You Could Be So Pretty absolutely blew me away, I was in love. Although when I went into this it was a slow start getting used to what was happening in this dystopian world and the new terminologies everyone uses such as 'the pretties' and 'the objectionables' however I loved how creative and unique this concept is whilst also having such an important and relevant message. This really makes you reflect on modern society and misogynistic culture and how it affects young girls and women. I do suggest that you rea the trigger warnings before reading but I definitely recommend and think it is an incredibly important and amazing read.

I absolutely LOVED this. Although it took me a little while to get used to the terminologies used -I love how this is a magnified take on modern society and culture! I will be recommending this to everyone!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I'm a big Holly Bourne fan and have enjoyed several of her other books, so I was super excited to read You Could Be So Pretty!! And I ended up loving and hating this book. Loving because it's brilliant, but hating because it's so sad that it is so relatable. It is definitely a commentary on society today and the world that we live in, and it really does make you think and break your heart just a little. Although this is YA, it is still enjoyable for adults, as are all of Holly's books. The only thing I struggled with in this one is the language changes, they were a bit difficult to get used to and to follow at times .

I have loved everything Holly Bourne so when I saw that she had a new dystopian book coming out, I had to have it. It’s a very fitting book With the misogyny that is prominent in society currently and the pressure on women and girls to be perfect and pretty and thin this book is such an important book for everyone to read although I would say due to some of the themes I’d recommend for the upper end of YA as it can be a hard read at times but there are trigger warnings at the start of the book so you can decide.

Brilliant book - unfortunately a horrible reflection of our cuRrent society and although dystopian it has many echoes of our lives

Holly Bourne creates a dystopian world of 'the pretties' and 'the objectionables', based on a very real world and the ridiculous expectations of women - to be thin, pretty, hairless, weak, likeable, and overall, to follow societal expectations without question.

Belle and Joni are complete opposites but have everything in common, especially the need to escape.

An important book that I hope will remind us that the fight for equality is not over.

Don't get me wrong, I love Holly Bourne and will finish reading this, but I hope Louise O'Neill's people haven't lawyered up.

I haven’t had emotions evoked in me so strongly for some time.

At first, this reminded me of ‘Only Ever Yours’, and I was sceptical. I didn’t want another book mirroring horror at me and ending in such bleakness… but this is not that book.

It’s not cozy, or happy, but it is hopeful. It made me so angry and so sad. It’s easy to read and easy to follow and easy to understand.

I love women 🥲

Set in a dystopian world that is actually scarily close to real life, You Could Be So Pretty explores a whole host of important topics - how women and girls are taught from a very young age that we must conform, look perfect, never age, behave just the right way, all to benefit the male gaze. Companies profiting from our insecurities, filtered photographs and the the damaging impact of explicit videos online are just some of the other topics covered.
All of this is such a complex issue - it's supposed to be our choice, yet we are shamed no matter which we route we choose. Told we're conforming for society if we glam up, or ripped to shreds for "letting ourselves go."
Despite this, Holly has handled all of this SO well. Honestly such an important book, and although it is young adult, I honestly believe everyone could benefit from reading this one.
I liked both our main characters- at times frustrated at both of them, but I enjoyed seeing them both team up and educate each other.

I love Holly Bourne so when I saw that she had a new dystopian (my fave genre) book out, I had to get my hands on it. Wow. What a book. With the misogyny that is still prominent in society, this book is such an important book for everyone to read. I’ll be recommending this to all my students - it’s important for them to see that beauty is from within.

You Could Be So Pretty by Holly Bourne

You Could Be So Pretty is a dystopia written with feminism at its core, set in a world in which the majority of women “Mask” at the beginning of each day, and those who do not are seen as outcasts.

The novel is split between the perspectives of Joni and Belle, Joni rejects the rules of the Doctrine and doesn’t Mask, and Belle is striving to be a Pretty and is working hard to keep up appearances to win the Ceremony. Despite there differences, they’re both fighting for a scholarship for the Education and are forced to spend more and more time together in order to prepare.

This book is so head-on with the issues of the beauty industry and sexism in modern society. Bourne doesn’t shy away from the gritty details and of her own criticisms of normalised sexism that is experienced by teenage girls, highlighting modern issues from porn to eating disorders and the impact these have on beauty standards. I also thoroughly enjoyed the theme of ageism in society; how the main characters are teenage girls, but we also get to learn how society treats the women around them and how their mothers react to the effects of aging.

You Could Be So Pretty is often hard to read, but there are clear trigger warnings for the issues at the start of the book, which is greatly appreciated, as well as support information at the end. This is definitely an older YA novel, probably best for 16+, I’m 22 and struggled to read some of the content! Holly Bourne was able to critique so many different areas of society and by retitling many of the words used to similar ones, it allowed me to read these difficult topics and feel a separation, helping it feel less overwhelming but still have an impact.

I absolutely devoured this book and cannot wait to discuss it with others when it’s published!

Enter a world of extremes where image is everything. Without the right “Look” a woman can become invisible but if she has it all she can look forward to becoming a man’s possession. There are some trigger warnings to watch out for but I would definitely rate this book for young adults and older adults.

I really liked the main characters Joni and Belle and I was rooting for them both so much. This book is an exaggeration of life but more so for some than others. It really made me think about what young people are exposed to, the pressures of social media and if we are losing rights and choices that we have fought so hard for in the past. I feel positively Awakened!

Due for release September 2023 however I was lucky enough to read an early copy thank you to #netgalley in return for an honest review.

When I started this, it reminded me vividly of Louise O'Neill's Only Ever Yours. As I read on, I thought what a clever dystopian it was, how closely it mirrors our world. And the more I read, the more I realised; it's not a dystopia, or at least not in the sense that's usually used. Holly hides it by using new terms for things, but it's our world. It's here and now.

Consider:

Girls have to wear (masks) make up to look 'normal'.
The more make up, the 'prettier' they are...unless they go too far the other way. Boys like a natural look, and the only consideration is what boys like.
Men get more handsome as they age. Girls are best in their late teens and only go downhill from there.
Girls are told that it's their choice to wear make up or not, but girls who don't are ostracized and miss out on opportunities the others get.
Clothes for girls are both revealing and restrictive.
If a boy attacks a girl, it's because she's so pretty she drove him to it. It's a compliment, really, girls shouldn't be upset about it!
Girls have to exercise to burn off (sins) fat if they want the boys to look at them.
Life as a (Chosen One) model means a lot of manhandling and groping, and then the final product is airbrushed out of all recognition anyway because even the prettiest girls don't look good enough.
Boys can be as lewd as they want, and they're encouraged to sleep around, but girls should be pure. But not too pure. But not too slutty.
You have to lose your virginity at Prom, or everyone will know you're frigid.
I could keep going, but I think I'm making my point here. Holly has always written about feminist and human issues, and by writing them as though in a dystopia, she's shining a very bright light on our real world. The line that keeps going around in my head (paraphrased as I don't have the book to hand) is: "My mother spent years telling 'oh, my darling, you could be so pretty'. She never once said 'oh, my darling, you could be so free' ."

Buy this. Buy it for your teenagers of any and all and no gender. Read it, before or after or with them, and talk about it. Teachers, school librarians, get it into classrooms. Librarians, get it into libraries. You won't be sorry.

Wow! The feminist message in this book hits you right between the eyes and makes you evaluate the way you live, all within the guise of a dystopian YA novel. As you read (and it's a good story with excellent pace) you realise that the fictional 'Doctrine' is here and now; this is how we're all being manipulated and this is how our young women, indeed all women, are being brain-washed, objectified and belittled. Worse, we're welcoming and embracing it!

An extremely powerful read that I can't recommend highly enough. It's not simplistic; it shows us the alternative and the pain that is suffered if you step outside society's rules but it also shows what freedom from these rules can be like.

4.5 stars: Powerful prose at its best.

This feminist dystopian YA novel follows two girls Belle and Joni, living in the world of the Doctrine. Belle is a Pretty, following the doctrine to the letter and while she's doing the best amongst her peers, she isn't understanding why she feels like she's not really living. Joni is an Objectionable and stands against everything the doctrine tells her, proudly wearing no Mask or eating without worrying about Sin. As the end of school approaches, Belle and Joni are competing for a scholarship to the Education and while they could not be more at odds with each other on the surface, they're more alike than they could have first thought.

This book isn't telling us anything we don't already know, but it is screaming it from the rooftops for everyone who might not have really understood the message. The themes of feminism and body image are the most obvious but it also delves into toxic masculinity, intersectionality and indoctrination. Bourne interweaves them all through the two very different lenses of Belle and Joni, which will help reach more readers. I already know readers who will be behind Joni as a proud Objectionable themselves but also those who call themselves feminists but have a lot to learn like Belle.

The pacing was nicely done, I was hooked in very quickly. The world building was so simple and yet effective, all the terminology was easy to pick up on. Joni was my favourite of the POVs, her inner conflict at times was relatable, looking back at my teens but also now as I approach 30. The one thing that was maybe lacking was more queer or any disabled representation, I wasn't sure if this was on purpose though as the brief trip out of the main setting does see a trans character briefly. I would have been interested to see how disabled people fitted into this world, would the doctrine think them objectionable for example? Left me with lots of questions.

This is definitely for fans of Louise O'Neill's Only Ever Yours or the fiction podcast Soft Voice. Get this on the school curriculum ASAP!

We all know that Holly Bourne can write a good book but this was exceptional even by her standards.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for a review.

WOW.

I have read a lot of Holly Bourne's books in the past, all of which were YA. She knows how to pack a punch while keeping her writing accessible and relatable. I'm thinking for example of Places I've Cried In Public. This is not that book, but it is so eye-opening and I am OBSESSED with how she took the dystopian, Handmaid's Tale style formatting and turned it on its head. The Orwell/Atwood-esque style of Capitalizing everything to ensure we know what is important in this society. For the first half of the book I believed that's what I was reading.
But it all changed when Joni and Belle went to the Education for the visit. Then we realize what is truly happening, that we are witnessing small town mentality on a magnified scale. And of course, as explained at the end, there is no happy ending, and for women seeking happiness, they often instead receive a bitter pill to swallow. This book is absolutely masterful and an excellent addition to the YA market. This has the potential to completely radicalise teenagers and young women in the best way, because it is so truthful and will hopefully show them that the momentary validation of social media and youth isn't worth a lifetime of pain. 5 stars!

"The Doctrine states that the bad times are over and true gender equality has been achieved."

This, from the beginning of the book, gave me chills and set the tone for the world this book takes place in. The Doctrine tells us that sexism is over, and that all women's choices are respected. But in reality, societal expectations are high and there is extreme pressure to be perfect and grateful for any and all attention from men. Whilst all choices are allowed, they certainly aren't respected. Our two main protagonists are on opposite sides of the spectrum. Belle is a Pretty, desperately following all the rules and beauty standards, to the point of harming herself to try and fit into an impossible mold. Joni is an Objectionable, looked down upon for refusing to do so. Together their stories interweave in a way that makes both of them reconsider their views.

The world building can feel a little heavy handed at first. There's a lot of terminology to grasp as you drop into this alternate, but all too familiar, dystopian world. 'Mask' for makeup, 'body prayer' for workout etc. But as I kept reading, I settled into it easily and found a lot of depth to the story. Do take content warnings seriously as it does explicitly deal with sexual harrassment, misogyny and domestic abuse.

Highly recommended to fans of YA dystopian fiction.

I really enjoyed this. It was a slight twist on Holly’s usual style, but you can still hear her in the writing - her feminist fiction is so important and empowering and the story rang several scary alarm bells.

I was raging on Belle and Joni’s behalf at the ending, it’s a great piece of work.

This book should be required reading for Secondary School students. As Holly Bourne points out in the afterword - this is not a Dystopia, this is reality for our teenage girls right now in our world, in our society.

The desperate need for ‘ratings’ on social media to up your social status; the complete rejection of the natural state of women’s faces and bodies and, more terrifyingly, the horrific impact of violent porn on young people.

Parents - read it. Discuss these issues with your girls and perhaps more importantly with your boys. Engage. Understand. In the book ‘The Education’ or University is the way out, but it is cruelly ripped away from our protagonists by a patriarchal society. Let’s educate our children and do what we can to help them navigate this frightening new world.