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Book Series: Uglies Book 2

Rating: 5/5

Publication Date: November 1, 2005

Genre: YA Dystopian

Recommended Age: 14+ (some violence, some gore, fighting the government, TW: intentional starvation, TW: cutting)

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Pages: 370

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Synopsis: Gorgeous. Popular. Perfect.

Perfectly wrong.

Tally has finally become pretty. Now her looks are beyond perfect, her clothes are awesome, her boyfriend is totally hot, and she's completely popular. It's everything she's ever wanted.

But beneath all the fun -- the nonstop parties, the high-tech luxury, the total freedom -- is a nagging sense that something's wrong. Something important. Then a message from Tally's ugly past arrives. Reading it, Tally remembers what's wrong with pretty life, and the fun stops cold.

Now she has to choose between fighting to forget what she knows and fighting for her life -- because the authorities don't intend to let anyone with this information survive.

Review: Again, so many childhood memories! I loved this book and I loved how Scott hammers in the dangers of the beauty industry, how it can metaphorically lead to bulimia, anorexia, and self harm. I thought the characters were very well developed, that the plot was interesting, and the book was well written.

However, I do feel like the book could have been slower in pacing and that while I get the point of including the self harm and starvation, if it’s not cautioned against and not seen in that metaphorical sense, then it can possibly encourage younger children to do it. I also felt that the climax was way too late in the book.

Verdict: I still love this series.