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

Ugly by Kelly Vincent

A YA Novel published by KV BOOKS LLC  (06/07/22)

Summary:

Nic has never been self-confident and only has one friend, Sam. People often mistake Nic for a boy. It’s not just the kids at school who call Nic names because Nic also refers to herself negatively. Sam keeps trying to coax Nic out of her introverted shell and has cooked up a plan. The plan is Operation Social Interaction for Nic and they’re running out of time before Sam leaves the country. Meanwhile, Nic is prepping for the school’s art contest and has begun questioning more than just her sexuality. Is there even a label for how she feels and would people accept her as a gender nonconforming individual?

Keywords:

YA, Contemporary, Bullying, Gender Nonconforming, Identity, Art, Introvert, Questioning, Labels

My Review:

Nic’s perspective is so true and raw and heartbreaking at times. She has repetitive and increasingly negative thoughts about how she’s a loser and ugly. There are multiple and repetitive scenes where she’s mistaken for a boy. Her mind tends to gravitate to the negative and the worst-case scenarios because she’s been burned so many times before and has a healthy distrust of others. Nic is also relatively shy and a bit socially awkward. As an introvert-extrovert, I’ve totally been there!

In some ways, I identify so much with Nic’s experiences and her introverted head talk. “Eye contact was dangerous. It triggered interactions.” (10%, Kindle Edition). Yes, Nic, this is so true! In other ways, I think she’s too black and white about her thoughts. On the one hand, she’s so harsh about gender and its binary-ness, “… but it would be so awesome to be a person without all the stupid trappings of girl-ness.” (60%, Kindle Edition). On the other hand, she’s just voicing her own experience and frustration, “… even if I tried to wear feminity, it would come off all wrong on me.” (74%, Kindle edition).

At times the book was hard to read because of all the self-doubting and self-hate thoughts. There is a lot of repetition of Nic’s thoughts. At times, it seems like she’s being whiny while other times it is wholly justified. At all times she is a teenager questioning her own identity. Towards the end, we learn that there is a reason for her repetitive thoughts and it makes her much more endearing as a character. Her most redeeming characteristic was her unwavering love of art.

This book was slow-paced, very much a contemporary coming-of-age book.

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 06/07/2022 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 3.75

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Kelly Vincent’s Website