Everything Beautiful

This book is exactly the kind of book I aspire to write. A memorable main character, a snappy voice, a quiet lyricism that makes me want to copy whole paragraphs out and share them with people, and a clear and captivating plot, too. I like the way there is emotion but no sentimentality, and there is "edginess" without making it seem like edginess was the only goal in writing the book. I would like to immediately go out and buy the debut from this author, except I may want to reread Everything Beautiful first.

When I read a book, my goal is to see things through the main character’s eyes as much as possible, even if the character seems vastly different than me; Riley is one of those characters. Despite that, though, I found her to be relatable and could easily empathize with her plight in the book. She’s strong-willed and wants desperately to be impervious, hiding herself in defiance and sarcasm, but as she moves through the story, she gradually begins to tear at the wall she’s built around herself.
Most of the book moves along with Riley as she comes to realizations about herself and the other campers. At first she’s convinced that everything and everyone is stereotypically churchy, just like she feared. But as she’s stuck at Spirit show more Ranch, she begins to see that there’s more to the other campers than she originally thought, and that maybe there’s more to her, too. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not preachy, it’s not about saving Riley’s soul or getting her to church. This is about Riley realizing who she is, who she isn’t, and who she’s pretending to be.
Some of the characters in the story are flat and stereotypical, but they’re minor characters so they don’t need to be fully developed. Sarita and Fleur, Riley’s roommates, are accurate depictions of the different girls one may meet at church camp, though even they at some times veer into the dangerously stereotypical. The best part of the book for me was seeing how the different campers are revealed as Riley is able to look beyond her first impressions and see what is really there.
Dylan Luck, though, he’s one fantastically complicated boy. He’s brooding and guarded, not in a I’m-a-mysterious-bad-boy way, but in a I-lost-the-use-of-my-legs-and-I’m-still-dealing-with-it way. Dylan and Riley together are fantastic, because it is with each other that they allow themselves to be vulnerable after keeping so much locked away for too long.
This is a good read, though I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who is easily offended at a flippant view of Christianity or the appearance of alcohol, drugs, sex, or cussing. However, in my opinion none of these are gratuitous to the story and add realism and depth to Riley's story. show less

Tricked into attending a week-long Bible camp by her dad and kooky stepmother, Riley Rose feels doomed. For one, she’s an atheist, and she certainly doesn’t play by the rules. She’s a big girl, but she flaunts her figure just to unnerve the people around her. She cuts and dyes her own hair. Her best friend is definitely a bad influence, but Riley likes it that way. She arrives at camp with a plan to go AWOL halfway through the week. But by the time that day comes, Riley’s take-no-prisoners attitude has rubbed off on many of her bunkmates - and Riley herself has befriended a paraplegic ex-bully who just might have values that rub off on her as well. Howell’s novel is about way more than spirituality - it’s about growing out show more of selfishness long enough to understand someone else, about the universal suffering that is teenage awkwardness. Howell’s writing is honest, cheeky, and fun, and her character, Riley Rose, is just the same. She’s an angry kid with a chip on her shoulder, and yet she is completely accessible, hitting the heart of every teen girl that ever longed to love herself - and isn’t that all of us? Everything Beautiful leaves a truly lasting impression worthy of acclaim. show less

Riley didn't beat out Jennifer Echols' GOING TOO FAR as my favorite damaged girl, but she comes close. I love the balance of pain and compassion, how she is still capable of connecting with those around her even as she's so disconnected from herself. The resolution was a little pat, but I loved it.

When Riley's Dad gets a new girlfriend, life turns upside down for Riley. She doesn't like Norma and Norma doesn't like her. But it is not until Riley finds herself shipped off to 'camp' that she realises just how bad things have become. Determined to continue on her path of bad behaviour and general obnoxiousness, Riley Rose is sure that she can turn this 'spiritual camp' upside down. And when she meets Dylan Luck, recent paraplegic, she thinks she has found a fellow troublemaker. What follows is a very surprising week for Riley. Truths are told and secrets revealed, and sex, cigarettes and booze prove to be a potent cocktail, but in the end Riley has learnt quite a lot about herself, Dylan and exactly why she appeared hell-bent on show more self-destruction. From Amazon UK

Everything Beautiful was one of the first books recommended to me for BI&SP Month, and was highly praised, so I knew it was one I definitely had to read. I'm so glad I did, it was just so positive!

This book isn't so much about body image or self-perception, but about self-acceptance in all it's forms; it's about truely being yourself and accepting who you are, as a person, as well as how you look. Riley is overweight, to the point where people make comments about it - but she doesn't care. She knows she's overweight, but doesn't have a problem with it; she accepts herself and, most of the time, has a positive body image. It's just so refreshing to find someone who's happy with how they are.

'As I walked away I tried to picture what they saw: my crazy curves, my straw bag swinging, my hat in my hand sweeping the air. I bet they'd never seen a big girl so confident. Boom-boom-BOOM. My mules clacked on the floor like castanets. Arriba!' (p54)

'I gave pretty good about owning my fatness, I could dress provocatively, and I only sucked my stomach in when I was squeezing past someone but for all my boldness I'd never actually showed myself to anyone - not completely.' (p111)

Riley is also a bit of a rebel; she goes out of her way to annoy and anger those in authority and those who take the mick out of her size. Yet it's only when she makes friends with Dylan does she start to see things differently. These people aren't all that bad, the world isn't out to get her.

It's also great to get to see Dylan and how people react to him through Riley's eyes. This is his first time at camp since his accident. Hearinf from others what he used to be like compare to how he is now, how people treat him, it's realy sad. He tries to act like he doesn't care, but Riley sees through it. As Dylan helps Riley, Riley helps him - accepts him for who he is, gets to know him, rather than just seeing a guy in a wheelchair. In each other, they find someone who understands.

Riley also has something brilliant to say about this subject herself:

'"It s***s me how everyone's so beautiful in the movies. The whole world wants to pay money to see beautiful people doing bad things. It's sick. Brad Pitt gets paid a fortune just because he has good genes...
Also, I hate the way you never see fat people on the screen unless they're white trash or retarded or a criminal or all of the above. A fat girl on film is either there for laughs or to gross people out. Unless the film's about the fat girl's "journey" to social acceptance through weight loss. Where's the happy fat girl? That's what I want to know. Hmmph."' (p172)

Awesome or what?

I have to say, I wasn't too pleased with how it ended. It just seemed like I turned the page, and there was no more. It just seemed to finish so quickly, you didn't notice it winding up. I would have liked a little more. But overall, Everything Beautiful is a brilliantly postive novel that I'm so glad I've read. It's highly recommended!

From Once Upon a Bookcase - YA book blog show less

This book had me at the beginning. When I first started reading I was amazed at the writing and the story Riley had to tell. The way it was very realistic and im sure some teenagers can relate to the characters stories. I really enjoyed how it didn’t end in a cliché and it was very different. Another strength was the situations all the characters faced through the book. They are all understandable for life as a teenager. I do not have anything bad to say about this book because it was amazing in everyway.

An excellent read. I think its only flaw was that I kept finding my bathwater cold when I came to!