Best of the Month: July 2014: Perfect by Ellen Hopkins

Cara's parents have impossible expectations for her, and they refuse to aknowledge that Cara is not their perfect little girl. But her parents' unrealistic expectations have already driven Cara's brother, Conner, to suicide. Cara is determined to reject her parents' wishes and create her own ideals. Kendra, a model, thinks perfection means the perfect body. She's tried everything - surgery, drugs, even starvation - to be perfect. But no matter how hard she tries, she doesn't seem good enough. Out of desparation, she may soon do something to herself that cannot be healed. But the one person who can show her that her views on perfect are wrong is someone Kendra despises. Sean will do whatever it takes to be the best on the playing field - even if it means cheating. And he's going to learn that dreams of an ideal future won't always come true. Andre's parents want him to follow tradition, but Andre's dreams don't match up with those of his parents. There's a first time for everything...

I really like the author's message that you don't have to be perfect. Teens deal with the wish and presure to be perfect a lot these days, and sometimes we need to be reminded that the media isn't a guidebook to life. Ellen Hopkins adressed that problem perfectly. The message and the characers' actions were powerful and really hit home. Each of the characters was written very thoughtfuly and deeply, and their development was very entetaining. Everyone can relate to at least one of the four characters, and each characters' story is not something that is quickly forgotten. 5/5 stars.

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