ELLEgirl reads...Pretty Face

Oprah better watch out—ELLEgirl’s got its own book club, where we read and review a new book every week. Think of this as your anti-homework, something you can do that isn’t a math worksheet (but also isn’t wasting hours and hours watching bad TV). We’ll let you know what books we’ll be reading in the next couple of weeks, so you can read along with us and add in your comments. And we’re giving away each and every book we review, so you’ve got no excuse not to get book smart with us! Welcome to the club…

Pretty Face by Mary Hogan

Hayley has always been known as the "girl with the pretty face" – and usually, just that. Living in Southern California, where the standard of beauty for girls is being stick thin and perfectly bronzed, Hayley deals with her insecurities by eating; she comforts herself by eating her way through the reprimands of her tofu-obsessed mother, through the jeering of her classmates, and through the pain she feels when her crush, Drew, ends up admitting to having feels for her skinny best friend Jackie. Right after school ends, her parents send her to Italy to stay with family friends, deciding that a change of scenery could possibly do some good for Hayley, in terms of weight and mood.

The general plot of Pretty Face, by Mary Hogan, is pretty predictable – overweight girl is miserable amongst Californian beach babes, gets sent to Italy for the summer, finds a way to love her curvy body for what it is, and even meets that “special someone”, returning back to the States with a whole new outlook on life and food. The book definitely has its witty moments – like when Hayley gets dragged to a Weight Watchers meeting by her crazy mother ("I feel queasy. Is this where I'm headed? Will appetizers call my name? Will cakes mock me? … Will I get more turned on by fiber than my own husband?"), but I felt there were never any true surprises. Basically, if you've seen/read teen classics like Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants or The Princess Diaries, you'll be able to figure out what happens in each chapter. Totally insignificant, but a small detail that irked me was how Hogan wrote the instant messaging conversations – she has Hayley and Jackie talk with absolutely no vowels ("WHT??", "THK GD!"), or with unnecessary abbreviations ("GRN w NV!" "Luv U!") when Hogan makes it clear they can type in complete sentences. Maybe it's just me, but these interactions seem unnatural and kind of ridiculous.

Another big issue I had with the story was the fact that even though Hayley does come back changed and happy, she only admits to accepting that she has a "pretty face" ("I'm me—the girl with the pretty face"), and not her beautiful body. Obviously, it's a clichéd girl power theme, but isn't that what Hogan is trying to ultimately get across? (The cover image is a scale, after all...) That Hayley was able to go to Italy and actually enjoy real Italian food, and get a grip on how beautiful she is, curves and all?

If you want a no-nonsense very fluffy beach read, then Pretty Face could be a fair match for you. However, if you are looking for something that will truly stimulate your brain cells and a storyline that will be able to fully captivate you, I suggest you look elsewhere. —Yuri Chong

Let us know what you thought about Pretty Face in the comments section. And don’t forget to start reading these upcoming ELLEgirl Book Club picks:
April 9: I Am Scout by Charles J. Shields
April 16: Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway
April 23: All Souls by Christine Schutt
April 30: Confession of a Triple Shot Betty by Jody Gehrman

Comments

[Mary Hogan]

Great comments, Yuri. Thanks for the thoughtful review. You're right about the IM conversations. As a writer, I'm used to full sentences so I never know how to properly write abbreviations. Definitely food for thought in my next book. I'm not sure I agree about the "fluffy" comment, though. I'll have to take another look.

[Rebecca]

Glad you like the idea--can't wait to hear your thoughts on the book picks!

[giuli707]

I really want to give ellegirl props for starting a book club. Its so awesome u get to discuss it! Ill definatly be picking up some of the books. Happy reading!