Title: Gorgeous
Author: Paul Rudnick
First published April 30, 2013
336 pages, Hardcover
ISBN: 9780545464260 (ISBN10: 0545464269)
Rating: 3.49
Overview
Becky Randle was just an ordinary girl until her mother’s death changed everything. Summoned by Tom Kelly, the world’s top designer, Becky is offered a life-changing opportunity.
With the creation of three dresses, Tom will transform her into the most beautiful woman in the world. Though skeptical, Becky accepts and is reborn as Rebecca.
But while the world sees her as a stunning beauty, Becky still sees herself as the same awkward girl. As Rebecca becomes a Hollywood darling and dates celebrities, she meets Prince Gregory, heir to the British throne, and falls in love.
But can Gregory see past the glamour and love the real Becky inside? In Gorgeous, Paul Rudnick takes you on a wild ride through the world of high fashion and fame, reminding us that true beauty lies within.
About the Author
Meet Paul M. Rudnick, a talented American writer known for his remarkable plays, screenplays, and novels.
Among his notable works are I Hate Hamlet, Jeffrey, The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, Valhalla, and The New Century. Interestingly, he also wrote for Premiere magazine using the pen name Libby Gelman-Waxner.
It’s worth noting that Paul is openly gay, proud of his identity, and a great advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.
Editoral Review
Author Abbi Glines’ novel Bad for You is a captivating romantic novel that explores various real-world issues while also eliciting an emotional response from readers. First published on April 1, 2014, this book falls under the young adult genre and tackles themes such as family, love, loss, addiction, and forgiveness.
Abbi Glines’ fleshes out the multi-dimensional characters and the southern small towns setting in a powerful way that serves both to contextualize the cast of personalities and explore their world. The novel tells the story of Blythe Denton, who comes from a privileged family in a small town in the South.
Despite appearances, Blythe’s life is filled with turmoil as she struggles with her mother’s alcoholism, her father’s secret life, and her own feelings of grief and loss. When she meets Krit Corbin, a wealthy young man from the other side of town with a reputation as a party boy, their lives collide and their secrets are revealed, putting both of them at risk.
Glines’ writing style is fluid and evocative, capturing the essence and reality of small town living in the South. She takes the reader on a journey of self-discovery, love and immense heartbreak, recycling issues still prevalent in today’s society, adding a level of weighty historical significance to the novel.
The writer tackles complex themes with grace, while exploring the human condition and emotion with immense depth, leaving readers with a lasting impression. The characters are all very well-developed, and readers with personal experience with addiction or with family members suffering from addiction can relate to the vivid descriptions of people grappling with these issues.
From the well-to-do families to the vulnerable and gripped by addiction, the familiarity of the personalities combined with the writer’s portrayal helps create a fictional world that seems very real. Despite its strengths, Bad for You is not without some weaker points.
There is some predictability within the storyline, a common feature of romantic fiction that the writer appeared to want to keep, reducing the impact of the more dramatic moments. Some readers may also find it too melodramatic, with a clear absence of a balance in your emotional journey in parts of the book.
In conclusion, If you are searching for an emotionally charged book, full of love, heartbreak, dramas and hard-hitting themes, then Bad for You is an absolute must-read. Abbi Glines blew into the scene with a powerful narrative and skilful character development in this work, showcasing why she’s heralded as one of the young adult genre’s premier writers.
This novel will not only provide the reader with an engaging and compelling novel experience but will help them understand some of the more poignant and heavy issues that the fictional characters themselves grapple. All things considered, this novel is an excellent read and will leave you feeling touched long after the plot comes to an end.
The book earns a rating of 4.2 stars out of 5 stars.
