Book:  Plus
Author:  Veronica Chambers
Published:   August 5, 2010 from Razorbill
My edition/number of pages:  ARC/304

Age group:  Young adult
Source:  Publisher
Series?:  No.

“This is the unbelievable story of how I went to college, gained twenty-five pounds, got dumped by my boyfriend, failed physics and became a worldfamous supermodel.”

So begins the Cinderella story of Beatrice Wilson, whose life changes overnight when she’s discovered by a scout for the oldest, most prestigious modeling agency in America—for their plus-sized division.

Now she must find the confidence to vanquish skinny rivals, fend off sleazy photographers, and banish scheming frenemies in her rise to superstardom, all while trying to get her ex-boyfriend back. But Bea learns that to win prince charming, you first have to find a way to love yourself.

Plus was a surprisingly cute, funny book.  It was a great look into the world of plus-size modeling, something I never would have thought to read about.

Bea is brilliant.  She always has been.  That’s why she skipped a year of high school and joined the pre-med program at Columbia.  Her life is great until her boyfriend dumps her and she gains the freshman 15 plus 10.  Eating is all that seems to help these days and surprisingly, it leads to a modeling career.  The money and fame are only perks though.  The real reason she’s modeling is to get Brian back but will she lose her best friend and a real chance at romance because of that?

Bea was obnoxious.  She was obsessed with Brian and getting him back.  There were times where I wanted to reach into the book and slap her.  He was not a good guy and she deserved so much more.  She just couldn’t seem to get that.  She also had some problems mixing real life with modeling but she did get back on track eventually.  I actually began to like her after that and she grew into a great character.

Bea may have had her flaws but she was always a strong character.  She believed that she was beautiful and that she should be a role model to others.  Her and all the other plus models she worked with showed that skinny is not all there is.  They may have been plus but they were confident, gorgeous, and sometimes even sexy.  More models (and girls) should be like these girls.  This book showed that you don’t have to be like everyone else to be beautiful.

Overall, Plus was just an all around good book.  I needed a fun read and this was definitely it.  I found myself cracking up so many times at Bea’s sense of humor and I think others will too!

First line:  This is the most important thing I’ve learned in my seventeen years on earth.

Writing:  5

Characters:  3

Plot:  4

Ending:  5

Originality:  5

Overall:  22=B+

Cover:  3=C- (I don’t feel like it goes with the book.)