Author: Lara Chapman
From GoodReads, "Sarah Burke is just about perfect. She's got killer blue eyes, gorgeous blond hair, and impeccable grades. There's just one tiny-all right, enormous-flaw: her nose. But even that's not so bad. Sarah's got the best best friend and big goals for print journalism fame.
On the first day of senior year, Rock Conway walks into her journalism class and, well, rocks her world. Problem is, her best friend, Kristen, falls for him too. And when Rock and Kristen stand together, it's like Barbie and Ken come to life. So when Kristen begs Sarah to help her nab Rock, Sarah does the only thing a best friend can do-she agrees. For someone so smart, what was she thinking?
This hip retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac is filled with hilariously misguided matchmaking, sweet romance, and a gentle reminder that we should all embrace our flaws."
Around the time that I graduated from high school or shortly thereafter a movie with Steve Martin and Darryl Hannah came out called Roxanne. (I realize by writing this that I'm telling my age, but oh well.) Anyways, the movie was about a guy with an incredibly large nose who is trying to get the girl of his dreams and this book reminds me of that movie except that it is a girl with a large nose and there is the added problem that the guy that she really likes happens to be dating her best friend who happens to be gorgeous.
Flawless happens to be a retelling of the famous play Cyrano de Bergerac, which I haven't actually read or seen, but knew the basic premise. The story follows main character, Sarah Burke (the girl with the big nose). Sarah has been best friends with Kristen for years and that friendship is tested when Sarah falls big-time for Kristen's boyfriend, Rock Conway.
I loved that going after what you want and remaining loyal to a friend were at constant odds in this novel and I think that the reason I liked it so much was that it was so utterly believable. Sarah's choices were gut-wrenching at times for her and I could totally see where she was coming from.
Also, I must say that Rock Conway, the boy that Sarah has feelings for in the book, is an amazing character and I have a novel crush on him as well. It's rare that you see a guy character that is good-looking, intelligent, romantic, and cares how other people feel.
I also really liked the cover of the book and thought it was very clever that the actual nose is missing on the cover so that you could see how truly beautiful Sarah is without her nose. The one person that should have supported Sarah the most, her mother, was at times a baffling character. I cannot fathom that a teenage girl's mom would leave her brochures about plastic surgery! Wow! I have no doubt that this kind of mother is out there though. It made it easier to understand why she is the way she is when you read the book though. I understand her better, but I don't condone how she treated her daughter at times.
I think that this book will appeal to anyone that has something about them that they don't like. (I guess that probably is mostly everybody!) There is a huge (pun intended!) message in this book about accepting who you are that I think is a great message to be sending teens (and adults)!
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