Revenge of a Not-So-Pretty Girl
By Carolita Blythe
Release Date: April 9, 2013
Source: Publisher
Summary: Faye doesn't mean to hit the old lady she and her friends are mugging. But she does. The old lady isn't moving, but Faye has no reason to feel guilty for leaving her there. The old lady might be ancient and wrinkly now. But back in the day, she was as beautiful as they come—a famous movie star. And everyone knows that pretty and mean always go together. But Faye does feel guilty. So she comes back.
Slowly, Faye and the old lady form an unlikely friendship, one that pulls Faye out of her life with her abusive mother and destructive "friends" and allows the old lady relief from her loneliness.
But in an unfair world in which the pretty girls, no matter how mean, always seem to get everything, while Faye gets nothing, will Faye be able to keep from slipping back to her old ways? Will her mother ever be happy? Will her father ever come home to stay? And what if Faye goes her whole life without Michael Jackson ever loving her back?
Faye is an honest, straightforward narrator who is likable even in her most flawed moments and will be cheered on by readers of every age and from every walk of life.
It's 1984 and 14-year-old Faye has found herself in with the wrong crowd. With a mother who hates her and a dad off doing his own thing and not really in the picture, Faye really has no idea where she fits in, so she starts hanging out with girls who think it's fun to steal. But one time they go too far and Faye thinks she may have killed a harmless old lady when they were trying to take her money. So Faye goes back to check on the old lady and finds way more than she bargains for. Faye begins to spend more and more time with the old lady, though she can't really figure out why. Either way, Faye starts to learn more about herself that she had never realized before.
Now this may not have been at all what I was expecting, but I did end up enjoying Faye's story once I got into it. Faye has such a rough home life, so it's no surprise she starts hanging out with the wrong people. I felt so bad for her for how her mother treated her and I just wanted to her to tell someone about it or stand up to her mom. But Faye's only 14, so I guess I understand why she was so passive with her mom.
My favorite part about this book had to be Evelyn Downer, the old woman Faye starts to hang out with. She's so witty and strong-willed that I would love to have a friend like her, no matter how old she was. Throw in the fact that she was a huge movie star back in the day and I am a goner. Evelyn has her own secrets, though, and I think that's what makes her the perfect person to be in Faye's life right now.
This definitely did not turn out to be the bubbly, snarky YA book the cover makes it look like. No, this one turned out to be a story about a troubled teen just trying to find her place in the world. I love how an old lady ending up being the one to save her. Also, I really love books that take place in the past (Eleanor & Park was in the 80s as well and I LOVED that one), so it was fun reading about when there were no cell phones or internet. This one was definitely a unique read and I have to say I enjoyed it a lot. Some parts lagged a little, but overall I really felt for Faye and enjoyed reading her story of finding out who she really wants to be.
I had no idea that this book was the way it is either! It sounds like something that I might actually like though. Plus I find book that are set in the 80s to be a lot of fun to read. Great review!
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