A dystopian novel that hits home.

The story itself is close to that of today's society and definitely makes you think of the darker side to being a female.

Not my usual go to genre and I found the book poorly written. However, the book creates so many talking points, I would recommend to YA and bookclubs.

Thank you to NetGalley and Usborne for letting me read this book.

The dystopian genre is often used as away to bring to the fore what is wrong with our current society by exacerbating it, which is one of the reasons it works so well in the feminist novel. This is truly the case with "You Could Be So Pretty", though sadly only a little magnifying is needed. While reading, you find yourself in a constant sense of disbelief and yet you are able to relate every shocking scene to discourses and behaviours you, as a girl/woman reader or other women and girls in your circles, have experienced. The book tackles issues that young women face today: social media's fabrication of impossible beauty standards, the normalization of porn. But it also talks about issues that are as old as time: the every day harassment girls suffer in places where they should be safe. Holly Bourne is so adept at discussing them in a way that's reliable and accessible to teen readers. It is a hard read. So hard I had to put it down several times because it was so upsetting. Of course I was reading this through the lens of motherhood rather than teenagehood, so it will hit differently but I don't think it matters really. Our experiences are different, yet it is what brings us together.

I could quote so many extracts from this book but here are three that really hit hard:

"Ben always says his favourite type of Smut is "They Had it Coming" [...] It's, like, one of the top categories. Alongside "Before They're Legal"" (201)

"The Doctrine makes it very clear that if a girl gets too Intoxicated, that's a clear invitation to receive this kind of attention" (201)

"If a girl tempts a man to lose his control, it's only her fault" (371)

It made me want to burn everything. You will want to as well. And that's exactly the way it should be.

This reminded me a bit of Louise O'Neill's Only Ever Yours, which was also compared to the Handmaid's Tale. Holly Bourne is a solid YA writer, and her books are always a safe bet to recommend to teenagers in the school library. I'll definitely be looking into acquiring it for our collection.

I had read - on the recommendation of my teenage daughter - a couple of Holly's YA books, and enjoyed them, but wow this one really was astounding.
A dystopian story with echoes of The Handmaid's Tale, this extremely thought provoking book tells the story of 2 17 year old girls, one of whom is all about being pretty, thin and compliant, while the other is against "the Doctrine" and lives in a different, freer way. I absolutely loved this book - Holly is at the top of her game with this one
Frankly this should be essential reading for every young woman (and man for that matter).
Brilliant and highly recommended.
With grateful thanks to NetGalley, Usborne Publishing and Holly Bourne for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Set in a not too distant future not too dissimilar to now this is an angry howl at today's society's expectations of women.
The Doctrine tells women that they have achieved equality and they have absolute choice. Choice to be a Pretty, an Invisible or an Objectionable. But to fit in, best to choose to be Pretty. To starve, to spend hours and a fortune on the clothes, the make up, the procedures to keep you that way, but without making it obvious, especially to men, that any of it isn't natural. But if you slip up, don't be surprised when he casts you aside. As for teenagers, remember, men can't help themselves, it's a compliment when they lust after you and if they go too far, it's your fault for being so Pretty.
Belle and Joni are the same age and at the same school where Joni is an objectionable, make up and doctrine free and unpopular and jeered at as a result, whilst Belle is the prettiest girl in school. The one they have in common are their brains, both up for a scholarship to university, a way out of their small town where their roles seem set in stone. But when Joni saves Belle from a possible attack a bond is formed and Belle starts questioning society's expectations of her and realising the choice she is offered is no choice at all.
The world of You Could Be so Pretty isn't fully realised and doesn't totally stand up under scrutiny, but that doesn't matter. Because this isn't about writing a perfect dystopia but a spotlight on the botox and plastic surgery, social media obsessed, violent porn addled culture today's teens navigate. Not one of the excesses detailed in the book is unfamiliar and Bourne savagely shows up the absurdities of modern culture. Interesting and readable. 3.5 stars.

What can I say about this book? Holly Bourne has knocked it out of the park again with this dystopian YA novel. I can't say I loved it, but it did enrage me, exposing as it does all the impossible standards girls and women are exposed to. This book is so necessary, and whilst I'm sad it's needed, I'm so glad Holly Bourne wrote it.

The book I wish every teenage girl could read. Informative, transformative, and overwhelmingly powerful. A beautiful look into the society we have become so used to where we are all valued by beauty and what we add to society. It would be very easy to say this book isn’t a reflective of what society is today but it would be hard to deny the story you read. From start to finish, Holly Bourne succeeds in opening the eyes of her characters as she simultaneously opens her readers eyes too. A beautiful story of self discovering.

Holly Bourne has done it again!!! This is why she is one of my favourite authors!!

This book is so clever!!! This book is literally mirroring the world we currently live in, but under the guise of satire. It's just spot on! I sped through this and felt all the feels.
It's hard to review, as I don't want to spoil anything - but just know this book is super special!
I would love this book to be turned into a tv series!

A dystopia that isn't - this wasn't what I expected when I started reading but got into it straight away. It's beautifully written, a clever concept that is incredibly confronting (I mean, the empowerment centre!) and the final chapter was breathtaking stuff. Holly Bourne never fails me!

You Could Be So Pretty is a dystopian nightmare not too dissimilar from our image-obsessed reality. It drives for consideration, complexity and a conscious effort to push beneath the surface.

Holly Bourne was one of the authors that got me into YA. She is a legend of UKYA and this blazing new novel cements that status. It is one that smokes with a righteous fury. You know that gnawing hunger and rage that sometimes simmers in your belly whe you consider the state of the world, particularly for young women facing the rape culture, constant societal pressure pushed by the beauty industry and media & the rampant misogyny prevalent throughout our world. Holly Bourne has written a book that nails all of that – a fierce rallying cry.

Belle and Joni are two characters that stole their way into my heart instantly. They are both enmeshed in their oppressive societal ideology in different ways. The trauma they have suffered is horrific and you can see how it has shaped them into who they are at the start of the book. Their individual journeys are incredible, so complex and actually allow room for growth and mistakes. They are so authentically messy, like real teenagers. Even their dialogue rings true and often frighteningly so.

The way everything hinges on your appearance really speaks to the aesthetic obsessive society we live in, yet Bourne explicitly draws on needing to still hit that while being rebellious and pushing back. There is a lot of nuance and a considerate throughline of intersectionality. Also, while the primary focus is on that of self-discovery and learning to love yourself completely, I was enjoying the hints throughout at a changing dynamic between two central characters.

You Could Be So Pretty is the type of book you just want to press into everyone’s hands. Listen up and listen well.

definitely an important book that i think all women, young girls and people who think they absolutely need makeup should read. very empowering and a good reminder that makeup should be for you, not for anyone else

Please can this be required reading?

The doctrine promises the Bad Times are over and gender equality has been realised. It also provides guidelines on how girls can be the best they can in this new age of empowerment.
Of course, it’s not the law, and everyone has a ‘choice’ on what to take on board.

This alternates between two very different girls: Belle and Joni.
Belle is obsessed with the Doctrine and seeking Validation by being perfect, flawless, Sin-less.
Joni believes that the Doctrine is brainwashing girls into thinking they should want what they’re being told is the best as they now have CHOICE, but what kind of choice is it really?
Social pressure, bullying, advertisements, labelling, hazing, media…
Wait, is this a dystopia or our current reality?

“You think following the Doctrine gives you power," she says, "but it's all designed to weaken you, to make you compliant."

Bourne uses words like Smut, Vanilla, Frigid, Pretties, Invisibles, and Objectionables to denote trends that impact culture and rankings. And the worth of a girl.
The Doctrine states getting (unwanted) attention is desirable and lucky and gratifying. Then there’s Validation by posting photos and following trends. Dangerous operations to make older women more acceptable-looking to their husbands who married their perfect younger version.

My body has two arms, two legs, it works. It keeps me alive, it walks me to school each morning. My body is body shaped, down to the simple fact I feed it and move it. I’m not ugly. I'm just a person. A person in a girl’s body.

If you’ve watched the Barbie Movie (2023), and recall THAT speech, then imagine that in book format. It is absolutely stunning. Beautiful. Painful.

“She may be nice to look at, but she's starving and she's weak and she's exhausted and she's terrified. And no matter how much she wins, she still hates herself and worries she's not good enough and doesn't live a damned fucking day inside her body, enjoying her life, and instead watches herself like she's having some kind of freakin' out of body experience."

Similar recommendations: Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill and Uglies by Scott Westerfield.

Alexa play all-american bitch by Olivia Rodrigo and The Man by Taylor Swift.

4.25 stars because of the lacklustre end and some pretty predictable turns!

Holly Bourne does it again - holding a light up to our social conventions and asking us to consider to what extent we choose to be compliant in this environment.
The world the characters inhabit seems grossly exaggerated, but it is clearly our world taken to its logical conclusion. In this world, girls are expected to want to be pretty. They seek validation through their appearance and are indoctrinated into believing that men have a right to take what they want and girls should be grateful. In this world smut is played everywhere, and it puts forward a view of women as weak playthings to be degraded and humiliated for men’s enjoyment. How do you combat such views when they are pervasive?
Our two characters are Belle and Joni. They come from very different backgrounds and their views are opposed, but we come to see that they have more in common than they initially realise.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this. I can’t wait to see what some of my students make of it!

I couldn't wait to read this based on the premise, but found the reality extremely slow and all a bit literal. The idea is that women live in a society that prioritizes appearances, to keep women insecure and too busy to focus on their inequality. You're either pretty and accepted, or natural and objectionable.

I appreciated the social commentary that women who age gracefully are judged, and that we feel compelled to inflict all sorts of unnatural practices in the pursuit of youth and beauty, but the story and pace for me didn't come together. I persevered through this book, but came away feeling unrewarded.

The Rules of the Docterine are not law, women have achieved equality and celebrate this by following the rules to be the Prettiest.... and once they have lived out their Just Right years they become an Invisible..... (hold on.... that doesn't sound like equality, does it....)

It seems there are only two options for girls like Belle and Joni. Belle chooses the first, being Pretty and Perfect and taking the cons of this for the Vallidation seems worth it. Joni, on the other hand, rebels against the Docterine and is labelled as an Objectionable... ugly and not someone you want to be associated with.

A traumatic event brings these two girls together and the two opposites struggle to find their place around each other.... but maybe together they will find a third option for all girls....

I am actually struggling with words to describe this book. As with a lot of dystopian, it's not a far stretch from the current way of life. Obviously, this is to the extreme, but some of the morals underlying here really ring true.

Please check trigger warnings before you read this as it deals with a lot of body image and esteem issues, also physical and sexual violence (albeit nothing gratuitously explicit on the page)

This one is going to sit with me for a while.

Thanks to NetGalley and Usbourne Publishing for the chance to read and review this book early!

Honestly it's such an amazing book describing societal norms and the illusion of choice. If the Barbie movie was a book!

It is told under the guise of a dystopian novel, but in actual fact, this is a non-fiction story of what it really means to live as a woman in society. I loved the main characters, especially Joni and the individual conflicts that particularly Belle had to face. An absolute top read.

I think this book is an absolutely brilliant YA Dystopian novel that is super accessible for many audiences, which I am sure is going to be an absolute hit. I think Holly did a great job of pacing the book well, building characters that feel fleshed out and real. The thing that I think is most brilliant about this book is that nothing felt too farfetched. You can see that everything within this novel is very much grounded and mirrored within our society and that is what makes it so accessible to many audiences, they can see the issues within the novel within their own worlds. My only small gripe with this novel (and this is everything to do with my reading tastes and preferences) is that it did feel quite young in its content and quite surface level and I do prefer a book with more grit. This however is perfect for YA audiences, its just that on a personal level, having read other dystopian novels, this was one of the less overtly dark ones, but overall this is a great book for YA readers and I do think this will be a hit. I’m yet to read a Holly Bourne book that I didn’t like so I absolutely recommend picking this up at the end of the month.

I love a dystopia and this didn't disappoint. A really interesting and important critique on the beauty, diet and cosmetic surgery industries as well as a society at large that places unrealistic expectations on women to look and be a certain way. Also an empowering tale of friendship and saying fuck the system. Really accessible and enjoyable and a lot of fun.

A good book about society expectations and how we should all break them down and not put so much pressure on each other to be a certain way as it can have disasferous consequences

Thank you to Usborne, Holly Bourne and NetGalley for an ARC of You Could Be So Pretty.

At first, I was a little skeptical about the book with all the new terms and words with capital letters. I know this is a YA but for me, it read a little young and it's amazing because teenage girls are going to be reading about smashing the patriarchy and beauty standards.

It was my first book by Holly Bourne and I think she did an amazing job. This book reminds me of Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. I thought Joni and Belle were very well written and it was easy to get attached to the both of them. However, I did not like the ending for obvious reasons and I was hoping for a sort of happy ending at least. I understand the reasons behind this but it left a bad taste in my mouth after finishing reading. As a woman, this is (sadly) easy to relate to the story. I was also grateful for the representation in this book.

I would recommend checking trigger warnings for this book before reading as it deals with heavy subjects.