Title: Everything BeautifulAuthor: Simmone Howell
Release Date: 1st November 2008
My Rating: 2/5
Blurb:
I believe in Chloe and chocolate.
I believe the best part is always before.
I believe that most girls are shifty and most guys are dumb.
I believe the more you spill, the less you are.
I don't believe in life after death or diuretics or happy endings.
I don't believe anything good can come from this.
Riley Rose doesn't want to be at Spirit Ranch Holiday Camp. Riley wants to be partying with her best friend Chloe at the beautiful Ben Sebatini's house. She has a plan to get away from the jumpsuit-wearing counsellors, the feel-good mantras, do-gooder campers and the monotonous schedule of team-building exercises and outdoor activities.
But is everything at the Spirit Ranch as it appears? What secrets are waiting for discovery in the abandoned Fraser house? And why doesn't anyone want to talk about the accident that landed the mysterious Dylan in a wheelchair last year?
My Review:
I had been wanting to read this for such a long time and I had heard so many wonderful things about it but I was kind of disappointed, it just didn't grab me like I thought it would. I can't quite put my finger on why though.
Riley is a pretty miserable girl who hides behind false bravado and seeks 'companionship' wherever she can find it. Due to the death of her mother and her father's new way of living - and girlfriend- Riley finds herself best buds with Chloe, a total wild child and Riley is her new protégé. Finding comfort in food, boys, bitterness, bitchiness and an I-don't-give-a-shit attitude, Riley is on her way to self destruction.
Forced into attending Spirit Ranch for a week (cliché filled and enough to drive me crazy) Riley decides to stir up as much trouble as she can. But, despite all her own pain, there is a good person hiding inside and she still manages to help others around her, the camp outcasts Olive and Bird, self-pitying Dylan and sheltered Sarita. The question is, as Riley's days at camp slowly come to a close, has she learnt anything? And have those around her managed to help her find what she has been searching for?
This is a relatively good read with a message of self-esteem and kindness between the pages but overall, for me, it just didn't live up to the hype.
I believe in Chloe and chocolate.
I believe the best part is always before.
I believe that most girls are shifty and most guys are dumb.
I believe the more you spill, the less you are.
I don't believe in life after death or diuretics or happy endings.
I don't believe anything good can come from this.
Riley Rose doesn't want to be at Spirit Ranch Holiday Camp. Riley wants to be partying with her best friend Chloe at the beautiful Ben Sebatini's house. She has a plan to get away from the jumpsuit-wearing counsellors, the feel-good mantras, do-gooder campers and the monotonous schedule of team-building exercises and outdoor activities.
But is everything at the Spirit Ranch as it appears? What secrets are waiting for discovery in the abandoned Fraser house? And why doesn't anyone want to talk about the accident that landed the mysterious Dylan in a wheelchair last year?
My Review:
I had been wanting to read this for such a long time and I had heard so many wonderful things about it but I was kind of disappointed, it just didn't grab me like I thought it would. I can't quite put my finger on why though.
Riley is a pretty miserable girl who hides behind false bravado and seeks 'companionship' wherever she can find it. Due to the death of her mother and her father's new way of living - and girlfriend- Riley finds herself best buds with Chloe, a total wild child and Riley is her new protégé. Finding comfort in food, boys, bitterness, bitchiness and an I-don't-give-a-shit attitude, Riley is on her way to self destruction.
Forced into attending Spirit Ranch for a week (cliché filled and enough to drive me crazy) Riley decides to stir up as much trouble as she can. But, despite all her own pain, there is a good person hiding inside and she still manages to help others around her, the camp outcasts Olive and Bird, self-pitying Dylan and sheltered Sarita. The question is, as Riley's days at camp slowly come to a close, has she learnt anything? And have those around her managed to help her find what she has been searching for?
This is a relatively good read with a message of self-esteem and kindness between the pages but overall, for me, it just didn't live up to the hype.
Hmm.. I dunno. I think I might give this one a try, as i've been reading mixed reviews on this one. Sounds kinda like a book I'd like anyway! :D
ReplyDeleteIt sucks that you were disappointed. Good review. Have your read Howell's other book?
ReplyDeleteHey Nic,
ReplyDeleteNo I haven't read Notes From The Teenage Underground. Not sure if I should now since Everything Beautiful was the one I was most interested in...