Uglier by Kelly Vincent

A YA Novel published by KV BOOKS LLC  (08/01/23)

Summary:

Nic is back – this time at a boarding school in Oklahoma City. Still mistaken for a boy, even in the bigger city, Nic is still discovering her own identity and who she wants to be. This is the fresh start she’s been wanting, but there are new growing pains in this new environment.

Keywords:

YA, Contemporary, Bullying, Gender Nonconforming, Identity, Art, Introvert, Questioning, Labels, LGBTQ+ themes

My Review:

“My mere existence seemed to be a problem for some people.” (Kindle Edition).

Nic’s perspective continues to be true, full of anxiety, and full of heartbreak. Her thoughts still skew negative and anxious but with tones of hope and self-bolstering. Within the new school, she knows that she has the opportunity to rewrite her story a bit, to be more confident, to be perceived differently even if people try to push her into a box. Continuously, Nic is mistaken for a boy (especially given her height), multiple times in the very first chapter and throughout the novel as well as in different places and contexts. It’s sad to think that there are places where people are still shocked at those who dress more androgenously or don’t conform to societal ‘norms’ for female or male presenting selves. I do disagree with Nic that ‘normal’ girls always wear makeup but perhaps that was my upbringing.

There were multiple aspects of gender and identity presented in this book and all of Nic’s new friends were part of the LGBTQ+ spectrum. I liked how this book dived deeper into different experiences and how the characters’ lives were affected by their gender identities. “This was the whole problem with the binary, and the way other people felt like they had the right to determine your gender.” (Kindle Edition). I loved that there are multiple fiction books mentioned that also touch on themes of identity.

It was neat to see Nic grow in this second novel and I can’t wait to read more of their journey in book three of the series.

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this story in exchange for my honest review.

This novel was published by KV BOOKS LLC  on 08/01/2023 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.00

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Kelly Vincent’s Website