nose. But even that's not so bad. Sarah's got the best best friend and big goals for print journalism fame.

On the first day of senior year, Rock Conway walks into her journalism class and

, well, rocks her world. Problem is, her best friend, Kristen, falls for him too. And when Rock and Kristen stand together, it's like Barbie and Ken come to life. So when Kristen begs Sarah to help her nab Rock, Sarah does the only thing a best friend can do-she agrees. For someone so smart, what was she thinking?

This hip retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac is filled with hilariously misguided matchmaking, sweet romance, and a gentle reminder that we should all embrace our flaws.

Published by Bloomsbury

Release Date: May 10, 2011