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Beauty

by Lisa Daily (Goodreads Author)

3.58 of 5 stars 3.58 · rating details · 150 ratings · 36 reviews

What's it like to be the most beautiful girl in the world?

Molly desperately wants to be beautiful. And that's what she tells Dharma, the mysterious portrait artist who sketches her face at the town fair just minutes after she's humiliated in front of Hudson, the guy of her dreams. When Molly wakes up the following morning, she's the most beautiful girl in Miracle, Ohio. Ba...more

Paperback, 272 pages

Published May 10th 2012 by Razorbill

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2012 Debut Authors (Young Adult & Middle Grade)

389th out of 793 books — 4,492 voters

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

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19th out of 25 books — 56 voters

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Nov 22, 2012 Hilda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

Imagine waking up in one morning and finding out that you are the most beautiful girl in town.

Molly, like average teenagers, doesn’t like the way she looks. She is too self-conscious about her appearance, and it doesn’t help that she has the biggest crush to a boy in her neighborhood, Hudson, who isn’t even aware of her existence. After a humiliating incident involving a stuffed monkey, the prettiest girl in her school, and a country-fair-went-wrong, all Molly wants is just to curl up and die. W...more Imagine waking up in one morning and finding out that you are the most beautiful girl in town.

Molly, like average teenagers, doesn’t like the way she looks. She is too self-conscious about her appearance, and it doesn’t help that she has the biggest crush to a boy in her neighborhood, Hudson, who isn’t even aware of her existence. After a humiliating incident involving a stuffed monkey, the prettiest girl in her school, and a country-fair-went-wrong, all Molly wants is just to curl up and die. When she’s looking for a spot in the fair to hide herself away, she meets Dharma, a mysterious artist who offered to draw a sketch of Molly. She also offers to listen to Molly’s problem, and Molly agrees.

“It’s just … it’s unfair. I wish I could be like that, you know?” … “Like Ashley.” I picked at a blade of grass, watching the water roll over my toes. “I wish I could be the most beautiful girl in Miracle.”

In a town named Miracle, miracle happens for real. The day after, Molly wakes up and finds out that the distance between her eyes has shortened, her cheekbones become higher, and in result, she has the most beautiful face in Miracle. Now Hudson finally notices her, and the popular crowd wants Molly to join their exclusive group. But what if that’s not what Molly really wants?

I’ve read books with similar plot to Beauty, but it’s still a very entertaining read! It was very easy to get lost in the story. I found myself giggling and squealing along with Molly when everyone in school starts fawning at her feet. It was pretty fun to read the good parts when people worshiped her. The writing, although not amazing, is great and very easy to follow.

Beauty, although extremely predictable, is such a cute read. Sure, there are plot holes and unrealistic parts that bugged me a little, but I just brushed them off and enjoyed Molly’s story. I found the story refreshing after reading too much books with stories that I have to analyze. I think most readers can relate to Molly’s story easily. There is always a time when we wish that we were prettier, that we were as beautiful as girls in magazines. Although in the end, just like Molly, we realize that what matters is the inside, not the outside. :)

Beauty is a short and cute read, and I’d recommend this for younger readers or for those who are looking for a light read. This book is something that you can finish in one sitting, and even though the story is not exactly something new or exceptionally amazing, it’s a fun book to read in your spare time.

And it wasn’t just my features. It was something else too—a certain je ne sais quoi as my dad would say—something that drew my eyes to the mirror and made them never want to look away. Something that seemed to emanate out of me, warm and alluring, like a fire on a freezing night. Something that made me want to step closer, look closer, like there was this magnetic pull to me. I was captivating. I was enchanting. I was … beautiful.

This was not possible.(less)

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Jun 25, 2012 Briana rated it 3 of 5 stars

In the first stages of the story, Beauty begins exploring an interesting topic—how people who are physically attracted seem to be treated so much better than those who are not. Molly goes from being the girl the popular kids laughed at to getting almost everything. People actually talk to her. Teachers are easier on her. Boys fight to be the one to do nice things for her. Waiters, baristas, and ticket sellers give her things for free. All this is really great commentary on how life can sometime...more

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Jun 05, 2012 Barbara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: friendship, ncbla2013, romance, school, self-esteem, teachers

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. It is often said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and often it's hard to figure out exactly what it is that makes someone beautiful. Why is one person considered beautiful and another not so beautiful? How would one's life change if she suddenly became beautiful or ugly? How would she know if anyone loved her for herself or just her outer appearance? This novel raises these questions and more through the experiences of Molly, a rather plain-looking girl who has a crush on neighbor Huds...more

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Apr 19, 2012 Hannah (The Irish Banana Review) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-modern-fairytale

I don’t think there’s a single girl (unless you are one of the 5% of the population gifted with natural beauty), who doesn’t wish they could magically become the IT girl. Maybe not the most stunning girl around, but we all have flaws and imperfections (especially as girls) that make us unsure, self-conscious, and awkward.

In Beauty, Lisa Daily brings all those internal issues that I know I faced as a teenager, and even as a woman today, to the foreground. Molly is just your average girl. She has...more

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May 07, 2012 Justin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Beauty is a pretty good book. I wouldn't say it's spectacular, but it is a great book if you're looking for something light. Lisa is a great writer, this book is really cute and fun but it also has a great message. I would go into more detail, but I think it's something that would be better if left for when you read the book. I just really enjoyed that aspect of it.

I honestly don't think I would want to go through what Molly does in the book. Sure some of it sounds nice, but when you think long...more Beauty is a pretty good book. I wouldn't say it's spectacular, but it is a great book if you're looking for something light. Lisa is a great writer, this book is really cute and fun but it also has a great message. I would go into more detail, but I think it's something that would be better if left for when you read the book. I just really enjoyed that aspect of it.

I honestly don't think I would want to go through what Molly does in the book. Sure some of it sounds nice, but when you think long term it really doesn't sound to appealing. I loved how Molly went through all of these situations throughout the book and had to decide what was best for her. When you have the prospect of having pretty much anything you could want dangling in-front of you it would be hard to try and pass something like that up. Those are just a few of the challenges Molly is faced with in the book, it's just interesting watching how it all leads to her making an important decision at the end.

I don't really have much to say about the characters. They weren't bad, but they also weren't great. I really liked Molly and Kemper they were probably the most enjoyable characters. I found Mr. G a little weird, but I think he was a quirky addition to the story. Hudson was great to, especially towards the end. I had thought he would be one of those stuck up guys, but I was surprised. I think the only character I didn't really care for was Hayley. I just didn't care for her at all, especially later in the story. So all in all it was a great cast of characters, they weren't amazing but they were enjoyable.

The ending of the book was really good. As I mentioned earlier, everything that takes place after the event Molly goes through at the start of the book leads up to one huge decision. It's not some huge complex story line, it's just a simple story about what is really important. I think that Lisa did a great job wrapping this book up, I think there was a really great lesson to be learned from Beauty with all of the positive and negative things that come with the wish that Molly made.

Light, fun read. I said it before, but that is the best way to sum up this book. It's well worth reading, as I said it's nothing spectacular but it's still a really good book. It was nice to read something like this after a lot of the books I have been reading lately. I think Lisa did a fantastic job, and I look forward to reading more of her books if she continues to write YA.(less)

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Sep 10, 2012 Alissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: brain-candy, beach-read, teen-books, drama-drama-drama, humor, romance

Extremely predictable (I knew what was going to happen even before starting), but still extremely enjoyable :) And the message was a good one. This is a good choice for teen girls as young as 7th grade.

Molly is just your average teenage girl, but she feels like a nobody. At home, her mother nags her about her appearance and her little brother calls her "beast." At school, her crush doesn't know she's alive, the mean girls of the Popular Clique pick on her, teachers harass her, and even her best...more Extremely predictable (I knew what was going to happen even before starting), but still extremely enjoyable :) And the message was a good one. This is a good choice for teen girls as young as 7th grade.

Molly is just your average teenage girl, but she feels like a nobody. At home, her mother nags her about her appearance and her little brother calls her "beast." At school, her crush doesn't know she's alive, the mean girls of the Popular Clique pick on her, teachers harass her, and even her best friend has been snubbing her lately. Somehow, Molly believes that all her problems would be solved if she were prettier. So after a particularly humiliating incident at the local carnival, Molly has a nuclear, tear-filled meltdown. Taking refuge in a little-used area at the edge of the fairgrounds, Molly encounters Dharma, an artist who offers to do Molly's portrait for free (it's been a slow night). As Dharma sketches, Molly spills her sob story and her wish for beauty. As Dharma hands Molly her sketch, instructing her not to look at it until she gets home (bad luck), she tells her that everything will look better in the morning.

And it does.

Molly wakes up gorgeous. And gets everything she wants: Admiration from her peers and teachers, the lead in the school play, free drinks and food at every restaurnt, free clothes from the most hip (and expensive) store in town. And the attention of her crush. For a while, Molly basks in the glow of having everything she wants. But, of course, it gets old. Especially once she starts acting like a Mean Girl and loses her only real friends (as opposed to the fake friends she's made since becoming beautiful). Once she realizes her life isn't any more perfect with a pretty face attached, Molly goes hunting for the mysterious artist responsible for her transformation. She must get her old face--and her old life--back. No matter what.

At the end, Molly learns that inner beauty is so much more important than outer beauty (as I said, a good message). And she gets her best friends back. And she still gets the guy.

Predictable? Yes.

A little too outrageous at times? Yes.

Possessing a few plot holes? That too.

Completely enjoyable and fun to read? Most definitely :)

(less)

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Jul 27, 2012 TheMadBrine rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was so very meaningful! In the beginning, Molly was so insecure about herself and just wanted to be beautiful. That was her goal. Then, she went to Dhrama because she was in distress. When she became beautiful EVERYONE wanted to be her friend/date. They all followed her around. Even strangers!(which I have to say is kind of creepy, not flattering) Even her brother thought she was ugly in the beginning. Molly had so much fun that she lost all of her friends that were dear to her AND her...more

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Nov 13, 2012 Rian rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

This book was so horribly awful that I considered burning it. It was soooo unrealistic and almost painful to read. The story behind it could have been really good, but it was just ruined with all of its cheesiness. There were random moments that were really deep and heartfelt, but that kind of made it worse and threw the whole thing more off balance. Even though I claimed I hated it, it had a good message that probably a lot of younger girls, like 6th or 7th graders would like. But not so much a...more

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May 19, 2012 Krystal added it

Shelves: arc

What if you could be stunningly beautiful? Would you make the wish regardless of the costs? Molly did not realize that her melancholy wish for beauty at the town fair would be granted by the kind, but rather odd sketch artist drawing her portrait. After waking up the next day dreamily beautiful, Molly’s life changes in many ways. Everyone wants to be her friend, her crush takes an interest in her, and she is voted into the homecoming court. Molly quickly realizes that with her beauty, comes pow...more

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Aug 12, 2012 Amal Behbehani rated it 4 of 5 stars

i thought it was going to be a remake of Beauty and the Beast, but it has nothing at all to do with that.

Molly is a normal girl with hair & zits problem who faces a humiliation at the fair. when she runs away she meets a red-haired lady and her life changes (red haired lady - i'm thinking the girl from Brave?)

suddenly she has a beautiful face and all these people start to like her - even the guy she likes starts talking to her. then blah blah blah she realizes can she keep her face and the...more

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May 27, 2012 Turtles rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: yuck

Why does shallow get rewarded?!??

@ 85%
I can't finish this. I just can't stand when the "nice" social pariah becomes pretty, it goes to her head and she's "mean" to her true friends, then poof! Something gets resolved and all is forgiven and she gets the boy. I feel the message is abhorrent... that 1) Pretty people are shallow and pretty, and 2) Anyone who betrays you is worthy of being forgiven. There's more but I don't feel like writing it.

@ 60%
I was hoping for a little more drive to this. I fe...more

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Oct 10, 2012 Cassidy rated it 5 of 5 stars

in the begining of the book molly told dharma that she wanted to be the most popular girl at merical. but when she gets her wish at first shes happy, all the popular people want to hang out with her and the guy she liked forever starts noticing her but a lot of stuff happens and she ends up having no friends except hudson ( her crush ) in the end she get back the way she was before and gets her friends back she also finds out that hudson likes her for who she is. i really like this book it tells...more

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Nov 24, 2012 Sandra Howard rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fairytale-retellings-fairies, romantic-novels

REACTION AFTER READING THE BOOK

Okay so here is what my reaction is after reading this book.

GIFSoup

GIFSoup

Okay so this book was just an okay book for me. It was good but not good enough to be memorable or to make it to my favorite list. The first few chapters really made me excited but as the story progressed it disappointed me. It started out so well but on the middle part, it kind of became really predictable all through the ending.

The topic of this book however was very interesting and that...more

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Aug 06, 2012 Shannon rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, awesome-best-friend, would-watch-if-it-was-a-movie

I liked this, but there were parts that annoyed the crap out of me. Don't expect an earth shattering plot from this book because it's fairly obvious to even the most clueless person how the story is going to go. This book is predictable beyond belief. It was like a step by step formula of every chick flick coming of age film. I'm not going to even bother spelling it out since other reviews have already done so. Predictability aside, I did honestly enjoy reading this. The premise was cute if you...more I liked this, but there were parts that annoyed the crap out of me. Don't expect an earth shattering plot from this book because it's fairly obvious to even the most clueless person how the story is going to go. This book is predictable beyond belief. It was like a step by step formula of every chick flick coming of age film. I'm not going to even bother spelling it out since other reviews have already done so. Predictability aside, I did honestly enjoy reading this. The premise was cute if you want a fun, quick read. Sometimes you just need a book like that. The ending was cute and I loved how things happened to Molly love-wise. I do wish though that there were more explanations for how Molly turned beautiful overnight. Who or what was Dharma? I get that the portrait was magical, but you can't just say that a woman in a funny outfit drew a magical portrait and leave it at that. I thought it was kind of lame that I never got that closure of background info I wanted.

I honestly felt terrible for Molly in the opening scenes. The things that happened to her were cruel and I was so pissed that her own friend didn't stand up for her. I found myself cringing and wincing as I read that first chapter. It had me flashing back to mean things that happened to me in high school and I could relate with how mortified Molly felt. After Molly became popular, her friends and others were getting pissed off at her. I could understand getting angry for the ditching, but for the most part, I still liked Molly's character. It wasn't until the last forty or so pages where I completely couldn't stand her. The whole pig thing was horrid and the way she started treating others had me appalled. Especially poor Judith.

The side characters were fun too. I was on the fence about Hudson at first, but he won me over in the latter half of the book. Kemper was one of my favorites. I loved her so much! She was the type of girl that I would've wanted to be friends with. I hated Hayley beyond belief. There was seriously nothing to like about her character. Part of me wanted to feel bad about how mean everyone at school was acting towards her. I know this is going to sound terrible, but I just couldn't muster up any sympathy. Her personality was hideous and I didn't blame anyone for making fun of her. Even after learning the mystery behind the book she always carried around, it didn't change my opinion of her at all and I wanted her to go bedazzle herself in the brain.(less)

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Jun 12, 2012 Palak rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

Ever imagine what it would be like to be the most beautiful person in town?

Molly has never been the most gorgeous girl. To her grief, no one really notices her, and if they do they don't give her a second glance. One day when the carnival's in town, she learns to be careful of what she wishes for. After being completely humiliated, she runs off and bumps into an artist named Dharma. Then overnight, she becomes the most unparalleled beauty anyone has ever seen. Now she's got it all: her crush, po...more Ever imagine what it would be like to be the most beautiful person in town?

Molly has never been the most gorgeous girl. To her grief, no one really notices her, and if they do they don't give her a second glance. One day when the carnival's in town, she learns to be careful of what she wishes for. After being completely humiliated, she runs off and bumps into an artist named Dharma. Then overnight, she becomes the most unparalleled beauty anyone has ever seen. Now she's got it all: her crush, popularity, a lot of friends, and a lot more. But is the price for all this too high? And will she be able to set it right?

I know what most of you are thinking when you read the summary: seen it, heard it, tired of it. I thought the exact same thing. A lot of the elements of this book are incredibly hackneyed. But the truth? I really enjoyed it! Beauty was just the fluffy contemporary novel I was looking for! It was a fun, light, and fast read.

What's realistic fiction about a quirky best friend? It's incomplete without one! Who would Nora be without Vee (Hush, Hush)? Meghan without Puck (Iron Fey)? Karou without Zuzana (Daughter of Smoke and Bone)? For Beauty, it was Kemper! She's loyal and is always campaigning about one thing or another. Kick my (gr)ass is right! Kemper was probably my favorite character in the book. Molly wouldn't be who she is without her.

Like a lot of you probably assumed, this book at first seems lackluster. What you get from not even reading the book: (warning, this may be spoilery... but most of you have figured it out.) girl is ugly or unpopular. Girl magically turns pretty. Girl turns snobby and turns her back on her friends. Girl realizes how great she was without the looks. Girl turns back normal and hooks up with her dream guy. Well, that's exactly what happened.

Now, an analysis as to why I liked this book as much as I did. I hate to stick labels on books, but I did for this one. I was unsure getting into it, and it was really predictable. What I liked was the timeless moral: you're pretty on the inside and whatnot. This book was just cute and was a pleasant escape from some of the stuff I usually read. A fair warning though, some of you may not get much out of it.

Molly, Molly, Molly. What can I say about you? At first, I felt really bad. I get it, you had a really hard time. But what I didn't get is why you had to turn on your friends and become such a snob! You knew how it was to be on the flip side, so you should have known how miserable it makes people feel. Which is why I didn't like her as a character, even after she made her amends.

You should pick up Beauty if you need a break from hard-core books. It's just the amount of fluff you need!
(less)

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Sep 16, 2012 Shannon (aka Readergirl) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: debut-author-challenge

The concept for this story was cute and interesting. It was a sort of Teen Witch (the movie from the early 90s) meets Mean Girls. And these girls are definitely mean to Molly in this story. They're absolutely ugly and such bullies.

The true depth of this story comes from what being beautiful does to Molly. There are some changes to her personality, and they aren't all good. The question is whether or not she'll be able to find herself now that she's beautiful.

I found the idea of Hudson liking he...more

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Jul 07, 2012 Jasmine Rose rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-books-reads

Beauty was a fun read, but our main character, Molly, was constantly driving me nuts. She becomes beautiful and magically transforms from quiet, kind invisible girl to world-class B in a matter of days. I was in a constant state of wanting to throw the book across the room for almost its entirety.

Of course, you can tell simply by reading the description that this is going to be a very moral-driven story, but in the end that’s all I got out of it. Here we have a girl with a good friend and a pret...more

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Oct 10, 2012 Alice rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 23, 2012 Jillian -always aspiring- marked it as maybe-reads

Ooh. The synopsis reminds me of one of my childhood favorites, The Wish (wherein the heroine was gifted with popularity, not beauty). Here's hoping I'll enjoy this one once I read it.

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May 20, 2012 Chels rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is hilarious. I can truly imagine rereading this book again and again. Idealy, this book should be read when lounging by a pool or relaxing in the sun. Molly is a super funny narrator with a good heart. I wish this book was the start of a series!

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Dec 12, 2012 Alesia rated it 4 of 5 stars

I liked this book because its simple but still has your attention. I usually read Fantasy/romance novels but I like to read girlish books like this one every so often. It was pretty predictable but I still am glad I read it.

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Jul 17, 2012 Ashley rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, 2012-july

Meh, this book was quite predictable. (view spoiler) And I dislike how the message I got from this book is that beautiful people get everything in life.

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Aug 03, 2012 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: body-image, bullying, fitting-in, friendship, girl-appeal, low-fantasy, romance, ya-fiction

Cute story that teaches the lesson "looks aren't everything". Good for middle grade readers-9th grade.

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Jan 12, 2012 Lauren rated it 4 of 5 stars

What if you could be transformed from a gawky, awkward teen into the most beautiful girl in town? It sounds like a dream come true, but in Daily's spot-on YA debut there are drawbacks. Teens will love this modern-day fairytale - I did! - and I hope Daily continues to write fantastic YA!

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Sep 11, 2012 Lindsey Byster rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 8th-grade-1st-quarter

Started this book Monday, September 3, 2012 and ended it on September 9, 2012!

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Mar 15, 2012 Keanna Lewis marked it as to-read

This is where the quote beauty comes at a price comes in at.

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Apr 14, 2013 Arlee4eva rated it 5 of 5 stars

Good message

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Jun 12, 2012 Celeste rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book is clean, so you could recommend it. The girl character sees a woman at the fair and is turned into a more beautiful version of herself which attracts all kinds of attention and turns the girl into a bit of a mean girl. It was pretty good until she turned mean and then I didn't care for the main character anymore and I didn't feel like the author fixed the problem in a realistic way. It was just an okay book.

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May 14, 2012 Lena ♫ ♪ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arcs, may12

Predictable but so freaking cute. I devoured it in a day.

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Jul 24, 2012 Brandi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own

really good

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About Lisa Daily

I've been writing for a long time, since third grade actually, when I wrote a romance serial starring everybody's favorite hunky science teacher, Mr. G. Every day the girls would gather under the slide to hear the latest installment of Mr. G's feats of romance and bravery, which involved things like giving only the third grade girls cupcakes, or riding up on the playground on a white horse to save...more

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