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North of Beautiful

by Justina Chen Headley

4.01 · rating details · 6,975 ratings · 1,138 reviews

As he continued to stare, I wanted to point to my cheek and remind him, But you were the one who wanted this, remember? You're the one who asked-and I repeat-Why not fix your face? ""
It's hard not to notice Terra Cooper.
She's tall, blond, and has an enviable body. But with one turn of her cheek, all people notice is her unmistakably "flawed" face. Te...more

Hardcover, 373 pages

Published February 1st 2009 by Little, Brown Young Readers (first published January 6th 2009)

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Young Adult Romance

48th out of 918 books — 3,092 voters

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

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Community Reviews

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Apr 03, 2009

Cara rated it

Recommends it for: anyone who wants a lesson on true beauty

Recommended to Cara by: Ash

Shelves: favorites, realistic-fiction, to-re-read, awesome-covers

Listen up people! There is a reason why this book has so many raving reviews, it is simply gorgeous. When I finished it I actually sat for a whole 30 minutes in the same exact spot thinking about the book, and all that I took from it. That's how great it's impact was on me.

The story is like a block of wood that you see has the potential to be something beautiful. The carpenter (the author) chips away slowly and deliberately. Doing a through job of sanding the wood down until finally ...more

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Dec 05, 2011

Nancy rated it

Shelves: kids-and-teens, library-books, favorites

Terra Cooper is blonde, beautiful, a talented artist, and dating a popular and athletic boy. She has everything going for her, or does she?

Well, she has one physical flaw, a port-wine stain birthmark in the shape of Bhutan on her right cheek. Along with her daily exercise regimen, Terra skillfully applies an assortment of cosmetics and moisturizers to conceal the red stain that brings her shame.

She lives in a small, boring town in Washington, has a father who is con...more

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Dec 07, 2010

Flannery rated it

Shelves: kcls, read-in-2010, young-adult-teen, set-in-seattle-or-wa

Once upon a time, I stayed up into the wee hours of the morning while sitting under the covers in a darkened air force base hotel, watching a PBS Nova special about the magnetic poles. (hold on while I push up my nerd glasses) The people I was with were all asleep but I was watching it, flabbergasted, and wanting to wake them up--because I never knew, until that moment, that what we know as magnetic north and south have changed several times in the history of Earth. Can you imagine? Obviously it...moreOnce upon a time, I stayed up into the wee hours of the morning while sitting under the covers in a darkened air force base hotel, watching a PBS Nova special about the magnetic poles. (hold on while I push up my nerd glasses) The people I was with were all asleep but I was watching it, flabbergasted, and wanting to wake them up--because I never knew, until that moment, that what we know as magnetic north and south have changed several times in the history of Earth. Can you imagine? Obviously it blew my mind. And we're overdue for another change! (Here's the link if you are interested: Your Mind Blown)

Anyway, the point of this story is that this book has a map and discovery theme that I found totally refreshing. Though the story is one of self discovery and relationship evaluation, I felt like the author did an amazing job of making the story original and the characters believable and multidimensional. After reading, I can say that this book evoked the same sort of reaction from me that I felt after reading Saving Francesca--I really enjoyed it and moreso because it dealt with heavier issues in a realistic way. In this novel, the protagonist is a girl who has a large portwine stain birthmark on her face which resulted in teasing from her peers and low self-esteem. While she does come into herself, and that is the largest focus of the book, the storyline I felt most involved in was that of the family dynamics.

The way Justina Chen Headley writes family scenes is so real that I actually cried thinking about how heart-wrenching being in that situation would be. Each member of a family has a different impact on your life and Headley's writing made me think about where the pressures in my life are coming from--good and bad--and how the failure of someone in your family can devastate other people nearly as much as the person who failed at something. And, in the same vein, one person's negativity or rudeness can ruin an adventure/day/dinner for the entire family. (Boy, do I ever know what that is about...)

Headley wove so many interesting tidbits into this story that I really can't talk about them all, but here are a few more topics that I found of particular interest:

*Cartographers drew dragons and sea monsters in sections of the oceans on maps to keep people from going to those areas. (who knew?!)
*As adults, I feel we accept a lot more quirks in people. It saddens me to think how many people feel left out in high school.
*Memento mori
*Headley mentions a mnemonic device to remember the streets in downtown Seattle! Jesus Christ Made Seattle Under Protest (Jefferson, James, Cherry, Columbia, Marion, Madison, Spring, Seneca, University, Union, Pike, Pine)
*I want to go geocaching.

I am between 4 and 5 stars on this book but I'm closer to the 5 so that's what it gets. (Edited it down 5/11) I definitely recommend it but beware, the love interest is goth. At first, I didn't get it, but I really came to like him by the end. You will, too.(less)

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Apr 24, 2011

Catie rated it

Shelves: read-in-2011, ya

I am extremely ashamed to admit that about twenty pages into this book I was feeling like, “Oh here we go again…another wealthy girl with made up problems…her dad will only pay for a state school? Boo-hoo….” Yeah, I kind of want to punch myself in the face now too. But, I think that’s just one of the things that are so remarkable about this book: on the surface and even in the beginning, it seems to be a simple, even juvenile story about a girl with a birthmark, but it ends up surprising you...moreI am extremely ashamed to admit that about twenty pages into this book I was feeling like, “Oh here we go again…another wealthy girl with made up problems…her dad will only pay for a state school? Boo-hoo….” Yeah, I kind of want to punch myself in the face now too. But, I think that’s just one of the things that are so remarkable about this book: on the surface and even in the beginning, it seems to be a simple, even juvenile story about a girl with a birthmark, but it ends up surprising you with so much more.

Terra has developed an exhaustive protocol to detract everyone’s attention from her face. She keeps her body in perfect condition with endless exercise, and she has created a make-up combination that, when applied in generous layers, can almost hide the large red birthmark that covers her right cheek. But that’s not the only thing that she’s hiding. She’s secretly applied to a college on the other side of the country. She crafts intricate collages but doesn’t show them to anyone. She can’t tell her boyfriend that they have almost nothing in common. She hasn’t seen either of her brothers in two years. At home, she lives in a tense environment, caught between protecting her mother and placating her father. When an accident leads her to meet Jacob, a straight-forward goth, and his mother Norah, the two begin to spark changes within Terra and her mother that might lead to their liberation.

This is definitely an author that understands that the world has sufficient drama – there’s no need to manufacture it for the sake of moving along a story. The scenes with Terra’s family are so charged and intense. This is written in the first person, but I am really impressed by the author’s ability to let the reader in on things that even Terra doesn’t realize. Her father’s giant sinkhole of insecurity and her mother’s smothered quiet strength are very visible, even though Terra doesn’t recognize them.

There’s a very sweet, believable romance here, but it in no way overshadows the more important themes of the story. I find Terra’s mother’s growth to be the most moving. I was so torn, hoping for Terra’s mom to get a happy ending and also hoping that it wouldn’t happen, because I knew it wouldn’t seem realistic. I think that the author finds the perfect balance of realistic resolution…so I got to have my cake and eat it too (and it was oh so satisfying).

I love that this story explores the positive aftermath of long-term hardship – the way that even as it’s tearing you down, it’s also unearthing all the hidden strength that you never realized was there. But essentially, this story is about appreciating beauty in its most genuine forms: the kind of beauty that appears with familiarity and history; the kind that’s almost always flawed and unique and so much better than superficial attraction.

Perfect Musical Pairing

Modest Mouse – The View

Isaac Brock’s raspy voice is the kind that is glorious in all its ugliness. It grows on you slowly until you find yourself compulsively listening to the same song for the fifteenth time. There’s so much emotion and raw lispy goodness behind that voice that I can’t help dancing like a fool to most of their songs. This track, I feel, is particularly appropriate.

As life gets longer, awful feels softer,
and it feels pretty soft to me.
And if it takes shit to make bliss,
well I feel pretty blissfully.

If life's not beautiful without the pain,
well I'd just rather never ever even see beauty again.
Well as life gets longer, awful feels softer.
And it feels pretty soft to me.
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May 09, 2011

Wendy Darling rated it

Shelves: realistic-fiction, young-adult, heroines-wimpy, read-2011, poc

I don't read a lot of realistic YA fiction precisely because of books like this: well-meaning, angsty Books with Messages whose earnest agendas are perfectly clear to anyone who skims the jacket. It's funny that a book that wants so very much for people to look past the mark on Terra's face has so much trouble focusing on much of anything except that.

Despite being a decently-sized novel, somehow how the abusive dad, the meek mother, the endless references to cartography, the artwork, ...more

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Apr 12, 2009

Kristi (The Story Siren) added it

Shelves: books-i-own

This book was fantastic! I’d read Headley’s Girl Overboard, and I wasn’t that big of a fan. I love Headley’s writing the MC in Girl Overboard, just rubbed me the wrong way. But with North of Beautiful everything came together. I just loved this book!

The writing was so perfect, I just enjoyed how the story was told, I could not stop reading this book. The words were addicting. The characters were so well developed. Even Terra’s dad, he was such a remarkable character, not saying that...more

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Jul 23, 2011

Leanne rated it

Shelves: ya-realistic-fiction, cover-lust, tears-so-many-tears, why-yes-this-is-ya, hidden-gems

"North of Beautiful" was a fantastic novel. The main characters, Terra Cooper, Jacob (her love interest) and Terra's mother were all so three-dimensional and carefully drawn out by the author. They were real, and unique ( Jacob is no brooding, arrogant jerk so commonly found in YA fiction). Terra's self-acceptance, and her and her mother's courage to leave her verbally abusive father ends in an incredibly moving and satisfying conclusion.

And Terra is no simpering,...more

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Jan 24, 2012

Heather rated it

Recommends it for: Women of all ages

Shelves: 2010, ya

Initially deterred by the abundance of mapping mentions, it took a while to see what lied beneath all the cartography trivia. But around 40 pages in, something shifted, and I was introduced to the raw story that was being obscured by all that detail. North of Beautiful made me gasp for breath while sucking in tears. Because Justina Chen Headley got it exactly right.

Terra Cooper is a lost and broken girl, further damaged by the port wine stain splayed across her cheek. Intent on bei...moreInitially deterred by the abundance of mapping mentions, it took a while to see what lied beneath all the cartography trivia. But around 40 pages in, something shifted, and I was introduced to the raw story that was being obscured by all that detail. North of Beautiful made me gasp for breath while sucking in tears. Because Justina Chen Headley got it exactly right.

Terra Cooper is a lost and broken girl, further damaged by the port wine stain splayed across her cheek. Intent on being perfection personified, Terra attempts to obscure her birthmark with a layer of make up and body to die for. A body she has worked rigorously for years to shape. But Terra’s pain is more than skin deep, and her drive for obtaining the ultimate physical ideal isn’t entirely due to her flawed face.

Terra’s father finds his pleasure belittling, intimidating and controlling his family. While he may not physically lash out, his verbal attacks do far worse, they manipulate the minds, change the personalities and break the spirits of those who he should find most dear. Terra and her mother are forever dodging his oral lashings in everyway achievable. For Terra, this includes being as close to flawless as possible. Never learning who she is, never able to be herself, or discover who she truly wants to become. Terra’s home is a stack of cards, and the slightest wind could turn the tide from verbal abuse, to physical blows. Terra has spent her life walking on eggshells, praying to make it one more day, desperate to leave, but terrified to go due to what she would leave behind. Her mother. Then, one fateful day, Terra’s direction changes course. She has a wreck and meets her salvation.

Jacob is shiny beacon of truth, acceptance, understanding, and adventure. Everything that Terra needs. With his encouragement, Terra finds the missing pieces of herself, discovers who she is, and where she wants to go. North of Beautiful provides a fantastic journey of self discovery, first love, China, and the meaning of true beauty that is sure to resonate with all of our Iron Goddesses.
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May 09, 2008

Lucy rated it

Shelves: teen

The first thing people notice about Terra Cooper isn’t her gorgeous blonde hair or killer body: it’s the port wine stain that spreads across her cheek, marking her face. Terra is desperate to escape her tiny Washington town, and plots to attend a small liberal arts college on the East Coast, but her controlling father dashes her plans. When she meets Jacob, a Goth Chinese boy, after she nearly hits him with her car, things begin to change. Jacob gets her. For the first time in her life, Terr...more

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Nov 14, 2010

Milly rated it

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, favorite-ya

“Terra, a sensitive, artistic high school senior born with a facial port-wine stain, struggles with issues of inner and outer beauty with the help of her Goth friend Jacob.

I was initially dismayed by the first few chapters of this book because of the intense amount of references to maps and cartography, of which I was not well-versed in, making it feel like I was reading an encyclopedia and in need of constant referencing with a dictionary to find the meaning of certain words. The ca...more“Terra, a sensitive, artistic high school senior born with a facial port-wine stain, struggles with issues of inner and outer beauty with the help of her Goth friend Jacob.

I was initially dismayed by the first few chapters of this book because of the intense amount of references to maps and cartography, of which I was not well-versed in, making it feel like I was reading an encyclopedia and in need of constant referencing with a dictionary to find the meaning of certain words. The cartography metaphors slowed down my reading and almost turned me off from continuing on. But with the encouragement of fellow ‘goodreaders’, I trudged on and gladly that I did. Because once I’ve finished peeling the top layers of map metaphors, I was gifted with such beautiful ,smart, and heart-warming prose. I realized that the use of cartography references in the beginning and throughout the book was Justina Headley’s way of mapping and building Terra’s story. I felt that Justina Headley was ingenious in writing this book, in picking out her heroine’s name (Terra: ), in breaking the book in three parts according to the protagonist’s journey into finding herself (Terra Nullis, Terra Incognita, and finally Terra Firma).
“Dad has done his damnedest to do that, to steer me to Terra Nullis, that godforsaken empty land where one might survive but never flourish. To keep me in Terra Incognita and remain a girl as undiscovered as Unknown Land itself.”

I-love-love-this book!!! Reading Terra’s story made me wistful. It made me long to be with my mother and brothers. It made me shed a bucket of tears. I might not be the most objective reviewer of this book because I could only sing praises for it. This book hit too close to home for me. There were times that I was left speechless and stunned as I felt that Justina Headley was talking about my life: about me, about my family. How could she know? It was like déjà vu, over and over again. The reading experience was just too personal, too painful at times, but therapeutic. There’s much to learn from reading this book as it touches different topics: poor self-concept and low self-esteem, abuse from a spouse and parent, divorce, mother and daughter relationship, teenage romance, and self-discovery. Though it touches such deep and emotional topics, the mood of the book is not depressing at all. Instead it is touching and heart-warming especially when each of the characters of the book discovers themselves and overcome their personal struggles.

The story: Terra struggles with low self-esteem due to a port-wine stain on the left side of her face. Her concept of beauty has always been skewed as she was teased early on about her face. It didn’t help that her father was not the most encouraging parent in the world, often condescending and belittling Terra and her mother and brothers. Her father’s disgrace from the cartography world has made him an a$$h0le, elevating his ego by trampling on everyone else around him. Terra, her mother, and brothers all suffered from verbal and emotional abuse from her father. As a result, her brothers had all left town and hardly visited, and her mother took refuge from food and became very overweight, taking all the abuse without standing up for herself or for her kids. It was heartbreaking to read about Terra and how low she thought of herself. She hid behind thick make-up and behind a relationship of convenience with one of the popular guys in school. It never occurred to her how she could be beautiful just by being herself. She never thought that she was good enough to be with someone great or that her artwork was good enough for a show. She couldn’t learn to love herself until she met Jacob.
“You know what’s funny?” Jacob asked. He didn’t wait for my answer. “You can see beauty in everything, except for yourself.”

Jacob is a 17-year old teen whom Terra happens to literally crash into while driving on her way home from a doctor’s visit. Jacob is Chinese-American who was adopted when he was 3 years old from a Chinese orphanage by his adoptive mother, Norah. Though a boy and valued in China, he was left at the orphanage by his birth parents because he had a birth defect: a cleft lip and palate. Norah adopted him and brought him back to the United States where she had his cleft lip and palate surgically fixed and raised him like her own. Jacob grew up being different, having a scar on his face due to the cleft palate and having Caucasian parents. He dealt with the prejudices by deflecting under Goth clothing and personae. Because of Jacob’s life experiences, he was more appreciative of Terra and found her beautiful despite her port-wine stain and her low self-esteem. Through Jacob, Terra learned to accept herself and understood what True Beauty is.
"Some things are meant to be kept – what you learn from experiences good or bad, smiles from an orphaned girl, a boy who is your compass pointing to your True North. So I look Jacob full in the face with nothing obscuring him. Or me. And then I step closer to him. And closer. And closer yet."
“Here I am,” I tell him. “Here I am.”

A book that makes me cry always gets a Five from me. And this book wasn’t lacking in that arena. There were so many parts in the book that made me cry: I cried tears of pain when the book mentioned about t how Terra’s older brother, Claudius purposefully got into accidents to distract the father from their mother when the father got upset. I cried tears of relief and joy when Terra’s mother finally stood up to the father. I cried wistful tears when I read about Terra and her mother and their self-discover together when they traveled to China.

Other note worthies: Geocaching! Now that’s fun!!! Am I alone into thinking this is such a smart and fun hobby to pick up? Is it because I’m a nerd that’s why I find this so interesting and exciting? It’s the modern day version of treasure hunting using a GPS! How could treasure hunting not be fun?!!! And Terra and Jacob did it in China to boot! Now that’s crazy exciting! And what about tobogganing at the Great Wall of China? Who would have thought?! Now the Chinese definitely know how to have fun! Just thinking about it gives me the butterflies! Boy, I would love to do that! Two exciting activities! Two things I’ve already added to my bucket list!

If I had the opportunity, I would have read this book with my Mom or with my girlfriends who wouldn’t mind being emotional with me. I went through so many emotions reading this book. It is such a touching and empowering book! I highly recommend!

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Sep 05, 2008

Mitali rated it

A compelling, inspiring story about the freeing power of celebrating our flaws instead of trying to camouflage them, NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL is a cannot-put-down novel that lingers in your mind long after you finish the last page.

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Apr 05, 2011

Lisa O. rated it

Shelves: ya-lit, favorites

I've been thinking about this book for a few weeks now and decided I needed to re-read it and give it a better review since the one I wrote before didn't do it much justice.
I loved this book, even more so the second time around. True, it's got most of the clichés of YA fiction (girl with issues meets perfect boy, love triangle, HEA, blah, blah...) but the story was developed so well and with so many subplots that I think it is worth giving it a special place in the chaos of YA lit.

...more

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Feb 14, 2011

Jessica rated it

Shelves: 22-bookers-challenge, 27-contemporary-ya

TBR Pile Reduction Challenge #3 - Kristy

North of Beautiful and I were off to a rather rocky start. After about 50 pages in I was contemplating giving up on it because what I had read so far had either bored me or had made me uncomfortable to a great extent.
Terra’s family is more than shattered. Her father is a real bully and all those mean and hurtful things he said to either Terra or her mother hurt me so much that I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to stick with the story or not....more

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Jun 16, 2010

H.I. Al-Muhairi rated it

Shelves: psycological, realistic-fiction, ya, 2010, favorites, touched-my-heart

This book was whoa to me. I rarely find books nowadays that really make you think, and feel changed at the same time.

I think this story was what I perfectly needed, being a teen that cares too much about what people think and say about me and is just not so sure about the way I look. At the end of the book, I felt healed in a way, more confident about myself--I don't give a damn about materialistic, egoistical people that deny myself from feeling secure and doing what I really want t...more

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Aug 20, 2008

Jocelyn rated it

North of Beautiful is Justina Chen Headley’s third book, and she just keeps getting more and more awesome. The protagonist of this novel, Terra Rose Cooper, is a girl who works hard to keep her body perfect, but that’s not what makes strangers stop and stare. Terra has a port wine stain covering the left side of her face. This blemish is all that many people notice, and it’s taken a toll on her life.

Another less-than-perfect aspect of Terra’s life is her overly controlling father. Te...moreNorth of Beautiful is Justina Chen Headley’s third book, and she just keeps getting more and more awesome. The protagonist of this novel, Terra Rose Cooper, is a girl who works hard to keep her body perfect, but that’s not what makes strangers stop and stare. Terra has a port wine stain covering the left side of her face. This blemish is all that many people notice, and it’s taken a toll on her life.

Another less-than-perfect aspect of Terra’s life is her overly controlling father. Terra can’t wait to escape to college three thousand miles away from him, but this is more complicated than it seems. Everything is always more complicated than it seems. Oh, and there’s also a romance aspect to this book–Terra meets Jacob and is falling for him, even though she’s already got a boyfriend who everyone thinks is perfect.

The backdrop of the book, so to speak, is Terra’s father’s profession. He is a cartographer, and location is a big part of this book. There’s maps (both actual place maps, and maps of a more artistic sort), geocaching (which I’d never heard of, but it sounds pretty awesome), travel, and Terra’s desire to get far away from her father. This is present throughout the book, and I really liked that aspect of it–it’s part of what made North of Beautiful stand out so much. It’s an original way of looking at a story that is really fairly common, in its most basic aspects. Terra’s port wine stain was part of what she had to overcome in this story, and that was also unique to this story.

There are many themes to this book. It’s a book about finding yourself, finding your way, finding your voice, finding real beauty, finding love…It’s about searching and finding and journeying, in a figurative and literal sense. And I loved it. I loved the wonderfully human characters. I loved the originality of this story that is, yes, in some ways predictable, but still amazingly unique. I loved Justina Chen Headley’s gorgeous prose, the way she makes Terra’s voice really come alive on the page. In case you couldn’t tell, I found North of Beautiful to be absolutely brilliant. (less)

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Nov 06, 2009

Lora rated it

Shelves: young-adult-lit

Terra lives with a large port wine stain on almost half of her face. She has learned to deal with her abnormality with makeup and by sculpting her body into that of a model's. Her mother is supportive, but weak, and her father loves to control his family through the calm yet terrifying power of words. When Terra meets Jacob, an Asian boy with a cleft pallet, her idea of beauty begins to change.

This book would be a great book discussion for mothers and daughters. Every woman will ...more

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Apr 18, 2011

Ari rated it

Shelves: emotional

~4.5 stars~

I am glad that I read this book after reading Stay.
If "Stay" is a book that deals with a young relationship between a teenager and her obsessive-possessive boyfriend, "North of beautiful" deals with another type of psychical abuse in a relationship between two adults.

In a way, it's like the before and the after of an unhealthy relationship.
Both books show you how words can hurt, how someone can make you think that you don't deserve any...more

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May 04, 2011

Cécilia L. rated it

Shelves: ya-novels

I might have rated it two stars, had I not read the last half of the book, because the first truly bored me sometimes. I liked the conclusion, even though I thought it was way too much justified (I think that's my main problem, writers trying to explain everything and writers who don't explain enough; the line between these two is very thin so maybe it's just me getting lost there).

However, the relationship between Terra and Jacob didn't raise any kind of emotional wave in me. Maybe...more

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Oct 08, 2010

Natalie Martinez rated it

· review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Between what the media, our cultures, and communities dictate to us though, we believe that we know what beauty is and is not.
Most of us have something about our physical appearance that we don't like at the least, or in some cases, something that we loathe. In the case of our protagonist, 16 year old Terra, it is the portwine birthmark that covers her cheek and dominants her psyche.

With some authors we would have traveled t...more

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Feb 14, 2011

Justine rated it

This is one of those books you just have to read. Amazing, deep, moving, inspiring. It is different from the other books I usually read. Although it took me only a little while in the beginning to get into the story, it becomes way worth it in the end. I’m glad to have read this during the summer. Some people are self-conscious when it comes to wearing a swimsuit (I’m one of them). Reading North of Beautiful simply reminds me that it’s not the appearance that matters, but the true beauty that I ...more

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Feb 01, 2009

Alea rated it

Shelves: read-for-review

North of Beautiful is a moving journey of self discovery and self appreciation. It so beautifully combines a great number of things to make it easy for most anyone to identify with. Some of the themes throughout are, self esteem, being different, feeling trapped, immobilizing fear and adventure.

Reading about Terra's family situation made my stomach turn but it made the story that much more believable. It was very interesting to see how her father turned into the person who put his "...more

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Jan 27, 2009

Ana rated it

Shelves: young-adult

Wow, this book was incredible. It's getting a lot of great reviews and they are all well-deserved. There are so many aspects to the book that were meaningful to me -- her relationship with her mother and her brothers, how her self-esteem has been so impacted by her father's verbal abuse, her hesitancy and insecurity about her talent and what she can offer to others, and most of all, at the core of this book, the true meaning of beauty. You really see Terra grow and deal with a lot of her inte...moreWow, this book was incredible. It's getting a lot of great reviews and they are all well-deserved. There are so many aspects to the book that were meaningful to me -- her relationship with her mother and her brothers, how her self-esteem has been so impacted by her father's verbal abuse, her hesitancy and insecurity about her talent and what she can offer to others, and most of all, at the core of this book, the true meaning of beauty. You really see Terra grow and deal with a lot of her internal demons over the course of the book.

Now the romance...it was near perfect. They had some of the best discussions between two people in the YA fiction that I've read. They talked to each other like soulmates would. They talked about ideas and concepts that transcended their every day lives but somehow were still meaningful enough to resonate with who they were -- challenging them to think about themselves differently. They never really verbalized any of their romantic feelings for each other. It was all communicated through slight touches, meaningful glances, being attuned to each others feelings, and through grins and smiles (they did a lot with each other). There was one kiss in the book and it was toward the latter half. By that point, you knew they had a very special connection. You believed they could be best friends. But, at the same time, it never felt like it would be platonic with them. Their attraction was palpable.

Okay so why did I say "near" perfect? I was really bothered by the fact Terra did not tell Jacob she had a boyfriend. I felt physical pain in the way Jacob found out. I really struggled with how strong and pure their connection was and how Terra was doing a disservice to the specialness of it by not being totally honest. It was like I had a knot in my chest the whole time. But, if I take a step back and really try and understand Terra, I am much more at peace with it. First, she never loved Erik. She knew it and was honest with herself about that. Her low self-esteem kept her in that relationship. I really think that the reason she didn't tell Jacob was because she was embarrassed to be in a relationship so devoid of meaning. Jacob was all about only doing things that mattered. Also, after the kiss -- first admission of their feelings beyond friendship -- Terra planned to break up with Erik ASAP. It's not her fault the unfortunate happened.

The best scene in the book for me was when Jacob and Terra were sitting next to each other on the flight back from China and they are emotionally exhausted from the trip so they sit back in their chairs, eyes closed, companionably silent. Jacob reaches over grabs Terra's hand and places it over his heart. I melted.

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Sep 19, 2009

Valerie rated it

Shelves: realistic-fiction

This is more of a girl book. But its not my definition of a chick lit novel. It has hardships, a little adventure, some romance, and a good dose of self-discovery. Terra has real problems that are out of her control, like her father and his verbal abuse and her mother with her very needy character. However, some of Terra's problems come up from her own actions and they are done mostly because of her own doubt. I can see how and why she does what she does and I can see her as being a real person....more

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Feb 17, 2009

Priya rated it

Shelves: five-stars

I would give this ten stars...from reading the other reviews, I thought it would just be another one of those books where the author lectures you on true beauty but you don't really feel anything. North of Beautiful was different. I actually felt changed by reading it, and it has kept me in a constant state of happiness ever since Tuesday night when I turned the last page.

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Mar 11, 2009

Elizabeth rated it

Shelves: best-books-ever, no-rating-high-enough, read-and-reviewed

Lovely, amazing, touching, beautiful, inspiring, provoking ... either you could get the thesaurus out and come up with some synonyms to describe this book or get on with it, read the thing, and then come up with some adjectives of your own!

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Mar 08, 2011

Kayla Smart added it

In the beginning of the book it was kind of hard to get into but then after getting into it I could really relate to this girl. I loved seeing how this girl grows through the story and how the boy helps her grow.

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Mar 28, 2009

Kim rated it

Shelves: young-adult

What a great read! I'm so glad my daughter recommended it. This book will captivate you from the start. Readers will fall in love with Terra who is struggling with her abusive father, and her 'outer' beauty. This book is a must read for all girls. Stand up for yourself, believe in yourself, and realize that inner beauty is what's most important.

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Jun 22, 2011

Michelle rated it

Recommended to Michelle by: Maura

Shelves: read-in-2011, to-read-again

Wow... This book is amazing. North of Beautiful is about many things. It's about family. It's about true beauty. It's about fear. It's about love... and it's about learning to love yourself.

Terra, our mc, is just so believable. (I was able to relate to her right away.) She has a broken family, the best friend who isn't really the best friend ever, and realistic boys in her life. The characters are all so far from perfect but it's their imperfections that make this story so beautiful....more

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Mar 16, 2010

Nic rated it

Shelves: young-adult, romance-awww, realistic-fiction

"A novel about a fractured family, falling in love, travel and the meaning of true beauty" (product description).

This book is one of those amazing books you must read. It is a beautifully written story that you can just lose yourself in. It is definetly one of those books that will be in your thoughts for days after you have finished it.

The main character Terra is one of the most real characters I have read and she has an incredible journey discovering who she...more

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Aug 06, 2011

Kiersten added it · review of another edition

I thoroughly loved this book. I have a slight bias against YA fiction because I feel it has a tendency to lack substance, but this was anything but insubstantial. Headley strives to draw away from stereotypes, from oversimplifying her characters. The cute Asian romantic interest wasn't an Ivy League overachiever; the blond jock boyfriend really had a heart; the verbally abusive father wasn't unshakably confident in his own dominance.

While the plot was definitely a tad predictable, in a way ...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
~Young Adult Enth...: * Who's Reading	1	5	Feb 05, 2012 07:39pm
~Young Adult Enth...: Plot Twists	2	2	Feb 05, 2012 06:34pm
~Young Adult Enth...: * Intro	5	10	Feb 05, 2012 06:34pm
~Young Adult Enth...: Characters	1	2	Feb 05, 2012 06:32pm
The dad	14	39	Jan 31, 2012 10:47pm
~Young Adult Enth...: Reviews	1	3	Jan 31, 2012 01:26am
How Old Is Jacob?	10	30	Jan 27, 2012 05:08am

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About Justina Chen Headley

Justina Chen Headley is a Taiwanese-American fiction writer. In 2007 - 2008 Justina toured across the US with Olympic Gold medalist Hannah Teter to promote her upcoming book Girl Overboard and the Go Overboard challenge grants co-sponsored by Youth Venture and Burton Snowboards. Her novel Nothing But the Truth (and a few white lies) won the 2007 Asian Pacific American Award for Literature.

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Nothing But the Truth [and a few white lies]

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Quotes from North of Beautiful

“Getting lost is just another way of saying 'going exploring.” — 134 people liked it

“Beauty--real everlasting beauty--lives not on our faces, but in our attitude and our actions. It lives in what we do for ourselves and for others.” — 134 people liked it

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