Wednesday 14 September 2011

Flawless by Lara Chapman

Publisher: Bloomsbury
Format: Paperback
Published: 3rd May 2011
Number of Pages: 272
Book: For Review from Bloomsbury*
Genre: Real-to-Life Fiction, Romance, Comedy, Contempory, YA
Recommended Age: 11+
Contains: Mild Swearwords
No Alcohol, Drug References

 
Sarah Burke’s life is about to get complicated.  She’s agreed to help her gorgeous best friend, Kristen, catch the eye of the hot new guy at school, only to discover that he’s actually perfect for her!  And to make matters worse, Sarah’s convinced that the guy of her dreams won’t be able to see past her unusually large nose.
Misguided matchmaking, hilarious escapades and genuine romance result in this sensational high school romcom.

Review:
Sarah has just met the perfect guy for her.  Smart, articulate, gorgeous: he’s everything she’s ever wanted and more.  But she’s agreed to help her best friend, Kristen, get him.  Sarah wasn’t expecting the scheme to go so far.  Is she willing to sacrifice everything – her own happiness, her future guy, her morals – for her best friend’s happiness?  For loyalty?
I loved this book so much!  The writing was incredible, funny yet clever.  It tackled some tricky teen issues – accepting your faults, morals – but in a light way that was completely enjoyable.  It was such a brilliant book of love, loyalty and mismatched relationships.  It was touching, even as it made me grin.  I just absolutely loved Flawless!  I can’t wait to see what Lara Chapman writes next – I have a feeling it will be amazing!
Sarah Burke was wonderful, absolutely awesome.  She had a big nose, but she tolerated it.  And when other people made fun of her, she stood up for herself.  Often in rather funny ways.  She was also a geek in a great way, a loveable way.  Plus she has just got to be the most loyal friend ever, in the whole wide world.  Well, that or a bit of an idiot.  I’m going with Option One.
Kristen was sweet and really protective of Sarah.  I loved her – her sense of humour, her protectiveness, her love of life.  She was just gorgeous – inside and out.  And she was made even more real by her insecurities.  Kristen was just drop-dead-brilliant.
The “perfect guy,” Rock, was gorgeous, smart, thoughtful, and family orientated.  He was just a real sweetie, and super intelligent as well.  And that was why I just could not figure out how he didn’t know who the writer was! 
The bond between Sarah and Kristen was really strong.  Sarah would do absolutely anything for her best friend – even give up the guy of her dreams, and suffer through watching the two of them flirt.  And Kristin would do anything for Sarah, and was just constantly standing up for her.  Their relationship was beautiful, special and an once-in-a-lifetime friendship.
Ok, so Flawless was simple and predictable.  It was nothing like my usual vampire-filled reads.  But, still, I adored this book.  It was totally amazing.  I was touched, amused, intrigued and always thinking.  The writing was just so honest and beautiful, the characters and situations so relatable.  I loved every word – devoured them, even – and truly think that everyone should read this.  Accepting yourself is just so important, and Flawless highlights this perfectly.  A wonderful, thought-provoking read, hidden inside an equally wonderful rom-com.  It taught me was that we all have a few things we’re embarrassed about, insecurities.  And that you can’t be happy if you don’t accept yourself.  I know that, when I’m feeling insecure, quotes from this book will be what I think about.

Star Rating:
4 Out of 5



Read this book if you liked:
The Sweetest Thing by Christina Mandelski
Drawing With Light by Julia Green
No and Me by Delphine de Vigan
The Chocolate Box Girls by Cathy Cassidy


Challenges It's Taking Part In:
Happy Reading
Megan
* This book was received from Bloomsbury in exchange for an honest review

2 comments:

Cliona said...

I must read this sometime soon!

TheBookAddictedGirl said...

You should - it was ace!