Saturday 5 May 2012

The Look by Sophia Bennett (Young Adult)

 March 2012, Chickenhouse
330 pages, Paperback
Review copy

Themes: living with cancer, emotional side of chronic disease, complex feelings, trying to stay normal, misunderstandings, life in the modelling world, being taken in by glitz & glamour, drifting away from your true self, hiding emotions, the strong bond of sisterhood, mild teen romance, lots of humour, lots of tissues needed.

Summary from Chickenhouse
 
 
Ted is 15, and ... oh yes ... tall.
When she's spotted by a model agency, she can't believe it.

At the same time, Ted's fashionista sister, Ava, is diagnosed with cancer. With her world turned upside down, Ted has a lot of growing up to do, some of it in five-inch platforms. Should she be the model sister for Ava? Life in front of the camera is harder than it looks. And will she still be smiling when it’s over?
 
Nayuleska's thoughts
Aside from having pink edged pages, this is a book that took me on an emotional ride. I was teary in every chapter. I know that the story is about Ted, who find her inner strength thanks to the help of Ava, but Ava is the centre of the book. The way she soldiers on, not openly dwelling on the fear she and her family have about the unavoidable cancer, being light-hearted about her treatment, having moments where her vulnerability and deep rooted terror of what's happening seep out but those around her act sensitively & gaining fleeting answers through a simple look or touch of a hand are so realistic I got more teared up. 
 
Both sisters are incredibly brave, each needing the other to act a certain way so they can take each day at a time. This 10/10 read teaches to stay true to yourself no matter what happens, and enjoy the pleasant moments of life so you have something to support you during the tougher times.

You can find out more on Sophia's website

Suggested read

I totally recommend Sophia's spellbinding fashion series which starts with Threads, but I also recommend Meg Cabot's Airhead for insights into life in the fashion industry. 
 
 

2 comments:

Carina said...

While I haven't read too many reviews for this one so far, all of them were really positive, so I might have to get a copy of it, too. Thanks for sharing!

Carina
Fictional Distraction

Nayuleska said...

Go for it!