North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

North of Beautiful:
It's hard not to notice Terra Cooper.


She's tall, blond, and has an enviable body. But with one turn of her cheek, all people notice is her unmistakably "flawed" face. Terra secretly plans to leave her stifling small town in the Northwest and escape to an East Coast college, but gets pushed off-course by her controlling father. When an unexpected collision puts Terra directly in Jacob's path, the handsome but quirky Goth boy immediately challenges her assumptions about herself and her life, and she is forced in yet another direction. With her carefully laid plans disrupted, will Terra be able to find her true path?


Written in lively, artful prose, award-winning author Justina Chen Headley has woven together a powerful novel about a fractured family, falling in love, travel, and the meaning of true beauty.

This was nothing short of an amazing book, written by Justina Chen Headley. I’m having a hard time articulating what I feel...other than: “Wow...just WOW!” It’s been a while since I have gotten so emotionally involved with a young adult book, and this one had me from page one. North of Beautiful is one of those books that really makes you think; it makes you question your own perceptions of the world around you. The honest romance between Terra and Jacob was breath-taking, and sweet. All of the characters were intensely vivid and I simply could not put this book down.

Terra was completely lost. She may have thought she had a plan, but her eyes were truly opened the day she met Jacob. She hides herself, deep within the confines of the mask she shows to the world, afraid of everyone’s opinions about beauty. A trip to China and a young girl she meets there change Terra irreparably, altering her own views on life and giving her the strength to step out from beneath her abusive father.