A Beautiful Cover And A Beautiful Story | Beautiful Mess Book Review
Hey friends!
Today I’m going to be sharing with you a review for
Beautiful Mess by Claire Christian. This was the winner of the Text Prize 2016 and
I was kindly sent an unsolicited review copy by the publisher!
Book: Beautiful Mess
About the book.
Author: Claire Christian
Publisher: Text Publishing
Publication date: 28 August 2017
Publication date: 28 August 2017
Synopsis: Since Ava lost Kelly, things haven’t been going so well. Even before she gets thrown out of school for shouting at the principal, there’s the simmering rage and all the weird destructive choices. The only thing going right for Ava is her job at Magic Kebab.
Which is where she meets Gideon. Skinny, shy, anxious Gideon. A mad poet and collector of vinyl records with an aversion to social media. He lives in his head. She lives in her grief. The only people who can help them move on with their lives are each other. (source)
Which is where she meets Gideon. Skinny, shy, anxious Gideon. A mad poet and collector of vinyl records with an aversion to social media. He lives in his head. She lives in her grief. The only people who can help them move on with their lives are each other. (source)
Genre: Contemporary
Recommended for: Anyone 14+
Thank you to Text Publishing for sending me a review copy, however all thoughts and opinions are my own and this is an honest review.
My thoughts.
WHAT I LIKED!
- The cover is drop dead gorgeous. The designer of this cover needs a serious pat on the back because all I can say is DAMNNNN!
- Well written and poignant. While the writing isn’t the most flowery and spectacular, it is truthful and heart breaking. The writer remains straightforward with the reader, an admirable trait
- Engaging from page one. I didn’t struggle to get into this book because of how quick and easy it was to slide into the rhythm. I stayed up till 12pm (on a school night mind you!) to finish off the book because I had to know what would happen next!
- The exploration of grief was very well done. Literally every contemporary YA book writes about grief and very few of them get it right. I feel this was authentic and at times, even hard to read in how realistic it was
- The characters were cute and funny! I enjoyed their narration because they were so funny and relaxing to read from the perspective of. They felt quite realistic and their witty banter was very refreshing to see
- The representation of anxiety and psychologists. I feel most YA view psychologists quite negatively and a place for people who are ‘mad’ or have ‘something wrong with them’ or people who are quite cold and uncaring and I liked how this book turned that stereotype on its head
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE!
- Not the most memorable story. Even though this is a story with grief done well, it didn’t really stand out to me from other YA and it didn’t really ‘change my world’
- The ending was rushed. The rising action took quite some time to build up and then the climax happened and then the falling action and ending was rushed and bundled up together, leaving me feeling quite unsatisfied with the ending. I can appreciate how it was beneficial for the characters but it felt sudden and off balance
- It didn’t focus that much on the title – Beautiful Mess. There is one line in the book that kind of alludes to that but I would have liked more of a link. The story just felt very different from the title and that, for some reason, really annoys me because I would much prefer if they were matching
OVERALL RATING:
★★★½
Have you read
Beautiful Mess? Do you plan to? And what’s a book that you think has a very
stunning cover?
18 happy thoughts
YA contemporary's similar to this one aren't really my thing but I really enjoyed your review! It's good to know that at least one book got it right xD
ReplyDeleteI also totally agree that the cover is STUNNING.
Fabulous review <33
Thank you Faith <3
DeleteYou're right, this book is absolutely gorgeous. I haven't heard of this one before, but I'm adding it to my TBR. I haven't really been interested in a contemporary in a long time, and it takes a rare one for me to like (I am more of a fantasy person), but the way you say therapy and grief are described makes me want to read this ASAP. Awesome review, Anisha!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Erin!!
DeleteThis cover is gorgeous, and the synopsis + your positive thoughts for it has me intrigued, so I may pick it up in the future. The Shatter Me series has beautiful covers!
ReplyDeleteYES IT DOES!
DeleteI've read a few books dealing with grief so it's too bad you didn't think this one was very memorable. The best story I've read dealing with grief is The Last Time We Say Goodbye. Have you read that ... and if so how does this compare?
ReplyDeleteYes I have read that! And I think it's a different in that the significant other lost in this was a best friend and in that it was a brother so that does make a difference!
DeleteUgh I hate it when the endings are rushed! You're enjoying a book and then bam, the ending ruins it. However, I'm glad that you still enjoyed this one!
ReplyDeleteGreat review!
~Brittany @ Brittany's Book Rambles
Thanks Brittany! <3
DeleteThis sounds like such a great story! I'm definitely going to give it a try. Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous review! <3
ReplyDelete~ Zoe @ Stories on Stage
<3 <3
DeleteI'm really happy that there's a positive portrayal of psychologist interaction! Even though shitty psycholgists definitely exist, great ones do, too. Ones that actually care about their patients. So YAY for a YA including that.
ReplyDeleteI totally feel you on the title thing. I like it when you read a book and you can 100% see where the title came from - even better when it's an actual line from the book. A pretty title doesn't mean much if it doesn't represent the title.
I'm glad you enjoyed this one overall, Anisha!
Thank you so much for this long and lovely comment Chiara!
DeleteOh lovely review, Anisha! I'm happy to hear you enjoyed this book, though I'm sorry to hear about the rushed ending, and it is a bit frustrating when you can't find the title within the story. I really love when the title ends up having tons of meaning in the story I am reading as well :)
ReplyDeleteYAY glad I'm not alone in thinking that!
DeleteOoh, I have a copy of this! And this is the first review I've seen of it so YAY I'm pleased to know what I'm getting into. 😂 I was going to start it today but I got sidetracked taking photos haha...aaanyway, it's a pity it's not particularly memorable though. I struggle with that a lot these days while reading?! I just want things to stand out from the crowd! ANYWAY. Still sounds like a solid read so I'm excited. :D
ReplyDeleteHOPE YOU ENJOY IT CAIT! xx
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