Allison Avery often feels overlooked. She’s the middle child, lost in the attention paid to her lucky little sister Phoebe and her brilliant older sister Quinn. Allison is neither beautiful nor brilliant --- she gets good grades, but she has to work at them, and she’s more likely to be described as “interesting looking” than as pretty or lovely.

As the end of ninth grade nears, Allison also feels trapped in the middle between two sets of friends: her long-time best friend Jade (who has always been so supportive of her but can also be pretty judgmental) and new girl Roxie Green, the pretty bad girl who shows her the riskier side of life. Jade and Roxie can’t get along. Can Allison find a way to figure out where she belongs, and also determine which friend truly has her best interests at heart?

With all her crises at school and at home (where her mom is struggling with financial pressures after losing her high-powered finance job), it’s not surprising that Allison should have nightmares. But when, during one particularly vivid dream (or was it real?), the devil visits Allison, she offers to trade her cell phone for the opportunity to be truly gorgeous --- at least in the eyes of seven beholders (one of whom will hopefully be her crush, Tyler).

Pretty soon, Tyler is noticing Allison, much to her surprise. An impromptu trip to New York City with Roxie also leads to Allison being discovered in a modeling contest (even though Roxie is the aspiring model). Maybe this bargain with the devil was a good thing after all! But this newfound gorgeousness and popularity might come with a hidden cost. Is Allison prepared to damage her family to help keep herself in the spotlight?

In addition to being an entertaining, fanciful coming-of-age story, GORGEOUS tackles some pretty tough ethical questions in an entertaining way. Should Allison remain faithful to her long-time best friend or to the attractive newcomer? Can loyalty blind people to their so-called friends’ true colors? How can sisters support each other when they have their own crises to tackle? What happens when you get everything you ever wanted, only to find out that those desires aren’t so fulfilling after all?

GORGEOUS is the second book in a projected trilogy (following LUCKY), each of which focuses on a different Avery sister as she copes with changing circumstances at home and school. Although GORGEOUS does not maintain the kind of thematic consistency of LUCKY, readers who liked the first novel will enjoy viewing the same events through Allison’s eyes. Oldest sister Quinn still remains mostly a mystery, but fans will look forward to reading her side of the story in the series’ final installment, BRILLIANT.

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