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✨ bloop ✨'s Reviews > The List
The List
by
by
✨ bloop ✨'s review
bookshelves: young-adult, shitty, pissed-me-off-so-much, boring, bullshit-of-the-century, romance, contemporary
Jul 22, 2014
bookshelves: young-adult, shitty, pissed-me-off-so-much, boring, bullshit-of-the-century, romance, contemporary
2.5 stars.
Reposting my review.
Every year, 8 girls get listed as the "ugliest" or the "prettiest" girl of their year.
For this years prettiest, we have freshman Abby Warner, sophomore Lauren Finn, junior Bridget Honeycutt, and senior Margo Gable.
For the ugliest, we have freshman Danielle Demarco, Candace Kincaid, Sarah Singer, and Jennifer Briggis (who's been listed as the ugliest for the last three years as well, making her the only student who has been listed all four years).
The story happens over a span of six days, following the eight different girls and how the list has affected them.
For Abby, ever since the list came out and listed her as the prettiest (and for overcoming family genetics), her older sister has been distant. While the two sisters have always been so different [her older sister being scholastic and Abby being rather materialistic], they still were on good terms with her. That was before the list comes out.
For Danielle Demarco, the list has a negative effect on her. She was labeled the ugliest (and called "Dan the Man"), which only ends up having a negative effect on her insecurity.
I, right off the bat, felt sympathetic towards Danielle (and the other "uglies") because no girl should ever be called the ugliest of her year, and then be ridiculed for her features. Danielle is athletic, really strong, and is really muscular. [However, when you read the book, you'll later find out that she was listed as the ugliest for an even dumber reason. (view spoiler)
When Danielle was listed ugliest, it all goes sour for her. Her relationship with her boyfriend (from camp) becomes distant and she became too fixated on trying to understand why she was on the list and why her boyfriend was distant, rather than her swim.
For sophomore ugliest, we have Candace Kincaid. She's not ugly on the outside, but she is on the inside. While the first chapter that she was introduced in showed how "shallow" she is, I never truly understood why her friends were so quick to complain to others that she was so "mean" and insufferable. Shallow, yes. Ugly on the inside? Not really.
In the span of the book, her arc demonstrates that she's not that bad of a person. (By the end of the book, I really liked how far her character developed).
For sophomore's prettiest, we have Lauren Finn (listed and described with "everyone's hot for the new girl"). Having been homeschooled, Lauren didn't have that many friends. It doesn't help that her mother is extremely protective (and that she calls her mother "mommy"). Her grandfather has died, leaving her mother and her a house to live in.
While I didn't mind Lauren's character often, I minded her mother a lot. She was controlling, made too many quick assumptions, evasive and was too close-minded.
By the end of Lauren's arc, I found myself annoyed with how it ended for her. Her character arc was the one that needed most improvement.
For junior's ugliest, we have rebel Sarah Singer. Pissed that she's on the list (not because she cares about the list, but because at this time, she's insecure about her boyfriend and his ex-girlfriend), she decides to prove to the school that she can get uglier by not showering at all and wearing the same clothes everyday. I felt sympathetic for Sarah (as I did for Danielle) because she was insecure when it comes to her boyfriend, and the list just made it so much worse. [Spoiler: she was listed because the girl who listed her hated her rebel, tough girl act and wanted to call her out on it.]
For junior's prettiest, we have Bridget Honeycutt. Having been slightly overweight, she ends up with an eating disorder over the summer after trying on a swim suit and, to her horror, finds out it does not fit her. Too ashamed to not put it back (and because her mother's impatiently waiting for her), she buys it. She ended up starving herself, running whenever she gets hungry--and by the time she came back to school, she's skinny.
The list doesn't really impact her life, because she was more fixated on her weight (something her sister, who's best friend with freshman's prettiest, is worried over). She ends up trying random cleanses in hopes of losing even more weight before Homecoming. She then decides that starving herself would be an even better method, cause then there would be nothing to have to worry about.
This ends up with a falling out between her and her sister, and that's how her arc ends.
In another character's chapter, she talks to Bridget, who's too sad at Homecoming over her sister's annoyance at her. The list had little to do with her eating disorder, but the chapter had it as if the list is the reason that caused her falling out with her sister.
For senior's ugliest, we have Jennifer Briggis. She's the only girl who has won the ugliest for the last three years. With that kind of record, you (the audience/readers) are supposed to feel sorry for her.
Right off the bat, she takes the label with pride. It mentions how the first year (freshman year), when she found out she was humiliated and ungracefully reacted (crying, wailing, flailing, throwing up, the works). I felt sympathetic for her then, but that was it. She was making a scene over something very shallow and trivial. She had friends (girls from choir) of her own, but she always thought she was prettier than them, superior than them, better than them, the works.
That's when my sympathy for the character ended.
We later learn that she's overweight and used to be good friends with senior's prettiest, Margo Gamble.
This is a character you wanted to feel sympathetic for--but as the story progresses, you realize how she shouldn't have won "ugliest" for her looks. She should have won it for her ugly personality [her ugly personality tops Candace's]. Margo's two best friends take sympathy on her, and decides to try to help campaign for her to win homecoming queen.
They invite her to a pre-homecoming party (for Jennifer's behalf) at Margo's house, where she proves to be as terrible as ever as she "pretends" to go to the bathroom and then goes into Margo's room and tries to find her diary. [You learn throughout the book from Margo's perspective chapters that she stopped being friends with Jennifer because of how clingy and obsessive Jen was towards her, and how Jen always made her feel so bad about herself]. We then learn that Jennifer, throughout her life, has always read Margo's diary in order to put Margo "back in her place" whenever she was "out of line."
I stopped feeling sorry for her. (view spoiler) She got so petty over the hopes of winning homecoming queen (as a way to stick it to her ex-friend, Margo) she goes running to the principal when she hears that Sarah (Junior's ugliest) might pull some type of stunt at the homecoming dance.
Margo Gable was senior's prettiest. While she was slightly shallow at some times, she was a sympathetic character. Her best friends, Dana and Rachel, were too busy feeling sorry over Jennifer (painting Jen as the innocent victim, while Margo was painted as the villain). She had a strained relationship with her older sister. She still feels guilty for cutting Jennifer out of her life, but reasoned it was for the best--because of Jennifer's obsession with Margo. She even calls herself out on it in front of her friends, which was something that made me realize that she's not really a mean girl.
Overall, the story's pacing is slow and all over the place (as it follows eight different character). While we, the readers, find out who is the one behind this year's list (and the previous few years), we never ever get to see the principal or other girls (sans Margo) find out who created this year's list. Too many endings are left ambiguous, some more painfully obvious than others.
This book had a great concept but a poor execution.
Reposting my review.
Every year, 8 girls get listed as the "ugliest" or the "prettiest" girl of their year.
For this years prettiest, we have freshman Abby Warner, sophomore Lauren Finn, junior Bridget Honeycutt, and senior Margo Gable.
For the ugliest, we have freshman Danielle Demarco, Candace Kincaid, Sarah Singer, and Jennifer Briggis (who's been listed as the ugliest for the last three years as well, making her the only student who has been listed all four years).
The story happens over a span of six days, following the eight different girls and how the list has affected them.
For Abby, ever since the list came out and listed her as the prettiest (and for overcoming family genetics), her older sister has been distant. While the two sisters have always been so different [her older sister being scholastic and Abby being rather materialistic], they still were on good terms with her. That was before the list comes out.
For Danielle Demarco, the list has a negative effect on her. She was labeled the ugliest (and called "Dan the Man"), which only ends up having a negative effect on her insecurity.
I, right off the bat, felt sympathetic towards Danielle (and the other "uglies") because no girl should ever be called the ugliest of her year, and then be ridiculed for her features. Danielle is athletic, really strong, and is really muscular. [However, when you read the book, you'll later find out that she was listed as the ugliest for an even dumber reason. (view spoiler)
When Danielle was listed ugliest, it all goes sour for her. Her relationship with her boyfriend (from camp) becomes distant and she became too fixated on trying to understand why she was on the list and why her boyfriend was distant, rather than her swim.
For sophomore ugliest, we have Candace Kincaid. She's not ugly on the outside, but she is on the inside. While the first chapter that she was introduced in showed how "shallow" she is, I never truly understood why her friends were so quick to complain to others that she was so "mean" and insufferable. Shallow, yes. Ugly on the inside? Not really.
In the span of the book, her arc demonstrates that she's not that bad of a person. (By the end of the book, I really liked how far her character developed).
For sophomore's prettiest, we have Lauren Finn (listed and described with "everyone's hot for the new girl"). Having been homeschooled, Lauren didn't have that many friends. It doesn't help that her mother is extremely protective (and that she calls her mother "mommy"). Her grandfather has died, leaving her mother and her a house to live in.
While I didn't mind Lauren's character often, I minded her mother a lot. She was controlling, made too many quick assumptions, evasive and was too close-minded.
By the end of Lauren's arc, I found myself annoyed with how it ended for her. Her character arc was the one that needed most improvement.
For junior's ugliest, we have rebel Sarah Singer. Pissed that she's on the list (not because she cares about the list, but because at this time, she's insecure about her boyfriend and his ex-girlfriend), she decides to prove to the school that she can get uglier by not showering at all and wearing the same clothes everyday. I felt sympathetic for Sarah (as I did for Danielle) because she was insecure when it comes to her boyfriend, and the list just made it so much worse. [Spoiler: she was listed because the girl who listed her hated her rebel, tough girl act and wanted to call her out on it.]
For junior's prettiest, we have Bridget Honeycutt. Having been slightly overweight, she ends up with an eating disorder over the summer after trying on a swim suit and, to her horror, finds out it does not fit her. Too ashamed to not put it back (and because her mother's impatiently waiting for her), she buys it. She ended up starving herself, running whenever she gets hungry--and by the time she came back to school, she's skinny.
The list doesn't really impact her life, because she was more fixated on her weight (something her sister, who's best friend with freshman's prettiest, is worried over). She ends up trying random cleanses in hopes of losing even more weight before Homecoming. She then decides that starving herself would be an even better method, cause then there would be nothing to have to worry about.
This ends up with a falling out between her and her sister, and that's how her arc ends.
In another character's chapter, she talks to Bridget, who's too sad at Homecoming over her sister's annoyance at her. The list had little to do with her eating disorder, but the chapter had it as if the list is the reason that caused her falling out with her sister.
For senior's ugliest, we have Jennifer Briggis. She's the only girl who has won the ugliest for the last three years. With that kind of record, you (the audience/readers) are supposed to feel sorry for her.
Right off the bat, she takes the label with pride. It mentions how the first year (freshman year), when she found out she was humiliated and ungracefully reacted (crying, wailing, flailing, throwing up, the works). I felt sympathetic for her then, but that was it. She was making a scene over something very shallow and trivial. She had friends (girls from choir) of her own, but she always thought she was prettier than them, superior than them, better than them, the works.
That's when my sympathy for the character ended.
We later learn that she's overweight and used to be good friends with senior's prettiest, Margo Gamble.
This is a character you wanted to feel sympathetic for--but as the story progresses, you realize how she shouldn't have won "ugliest" for her looks. She should have won it for her ugly personality [her ugly personality tops Candace's]. Margo's two best friends take sympathy on her, and decides to try to help campaign for her to win homecoming queen.
They invite her to a pre-homecoming party (for Jennifer's behalf) at Margo's house, where she proves to be as terrible as ever as she "pretends" to go to the bathroom and then goes into Margo's room and tries to find her diary. [You learn throughout the book from Margo's perspective chapters that she stopped being friends with Jennifer because of how clingy and obsessive Jen was towards her, and how Jen always made her feel so bad about herself]. We then learn that Jennifer, throughout her life, has always read Margo's diary in order to put Margo "back in her place" whenever she was "out of line."
I stopped feeling sorry for her. (view spoiler) She got so petty over the hopes of winning homecoming queen (as a way to stick it to her ex-friend, Margo) she goes running to the principal when she hears that Sarah (Junior's ugliest) might pull some type of stunt at the homecoming dance.
Margo Gable was senior's prettiest. While she was slightly shallow at some times, she was a sympathetic character. Her best friends, Dana and Rachel, were too busy feeling sorry over Jennifer (painting Jen as the innocent victim, while Margo was painted as the villain). She had a strained relationship with her older sister. She still feels guilty for cutting Jennifer out of her life, but reasoned it was for the best--because of Jennifer's obsession with Margo. She even calls herself out on it in front of her friends, which was something that made me realize that she's not really a mean girl.
Overall, the story's pacing is slow and all over the place (as it follows eight different character). While we, the readers, find out who is the one behind this year's list (and the previous few years), we never ever get to see the principal or other girls (sans Margo) find out who created this year's list. Too many endings are left ambiguous, some more painfully obvious than others.
This book had a great concept but a poor execution.
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Reading Progress
Finished Reading
July 22, 2014
– Shelved
