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Book Summary

Reviewed by Pam Gelman

Ape-Face, otherwise known as April, or Isabelle Lee's 10-year-old sister, catches Isabelle in the midst of making herself throw up. She tells her mother, who then enrolls Isabelle in group therapy for eating disorders. Isabelle's thoughts are always on the death of her father and her frustrations with her mother's insistence on keeping these painful thoughts on the inside. In therapy, Isabelle is surprised to be joined by Ashley, the most popular girl at school -- of course everyone thinks she has it all. They bond over their bingeing/purging and start socializing together outside of group therapy. Ashley invites Isabelle to sit with her at the "popular" table at lunch.

Though silent in group therapy, Isabelle takes to journal writing and begins meeting with Trish, the counselor, individually. Trish helps Isabelle open up and talk about her sadness and the problems at home. From there she looks for ways to connect to her sister and help her mother.

Is It Any Good?

4

In PERFECT, Natasha Friend has created a character who will make readers cry and cheer as she struggles and then slowly faces her problems. These problems reflect her mother's inability to accept the father's death, her sister's desperate need to talk about him, a new relationship with the most popular girl at school, and most of all, her own sadness she's repressing in damaging ways. Readers may not have the same problems as Isabelle, but watching her ability to face them and move on will be inspiring.

With its realistic dialogue, difficult moments of self-discovery, and harsh critique of relationships, Perfect is a very quick yet unforgettable read. The graphic nature of this book may make it hard for some young teens to read alone. However, it's an excellent choice for a mother-teen daughter book club.

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