Trigger warnings: Mentions of cancer

6/10, this was a book which could have been a lot better than what it is but instead the author completed this book without much thought and it underwhelmed me but this is only the first book by Sophia Bennett that I read and the second one was called The Castle which was a massive step up from this one. The premise seemed interesting because it was about two sisters, one was called Ava who had cancer and the other one was called Ted whose lives were polar opposites since Ted became a supermodel. I wasn't the target audience for this book but I kept reading to see what would happen and essentially she becomes super famous within a month and then she just quitted her career over some disagreement and some shouting later and miraculously Ava's cancer was treated and Ted shaved her hair in solidarity with her which was nice if she really cared for her but if she did that just to advance her career that would have been hypocritical of her and I think it's the latter that happened. There was a plot point about the romance where Ted and some rich boy whose name I forgot fall in love which really didn't need to be part of the book but it's there for whatever reason. The entire book wasn't that original since it's one of many rise and fall books but if you like books like that this one is for you. ( )

I read the book flap and understood it would be a sole-perspective story from the non-cancerous sister's point of view. I frowned, but thought the ideas of sisterhood, closeness, and worry about illness would be recurring themes. I wanted medical emergencies, hard decisions (work or family?), heartwarming sister moments, and tearjerkers.
I got none of these.
Five pages into the story, I knew how it would end and rolled my eyes. When a statistic was quoted the first time, I groaned out loud and knew exactly how the book would end. I was right. There is absolutely no tension, worry, or drama around the cancer and how everyone thinks of it. This is a book about teenage modeling, from start to finish.

This book makes me think that the author clearly just wanted to write about a teen model and that this is partially wish fulfillment. Cancer is mentioned in less than one percent of the book. The book is so jammed with wish fulfillment cliches that this review would be novel-length if I were to list them all. The cancer was to make the non-cancer sister look better. I was appalled. She was jealous of her sister until her sister got sick, tried to convince everyone they were close, and--rrgh. The narrator is a whiny, entitled, ego-driven brat who doesn't understand that consequences exist. And why should she? There -were- no consequences for anything. I will point out that her entitlement and ego don't rear their ugly heads until she stops waffling about everything and actually does something. It's like a switch was flipped, and she becomes an airhead not too long after. Boring and grating. Then again, the character was only marginally interesting before all this. "Waaah, I have a unibrow and am tall." Um, razors exist if you don't like tweezing. Waxing. Sugaring. You have options, dude, and a sister who would love to help. Tall--I am five foot two, so grrr.

The cancer microscopic-subplot could have been cut entirely and the book wouldn't have changed at all. The cancer itself was a road to nowhere plotwise. Frustrating! I would read a fiction book about teen modeling, sure--if it had actual tension in it and if the characters had any realistic motivations that are mentioned for longer than a paragraph. But this book -tried- to have a cancer sister in it, too, and that threw me off.
(grumble) At least I read it cover to cover so I could figure out exactly how correct I was. ( )

Fifteen-year-old Ted (short for Edwina) Trout is tall, gawky, has a unibrow, and a bird's nest for hair. The kids at school call her Freaky Friday. Her older sister, Ava, has movie star good looks, and is popular, athletic, and has a hot surfer boyfriend. A modeling scout discovers her, rather than Ava, while they are out one day. Ava tells her it is probably a scam because her friend spent a lot of money on pictures and never got to model, and throws his business card away. Ava is diagnosed with Lymphoma and her unemployed, history professor dad and her overworked mom are beside themselves with worry about her. With Ava’s encouragement, Ted pursues a modeling career with the top London agency, Model City, hoping to earn money to help out her parents. Her career really takes off when she shaves her own head to support Ava when her hair starts to fall out from the chemotherapy. The competing tensions between Ava’s life and death struggle and the lure of becoming a top model propel the story and at first the tone is a bit too lighthearted for a book where one of the characters has cancer. As you get to know Ted, you learn that humor is one of the ways she copes with her insecurities, her family’s financial problems, her sister’s illness, and just plain growing up. The book is by turns hilarious, sad, exciting, and poignant, sure to please readers who like fashion, modeling, a little drama, and romance. ( )

Not what I expected but in a good way. ( )

I have walked past this book numerous times and never bothered picking it up because it looked like a light, fluffy, chick lit read. Thankfully, it was so much more dealing with family teenage cancer and school. Although Ted annoyed me the way she moaned about her body, even after becoming a model, she was still a strong, caring protagonist.

However, my favourite character was Ava, Ted's older sister who was recently diagnosed with cancer. She was determined to live life to the full and not let the cancer drag her down. The bond between Ted and Ava was beautiful, and I loved how they supported each other when the other was at their weakest. In fact, I thought the sibling relationship was the strength of the book and the scene at the hairdresser's was by far the most moving moment of "The Look". It was truly touching and I loved how, not only the sisters changed throughout the book, but also their relationship.

The modelling aspect of this novel was well researched and I found it very interesting. Not only did it show the pressure and problems young, aspiring models have to face but also the extravagant world of fashion. Overall, this was a very enjoyable read with a lovely storyline, likeable characters and a strong family bond. ( )