[Review] Gorgeous by Paul Rudnick

Buy on Amazon or the Book Depository
Now available in paperback!

Title: Gorgeous

Author: Paul Rudnick 

Publisher: Scholastic Books

Genre: Young Adult- Contemporary Fiction, Romance, Fairy Tale

Release Date: April 30, 2013 - April 29, 2014 paperback

Source: copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review – review policy here.

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Eighteen-year-old Becky Randle is an ordinary girl who receives an impossible offer. She meets Tom Kelly, the world's top designer, and he promises to create three dresses to transform her from a nothing-special girl into the Most Beautiful Woman Who Ever Lived.

Becky thinks Tom is a lunatic, or that he's producing a hidden camera show called World's Most Gullible Poor People. But she accepts, and she's remade as Rebecca. When Becky looks in the mirror, she sees herself -- an awkward mess of split ends and cankles. But when anyone else looks at Becky, they see pure five-alarm hotness.

Soon Rebecca is on the cover of Vogue and the new Hollywood darling. Then she meets Prince Gregory, heir to the British throne, and everything starts to crumble. Because Rebecca aside, Becky loves him. But to love her back, Gregory would have to look past the blinding Rebecca to see the real girl inside. And for that, there's not enough magic in the world.

I have a confession to make... I almost DNF'd this at around 10% because Becky and I were not meshing. At all. I'm going to start with my biggest beef so we can move on to what I adored about this read. This is the thing about Becky, it is made very clear that she is trailer trash from podunk land Missouri. I don't know Missouri but I'm from podunk Texas so it's got to be close. Becky and Rebecca both use words or know things, with no explanation, that just do not fit their character for a story told in first person. 

Such as:

How does she randomly know the area codes of NYC?

Brocade covered couch (What the heck is brocade?)

Damask pillows (I don't think they have these at the Super Shop-A-Lot.)

Camellias (Is she a botany expert? What the heck is a Camellias?)

Apothecary jars (Yeah, this generation didn't experience pharmacies that had soda and candy counters.)

I could go on but you get my point... It was distracting but eventually I got over it. 

When I checked Goodreads 'Gorgeous' had been shelved as Romance and Contemporary Lit, along with some Fantasy. To me it reads more fairy tale-ish with a combination of Cinderella and Aladdin set against the fashion/celebrity worlds of NYC and London, and I love it. 

 

What I Loved:

1) Rocher. She is the ultimate sidekick- funny, witty and comes with uber-quotable dialogue which will make you LOL. She does curse like a sailor but that's what makes her the BFF and not the star. Homegirl is named after a french candy so she has to be spunky, it can't be easy.

2) The Clothes: I know I couldn't see it but I could. I wish I could draw because I would launch a whole fashion line inspired by Tom Kelly's designs for Rebecca.

3) The Feels. These are not major feels so no need for tissue, but instead Rudnick gives us family feels and really gives meaning to home is where the heart is as both Rebecca and Prince Charming Gregory navigate family issues. While there are definitely cutesy-romantic feels they pale in comparison to Rebecca's connection to her parents and Gregory's mom.

4) Prince Gregory's One Liners. 

"The crown Jewels," said the prince, "and I don't know why,
but every time I say that I feel I should be unzipping my fly."

"Because when I'm with you, I'm the pretty one."

5) The Fairy Tale Elements Okay, I wasn't prepared for this so when it happened I was like... wahhh? But, then I got it and was like, huh, didn't know this was going there but then I liked the story that much more. Somehow it made it all more believable, a happy surprise if you will.

3 Stars: So in the end I heart Becky and this could totally be a movie. The fairy tale spin made it. Definitely worth borrowing. I've also heard great things about the audiobook version.