Beautiful

Nov 16, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews, trt-gold-star-award-winner

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

Let me start this review by saying that you need to read this book. Go, right now, and pick up a copy. I'll give you my personal guarantee that you'll absolutely love it as much as I did.

Ellie Summerfield is beautiful, popular, smart, and has a great, amazing boyfriend. Her social calendar is always full, she's President of this and in charge of that, and if you asked anyone at West Redding High School to describe her, they'd probably tell you that she's basica...more Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

Let me start this review by saying that you need to read this book. Go, right now, and pick up a copy. I'll give you my personal guarantee that you'll absolutely love it as much as I did.

Ellie Summerfield is beautiful, popular, smart, and has a great, amazing boyfriend. Her social calendar is always full, she's President of this and in charge of that, and if you asked anyone at West Redding High School to describe her, they'd probably tell you that she's basically perfect.

To Ellie, perfect is the last word she'd use to describe her life, although she wouldn't be able to tell you exactly why. Why does she love her boyfriend, Ryan, and yet not feel in love with him? Why does her sister, Megan, always make her feel like she's doing something wrong? Why do her parents have all of these plans for her that don't mix with the ones she has for herself?

She may have been able to answer all of those questions on her own, before the accident. But the car crashed, then caught on fire. Her maybe-friend, Stasia, died. And Ellie, well, Ellie doesn't look quite as beautiful as she used to.

When your face is that of a monster, and your faith in God and family and friends and just about everything else has been tested, when the "perfect" of your life is gone, what else is left? As Ellie struggles - through physical pain, emotional distress, and self-pity - it's only by coming out the other side that she'll learn that being beautiful has a whole lot more to do with what's on the inside than what's on the outside.

Let me say again - I absolutely loved this book. The characters, the writing, the pitch, the tone; it's all amazing. There was not one misstep in BEAUTIFUL; every word was a joy to read, and I was sad when it was done. Cindy Martinusen-Coloma has a way of writing that lets you live right alongside Ellie, feeling her happiness and heartbreak, dealing with her pain (both physical and emotional), dreaming and hoping and wanting and living.

This is a great book, one that you'll love reading and will be sad to see come to an end. And if you're worried about the fact that it's Christian fiction, please don't be. The message is one of love and acceptance, not one of browbeating you into being a believer. BEAUTIFUL is a book for everyone - and everyone will love BEAUTIFUL.(less)

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Apr 16, 2013 Lauren Mawson rated it 5 of 5 stars

I don't know where to start besides this is one of the best books I've ever read and I hate to read so that pretty good right? Well it was about this girl names Ellie that has an awesome boyfriend and is popular with good grades!!! One day on the way home with her friend after a party at her friends house she gets in a car accident and her friend Stasia died on the spot. The doctors thought she wouldn't make it, even though he did she had to spend 5 months in the hospital with a serious burn on...more

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Sep 11, 2010 YA Reads Book Reviews rated it 3 of 5 stars

Ellie is that girl. You know the one I mean: the one with the hot boyfriend; the one with the flawless grades; the one that everyone admires; the one that is most likely to succeed in life. There’s one in every school, and although you’d love to hate her, there just isn’t anything about her to hate.

But then something happens, something bad. Ellie and her friend Stasia are involved in a car accident. Ellie suffers a lot of injuries and winds up in the hospital with severe burns to one side of her...more Ellie is that girl. You know the one I mean: the one with the hot boyfriend; the one with the flawless grades; the one that everyone admires; the one that is most likely to succeed in life. There’s one in every school, and although you’d love to hate her, there just isn’t anything about her to hate.

But then something happens, something bad. Ellie and her friend Stasia are involved in a car accident. Ellie suffers a lot of injuries and winds up in the hospital with severe burns to one side of her body.

Stasia doesn’t even make it out of the car alive.

The doctors assure Ellie, that after a few years and a whole lot of surgery, that she’ll recover and the scarring will almost definitely disappear. But a few years is a long time to walk through life looking like a mutant, and suddenly Ellie decides there is plenty about herself that’s worthy of hating.

In a fit of depression, she cuts herself off from her friends. Every single one of them, including her boyfriend, Ryan. She’s no longer beautiful, so what’s even the point?

Ellie spirals further and further into a pool of depression and self-pity until one day, an old friend from way back in her past, someone that she sees as imperfect and flawed in his own way, walks back into her life.

Will has always had a crush on Ellie, even when they were little kids, and nothing has changed now. Just because her face isn’t the same as it used to be, doesn’t make her any less beautiful, in his eyes. For Will, beauty isn’t something that’s just on the outside. For Will, beauty comes from within.

Will he be able to save Ellie before she hits the bottom of the barrel? You’ll have to read for yourself to find out.

Although Ellie’s horrible self-pity was hard to endure, it was not unrealistic. As a character, I found the way she responded to the events and issues thrown at her to be very believable. I felt sorry for Ryan and her friends when Ellie simply cast them aside, but I never once thought that she was being unfair, or that her character was unrealistic.
Of all the characters within Beautiful, I admired Will and Ryan the most. Although Ellie pushed Ryan away with everything she had, he never stopped loving her, and just like Will, believed that her beauty went far deeper than the scars on her face.

A solid read that I’m sure the girls will love.(less)

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Apr 10, 2010 Uyenmy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ifavorite

“Truth Found When Beauty is Lost.....”
Ellie Summerfield is beautiful, popular, smart, and has a great, amazing boyfriend everyone wants. She has everything a girl could want-- she's Senior Class President, she has a calendar full of social engagements, volunteer commitments, and church activities...If you asked anyone at West Redding High School to describe her, they'd probably tell you that she's basically “PERFECT”...

The definition for the word PERFECT here describe Ellie is that; she has fl...more “Truth Found When Beauty is Lost.....”
Ellie Summerfield is beautiful, popular, smart, and has a great, amazing boyfriend everyone wants. She has everything a girl could want-- she's Senior Class President, she has a calendar full of social engagements, volunteer commitments, and church activities...If you asked anyone at West Redding High School to describe her, they'd probably tell you that she's basically “PERFECT”...

The definition for the word PERFECT here describe Ellie is that; she has flawless grades, she is attractive to everyone around her...and she is the person that is mostly to succeed in life. But to Ellie, perfect is the last word she'd use to describe her life...Since childhood, Ellie has fought to overcome her grandfather's painful words that push her to be driven, determined, and successful to the detriment of those around her. She always strives to do more, be more, help more. But when a tragedy stops her world short, Ellie is confronted with her deepest fears and many question about her life: Why does she love her boyfriend, Ryan Blasin, and yet not feel in love with him?..Why does her sister, Megan Summerfield, always make her feel like she's doing something wrong?..Why do her parents have all of these plans for her that don't mix with the ones she has for herself?... What is her life really worth..?

She may have been able to answer all of those questions on her own, before the accident. But the car crashed, then caught on fire. Her maybe-friend, Stasia couldn't make out of the car. And Ellie doesn't look quite as beautiful as she used to.(she was burned badly on her left side of the body). When her face is that of a monster, and her faith in God and family and friends and just about everything else has been tested, when the “perfect” of her life is gone, Ellie struggles through physical pain, emotional distress, and self-pity. It's only by coming out the other side that she'll learn that being beautiful has a whole lot more to do with what's on the inside than what's on the outside. While mainly about Ellie, the story revolved around her sister, Megan. Ellie and Megan appear to be exact opposites. Both are forced to face the core of who they are in a way neither expected. Ellie never had to work hard to make her life the way she wanted it, unlike her sister Megan, who to most is invisible. When Ellie has to restart her life she know she can't just go back to the way things used to be, but Ellie finding herself and accepting herself for who she was and what she is now....

My recommendations: I love this book.. The characters, the writing, the pitch, the tone, it's all amazing..Every word was a joy to read, and I was sad when it was done. Cindy Martinusen- Coloma has a way of writing that lets you live right alongside Ellie, feeling her happiness and heartbreak, dealing her pain (both physical and emotional), dreaming and hoping and wanting and living.. There was no sex in this book..but there was minimal bad language of the “she cursed” style. While many of the teen characters drank alcohol, smoked cigarettes, and smoked pot, Ellie didn't drink or do drugs. Overall, I'd recommend this novel as well-written, and clean reading. I liked and didn't like how everything in the book wasn't clean up. Sometimes you just want everything to work out exactly how you'd imagine but really we know that's not always true. So I think this book did a great job of portraying this situation with honesty...I wouldn't really call this a Christian novel as there was very little “God talk,” but God was mentioned here and there in the novel...But I think Christians and non- Christians would enjoy this book...(less)

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Jan 21, 2010 Debbie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, romance, christian

"Beautiful" is a young adult novel that has some romance. Adults will also enjoy this story. The novel asks the question, "Where does a person's worth come from? What happens when you peel back the trappings of a person's life and expose what's left?"

While mainly about Ellie, the story also revolved around her sister, Megan. Ellie and Megan appear to be exact opposites. Both are forced to face the core of who they are in a way neither expected. (I normally don't like back cover descriptions that...more

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Jun 02, 2012 Sharmaine Dela Cruz rated it 5 of 5 stars

I didn't know that a book could affect the way I view things GREATLY after reading it.
Guess I'm not making sense. But what I'm trying to say is after reading this book, it got me thinking "What/Who has given worth to my life?" something like that. Some deep shit things like that.

But what I really love about this is I could picture and associate myself with Ellie. Maybe it has something to do with being an overachiever (though not to the point of wanting world peace and international humanitarian...more

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Jun 02, 2012 Sharmaine Dela Cruz rated it 5 of 5 stars

I didn't know that a book could affect the way I view things GREATLY after reading it.
Guess I'm not making sense. But what I'm trying to say is after reading this book, it got me thinking "What/Who has given worth to my life?" something like that. Some deep shit things like that.

But what I really love about this is I could picture and associate myself with Ellie. Maybe it has something to do with being an overachiever (though not to the point of wanting world peace and international humanitarian...more

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Dec 06, 2010 Brandi Kosiner rated it 5 of 5 stars

Beautiful is a heartbreaking realistic young adult novel. The characters show growth, originality, personality and are easy to relate to.
Ellie is in a horrible accident and we see the transformation not only of her looks but of who she is. She fights for her life and to realize what true beauty is. She doesn't completely lose who she was before the accident, but she realizes a lot of things about herself, and her family and she makes it all into something better. I connected better with Megan...more Beautiful is a heartbreaking realistic young adult novel. The characters show growth, originality, personality and are easy to relate to.
Ellie is in a horrible accident and we see the transformation not only of her looks but of who she is. She fights for her life and to realize what true beauty is. She doesn't completely lose who she was before the accident, but she realizes a lot of things about herself, and her family and she makes it all into something better. I connected better with Megan though because of her personality type. She is funny, sarcastic and tells it like it is- she also is learning a lot about herself in this book, and walks away from a negative relationship because of it. She is a bit of an outcast, and I relate with that.
There are two quality guys in this book and they both support Ellie through it all. I like that Ellie tries to be selfless about them in her life, and how she handles things. It is not a love triangle persay, because even though it shows a glimmer of possibility for relationship with one of the guys, he is really just mostly a friend, and I like he keeps it that way to preserve their friendship, knowing that differences would probably tear them apart if they were more. So I really appreciate how that is written because it is not often that you see a quality friendship in YA with opposite sexes without him being gay or being romantically involved.
Beautiful is well paced, and has a wonderful driving plot, with supporting and interesting sub-plots. I didn't ever feel like there was too little, or too much going on, it is very well balanced. It explores hope, healing, friendship, and religion. Don't let that turn you off though, it flows very naturally and I never felt like it was preachy. It was brought up at appropriate times and it was always personal opinion and not saying what should be believed.
Though we are taken on Ellie's journey of healing, I really appreciate how nothing is magically fixed- it is planted in reality and there is no magical pill. There is lots of hope, and she grows, changes and heals, but nothing is overnight. It has a great ending but it is not all tied up and handed to her. I would recommend this to my readers who like contemps, realistic ya, or if you want an emotional read that will make you think.(less)

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Jan 27, 2010 Molly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-review

I wasn't sure how I would like this book, it being a YA novel and what not. But as I sat down and read it, I found alot about this book that I loved. I liked the plot and I loved all the characters. A story of a popular and beautiful high school girl who feels that she's missing something in her perfect world. like it's not quite so perfect. Then she faces tragedy and it forever changes her life. The author uses wonderful characters that blend together perfectly.

Reading this story, I felt like...more

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May 01, 2011 Cristina rated it 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book. It took till after the first 70 pages to really get into it, but in the end it was great. At first it was kinda hard to connect with the characters; Ellie was the epitome of perfection--or so everyone thought--but she was stand-offish, not just to other characters but to me as a reader. It wasn't till after the accident that I really started to feel a connection to anyone because that is when you see everyone's true character--in the face of tragedy.

Ellie's journey through p...more

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Jan 05, 2010 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: forpleasure, forreview, christianfiction, favorite-2009

Beautiful stirred my heart several times. I found my eyes welling with tears of both heartache and joy as Ellie discovered herself for the first time while she healed from the accident. The author did a great job with character development and making them three dimensional. I loved the interaction between the heroine and the guys in her life. There were some amazing heroes and secondary characters in this book. Even the parents were genuine and believable. I didn't see any plastic characters or...more

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Oct 14, 2010 Malynda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Beautiful by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma is about a girl named Ellie Summerfield who appears to have the perfect life (perfect family, perfect friends, and perfect boyfriend). Of course, things are not always as they seem. Ellie and everyone in her life suddenly realize that life isn’t perfect, not even Ellie’s, when a tragedy forces them to discover what is important and what it truly means to be beautiful. This is the first book I have read by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma and it did not have the effect...more

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Jul 03, 2012 Clarissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Well, this really was a fantastic book. It reflects everything I believe about beauty and the real value of our lives. The writing was awesome and the characters had depth. I enjoyed Megan the most. I really loved her character because she was not only smart but had such a great, if dry, sense of humor which really added to the story. Also, the story itself was incredibly moving. It was very sad at times. I really felt for Ellie and the incredible pain she endured. She too was a great character...more

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Jan 05, 2012 Frezanda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: youngadult, wish-to-own

This book surprised me. I've read another book by this author and I don't find it amazing. It's good but not great.
But this book is different. I find the message it conveyed powerful.

Ellie Summerfield was beautiful before the accident. The beauty was not only physical beauty but also inner beauty. She's the kind of person who was just nice. You might want to hate her because of how perfect she was but she was really a nice girl. She was a girl driven by her dreams and she also had a solid relati...more

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May 12, 2010 Tessa rated it 5 of 5 stars

What I liked: I love how this novel was unique and didn't bring another cliche plot-line to the teen chick-flick genre. The issue was real, and Ellie had to go through the tough side of things to realize what true beauty is. This novel was definitely subtle about God. I don't think there was any part of this novel that was too preachy. The characters were very well-developed, and Cindy Martinusen-Coloma's style of writing is outstanding. I would love it if this book were turned into a film, or p...more

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Jan 20, 2011 Brooke rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-own-a-copy, kindle, favourites, tugged-the-heartstrings, realistic-fiction, taught-me-a-lesson, cover-love

Wow. I loved this book. Really. Loved.

Raw, powerful emotions were stirred up in me throughout the book. The author has created some witty, fun, deep characters that I couldn't help but love.

The story was told in alternating points of view between Ellie and her sister Megan, which I found really enjoyable. There wasn't any of the disruption or confusion caused by the switching POV that sometimes happens. It was smooth. The writing was brilliant too. Everything felt so real. Vivid, almost.

I adore...more

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Jan 24, 2010 Alea rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-for-review

I could take a guess what Beautiful was about based on the book summary and book cover but I pushed it out of my mind so I could fully enjoy the book and be in the present moment with Ellie as everything happened. And I am sure glad I did because this book was beautiful and heartbreaking.

Ellie never had to work hard to make her life the way she wanted it, unlike her sister Megan, who to most is invisible. When Ellie has to restart her life she knows she can't just go back to the way things used...more

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Nov 23, 2012 Josie Garwood rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have read this book twice, and I cry every time.

Every girl has been where Ellie has been; where her world went from its peak to hell in what seems like 10 minutes. And we have all had to find ourselves, some of us find ourselves again, and this is the story of Ellie finding herself again.

Even while Ellie had a perfect life, she felt incomplete, and I think that's what makes this book so relatable to all crowds.

Definitely a must-read. Especially for people who crave a character-driven novel....more

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Mar 15, 2010 R.L. Syme rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, my-romance-faves, enduring-romance-reviews

This was an incredible book full of complex characters. I have to admit, when I first picked it up, I was skeptical that a book about a high school senior could hold my attention. But it was absolutely riveting. I picked it up on a lark to read the first few pages, and a box of kleenex later and two hours later, I put it down, weeping like a baby. Fan. Tas. Tic. I can't say that enough. Original, and not saccharine. Very impressed. I will definitely be reading Martinusen-Coloma again.

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Jun 30, 2010 *~Sammy~* rated it 5 of 5 stars

I thought this was going to have a predictable ending, and it suprised me. The ending was somewhere between good and bad. Overall I really did like this book. It taught me to be thankful for all that I have. God knows how often car accidents like this happen, and It's horrible. There were so many good lessons in this book and I read it in two days. I loved this book and think that everbody can somehow relate to this book, in more ways than one.

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Dec 11, 2011 Kathy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books_that_made_me_cry, young-adult, christian

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

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Oct 10, 2010 Kelly rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: cybils-2010-nominations, ya-fiction, read-in-2010

The third person narration did not work for me in this book at all. It felt far too removed, and in first person, I think it would have been way more powerful. This book has a heavy-handed message about faith and god, and I think it'll have massive appeal to spiritual teen readers -- it's got a little Lurlene McDaniel flavor to it, too.

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Jul 10, 2011 Casey rated it 2 of 5 stars

The story itself isn't bad, but I find the writer's writing style is somewhat immature in the beginning. I was quite bored in the beginning. Once the story picked up it was more bearable. I enjoyed the character Will. I wish the author had more events in the story because it was slow at times.

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Jan 02, 2011 mom2wah rated it 5 of 5 stars

I thought this was a very good quick read on life, its trials and journeys. Its about girl who has every good quality you can think of. What happens when you lose some of those qualities. How do you deal with them? Do you depend on op blame God? Her life comes full circle.
Easy read, enjoyed the book

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Aug 12, 2011 Janelle Rouse rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was a truly moving book. If you are in need of being inspired, definitely read this book! It is about a popular girl who has a very successful life that she thinks she loves. However, it takes an awful accident to make her realize that maybe her life isn't the way it should be. Great book!!!

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Dec 04, 2011 Roshini marked it as to-read

Shelves: dying-to-read

Sounds a little like

. Interested in reading both, and see how they differ.

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Jun 23, 2011 Joey rated it 5 of 5 stars

this is a great book for teenage girls... we used it as a book club book for our youth group. It brought about great discussion about what true beauty is.

Somewhat predictable but truly dealt with issues that teens deal with!

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Oct 05, 2012 Nicole rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book surprised me. it's quite simply written, but is still moving. I even appreciated the presence and references to God, without being an overtly Christian novel. I kind of want a sequel.

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Feb 12, 2013 Cookielover rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: love-the-cover, read-years-before-2013

This was a really good book. I just love how Cindy doesn't write typical stuff. Though the ending confused me, the book was good enough to dub five stars...plus the cover is cool.

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Aug 24, 2012 Kellsea rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: strength

It was about finding yourself after a tragedy. I loved her road to self actualization I just hated to do that she pushed people away.

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