Beautiful

by Amy Reed

Book Overview

"Beautiful is stark, disquieting, and, quite simply, riveting." --Ellen Hopkins, bestselling author of Crank

When Cassie moves from the tiny town where she has always lived to a suburb of Seattle, she is determined to leave her boring, good-girl existence behind. This is Cassie's chance to stop being invisible and start being the kind of girl who's worth noticing.

Stepping into her new identity turns out to be easier...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416978313
• ISBN13: 9781416978312
• Release Date: October 2010
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 14 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 9 to 12

Customer Reviews

Always a Favourite

I first read this book in 2015 and I have loved it ever since. It can be hard to read if you've gone through anything Cassie does, but I love it nonetheless. I personally found it to be the perfect read for escaping reality. Some scenes even helped me deal with my own trauma (which was surprising and unexpected). I think I will forever have this on my shelf

2 thunds up....

Was a quick read really enjoyed it. Becoming a fan of Amy Reed.

BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ

i am 14 yrs old and a freshman, this book is deep and gave me a whole different perspective on other 13-14 year olds, i normally read about rich girls with glamorous lives. but this was different, it had meaning. i recommend to anyone who wants to read a good book!

Very spare but beautiful portrait of teens raising themselves

"Beautiful" is a spare, disturbing, haunting portrait of the very real angst of a young teen to belong somewhere, anywhere, especially when her family is powerless to help or raise her. The characters in this book come from negligent and abusive families and turn to themselves and each other for guidance; not surprisingly, they can't do it. The pain in their lives is palpable. Cassie's experiences are gut-wrenching, but they result in a tentative attempt at redemption and at being a more authentic self.

Edgy and Fierce...

Cassie moves from Bainbridge Island to Seattle. She decides that she need to leave her good girl persona behind. She chooses some dangerous friends and is immersed into the world of drug, sex, and secrets. Cassie loves the thrill of her new life, but she also terrified of what could happen. She loses her virginity to a older boy. Cassie also embraces the numbness of drugs. Now she is being called beautiful. Cassie doesn't notice the down spiral that her life is going on and how much danger she is really in. Cassie is an interesting character. She wants to fit in like most teens do, but she chooses the wrong crowd and had to live with consequences. I am going to admit that I didn't like the ending of what happens to Cassie, because it shows teens that they have the ability to give up, instead of working yourself out of the mess of your own creation. Beautiful was a fast paced book that had a lot of emotion. Also, the plot was well done and interesting. The only flaw that I saw was how she just stopped talking to her friends that lived in Bainbridge Island, it is a 45 minute ferry ride. I have had friends move to Seattle and they still come back and hang out. I also have visited them. I live farther away, then that. I found that not be realistic. It was a fairly original book, about what can happen when you get into drugs so young. It was as sad as the true stories are. Reed is an amazing writer and I am excited for more books from her. She created great characters and the setting to let the story unfold. I recommend that you check out this book, if you liked Crank or the movie Thirteen.

Harmony Book Reviews

Beautiful is one of those book you expect to be good from the start. The cover draws you in first, then the summary, and when you start it, the first chapter alone makes you want more. While I can't relate to a lot of what happened in the book, as I am extremely straight-edge, I could relate to Cassie and I think a lot of other girls will also be able to. All of us have to deal with feelings we can't control, peer pressure, crushes, and wanting to fit in, among all of the other things Cassie has to deal with and that makes Beautiful more realistic for teens who find Cassie's world foreign. As much as I loved Cassie and the plot, I would've loved to see some of the minor characters developed more because I kept confusing some of them and I also would've liked to have seen more added onto the ending, though that's partly because I didn't want to see the book end. Overall, I completely recommend this but only for older/mature teens, due to the content. (I also think fans of Stephanie Kuehnert's books would enjoy this.)

BookChick.com Recommends Beautiful

Take a deep breath and steel yourself for Amy Reed's debut novel "Beautiful." It's beautiful for sure, but it's not easy, nor is it supposed to be. Consider the verbs Reed uses: punched, scraped, gutted, crush, explode, smash, destroy, cutting, burning, scarring. But really, what better words are there to describe thirteen-year-old Cassie's harrowing descent into the world of drugs, alcohol, abuse and the sex she wishes she weren't having? "Beautiful" is a gut check of a young adult novel. It's the slippery slope of how one choice, one decision marks the line between the good road and the very wrong path. Neither drugs, nor alcohol nor thirteen-year-olds with their legs spread are glorified here. Instead, Reed depicts with a stark kind of poetry how Cassie is ripped apart by each and every decision she makes or doesn't make. "Beautiful" is a living, breathing organism. With sharp, shattering emotions, the novel reads like a memoir so you feel a part of it, Cassie's pain your pain, the novel's pulse the fear of a crash and burn. Or maybe not. Because, remember that for a novel like this to work, there has to be redemption. Where and how and if Cassie can find a way out is what will keep you turning the pages. That, and the hope that she will.