Holly Bourne has always been one of my favourite authors and this book reminded me exactly why. The themes in this book were so familiar, the way young girls feel they don’t fit in if they don’t wear makeup and have their hair a certain way. Holly addresses these topics with such care and sensitivity I recommend everyone reads this book, it is definitely up there with my favourites.

What an important book. As a high-school English teacher I often recommend Holly Bourne books to my students and You Could Be So Pretty will definitely be added to my bookcase.

I found some of the word changes annoying but, that aside, this was a good read - as expected with anything by Bourne.

Holly Bourne, the so-called "Queen of UK YA" ventures into new territory. A dystopian novel. Or, well, that's what you are led to believe based on the description of it. Lauded as a blend of The Handmaid's Tale and the Uglies series, the aim is certainly very high. Bourne succeeds in many respects, but also falls a little short in some. It's a very, very good YA read.

But it could just as well have been a normal young adult book, set in our contemporary world because this world barely differs from the dystopian setting Bourne tries to create. In fact, I feel like it could have been an even stronger and more relevant book if it had been. The strength of the Uglies series was that the post-apocalyptic future of Westerfeld's creation was glamorous and exciting and part of you actually wanted to live in it. The negative parts of being a "Pretty" only dawned on the reader with a remarkable subtlety. In addition, the futuristic technology and slang used by teenagers feels very different from our modern speak.

Bourne attempts to do something similar, by introducing new terminology for pretty much the exact same technology and cultural idiosyncrasies that exist in our world today. For example, a cell phone becomes "Device", social media in effect becomes a "Ranking", make-up becomes "Mask", virginity becomes "Vanilla" and several other words are used to replace modern things. It does not seem that technology in this alternate (or future?) universe differs from our own, which makes these words feel especially jarring and confusing. A lot of it felt very silly and took me right out of the book.

Having said all of this, Bourne excels at portraying teenage anxieties, hopes and dreams and the very real expectations that are made of girls and women in today's world. In Bourne's world, the "Bad Times" are over and true equality has been achieved. This is something stated by a doctrine that everyone seems to follow without question. Girls and women wear make-up, undergo cosmetic treatments and surgery, in order to be "Pretties" and if they "choose" not to do any of this, they become an "Objectionable" and are ridiculed and ostracised from much of society. In that way, it's very much not a choice anyone could make lightly.

This is a thought-provoking novel that I believe would make for a fantastic book for the classroom. It lends itself to important discussions around relationships with our bodies, food, beauty standards and misogyny within our society. It certainly achieved its goal in forcing me to examine my own relationship with beauty and recognising the toxicity that exists within it. A very important, transformative read that could have done with a small amount of extra world-building and some cutting down on the irritating use of language. Overall, I enjoyed this a lot.

I was not sure what to expect from this very different novel by Holly Bourne. I have not previously read any of her YA novels, but have read most of her adult novels and loved them. Bourne is a very important feminist writer. This novel is very close to home. It explores a world where young women are held to an impossisble standard of beauty, it is the most crucial thing, and if you don't have it you are despised. The girls are supposed to follow 'the doctrine' and any attention, in any form is considered to be desirable.
This was a thought provoking novel and should be a must read for teenagers. Thank you to Usborne publishing and Netgalley for an ARC of this novel.

"They don't have t make things illegal, If society punishes you enough, then laws aren't needed, and they can continue this delusion of choice."

It’s no secret that I consider Holly Bourne to be one of the most important feminist writers of today, so there is a nervous apprehension every time I get my hands on a new book of hers because I’m scared this will finally be the time she releases something I don’t like. And with the speculative, dystopian story not being something she’d done before I didn’t know what to expect. Thankfully, I didn’t have to worry about that because once again she’s created something spectacular.

Bourne creates a timely, searing dystopian hellscape, with an intensely suffocating atmosphere and vivid world building. The scene was unsettlingly familiar, an uncomfortable cautionary tale about a world that isn’t too far off from ours. It delves into the complexity of both legalised oppression and societal oppression, how they’re both as strong as the other in places - at one point, she writes “they don’t have to make things illegal, if Society punishes you enough, then laws aren’t needed, and they can continue this delusion of choice.’ I had been trying to find the words to describe this but this explains my feelings so well I didn’t need to.

The story moves forward at a steady pace, starting with a jump and never letting go — but it’s quiet, subtle with a lot of nuance and thought rather than loud, explosive drama. We see two young girls and how the small moments of their lives look under the Doctrine. It respectfully and carefully looks at the intersection where sexism meets racism, classism, queerness, ableism and the painful silent standards forced on women of all walks of life. It creates a world where sexual violence, misogyny and victim blaming is even more common, where girls are told to be only pretty and soft but then never to fight back when men ‘can’t help it’. The entire thing was truly cutting, how universal the experiences of our characters were to so many and it gave me a deep sense of connecting but also catharsis and validation.

Our characters felt like friends (although not to each other) — they’re immediately familiar and invoke a sense of kinship. Two girls on different sides of a divide, two different kinds of victims, different kinds of fighters — it was almost painful to watch the way Belle had been conditioned into following the doctrine at times, even when they began to question it. And it makes you wonder if Belle had been given choices and independence- real choices - like Joni had, would she be different? Was it ever her fault she believed a hateful, oppressive regime if she knew nothing else? As their lives start to merge, we watch them change and grow on the pages in such an amazing way and their storytelling kept me glued to the book until the very last page.

A cathartic, call-to-arms for women and girls that is full of both divine feminine rage and deep love and sisterhood. A must-have that every ‘objectionable’ women needs on their bookshelves this year.

You Could Be So Pretty by Holly Bourne.

Once again, Holly Bourne delivers an extraordinary novel that resonates long after the final page. In this thought-provoking book, she paints a world where a woman's value is solely tied to her appearance, and teenage validation becomes a necessity. It's a realm where hours are spent on beautification for the sake of male attention, and unsolicited touches are twisted into compliments. After all, it's what women desire, right?

True to Bourne's style, this novel offers an unsettling glimpse into the reality we've constructed. It confronts us with the sobering truth that despite our efforts, there's still an immense amount of work to be done for women to feel secure.

If this book doesn't ignite introspection about the way we speak to and perceive women, or if it doesn't stir a fiery passion within you, urging for change, then a second reading is essential.

This is one of those books where you need to give yourself time when you’ve read it - to process, to think, to reframe.

I absolutely adore Holly Bourne, both YA and adult books. She is absolutely “nail on the head” accurate in her writing, she creates fantastic characters, and she is unfailingly challenging and, at times, brutal.

And this is not an easy read. For all the blurb talks about dystopia, the elements of this novel are so close they can be touched. This makes it all the more frightening, believable and really drives the novel forward.

It is easy to adore these characters - their flaws and strengths, and to see our young people within them.

This is a book every teenager, everyone working with young people and every parent should read. Saying “this is an important novel” is trite - but it is so important.

Holly Bourne writes so skilfully about the issues facing women and young girls and I loved seeing how she explored these through a dystopian lens. This is a book that stays with you, and it's one I wish I'd had as a teen.

Thank you NetGalley and Usborne for providing me with this ARC.

This book is most frat boy’s and certainly some politician’s wet dream.
In a society that claims to have achieved true gender equality, girls and women live to fulfill the most extreme beauty standards one can imagine. Sexual harassment and violence is a daily occurrence and to be taken as a compliment. The “Prettys” are just too much for men to control themselves.
The story was haunting and the reader is left shocked at the parallels this dystopia draws to the real world and how the patriarchy shapes the everyday life of women of all ages.
It being a dystopia, the author introduced some language that I found a little bit irritating. Words like money become “finance”, virgin turns to “Vanilla” or phone now is “Device”, Make-up is “Mask”.
These changes didn’t seem organic to the story because nearly everything else seemed to be set in a “normal” world setting so I don’t quite know why the author chose to rename those words - probably to emphasize on important terminology.

This book left me disgusted, thoughtful, hopeless but simultaneously hopeful (if this makes sense) and I really enjoyed reading it.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Holly Bourne does it again with another incredible novel that will stick with you long after you finish reading.

Imagine a world where all of a women’s worth is placed on the way they look. When teenagers can’t do anything without the validation of their peers. Where it’s their choice to spend hours preening and primping to attract the male gaze, and it’s a compliment when men touch you without your consent. They’re just telling you how pretty you are after all. It’s what you wanted, right?

As is to be expected from a Holly Bourne novel, this book is an uncomfortable view of the world we’ve created and that no matter how hard we think we’ve tried - there’s still so much work to be done for women to feel safe.

If this book doesn’t make you question the way we talk to and about women, or make you so angry you want to demand change - then you need to read it again!

Thank you to NetGalley and Usborne for the ARC and thank you Holly Bourne for always writing such impactful novels that have the potential to change lives.

Very excited to acquire this title! Will be sharing a full review and thoughts soon, but I feel the content of this novel will resonate with so many! Beauty and the price of it will always be a topic of discussion and I cannot wait to delve into this book!