Erin Dealey

I haven’t posted a book review for a while

and since today is my GORGEOUS friend

Jill Sanford’s BIRTHDAY (Surprise! )

…and I loaned her my copy of
Paul Rudnick’s
YA novel
–which she read in one sitting…

I give you herewith, her very first book review:

 I loved Becky and was never dissatisfied with her as the heroine of GORGEOUS (Scholastic Press). I appreciated her pluckiness and discomfort with being Rebecca although this could have been explored further, especially in the first half.  

I also found Rocher to be wonderful, lovable, and completely essential to the story, because all girls need a best friend and side kick like her.

But why did Becky never ask Tom why or how are any of these things possible until the end? I found her lack of incredulity not believable and wished the author, Paul Rudnick, had gone more into this. There was also a polarity of this world that didn’t really sit right with me.

On the one hand, GORGEOUS is a humorously portrayed and engaging take on the “real” world that felt a lot like Meg Cabot’s writing (please tell me you have read the Princess Diaries and not just seen the movie–the books are HILARIOUS.) But we also see the magic that isn’t fully explained or even acknowledged.

I would have loved more stressing of the fairy tale like aspects of the story- the little people who make her shoes, the perfumer with the giant nose, and her mom’s ring tone that precedes a magical event. For the most part, these aren’t emphasized very much and often seem a little down played. Rudnick missed an opportunity by not exploring these further. That being said, I enjoyed the second half of the book more than the first. (Her interview to get the Queen’s blessing was priceless!)

And because deep down in my oh-so-jaded-and-worldy-now-24-year-old heart I have a fair amount of a sighing 16 year old romantic, I also loved Gregory and his kind-hearted princely-ness. The whimsical nature of the story made me laugh and smile when she (possibly--you never know–READ THE BOOK AND FIND OUT!) ends up with a prince. I didn’t feel the need to gag or roll my eyes at this at all.

Because in a world with magical dresses,

why can’t a girl like Becky

(who is really a girl like all of us) marry a prince?

Happy 24 Jill !!!