4.5 stars.

I loved that the author created a character who was not actually a damsel in distress, but who needed to realize that she had for so long been the villain of her own story. We're usually given a kind and loving princess but instead were given a realistically flawed character who's far from the constant victim she thinks she is. There are so many people who could benefit from reading the different messages contained in this story. I also like that she ended up with the best friend :) ( )

Shallow poorly-written garbage. It's crazy to make a story about giving a mentally ill child permanent invasive surgery a fairy tale. Ever's body dysmorphia just disappears (in the corniest scene in YA history) and that's it? No therapy for her disordered eating or grief from her mom's death? No setbacks in her progress? No follow-up doctor visits? Ever is also rude and cruel to everyone around her, from her family to her classmates to her 'best friend.' Just an awful book about how mutilating yourself is worth being skinny. ( )

Adversity

There isn't much I can say that hasn't already been said by the other (albeit few and far between) negative reviews, but I am going to review it anyway because I hated this book THAT much.

First of all, as others have said, the main character is unlikable. She's a b*tch. And at the end, she realizes she's been a b*tch, which I guess is great, but the author never really managed to make her seem sympathetic or interesting in any way. I get it, she has a great singing voice. Yawn. In every other way, she seems like your "typical" girly girl to the point of being a caricature. Actually, nobody in this book is likable. They're all 2D caricatures of high school "types." The nerd. The fashionista. The mean cheerleader. The bouncy weird theater geek. The (obviously, but not overtly stated) gay guy. In the end, Ever realizes that they were all more complex than she thought, but at that point, it was too late, at least for me. Also, not for nothing, but all the disparaging remarks about "science geeks" and eye rolling about her best friend Rat's intellectual pursuits make me wonder why she even likes him in the end. Is it just because he likes you, Ever, because if that's the case, you're going to have a bad time.

And, again as others have said, WHAT IS WITH ALL THE EMPHASIS ON APPEARANCE? Holy crap. For a book that is supposedly about inner beauty, it sure sounds like it is still saying that beauty is to be valued pretty much above all else. I know I am a bit radical about these things and I'll admit it, but I'd love for a book like this NOT to say "you were beautiful even though you were fat" but instead to say "It doesn't matter if you are beautiful. You are not an object. You are a person." That's what I want in a teen book about this kind of subject. I don't want that final realization to be "wow I *am* pretty!" I want it to be "I don't really care if I'm pretty because it doesn't matter. I am valuable because of who I am inside." But christ on a stick, she is drooling over male classmates abs and going on and on about their physiques and I just wanted to throw the damn book. What a freaking hypocrite. But anyway...

Finally, and this is the big sticking point I think for others who disliked the book as well, WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD GIVE GASTRIC BYPASS SURGERY TO A 15 YEAR OLD UNLESS SHE WERE IN FAIRLY IMMINENT DANGER OF LITERALLY DYING DUE TO HER WEIGHT?! The character admits that her attempts at weight loss have consisted mainly of half-assed fad diets. She admits that her overeating is due to her issues surrounding her mother's death. Which is fine! That's understandable and fairly normal. However, what physician in his right mind would do irreversible surgery on a girl who clearly needs to work with a psychologist, a grief counselor, a nutritionist, start a rigorous exercise regimen... I mean, she hasn't *really* tried. I'm sorry. And that's not to say "oh she's a lazy fat girl. If she tried she'd lose the weight easily." No. Obviously, it's hard. Obviously, it takes a TON of hard work and effort. But she needs to try that first, before jumping into surgery that will literally make it impossible for her to eat normally for the rest of her life. Not to mention this schizophrenic hearing of voices she has going on. "Skinny" literally talks to her. She has given her a NAME. I feel like that's reason enough for her to go and get some help, but no. The author wanted this to be a rags to riches, ugly duckling reality show feel good novel. She forgot to pay attention to the fact that she is influencing young girls, though, and selling them a "quick" fix that is not generally appropriate for people who are not yet done growing. What a message. Ugh.

So in conclusion, this book sucks. ( )

If you don't read this, even though I really believe everyone should at some point, at least read/listen to the authors interview. ( )