Skin Deep by Laura Jarratt

Title: Skin Deep
Author: Laura Jarratt

Release Date: 1st March 2012

My Rating: 5/5

Blurb:
Ugly people don't have feelings. They're not like everyone else. They don't notice if you stare at them and turn away. And if they did notice, it wouldn't hurt them. They're not like real people. Or that's what I used to think. Before I learned...

After the car crash that leaves her best friend dead, Jenna is permanently scarred. She struggles to rebuild her life, but every stare in the street, every time she looks in the mirror, makes her want to retreat further from the world. Until she meets Ryan.

Ryan is also an outsider. When he arrives in town his mother tells him this time it will be different. He doesn't believe her. Until he meets Jenna.

As Jenna and Ryan grow closer, the aftermath of the crash continues to splinter the community. And then a body is found...

In A Nutshell:
Skin Deep is raw, honest, emotional and beautiful. It is a story about first love, loss, second chances, stereotypes, mental illness, self-perception and letting go.

My Review:
You know how every now and then a book comes along and you fall in love with it immediately? This is what happened with Skin Deep for me. So much so, that I sat down to read a chapter before I went to sleep after a night out, and absolutely could not put it down. I finally finished at 4:30am, completely satisfied.

This is a story about coming to terms with things you can’t control and learning to love yourself. It’s about knowing there are horrible people in this world but there are also decent people and most of all, you are never alone, no matter how much it may feel that way. These are the kind of books I love; that reach out to the reader, to the scared or tormented teenager, and they form a connection.

I love both Jenna and Ryan’s stories and how they are told in alternating chapters.

Jenna can’t accept what has happened to her. She used to be one of the ‘pretty’ girls who stared at those who looked different. As she says herself, “Ugly people don’t have feelings.” Now that she no longer looks ‘normal’, she understands life from the other perspective as they are her feelings that are now being hurt. She doesn’t feel worthy of being loved based on the cruel taunts and staring faces that are aimed at her by those around her. She can’t accept herself and thinks ‘why would anyone ever like me. It must be a joke.’ And who can blame her when so many times it has been just that, a joke. How does someone learn to trust when people can be so, so cruel?

Her parents and doctors tell her to let it go. They tell her to just ignore people, who cares what they think? But it’s far easier said than done. It is human nature to care about what others think of you. Where on earth is she supposed to find the confidence she so desperately needs?

As Jenna battles with the public perception and reactions to her face, she is fighting her own internal battle of how she perceives herself.

Ryan has grown up as the child acting as the parent, with a flighty mum who suffers from a mental illness. He’s never stayed in one place long enough to make friends and he is constantly looked down upon because of the ‘gypsy’ lifestyle he and his mum lead. After a couple of uncomfortable, brief meetings, Jenna and Ryan form a bond that is the lifeline they both need.

As thing start to look up for the two outsiders, a mysterious death in the village brings unwanted attention to both Ryan and Jenna’s family and it looks like Jenna’s life is going to be turned upside down once again.

Skin Deep is raw, honest, emotional and beautiful. It is a story about first love, loss, second chances, stereotypes, mental illness, self-perception and letting go.

For fans of North of Beautiful, Five Flavours of Dumb, Just Listen or Beautiful Monster.