Gorgeous

When eighteen-year-old Becky Randle’s mother dies, she’s summoned from her Missouri trailer park to meet Tom Kelly, the world’s top designer. He makes her an impossible offer: He’ll create three dresses to transform Becky from a nothing special girl into the most beautiful woman who ever lived.

Becky thinks Tom is a lunatic, or that he’s producing a hidden camera show called World’s Most Gullible Poor People. But she accepts, and she’s remade as Rebecca. When Becky looks in the mirror, she sees herself – an awkward mess of split ends and cankles. But when anyone else looks at Becky, they see pure five-alarm hotness.

Soon Rebecca is on the cover of Vogue, the new Hollywood darling, and dating celebrities. Then Becky meets Prince Gregory, heir to the British throne, and everything starts to crumble. Because Rebecca aside, Becky loves him. But to love her back, Gregory would have to look past the blinding Rebecca to see the real girl inside. And Becky knows there’s not enough magic in the world.

A screamingly defiant, hugely naughty, and impossibly fun free fall past the cat walks, the red carpets, and even the halls of Buckingham Palace, Gorgeous does the impossible: It makes you see yourself clearly for the first time.
from goodreads.com

Beth says 5 Stars...
The premise of this book is ridiculous and I love it.  The beginning is a bit odd and slow, but once the action starts it doesn't let up.  One thing to know going into reading this is that it's a satire which will explain a lot about the style because I initially found it extremely jarring.  The continual commentary about pop culture, our obsession with celebrity, and beauty is spot on and razor sharp.  I personally love that it often gets played out to absurdity and was constantly giggling during my reading.  As someone who also loves fashion, I appreciated some of the references to the industry and how things work.  I devoured this book in one sitting, reading straight through and completely ignoring the rest of the world.  The magical elements require a suspension of reality because people don't instantly turn beautiful.  What does happen is that suddenly someone seemingly pops out of nowhere and becomes famous overnight.  The plot capitalizes on that scenario and takes it to ridiculous heights.  Although there are a few predictable bits, there's a lot of originality and the unexpected in the book.

Becky/Rebecca's head was a fun place to inhabit for a few hours.  I love how she recognizes her own ordinariness without always letting it run her life.  She also manages to embrace the changes that Tom brings about in a relatively normal way, with a nice combination of excitement, confusion, and totally freaking out.  A detail I adored about her was how her and her mother's obsession with celebrities ended up helping her!  I know that I've definitely spent more time that I should on E! or something similar and seeing how it played into the story made me smile.  Becky's best friend Rocher (like the chocolate) is equally hilarious and her extensive knowledge of the British royal family comes in handy.  Prince Gregory fills the charming shoes of the heir to the throne just perfectly.  He's a combination of what a stereotypical modern royal should be.

The only caution I have with this book is the language; there's a fair bit of profanity.  Otherwise, grab it for a delightfully satirical romp that will pull you into a world of glamor and absurdity.
ebook from publisher