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jdgcreates's review against another edition
3.0
A quick paced, slice-of-life tale that makes you root for its characters. Compellingly straight-forward, this is a glimpse of life as an obsessive-compulsive, a teen mom, and as a fetus and infant told in their own voices. Addonizio's first novel isn't sweet and mild (and neither is her poetry, thank god), and it won't change your life, but it will make you keep turning the pages to make sure her characters change theirs.
qtpieash3's review
2.0
This was a quick read that was just ok.
Little Beauties tells the story of Diana, a pageant contestant until her teen years who suffers from OCD, Jamie, a depressed pregnant teenager, and Stella, Jamie's baby. It was a quick-paced story in the beginning with the chapters bouncing back and forth between Diana, Jamie, and Stella's POV. They were likeable enough, but ultimately felt flat to me. I honestly liked Stella's POV quite a bit, until she started commingling with another character that I just wasn't buying. I wasn't a huge fan of the ending either; it felt like the end of just another chapter, but that was it for the book.
I didn't hate, but can't really recommend it either. Meh.
Little Beauties tells the story of Diana, a pageant contestant until her teen years who suffers from OCD, Jamie, a depressed pregnant teenager, and Stella, Jamie's baby. It was a quick-paced story in the beginning with the chapters bouncing back and forth between Diana, Jamie, and Stella's POV. They were likeable enough, but ultimately felt flat to me. I honestly liked Stella's POV quite a bit, until she started commingling with another character that I just wasn't buying. I wasn't a huge fan of the ending either; it felt like the end of just another chapter, but that was it for the book.
I didn't hate, but can't really recommend it either. Meh.
catherine_the_greatest's review against another edition
3.0
My rating of 3 stars is an average of the ratings I would give each of three narrators of the book, who tell the story in alternating chapters.
Diana, dealing with her OCD without her medication after her husband's departure, I would give 5 stars. I thought her p.o.v. was very realistic and found her to be a mostly sympathetic character.
Jamie, a pregnant recent high school graduate, who hates people but loves fashion, I would give 3 stars. Her character didn't entirely make sense to me, partially because certain aspects of her personality didn't go together and partially because I wanted to slap her. But in the end, I have to admit that she's probably a pretty realistic depiction of a certain type of teenage girl.
The first-person narrative of Stella, Jamie's unborn and then newly born baby, I absolutely hated. One star is being generous. If the whole book had been told from her p.o.v., I wouldn't have made it through the first chapter. Apparently, Addonizio thought the baby had something to contribute to the story, but I found it to be hokey, new-agey, and just plain ridiculous. The idea that she picked Jamie to be her mother was laughable. I especially hated the revelation that she was somehow connected to another character in a past life.
If Addonizio had written this novel alternating between Diana & Jamie, I probably would have given it 4 stars.
(I picked this book because I enjoyed Addonizio's short story "Ever After" in [b:My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me: Forty New Fairy Tales|7945295|My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me Forty New Fairy Tales|Kate Bernheimer|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327926278s/7945295.jpg|11460338].)
Diana, dealing with her OCD without her medication after her husband's departure, I would give 5 stars. I thought her p.o.v. was very realistic and found her to be a mostly sympathetic character.
Jamie, a pregnant recent high school graduate, who hates people but loves fashion, I would give 3 stars. Her character didn't entirely make sense to me, partially because certain aspects of her personality didn't go together and partially because I wanted to slap her. But in the end, I have to admit that she's probably a pretty realistic depiction of a certain type of teenage girl.
The first-person narrative of Stella, Jamie's unborn and then newly born baby, I absolutely hated. One star is being generous. If the whole book had been told from her p.o.v., I wouldn't have made it through the first chapter. Apparently, Addonizio thought the baby had something to contribute to the story, but I found it to be hokey, new-agey, and just plain ridiculous. The idea that she picked Jamie to be her mother was laughable. I especially hated the revelation that she was somehow connected to another character in a past life.
If Addonizio had written this novel alternating between Diana & Jamie, I probably would have given it 4 stars.
(I picked this book because I enjoyed Addonizio's short story "Ever After" in [b:My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me: Forty New Fairy Tales|7945295|My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me Forty New Fairy Tales|Kate Bernheimer|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327926278s/7945295.jpg|11460338].)
ladybrik's review
2.0
I found this book at the library when I was browsing the fiction shelves. It caught my attention and the dust jacket sounded promising. It wasn't a bad book, per se; it just seemed like a pointless glimpse into the lives of several people who have faults but who are ultimately uninteresting.
duashamsi's review against another edition
3.0
love addonizio's poetry and flashes of it were here, but all in all the book was a bit silly
mrs_george's review against another edition
2.0
This was written from 3 different perspectives; Diana, Jamie and Stella. I found Diana's to be the most interesting with her OCD and beauty pageant background. Not going to lie, reading about her rituals made me a little paranoid myself. Jamie's side was good but not original. Stella's was the worst. Just way too far fetched for me and then quite confusing with the introduction of Eva. I agree with the other reviewers saying there were too many plot lines.
shinychick's review against another edition
1.0
Another book happened upon in the New Books section... And, another book about a lead character with OCD. Somehow, the boy from The Curious Incident... was more likeable. Now, I wouldn't say avoid this book like [b:Cat's Meow|501839|Cat's Meow|Melissa de la Cruz|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348287764s/501839.jpg|489930], but avoid it, on general principle.
yangyvonne's review against another edition
4.0
Diane has OCD - very badly. So bad that her husband, Tim, has left, tires of moving when she can't take her job of the moment any more. Them in walks Jamie, a 17 year old who gives birth to Stella, and changes Diane's world. In trying to help Jamie, Diane must deal with her OCD and Anthony is there, both to help Stella be born (who is the re-birth of his wife who had died from cancer(!)) and to help Diane begin to cope. The book switches from the perspective of Stella, Diane, and Jamie and ends without any resolution to anyone's story/struggle.
When I read that this was the author's first novel and that she was a poet, I was wary, but the style of switching narrators worked really well and it was obvious she had done her research on OCD. The only thing I didn't care for was the reincarnation or ethereal communication subplot between Stella and Anthony's deceased wife, Eva. It wasn't really essential to the plot and seems a little new-world for an otherwise modern story. I was glad to see the mother-daughter issues with Jamie and Diane get resolved.
When I read that this was the author's first novel and that she was a poet, I was wary, but the style of switching narrators worked really well and it was obvious she had done her research on OCD. The only thing I didn't care for was the reincarnation or ethereal communication subplot between Stella and Anthony's deceased wife, Eva. It wasn't really essential to the plot and seems a little new-world for an otherwise modern story. I was glad to see the mother-daughter issues with Jamie and Diane get resolved.