Author: Jaimie Admans
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon
“New Year’s Resolutions:
1. Lloyd Layton will know I exist. He once said three whole words to me, so this is obviously progress. If I don’t get a proper conversation out of him soon, then I’ll take my top off and streak through the cafeteria, because nobody could fail to notice these boobs.
2. I will not get expelled for streaking through the cafeteria.”
Those are the words that begin her mission.
Chessie is fourteen, not pretty enough, and very much in love. Lloyd Layton is hot, popular, and unaware of Chessie’s existence.
Her goal is clear: to get Lloyd to love her as much as she loves him, and she has exactly one year to do it.
As Chessie’s obsession with Lloyd reaches boiling point and she starts to spin a web of lies that spiral out of control, Lloyd turns out to be not quite the prince she thought he was. Can Chessie avoid the gathering storm before things go too far?
“I don’t want to be popular because a boy likes me, I want to be myself, and if other people like me or if they don’t, at least I will like myself.”
Not Pretty Enough is different from other stories I’ve read. The structure was something I have to adjust at the beginning. It was like a patch of scenes, randomly narrated by Chessie. I had a hard time figuring out how many days or months have passed but after a while I forgot about it and got lost in the story.
No matter how pathetic Chessie was in the book, she is definitely relatable. The awkward phase in her life was something that comes with being in high school, especially when she has something that is different than girls her age. Her pining for Lloyd was understandable too. I’ve had crushes and although I didn’t exactly do what she did, I still went through that stage and it was so true. No matter how pissed I was with her when she was still pining for the guy who is clearly a jerk, everything was still believable and realistic because there were times when we can’t shake off the attraction no matter how unattractive a person is.
Lloyd, on the other hand, made me want to rip my hair off and stick my eyes out. He was a jerk. He was a stupid, hormonal jerk who cares for no one but himself. At the early part of the novel, I really thought that he a good guy. Maybe not the one who’d fall for our protagonist but still a good guy who’d let her down gently and would still care about her feelings. I even brushed off some of his mistakes, thinking that maybe he really meant what he said and just forgot about it and accepted his reasons. For a while, I was like Chessie, eating every word Lloyd said.
Reading this was like reading with split personality. One that can relate to Chessie while the other one is that friend who’d tell you that you’re already being stupid and makes your realize it. Unexpectedly, the epiphany I’ve been waiting for didn’t come sooner. With this kind of story, I expected that she’d realize that she’s doesn’t deserve to be treated like that and move on, and after she’s moved on, Lloyd would realize his mistakes too. WRONG. It didn’t happen that way.
It was said that this one’s the first book of a series and I can’t imagine what will happen in the next book but I am very curious about it. This book is fun, despite being a bit pathetic if you’d use your logical mind. Totally relatable main character and experience. It was like déjà vu. This is for those kids who are going through that awkward phase in high school and secretly (or not) pining for that guy who is (or not) for you but hasn’t realized it yet.
This copy was provided by the author in exchanged for an honest review.
Jaimie is a 28-year-old English-sounding Welsh girl with an awkward-to-spell name. She lives in South Wales and enjoys writing, gardening, drinking tea and watching horror movies. She hates spiders and cheese & onion crisps. She has been writing for years but has never before plucked up the courage to tell people. Afterlife Academy is her third novel and she hopes you enjoy it. There are plenty more on the way!
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