Review: Beauty by Lisa Daily

Beauty by Lisa Daily
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



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Via Goodreads:

What's it like to be the most beautiful girl in the world?

Molly desperately wants to be beautiful. And that's what she tells Dharma, the mysterious portrait artist who sketches her face at the town fair just minutes after she's humiliated in front of Hudson, the guy of her dreams. When Molly wakes up the following morning, she's the most beautiful girl in Miracle, Ohio. Babies coo in her arms, her house fills with flowers from dozens of drooling boys, and she's chosen to be a model for the hottest store in town. Best of all, Hudson finally falls for her.

But Molly soon discovers that beauty--and her wish--comes with a price. She's faced with an impossible choice: Will reclaiming her true identity mean letting go of Hudson for good?

I know that you've probably wondered the same thing before. I know that I have. How would people react to me if I were the prettiest girl in the city? Would things be different for me? Would people treat me differently than they do now? Would I get more attention?

In this book by Lisa Daily, she shares just what happens to one girl when she wishes to be the most beautiful girl in the city.
  
The Characters:
The main girl in question in Molly. She's the one that wished to be the most beautiful girl in Miracle. From what I gathered, she was a typical ugly duckling before - frizzy hair, pimples, an dis-proportioned face. I related with her at first as I myself was that girl in high school (okay, so I didn't have pimples but I had braces) and found myself wondering the same thing. My biggest problem with Molly was that she didn't really evolve much until the end of the book. She started off with really low self esteem, even when she was suddenly beautiful, snuck around trying to hide her face from her parents and turned into a typical mean girl in an attempt to get people to like her.  It was only once she had lost almost everyone that she realized what she truly had become. And whereas I was happy that she did finally come to that realization, it seemed like a last ditch effort.

Her friend Hayley made me want to strangle her. She started off as a mean girl at the beginning of the book despite not being in the popular crowd. To me, she came off as really needy and clingy and showed horrible signs of jealousy when the spotlight wasn't on her. The lengths she went to for attention were just worthy of a good head shake (or possible full body shake - hers preferably). And in the end, it didn't seem like things were really worked out with her - we were left hanging on what happened to Hayley.

Kemper was the truest character in the entire book. She's the one who seemed to have a level head on her shoulders despite everything going on around her. She's the one who managed to stay the true friend despite being constantly pushed to the side and ignored. I think if everyone had a good friend like Kemper, they'd be much better off. She ended up being my favorite character in the book.

I wasn't sure what to think about Hudson. I was happy to see in the end that he liked Molly for who she was on the inside rather than the outside but it didn't really settle with me. I can't really put my finger on why. Hudson was a mere "meh" character for me. He didn't stand out at all or make a lasting impression on me.

As for the rest of the characters, the students of the school came off to me as a bunch of sheep. They all were clambering around for a chance to be near Molly. It almost made me think that none of them could think for themselves. And whereas I knew they were teenagers, it seemed a bit overdone.

5 out of 10.

The Plot:
I have to admit that the plot was definitely one that caught my eyes as I've thought the same thing before. And to be honest, I think that Miss Daily definitely took the most thought about solution to what would happen if this really did occur. Amongst the pages of teen angst and mean girl-itis she did manage to lay out a good lesson - beauty is on the inside and outside. You may not think you're beautiful but someone else does.

I do think the students were a bit overdone in their reactions although the way they reacted upon finding out Molly had "plastic surgery" was pretty spot on as many teenagers these days tend to fluctuate depending on the day of the week. And I know that it was probably meant to be overdone a bit to prove a point but it was a bit headache-inducing after a while.

All in all, I give it a decent score, mostly because it was a lesson that could be used in life.

6 out of 10. 

 I won't say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was an easy read and had a decent, if not Mean Girl-esque storyline. I feel as if it were rushed a bit and that it was more dramatic than it should have been but I would give it a thumbs up for a light read over the weekend, especially for those who enjoy happily ever after stories.