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The Pretty One
All Megan Fletcher had wanted was to be like her sister a beautiful, thin girl whom everyone at the Chesapeake School for Performing Arts worshipped and adored. While Lucy was a star actress with lots of fans, Megan had always been hiding behind the set designs that she and her best friend Simon had created, hoping that no one would notice her.
And then one day, life as Megan knew it had changed forever. Megan was in an accident that disfigured her face and plastic surgeons had to restructure it very carefully. Only no one would have thought that when the bandages came off, Megan would be even more beautiful than Lucy . . .
And then one day, life as Megan knew it had changed forever. Megan was in an accident that disfigured her face and plastic surgeons had to restructure it very carefully. Only no one would have thought that when the bandages came off, Megan would be even more beautiful than Lucy . . .
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
32 people are currently reading
594 people want to read
About the author
Cheryl Klam
5 books79 followersCheryl Guttridge grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan, and received a degree in political science from the University of Michigan. A romantic at heart, she never pursued a career in politics. Instead, she immediately tossed her diploma in a drawer and went in search of love and adventure.
She found work as a professional actress and model and traveled the country, appearing in an eclectic mix of B-list TV shows, commercials, movies and auto shows. Eventually, she landed a job at National Geographic Television in Washington, D.C., writing video box copy and titling films. It was there that sje finally realized what she wanted to do when she grew up: write.
After short, unprofitable stints as a poet, a playwright and a screenwriter, a teacher told her to write what she knew. She immediately began writing a romance. In 1996, she sold that first novel as part of a three-book deal as Margaret Allison and never looked back. Now, she writes as Cheryl Klam.
Cheryl lives in Annapolis, Maryland, with her husband and two daughters. She firmly believes that love conquers all and never tires of hearing stories that support her theory.
She found work as a professional actress and model and traveled the country, appearing in an eclectic mix of B-list TV shows, commercials, movies and auto shows. Eventually, she landed a job at National Geographic Television in Washington, D.C., writing video box copy and titling films. It was there that sje finally realized what she wanted to do when she grew up: write.
After short, unprofitable stints as a poet, a playwright and a screenwriter, a teacher told her to write what she knew. She immediately began writing a romance. In 1996, she sold that first novel as part of a three-book deal as Margaret Allison and never looked back. Now, she writes as Cheryl Klam.
Cheryl lives in Annapolis, Maryland, with her husband and two daughters. She firmly believes that love conquers all and never tires of hearing stories that support her theory.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
September 15, 2017
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Megan Fletcher has always been in the shadow of her older sister Lucy who is gorgeous and a talented actress. One day, Megan is in a horrible accident which causes her to need plastic surgery which changes her appearance completely. Now, more beautiful then her sister, things begin to get complicated. The boy she's had a crush on since the first time sh laid eyes on him is finally starting to pay attention to her. Unfortunately, here best friend Simon wants to be more than friends and Lucy is acting differently. As the tension builds in every relationship she has, Megan has to learn to live with her new life.
I don't know what it was about this book but it just didn't sit well with me. I didn't like Megan as a main character and found her to be annoying and whiny. I also didn't care for Lucy, Simon or Drew. Basically all the characters made me roll my eyes. I like the message the author was trying to convey, that it matters more about what is on the inside rather than the outside, it just fell short in my opinion. I think the overall concept of the book was interesting, it just wasn't executed well in my opinion.
Megan Fletcher has always been in the shadow of her older sister Lucy who is gorgeous and a talented actress. One day, Megan is in a horrible accident which causes her to need plastic surgery which changes her appearance completely. Now, more beautiful then her sister, things begin to get complicated. The boy she's had a crush on since the first time sh laid eyes on him is finally starting to pay attention to her. Unfortunately, here best friend Simon wants to be more than friends and Lucy is acting differently. As the tension builds in every relationship she has, Megan has to learn to live with her new life.
I don't know what it was about this book but it just didn't sit well with me. I didn't like Megan as a main character and found her to be annoying and whiny. I also didn't care for Lucy, Simon or Drew. Basically all the characters made me roll my eyes. I like the message the author was trying to convey, that it matters more about what is on the inside rather than the outside, it just fell short in my opinion. I think the overall concept of the book was interesting, it just wasn't executed well in my opinion.
April 17, 2012
The beginning started off horrible and I wanted to shoot myself every time I picked it up to try and read it. For example (exact quote), "I'm looking at his eyes, even though his gaze keeps shifting around the room. I had thought they were just blue, but up close they're a blue-green, slightly more blue than green. If I were going to paint them, I would use a combination of colors, beginning with a sky blue before adding a tinge of emerald green." Ughh.
The ending got better though because it kind of doesn't end the way I expected it to but it did end the way I wanted it to.
I also didn't really like it because the author kept trying to make you feel sorry for Lucy and I thought she was a huge brat but whatever.
Oh and I also didn't like how the author was all cliche about how ugly people are fat and have no friends and that pretty people are just so amazing at everything...that bothered me too.
The ending got better though because it kind of doesn't end the way I expected it to but it did end the way I wanted it to.
I also didn't really like it because the author kept trying to make you feel sorry for Lucy and I thought she was a huge brat but whatever.
Oh and I also didn't like how the author was all cliche about how ugly people are fat and have no friends and that pretty people are just so amazing at everything...that bothered me too.
October 13, 2010
I have a sister but thankfully, she is 11 years older, for the most part, this is a GREAT thing. What I don't get about this book is how completely opposite both sisters are, look-wise when they are one year apart. If you compare these two sisters to those of: Jennifer/Lisa Lopes, Beyonce/Solange, Jessica/Ashlee Simpson who have a few years age gape between them, looks aren't that far off.
The bit about her freak accident where her face has to get fixed seems a bit far-fetched, especially when she is better 10 months later. And how does this transformation suddenly make her more prettier/beautiful than her sister? Wouldn't the docs try to make her look the same rather than have a completely different face? The whole purpose of the cosmetics surgery is to fix what happened as a result to the accident. And shouldn't there be some aftermath to her arm and leg? Why is she able to just magically go back to school and work on projects with no problem?
How does her bestie suddenly falls crazy in love with her made no sense either..either you felt that way about your friend PRIOR to the transformation or you realize you have feelings much much LATER after the transformation, not a week later.
With the "love of her life who didn't really pay much attention to her until after the new look" having his own play, as a professional with the performance a major part of his grade, why would he jeopardize it over one girl who has NEVER done a play before? It was a MAJOR part for her to play since there was only one girl/guy but yet it is supposed to make perfect sense that he picked her out of the girls in their school that is actually majoring in acting! She got saved, yet again, by her sister who she has felt indifferent to before and after the accident.
That whole bit about George liking her and her sister telling her to let him down gently made no sense to me. I do not even know how someone that supposedly did not know of her existence until after the new look was able to email her asked her out and she told him no. Even the way she explained it wasn't being mean so why would everyone "hate" her for the way she let him down?
The ending which seemed crammed to fix the problems she was having with her father, bestie, sister, and Drew were resolved quickly and eh, did she pick the right guy? Me thinks not but what do I care, I've gotten this copy from the library and will gladly return asap.
The bit about her freak accident where her face has to get fixed seems a bit far-fetched, especially when she is better 10 months later. And how does this transformation suddenly make her more prettier/beautiful than her sister? Wouldn't the docs try to make her look the same rather than have a completely different face? The whole purpose of the cosmetics surgery is to fix what happened as a result to the accident. And shouldn't there be some aftermath to her arm and leg? Why is she able to just magically go back to school and work on projects with no problem?
How does her bestie suddenly falls crazy in love with her made no sense either..either you felt that way about your friend PRIOR to the transformation or you realize you have feelings much much LATER after the transformation, not a week later.
With the "love of her life who didn't really pay much attention to her until after the new look" having his own play, as a professional with the performance a major part of his grade, why would he jeopardize it over one girl who has NEVER done a play before? It was a MAJOR part for her to play since there was only one girl/guy but yet it is supposed to make perfect sense that he picked her out of the girls in their school that is actually majoring in acting! She got saved, yet again, by her sister who she has felt indifferent to before and after the accident.
That whole bit about George liking her and her sister telling her to let him down gently made no sense to me. I do not even know how someone that supposedly did not know of her existence until after the new look was able to email her asked her out and she told him no. Even the way she explained it wasn't being mean so why would everyone "hate" her for the way she let him down?
The ending which seemed crammed to fix the problems she was having with her father, bestie, sister, and Drew were resolved quickly and eh, did she pick the right guy? Me thinks not but what do I care, I've gotten this copy from the library and will gladly return asap.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 6, 2011
I loved this story from beginning to end. The story of two sisters. One gorgeous and slim, the other ugly and overweight.
The story of a ugly duckling being reborn into a magnificent swan. A miricle, some would say.
The only thing I would've changed was the ending. It wasn't anywhere close to bad, but I felt just a little bit unsatisfied.
The story of a ugly duckling being reborn into a magnificent swan. A miricle, some would say.
The only thing I would've changed was the ending. It wasn't anywhere close to bad, but I felt just a little bit unsatisfied.
October 1, 2009
For my book report I chose the book The Pretty One by Chery Klam. I chose this book because the title and front cover appealed to me. In this book Klam writes about a girl named Megan who is fat and ugly. But that's not even the worst part. Imagine having to wake up every morning to see that your older sister is beautiful and skinny and pretty much has it all. That's exactly what Megan has to go through until one day she gets into a horrific accident. The accident did so much damage that Megan has to go through plastic surgery. The outcome is amazing. Megan becomes more beautiful than her sister and even loses the weight. Things become totally different for her. Everyone starts to notice her, her father no longer feels any pity for her, and she's getting invited to all the parties. Also Drew, the boy whom she's had a crush on since forever, is starting to talk to her. Things couldn't get any better. But unfortunately Lucy, her older sister, seems to also like Drew. Things start to heat up between Megan and Lucy and a tension grows between them.
I think the main conflict in this book is man versus self since Megan is having some hard time getting adjusted to this new life. Even though she has a new face and body, she still feels ugly in the inside. She still feels like the same girl she was before the accident. Her life seems to have gotten more complicated than before. I also would say another conflict would be man versus man since Megan and Lucy start to get mad at each other.
I loved the writing style of the author. It was simple and really interesting. It was very easy to understand. The book was very enjoyable and had lots of twists and surprises. I would definitely recommend this book to others, especially to those who are into plays and stuff, since there are many references to plays. I think overall Klam did a really good job with composing this story and I really enjoyed reading it.
I think the main conflict in this book is man versus self since Megan is having some hard time getting adjusted to this new life. Even though she has a new face and body, she still feels ugly in the inside. She still feels like the same girl she was before the accident. Her life seems to have gotten more complicated than before. I also would say another conflict would be man versus man since Megan and Lucy start to get mad at each other.
I loved the writing style of the author. It was simple and really interesting. It was very easy to understand. The book was very enjoyable and had lots of twists and surprises. I would definitely recommend this book to others, especially to those who are into plays and stuff, since there are many references to plays. I think overall Klam did a really good job with composing this story and I really enjoyed reading it.
August 30, 2010
Personally, I adored this book.
The writing is hilarious! I love this book and I thought it was interesting, intriguing, and also very real. The conflict between Lucy and Megan is understandable- and I think what makes this book so realistic is the fact that Megan sees Lucy as this perfect, wonderful sister who can't do wrong. And as it becomes revealed that she is much, much less, both the reader and Megan see that Lucy's just a normal teenage girl.
It's totally true, too, that Lucy was nicer to Megan before because she never had to compete with her. I think in the end of the book, Lucy made good character development- that is, she came to realize was a b-word she was being.
I loved this book.
The writing is hilarious! I love this book and I thought it was interesting, intriguing, and also very real. The conflict between Lucy and Megan is understandable- and I think what makes this book so realistic is the fact that Megan sees Lucy as this perfect, wonderful sister who can't do wrong. And as it becomes revealed that she is much, much less, both the reader and Megan see that Lucy's just a normal teenage girl.
It's totally true, too, that Lucy was nicer to Megan before because she never had to compete with her. I think in the end of the book, Lucy made good character development- that is, she came to realize was a b-word she was being.
I loved this book.
February 8, 2023
THIS MADE ME THINK
pretty good eh for a middle school read but i like the meaning of the story but I HATE MEGAN like fr she was so strange. i also didnt like how cliche everything was
but like bruh what did you expect
AHH I CANT EVEN
ok nevermind
pretty good eh for a middle school read but i like the meaning of the story but I HATE MEGAN like fr she was so strange. i also didnt like how cliche everything was
but like bruh what did you expect
AHH I CANT EVEN
ok nevermind
November 15, 2025
I thought that this book was going to be basic and like every other book you read where the ugly girl turns hot and the guy bsf suddenly is in love with her and happily ever after, but it took a little bit different of a turn.
You can obviously tell this is a YA book, but it was well written and I really like that the author included the full play that Drew wrote at the end.
It was easy to connect to the characters and it was a nice read.
You can obviously tell this is a YA book, but it was well written and I really like that the author included the full play that Drew wrote at the end.
It was easy to connect to the characters and it was a nice read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2024
Megan always feels like she's in the shadow of her sister, Lucy. Lucy is pretty, popular, and confident, everything Megan wishes she was. Until a freak accident happens that changes everything. Plastic surgeons need to reconstruct Megan's face...
Once Megan returns to school, her world is flipped upside down. Boys noticing her, her best friend wanting more than a friendship, and the theater guru, Drew Reynolds, wants Megan to audition for his play. Soon a rivalry develops between the sisters for Drew's heart...will Megan still stay in the shadow of Lucy or will she take her place in the light...?
This was a book I read when I was younger and decided to re-read (I know...I'm re-reading books from my younger years a lot lately 😅) I was originally drawn to the cover; I thought the book would be darker just from the cover. It was an okay book overall!
What I liked:
• Megan slowly rediscovering who she is as time goes on. Just because she has a "new face" doesn't mean she has to forget who she is.
• Drew - I liked him! I also liked the fact he slowly opens up from this mysterious guru to a nerd who's obsessed with Batman 🦇 it was adorable!
What I didn't like:
• Plot holes: after the accident, Megan had no other issues with her arms/legs? Less than a year later she has no problem getting back into the swing of things. She also had no scarring or anything after the accident?
• Megan's dad. He's an absolute dick to her before the accident; then afterwards he acts like he's cared about her the entire time. Megan never actually addresses the issue with her dad and just moves on
• Simon...what a jerk . For once, I'm happy the MFC didn't end up with her best friend.There was no development between them except they've been friends for a few years, that's it. It was only after the accident Simon (supposedly) started to feel something for Megan. And an ultimatum? Screw you, SIMON .
• I couldn't stand Lucy. She acted like a self-entitled brat. I know in the end she was supposed to redeem herself and help Megan during Drew's play, but I didn't care. She lied and threw a hissy fit because she couldn't have Drew. It was cringe worthy 😬
Would I recommend this? For young adults, yes. It's a decent read; the writing is also pretty good for a younger crowd. For an adult? Pass on this, there are better books.
Once Megan returns to school, her world is flipped upside down. Boys noticing her, her best friend wanting more than a friendship, and the theater guru, Drew Reynolds, wants Megan to audition for his play. Soon a rivalry develops between the sisters for Drew's heart...will Megan still stay in the shadow of Lucy or will she take her place in the light...?
This was a book I read when I was younger and decided to re-read (I know...I'm re-reading books from my younger years a lot lately 😅) I was originally drawn to the cover; I thought the book would be darker just from the cover. It was an okay book overall!
What I liked:
• Megan slowly rediscovering who she is as time goes on. Just because she has a "new face" doesn't mean she has to forget who she is.
• Drew - I liked him! I also liked the fact he slowly opens up from this mysterious guru to a nerd who's obsessed with Batman 🦇 it was adorable!
What I didn't like:
• Plot holes: after the accident, Megan had no other issues with her arms/legs? Less than a year later she has no problem getting back into the swing of things. She also had no scarring or anything after the accident?
• Megan's dad. He's an absolute dick to her before the accident; then afterwards he acts like he's cared about her the entire time. Megan never actually addresses the issue with her dad and just moves on
• Simon...what a jerk . For once, I'm happy the MFC didn't end up with her best friend.There was no development between them except they've been friends for a few years, that's it. It was only after the accident Simon (supposedly) started to feel something for Megan. And an ultimatum? Screw you, SIMON .
• I couldn't stand Lucy. She acted like a self-entitled brat. I know in the end she was supposed to redeem herself and help Megan during Drew's play, but I didn't care. She lied and threw a hissy fit because she couldn't have Drew. It was cringe worthy 😬
Would I recommend this? For young adults, yes. It's a decent read; the writing is also pretty good for a younger crowd. For an adult? Pass on this, there are better books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2010
Everyone wants to be beautiful, gorgeous, someone that people will admire. Megan Fletcher had that wish. In The Pretty One by Cheryl Klam, Megan is an overweight, plain girl who had been overshadowed by her talented and beautiful sister, Lucy, for most of her life. When she gets involved in a car accident, a cosmetic surgery had made her become the "pretty one" and the center of attention. When the two sisters both fall for the same guy, let the war begin. The story intrigued me. It was a fresh new taste of the idea of perception of beauty. Yet, the writing was bland and the characters were confusing, almost like they were split into two. Lucy is the older sister and in some parts of the book she was aggressive and willing to fight her younger sister. Then in a matter of a few paragraphs, she was sweet and regretful. Was she a good character or the atagonist? Not only her, but Drew, the supposdly good-looking, mysterious, talented guy that Megan and Lucy both fell over sounded like the most boring person to fall in love. I could never see the connection between Megan and Drew and why she liked him in the first place. Cheryl Klam's writing had no tone. I felt like the words would come in one ear and leave in the other. I cannot even remember one sentence from that book. With the writing being so monotone, I could not tell which was the central conflict and when it was happening. The plot seemed to move in one straight line, with no twists or no rising moments or meaningful parts. This book was so uneventful. I belive this book could have been improved and I will probally never read this story again.
October 13, 2011
i enjoyed this book, first book i have been able to finish in the past 3 or 4 months.
Megan is the ugly duckling and lucy is the princess.
One day there is an accident and megan is turned into the swan.
megans character is nice and as she introduces you to her sister, you get the feeling youre not going to like her very much and as the story goes on, its true.
Lucy lies and hurts megan more times then you can count. However one reason i didnt enjoy the book as much as i wished i had, megan always makes up excuses for her lucy and lets her get away with things. i wish things would have worked out better for megan and she would have gotten what she wanted right away but then the story would have turned out completely different. its a good book nonetheless. you are able to understand megan and know how it is for someone like her to go through issues involving face surguries. its difficult and it takes time but im glad the story ended well.
light read, enjoyable.
Megan is the ugly duckling and lucy is the princess.
One day there is an accident and megan is turned into the swan.
megans character is nice and as she introduces you to her sister, you get the feeling youre not going to like her very much and as the story goes on, its true.
Lucy lies and hurts megan more times then you can count. However one reason i didnt enjoy the book as much as i wished i had, megan always makes up excuses for her lucy and lets her get away with things. i wish things would have worked out better for megan and she would have gotten what she wanted right away but then the story would have turned out completely different. its a good book nonetheless. you are able to understand megan and know how it is for someone like her to go through issues involving face surguries. its difficult and it takes time but im glad the story ended well.
light read, enjoyable.
September 18, 2013
A friend recommended this book to me and she loved it, so I decided to read it and now I just finished it and I LOVED it! The book was dramatic, there were so many intense parts that made me shiver, and the narrator was hilarious. I would start laughing when reading what she said. I liked the book a lot because I got thrown off at the end because I thought the main character was not going to get with the guy she actually likes but her best friend who also likes her. I was going to be so upset but then at the end she does get the guy she likes which made me so happy! I’m going to look for more books in the future from this author. I actually just ordered it the book is called “Learning to Swim”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2014
First, I admit school drama among teenagers is hardly my cup of tea, but I do enjoy the rivalry between the two sisters. Still, I am really disappointed by the ending because IT'S SO OUTRAGEOUS! So two stars have to be taken down.
February 8, 2011
Does anyone else hate that we can't give 1/2 stars? I would give this 3.5 or 4 and it would depend on the day. This is a classis 'chick' book, but it's better than a beach read. I think it does explore this concept of inner beauty, sibling rivalry, and meaningful relationships similar to a Dessen book. I have read it twice and liked it both times.
September 23, 2013
I loved this book because it is about things that happen in real life. I loved how she was still the same person anyways that she got a new face and body,but just because of that you dont have to change who you are on the inside. Stay who you are :) never change.
May 10, 2011
At first I didnt know if I was going to like this book but in he end I couldnt stop reading it. I LOVED this book. I Recommend it for everyone.
July 16, 2019
I expected to like this a lot more because it had a good premise and the writing looked gripping from my glance-through, but I ended up struggling to get into it, to stay into it, and to finish it.
First, the things I liked: Drew's character, Megan's character, and occasionally Megan's dad. I had an easy time empathizing with Megan and liking her, wanting her to succeed. Drew was likable and the author did a good job of developing him slowly so that the reader didn't know any more about him than Megan did. Everyone likes a somewhat mysterious but sweet love interest, and I was glad that Drew didn't turn out to secretly be a jerk in the end.
I also liked the realism of a formerly physically unattractive girl trying to figure out how to navigate an existence defined by her new face without "proper training" to paraphrase a line from her mother. I was worried that everything would suddenly and magically fall into place for Megan after her accident, but it didn't. I liked the setting (a school for the arts) that lent itself to the drama of high school relationships.
Things I didn't like: I really tried to speed read this because I figured it would be a pretty quick read, but it was so not gripping that it took me several days. I am a pretty critical reader when it comes to writing style, and I'm often shocked at how poorly contemporary YA fiction is edited. The biggest issue for me with this book was the horrible inconsistency of tense. The book is in the present tense, but littered with incorrect/unnecessary use of the distant past or other inappropriate tense switches. Some examples from the text:
"But although practice has been coming along really well...and my kissing had improved dramatically..."
"Why am I acting all wishy-washy about this George thing? I didn't look like the type of girl who needed help with her love life."
"I may have won the part but she would win the guy."
"It has porcelain sinks, is wired for electricity...now it looked like it had been hit by a hurricane."
"It looks brand new, as I imagined it did when my grandfather first presented it to Lucy."
I could list about fifty more but I need to move on to ordinary editing mistakes, which start appearing about halfway through:
"Lucy relieved that moment over and over," "he looks back at me again me," "the freshman class this year are a bunch of knuckleheads," "on that magnitude" Where was the editor???
My remaining writing style complaints are the ridiculous overuse of the word "hubbub" and the painfully unrealistic insertion of the word "well" in the middle of almost everyone's dialogue all the time as a filler. A few examples of this (because there are again, probably fifty):
"I wanted to give you something, and, well, flowers just didn't seem right."
"I just, well, I had a lot of things to think about."
"She went back to college and, well, you came home."
I got tired of everyone being horrible to Megan and there not being any resolution for hundreds of pages on end. She just kept taking it and not speaking her mind and it got really hard to read. Even in the end, there is no spoken resolution with Lucy and she just gets off the hook for being a colossal byotch pretty much the entire book. I wish there had been some sort of conversation between the sisters even if the book still ended with Megan losing Simon. Which brings me to my last complaint: the very end. I think the inclusion of Drew's play at the end was unnecessary, and the play was just bad. Poorly written, not really relevant, and not really symbolic like I expected it to be.
Ultimately I just wanted a lot more from what I thought was an interesting idea for a story and had the potential to be written really well.
First, the things I liked: Drew's character, Megan's character, and occasionally Megan's dad. I had an easy time empathizing with Megan and liking her, wanting her to succeed. Drew was likable and the author did a good job of developing him slowly so that the reader didn't know any more about him than Megan did. Everyone likes a somewhat mysterious but sweet love interest, and I was glad that Drew didn't turn out to secretly be a jerk in the end.
I also liked the realism of a formerly physically unattractive girl trying to figure out how to navigate an existence defined by her new face without "proper training" to paraphrase a line from her mother. I was worried that everything would suddenly and magically fall into place for Megan after her accident, but it didn't. I liked the setting (a school for the arts) that lent itself to the drama of high school relationships.
Things I didn't like: I really tried to speed read this because I figured it would be a pretty quick read, but it was so not gripping that it took me several days. I am a pretty critical reader when it comes to writing style, and I'm often shocked at how poorly contemporary YA fiction is edited. The biggest issue for me with this book was the horrible inconsistency of tense. The book is in the present tense, but littered with incorrect/unnecessary use of the distant past or other inappropriate tense switches. Some examples from the text:
"But although practice has been coming along really well...and my kissing had improved dramatically..."
"Why am I acting all wishy-washy about this George thing? I didn't look like the type of girl who needed help with her love life."
"I may have won the part but she would win the guy."
"It has porcelain sinks, is wired for electricity...now it looked like it had been hit by a hurricane."
"It looks brand new, as I imagined it did when my grandfather first presented it to Lucy."
I could list about fifty more but I need to move on to ordinary editing mistakes, which start appearing about halfway through:
"Lucy relieved that moment over and over," "he looks back at me again me," "the freshman class this year are a bunch of knuckleheads," "on that magnitude" Where was the editor???
My remaining writing style complaints are the ridiculous overuse of the word "hubbub" and the painfully unrealistic insertion of the word "well" in the middle of almost everyone's dialogue all the time as a filler. A few examples of this (because there are again, probably fifty):
"I wanted to give you something, and, well, flowers just didn't seem right."
"I just, well, I had a lot of things to think about."
"She went back to college and, well, you came home."
I got tired of everyone being horrible to Megan and there not being any resolution for hundreds of pages on end. She just kept taking it and not speaking her mind and it got really hard to read. Even in the end, there is no spoken resolution with Lucy and she just gets off the hook for being a colossal byotch pretty much the entire book. I wish there had been some sort of conversation between the sisters even if the book still ended with Megan losing Simon. Which brings me to my last complaint: the very end. I think the inclusion of Drew's play at the end was unnecessary, and the play was just bad. Poorly written, not really relevant, and not really symbolic like I expected it to be.
Ultimately I just wanted a lot more from what I thought was an interesting idea for a story and had the potential to be written really well.
June 23, 2019
Megan always thought that if she were pretty like her gorgeous older sister Lucy, everything would be better. When an accident leaves her with a surgically altered visage, she’s suddenly as lovely as Lucy is…and that’s where the trouble starts.
This novel is a scathing and frequently eye-opening on what it means to transition from being ugly to beautiful. Boys that previously ignored Megan are paying attention to her. Girls she was on a nodding acquaintance with are now turning away or whispering nasty comments. Her best friend Simon is acting strange: standoffish, nervous or professing romantic intentions that Megan REALLY doesn’t want. People now want something from Megan and this hunger manifests itself in sometimes terrifying ways. Megan is smart enough to know that all this is because of her new face but she doesn’t know what to do about it.
We learn a few things about Lucy, too. It’s implied that a lot of Lucy’s saintlike behavior—being kind and generous to nerds, ugly girls and creepy boys—stems from a worry about being hated. Being beautiful comes with a price and, if Megan doesn’t want to find herself despised by other people, Lucy informs her sister that Megan needs to bend over backwards to ingratiate herself with the crowd.
It makes no sense; personal beauty isn’t something that can be handed out like money, property or goods. But that doesn’t matter. Now that she’s beautiful, Megan is expected to give something to other people. Lucy knows all this after years spent being lovely and going through the grinder of other people’s needs, desires and expectations of her. Megan is new to the whole pretty-is-as-pretty-does ballgame and she doesn’t know the rules.
The author gives us a YA book with grown-up sensibilities. Megan and Lucy’s parents figure heavily in this as both girls talk to their mom and dad in an attempt to deal with each other and society at large. The love both sisters have for each other wrangles uneasily with resentment, jealousy and envy. In short, this isn’t just a novel for adolescents; adults can understand and sympathize with the protagonists. It’s an excellent look at what it means to pass through the looking-glass and come into a landscape that is both familiar and drastically altered from the one you know.
This novel is a scathing and frequently eye-opening on what it means to transition from being ugly to beautiful. Boys that previously ignored Megan are paying attention to her. Girls she was on a nodding acquaintance with are now turning away or whispering nasty comments. Her best friend Simon is acting strange: standoffish, nervous or professing romantic intentions that Megan REALLY doesn’t want. People now want something from Megan and this hunger manifests itself in sometimes terrifying ways. Megan is smart enough to know that all this is because of her new face but she doesn’t know what to do about it.
We learn a few things about Lucy, too. It’s implied that a lot of Lucy’s saintlike behavior—being kind and generous to nerds, ugly girls and creepy boys—stems from a worry about being hated. Being beautiful comes with a price and, if Megan doesn’t want to find herself despised by other people, Lucy informs her sister that Megan needs to bend over backwards to ingratiate herself with the crowd.
It makes no sense; personal beauty isn’t something that can be handed out like money, property or goods. But that doesn’t matter. Now that she’s beautiful, Megan is expected to give something to other people. Lucy knows all this after years spent being lovely and going through the grinder of other people’s needs, desires and expectations of her. Megan is new to the whole pretty-is-as-pretty-does ballgame and she doesn’t know the rules.
The author gives us a YA book with grown-up sensibilities. Megan and Lucy’s parents figure heavily in this as both girls talk to their mom and dad in an attempt to deal with each other and society at large. The love both sisters have for each other wrangles uneasily with resentment, jealousy and envy. In short, this isn’t just a novel for adolescents; adults can understand and sympathize with the protagonists. It’s an excellent look at what it means to pass through the looking-glass and come into a landscape that is both familiar and drastically altered from the one you know.
October 17, 2017
The Pretty One by Cheryl Klam is a romance novel with 356 pages. It takes place in the City of Baltimore where Megan, the narrator/ tech geek/ overweight, bushy-eyebrowed, thick hair girl and her pretty, tall, gorgeous, blond, popular older sister attend Chesapeake school for performing arts (CSPA).
Megan is total opposites of her sister Lucy. Megan is short, dark/thick-haired and a tech geek. Lucy is tall (think supermodel tall), blond and popular so, Megan has always wanted to be like Lucy. After a freak accident, Megan has to have plastic surgeons completely rebuild her face, but no one could have predicted that after they took her bandages off that she would look even more beautiful than Lucy. Now that Megan is back in school as the pretty one, boys who have never noticed her before are now noticing her including her best friend, Simon who now seems to want more than just friendship and Drew, the theater guru she has had a crush on since freshman year. Drew asks Megan to audition for a play he is directing, but Lucy is also auditioning. Now they are both fighting for a role in his play and in his heart.
I really liked the characters, especially the physical differences between Megan and Lucy in the beginning and then their sibling rivalry towards the end. Although the genre is romance, i think it is more focused on the sisters, their looks and their status at their school. I recommend this book who can relate to either Megan or Lucy and likes sibling rivalry. I personally give this book a ⅘ because I enjoyed it, but i could have guessed what was going to happen next, but I still wanted to keep reading it.
Megan is total opposites of her sister Lucy. Megan is short, dark/thick-haired and a tech geek. Lucy is tall (think supermodel tall), blond and popular so, Megan has always wanted to be like Lucy. After a freak accident, Megan has to have plastic surgeons completely rebuild her face, but no one could have predicted that after they took her bandages off that she would look even more beautiful than Lucy. Now that Megan is back in school as the pretty one, boys who have never noticed her before are now noticing her including her best friend, Simon who now seems to want more than just friendship and Drew, the theater guru she has had a crush on since freshman year. Drew asks Megan to audition for a play he is directing, but Lucy is also auditioning. Now they are both fighting for a role in his play and in his heart.
I really liked the characters, especially the physical differences between Megan and Lucy in the beginning and then their sibling rivalry towards the end. Although the genre is romance, i think it is more focused on the sisters, their looks and their status at their school. I recommend this book who can relate to either Megan or Lucy and likes sibling rivalry. I personally give this book a ⅘ because I enjoyed it, but i could have guessed what was going to happen next, but I still wanted to keep reading it.
October 17, 2018
I really liked this book overall. I must say as the book continued I got a little bit disappointed. In this book, a sixteen-year-old girl named Megan fights insecurities and compares herself to her slim, beautiful, and highly adored sister Lucy. She always compares herself to her sister, its pretty much all she talks about. One day, Megan overhears her sister talking about her and decides to run off. Little did Megan know that night, would change her whole life, face, and body, but will this new look make her happier? Will it make her challenges go away? That's what you have to find out on your own :)
I loved the way drama was displayed in this book, only because it was very entertaining. One huge thing that bothered me was that all Megan could talk about is her crush Drew, her best friend, and her sister. The book was more like a social media rant page than a story. I loved the concept of inner thoughts, but I wish this was more of a story. I wish there was more meaning behind the story, but the only thing I took away is that looks aren't everything. This book could be so good if it was more meaning, and maybe other points of view. This book was definitely fun and relatable to read, but again I felt more like I was reading a social media page. I liked the book, but I'm not sure if I loved it.
I loved the way drama was displayed in this book, only because it was very entertaining. One huge thing that bothered me was that all Megan could talk about is her crush Drew, her best friend, and her sister. The book was more like a social media rant page than a story. I loved the concept of inner thoughts, but I wish this was more of a story. I wish there was more meaning behind the story, but the only thing I took away is that looks aren't everything. This book could be so good if it was more meaning, and maybe other points of view. This book was definitely fun and relatable to read, but again I felt more like I was reading a social media page. I liked the book, but I'm not sure if I loved it.
January 6, 2021
3.5 stars. I remember reading this book in high school... saw it on my bookshelf recently and thought, "Why not?" Picked it up again and finished it in a day. The book dragged on a little bit in the beginning and middle, and there was nothing super extraordinary about it, but it was an easy and fast read, and it was fun to revisit my old reads from high school. I enjoyed Drew's play at the end.
March 27, 2024
I loved this book when it came out eons ago when I was just starting college and felt like the ugliest duckling in earth, so I could relate. I know the subject matter is “corny” but it’s still a great YA novel.
July 22, 2022
Just by looking at this book my blood pressure goes up. would only recommend this book to a middle schooler I'm sure they will eat this UP!
November 29, 2022
my fav book
January 28, 2024
This book was interesting. I have mixed feelings about how the author went about the idea that people will treat you differently if you're pretty vs ugly. But overall it was a fine YA novel.
March 18, 2025
I read this when I was very young, maybe 11 years old. I thought it was a great book then so it must’ve fed some sort of hole in me wanting to be beautiful as a young child.
March 9, 2019
3.8 Stars...
I enjoyed this book. It was very unrealistic, but very funny. Fun entertaining book!
I enjoyed this book. It was very unrealistic, but very funny. Fun entertaining book!
July 2, 2014
Last night at 2 AM (is it still "last night?"), I went to bed feeling accomplished.
I FINALLY FINISHED THE BOOK.
The first time I read it was back in third year high school. It was all thanks to Jamie who lent me her printed copy of it during prom practice. But because 1) all of us have been busy that week and 2) there were three more classmates lining up to borrow it after me and 3) I used to be a very slow reader, I had to give it back to her. Without reading it long enough to get to the denouement.
So I was way beyond happy when I found an .epub file online (I'm new to ebooks, so I had no idea I will find a copy on TUEBL). It's been almost 5 years and I still think this book was amazing.
CHARACTERS:
Megan - She used to be this ugly, not-so-fat techie student whose favourite hobby was making dioramas (seriously, she can make a great interior designer judging on her skills). She had one friend -best friend- named Simon, and had always been intimidated by the superiority of her gorgeous, big sister. Then she gets in an accident so tragic that she had to undergo major plastic surgery. Megan is still the same, except now she's prettier (if not as pretty) than her sister.
I love the development of her character (she's a dork who fangirls over her long-time crush and doesn't have the mary-sue kind of way with words). I loved how she grew a backbone. I can't blame her for being cynical; can't blame her being suspicious with everyone's motive with her. Girl transformed from Most Ignored to Most Likely To Be Rival Apple-Of-The-Eye With Sister Lucy in just a year.
Megan is selfless; she'll do anything to make everyone she loves happy even if it means giving up her own happiness. And she's very forgiving; even when she doesn't always know what to do, she handled things without losing grip on her sense of right and wrong.
I told myself that maybe it would all work out for the best, that perhaps your new face would give you more choices. And it has. Unfortunately, you've also inherited all the complications of being beautiful without having the skills to deal with it all." - Mrs. Fletcher, the mother.
Lucy - Big sister to Megan (she's 11 months older), beautiful, has the physique of a model, greaaaat actress, and everyone's ray of sunshine (and by sunshine I meant the kind of shine only gods and goddesses possess because of their superior beauty). I think she's the most realistic character in the entire book, which is why I've decided she's my favourite character.
There are people in real life who will be very protective of you because they love you. There are those who are mean to you and manipulate you because you're inferior to them and you're easy to take for a fool. Lucy has both personalities, but I can only imagine the amount of struggle she must've gone through the whole story (just read the book. I don't want to spoil anything).
Lucy had to balance her role as a sister -her love for Megan as a big sister and her growing defense mechanism against the fact that she is losing her spotlight. I'm sure you have at least an ounce of knowledge on how that might feel like. And if you started to know Lucy, you'd understand that she is actually mature.
Drew - At first I hated this guy. He seemed too ~perfect~ until I got to the part where it's revealed that he was a Batman fan. Like the type of fan who collects comics worth $265. He turned out to be a bit of a dork, and he knows what he wants. Guys who know what they want are so rare, which is why I think it is a huuuuge turn on. I liked Drew. Never had a crush on him like I did on Augustus Waters but eventually I started rooting for him and Megan.
Simon - What kind of best friend gives you an ultimatum? Wait, this might contain spoilers. So.. okay. Bottomline for my character review on Simon is: he's an overdramatic young lad. I don't want a friend like that.
I FINALLY FINISHED THE BOOK.
The first time I read it was back in third year high school. It was all thanks to Jamie who lent me her printed copy of it during prom practice. But because 1) all of us have been busy that week and 2) there were three more classmates lining up to borrow it after me and 3) I used to be a very slow reader, I had to give it back to her. Without reading it long enough to get to the denouement.
So I was way beyond happy when I found an .epub file online (I'm new to ebooks, so I had no idea I will find a copy on TUEBL). It's been almost 5 years and I still think this book was amazing.
CHARACTERS:
Megan - She used to be this ugly, not-so-fat techie student whose favourite hobby was making dioramas (seriously, she can make a great interior designer judging on her skills). She had one friend -best friend- named Simon, and had always been intimidated by the superiority of her gorgeous, big sister. Then she gets in an accident so tragic that she had to undergo major plastic surgery. Megan is still the same, except now she's prettier (if not as pretty) than her sister.
I love the development of her character (she's a dork who fangirls over her long-time crush and doesn't have the mary-sue kind of way with words). I loved how she grew a backbone. I can't blame her for being cynical; can't blame her being suspicious with everyone's motive with her. Girl transformed from Most Ignored to Most Likely To Be Rival Apple-Of-The-Eye With Sister Lucy in just a year.
Megan is selfless; she'll do anything to make everyone she loves happy even if it means giving up her own happiness. And she's very forgiving; even when she doesn't always know what to do, she handled things without losing grip on her sense of right and wrong.
I told myself that maybe it would all work out for the best, that perhaps your new face would give you more choices. And it has. Unfortunately, you've also inherited all the complications of being beautiful without having the skills to deal with it all." - Mrs. Fletcher, the mother.
Lucy - Big sister to Megan (she's 11 months older), beautiful, has the physique of a model, greaaaat actress, and everyone's ray of sunshine (and by sunshine I meant the kind of shine only gods and goddesses possess because of their superior beauty). I think she's the most realistic character in the entire book, which is why I've decided she's my favourite character.
There are people in real life who will be very protective of you because they love you. There are those who are mean to you and manipulate you because you're inferior to them and you're easy to take for a fool. Lucy has both personalities, but I can only imagine the amount of struggle she must've gone through the whole story (just read the book. I don't want to spoil anything).
Lucy had to balance her role as a sister -her love for Megan as a big sister and her growing defense mechanism against the fact that she is losing her spotlight. I'm sure you have at least an ounce of knowledge on how that might feel like. And if you started to know Lucy, you'd understand that she is actually mature.
Drew - At first I hated this guy. He seemed too ~perfect~ until I got to the part where it's revealed that he was a Batman fan. Like the type of fan who collects comics worth $265. He turned out to be a bit of a dork, and he knows what he wants. Guys who know what they want are so rare, which is why I think it is a huuuuge turn on. I liked Drew. Never had a crush on him like I did on Augustus Waters but eventually I started rooting for him and Megan.
Simon - What kind of best friend gives you an ultimatum? Wait, this might contain spoilers. So.. okay. Bottomline for my character review on Simon is: he's an overdramatic young lad. I don't want a friend like that.
February 21, 2021
Great book with a good lesson!
September 19, 2024
Underrated for sure. It was really good.
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