The Pretty One, by Cheryl Klam

Everyone wants to be beautiful, gorgeous, someone that people will admire. Megan Fletcher had that wish. In The Pretty One by Cheryl Klam, Megan is an overweight, plain girl who had been overshdowed by her talented and beautiful sister, Lucy, for most of her life. When she gets involved in a car accident, a cosmetic surgery had made her become the "pretty one" and the center of attention. When the two sisters both fall for the same guy, let the drama begin.

To be honest, the story bored me. The writing was bland and the characters were confusing, almost like they were split in two. Lucy is the older sister and in some parts of the book she was aggressive and willing to fight her younger sister. Then in a matter of a few paragraphs, she was sweet and regretful. Was she a good character or the antagonist? Not only her, but Drew, the supposedly good-looking, mysterious, talented guy that Megan and Lucy both fell over, sounded like the most boring person to fall in love with. I could never see the connection between Megan and Drew and why she liked him in the first place. Cheryl Klam's writing had no tone. I felt like the words would come in one ear and leave in the other. I cannot even remember one sentence from that book. With the writing being so monotone, I could not tell which was the central conflict and when it was happening. The plot seemed uneventful. I believe this book could have been improved and I will probably never read this story again. There was an interesting point to this book, though. I did enjoy her message of "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and "personality counts more than looks," which she presented in an original story. It was a fresh new taste of the idea of perception of beauty. Many girls, in this time period, can relate to Megan's thoughts and worries because in this century, media has put more pressure on outer appearance. There are many women who are going through plastic surgery or girls trying to lose weight in unhealthy ways. Women today are stuck in this society rush to become the "pretty one." I would recommend this book to some people who enjoy too-cheesy stories and others who need something to read to pass their time.

-Reviewed by Sophia, grade 9.