Book: North Of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

Book Info: Published by Little, Brown Books For Young Readers; 373 pages; hardcover; borrowed from the library

Genre: YA/Contemporary; Realistic

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Goodreads.com Summary: As he continued to stare, I wanted to point to my cheek and remind him, But you were the one who wanted this, remember? You’re the one who asked-and I repeat-Why not fix your face? 

It’s hard not to notice Terra Cooper.

She’s tall, blond, and has an enviable body. But with one turn of her cheek, all people notice is her unmistakably “flawed” face. Terra secretly plans to leave her stifling small town in the Northwest and escape to an East Coast college, but gets pushed off-course by her controlling father. When an unexpected collision puts Terra directly in Jacob’s path, the handsome but quirky Goth boy immediately challenges her assumptions about herself and her life, and she is forced in yet another direction. With her carefully laid plans disrupted, will Terra be able to find her true path?

Written in lively, artful prose, award-winning author Justina Chen Headley has woven together a powerful novel about a fractured family, falling in love, travel, and the meaning of true beauty. 

North Of Beautiful is stunning.  It is a very realistic novel, and I found Terra to be very relatable.  I think, more than anything, it is about family and how they relate to each other.  There were scenes were I wanted to cry, because it was so heart-wrenching.

I thought the element of map-making was very unusual, but it worked really well.  I think I might like to learn more about it at some point.  And geo-caching was also an interesting plot point.  I thought it added to the theme of self-discovery really well.

I am so glad I read this, and it’s beautifully written.  She does a great job of making everyone real.  The whole time I was reading it, I was reminded of different people in my life and how I relate to them.  You can’t help but be drawn into Terra’s world.

My rating?  I give it a 5 out of 5.  It’s something everyone can relate to.  I think this book will stay with me for a long time to come.