Gorgeous by Rachel Vail

From the Publisher

She's looking good...but Allison Avery can't believe it. Growing up with beautiful, blond sisters, Allison has always been the dark-haired, "interesting-looking" Avery. So when the devil shows up and offers to make her gorgeous, Allison jumps at the chance to finally get noticed. But there's one tiny catch, and it's not her soul: The devil wants her cell phone.

Though her deal with the devil seems like a good idea at the time, Allison soon realizes that being gorgeous isn't as easy as it looks. Are her new friends and boyfriend for real, or do they just like her pretty face? Allison can't trust anyone anymore, and her possessed phone and her family's financial crisis aren't making things any easier. Plus when she finds out that she might be America's next teen model, all hell breaks loose. Allison may be losing control, but how far is she willing to go to stay gorgeous forever?

Following the critically acclaimed LUCKY, Rachel Vail continues her poignant sisterhood trilogy with the rebellious middle Avery sister, Allison. Fiery, sarcastic, and just plain fun, GORGEOUS captures the heartbreak and hilarity in one girl's attempt to have it all.

VOYA

Allison Avery is the difficult middle child, the "interesting-looking" Avery sister. She has spent her life surrounded by perfectly manicured lawns, people, and lives. For years Allison has been hiding behind her long bangs, baggy sweatshirts, and neutral colors and living in the shadow of her beautiful sisters and best friend, Jade. Then one night she sells her cell phone to the devil in exchange for seven people to think she is gorgeous. It is now Allison's turn to stand out and shine. As she maneuvers the minefields of family, friends, and relationships, she realizes that even gorgeous people have problems. Figuring out who has her best interests in mind proves complicated, especially when her cell phone is possessed by the devil. This novel continues the trilogy about the Avery sisters and their family's sudden plunge into economic uncertainty that started with Lucky (HarperTeen 2008/VOYA August 2008). At first glance, one would expect a light, glossy novel about whiny rich girls and the glamorous lives they lead. It is indeed a quick read but one with humor and depth to the characters. Allison is skeptical, smart, and insecure. Young teens will relate to her voice and her struggle to find her place. Allison's imperfections and contradictions ring true. Throughout this coming-of-age story, readers see her vulnerability and her confidence, her independence and her fragile self-esteem. Readers will stay with her as she takes chances, makes mistakes, tries new things, and finds out what is important to her. Reviewer: Cheryl French

School Library Journal

Gr 7-9–This second book about the Avery sisters retells the events in Lucky (HarperTeen, 2008) from the perspective of middle sister Allison. She sees herself as the plainest of the three, stuck “between two pillars of perfection,” and wishes she, too, were gorgeous. The ninth grader also has to come to terms with the effect that the loss of her mother’s high-powered job has on the entire family. One night, she dreams that she has sold her cell phone to the devil in return for at least seven people who think she is gorgeous, and strangely, after the dream, things start to change in her life. She becomes friends with new girl Roxie Green, who talks her into cutting school and going to Manhattan for an open call for models for teen magazine zip. To her utter amazement, Allison is selected as a finalist in its cover-model contest, but she then has to deal with the fallout from keeping this a secret from her family and from Roxie and with her fading friendship with her best friend. As always, Vail is spot-on in her depictions of young teen girls and their complex relationships with friends and family, and her treatment of the clichéd “girl whom everyone thinks is plain becomes successful” is fresh, innovative, and realistic. Allison is an engaging, funny character, and girls will identify with her disappointment with her looks and her longing for respect and recognition.–Kathleen E. Gruver, Burlington County Library, Westampton, NJ

Kirkus Reviews

With two popular and beautiful sisters, Allison Avery feels like she'll never measure up. She'd confide in her best friend, Jade, except that Jade is hypercritical of Allison's appearance. Jade is also interested in Ty, the boy Allison's been crushing on forever. When the devil appears in Allison's room one night, she trades her cell (not her soul) for the chance that seven people will think she's gorgeous. The deal seems to be legit; Ty now seems to notice Allison exists, and her cell phone has taken on a life of its own. As the end of Allison's ninth-grade year approaches, friendships in flux and her chance to win a modeling contest show her that there's more to being gorgeous than outward appearances. Allison is sarcastic and often moody, but she also cares deeply for her friends, traits readers will recognize. Vail shows a clear understanding of the everyday turmoil faced by today's teens and handles them with wit and obvious affection. If they haven't already read its predecessor, Lucky (2008), teens will want to after finishing this one. (Fiction. YA)

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