Positively Beautiful

Gr 8 Up—Hit with the news of her beloved mother's cancer diagnosis, Erin is further rocked by the discovery that she may be at risk for a similar struggle. As she comes to terms with her new normal, the decisions she makes have great implications in her formerly quiet life. This novel suffers from a dizzying array of typical YA tropes. There is a spunky best friend, a "mean girl" with a difficult backstory revealed in the end, a tight-knit relationship with a single mom, grief-fueled poor decision-making, and a surprising love interest. The last of these is the weakest part of the book overall, as Erin displays a large amount of agency and personality and the romantic lead's most interesting facet is that he initially catfishes her. The teen's behavior occasionally skirts the line of plausibility, but readers will be sympathetic to her extreme emotional conflict. The subject matter transcends the typical "cancer novel" material by including conflict over testing for the BRCA gene but still goes for the emotional jugular throughout. The novel has its flaws, but will be highly appealing to teens who would be interested in a more modern take on a well-trod genre.—Erinn Black Salge, Saint Peter's Prep, Jersey City, NJ