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    Perfect
    Perfect
    Perfect
    Audiobook4 hours

    Perfect

    Written by Natasha Friend

    Narrated by Danielle Ferland

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    First-time novelist Natasha Friend is a writer with a talent for realistically expressing the fears and uncertainties of today's adolescents in a good story. Perfect has received the Milkweed Prize for Children's Literature and is a Book Sense "Winter Picks" selection. This is the moving story of a young girl who develops a dangerous eating disorder while dealing with intense grief.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateFeb 8, 2013
    ISBN9781470354909
    Author

    Natasha Friend

    Natasha Friend is the award-winning author of Where You'll Find Me, Perfect, Lush, Bounce, For Keeps, and My Life in Black and White. She lives in Madison, Connecticut, with her family.

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    Reviews for Perfect

    4/5

    252 ratings31 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      I think what I like so much about Hopkins' books is the brutality of the bluntness. These are not lighthearted stories - they're sad and depressing and deal with kids too young in very adult situations. For someone who's never experienced these things personally but seen friends who have, it's fascinating. There are some truly amazing life lessons to be found here.
    • 2/5
      This is my first Ellen Hopkins book that I've actually finished so bear with me.It's the senior year for four high school students and they all face different problems and pressures from peers, family, and friends. Each one has something they want to reflect on and we follow them as they live their day to day lives. Cara is a closeted lesbian, Sean is taking athletic performance drugs (steroids), Kendra is anorexic, and Andre has a secret talent for modern dance. They're all connected one way or another and it's interesting trying to connect the dots.Once upon a time when I was about 12, I tried to read a Hopkins book but because it was so graphic to my innocent little eyes I felt guilty every time I read it away from the eyes of a mature adult because I still didn't know any better. And also I wasn't a fan of the whole free verse thing. But now I get it, it's a way to get straight to the point. Plus now I know things...I didn't like this book. I didn't like anyone really. Then as I read on I realized how much I would have liked to read about Connor and his whole deal and to my surprise: this is a freaking companion book to his story! So I'm totally going to go look for Impulse. I also didn't like how half the cast's story revolved around Connor, a character that wasn't even there. Cara was her own person yet her problems were still entwined with his. Kendra was in love with the guy to the point where when she was dumped she felt like it was because of how 'fat' she was. Sean was Cara's boyfriend and he was basically a prop to build sympathy for Cara because he had no personality outside of being a drug addict in denial that he was a druggie. Andre could have been interesting but he was so pathetic following Kendra's little sister around like a little puppy that I lost interest in him too. The whole thing was okay but the ending was so anti-climatic that I almost ripped out the pages because I was angry that there was no ending.Since this book is a companion piece I already know the ending to Impulse but I still want to read because I want to know who TF is Connor and maybe I'll find better characters in that book.
    • 5/5
      Everyone wants to be perfect, but for Cara, Kendra, Sean and Andrea, perfect means nearly destroying themselves. Is it worth the pain to finally have what you want and is perfect even attainable?Ellen Hopkins carries on her tradition with Perfect. This novel is written entirely in short poems written from the perspective of the four main characters. True to Hopkins other books, Perfect covers topics such as drug and alcohol abuse, rape, sex, prostitution, homosexual relationships, suicide among many other hot button issues. Teens typically devour these books and I would highly recommend it.
    • 5/5
      I love all of Ellen Hopkins's books and Perfect was no exception. From the very first page I was drawn in to a world with characters I could relate to in some way or another. I definitely recommend this book who people who have ever struggled with pleasing yourself and/or others to the point of striving for absolute "perfection".
    • 5/5
      The sequel to Impulse which follows those related to characters from the previous story. Deals with the pressure to be perfect.
    • 5/5
      Perfect. Is there really such a thing? Perfection is a really important subject surprisingly enough. People try in so many different ways to obtain it but in the end, its impossible. In this book, we met Cara, Connor's sister, Sean, Cara's boyfriend, Kendra, Cara's friend and Connor's ex, and Andre, who dated Kendra's sister.As much as I loved the book, I feel like the only characters who really got a satisfying ending was Cara and Andre. Not that I mind. I loved these two characters. Cara was ready to throw away her parents ideals because she wanted love. She wasn't going to let her mother's "perfection" ruin her like it did her brother and despite all the pain she went through - and boy oh boy did she go through a lot - she got the love she wanted and I'm happy that she really is proud of who she is.I love Andre as well because of several reasons. One, he's an actually decent guy. He really cared about Kendra's sister ( Whose name escapes me right now so I'll call her K.S. ) and it was so great watching him fall in love. Two, he's black. We need diversity in YA and it was great having a MAIN character black. Three, he wanted to dance. He believed in his art so good for him. I honestly thought K.S. treated him like shit and he deserved better. SO much better.Kendra and Sean? Not a lot to say about them. Kendra is anorexic and believes that surgery will make her perfect. But at the end, nothing really changed. She was still insecure and her parents didn't help her. I felt unsatisfied because she needed help. And no one did. But Sean? FREAKING SCUMBAG! I am so angry he didn't go to jail because I don't care that he did steroids and he had his problems with his family: the stuff he did was HORRIBLE. How anyone can do what he did was evil. He doesn't deserve what he got. Overall, I loved this book. Perfection is impossible and some people ended up happy, some didn't. I'm wondering if there will be a third book but either way, I'm satisfied.Rating: 5 out of 5 StarsExtra:Impulse was the first book I ever read by Ellen Hopkins and I hated it. Honestly, I thought the ending was depressing and the characters were blech. But I kept reading her stories because I saw something amazing in her writing. And thank god I did. I LOVE Ellen Hopkins. She is constantly challenged for the dark twisted YA she writes and people always challenge her. But what she writes is powerful, important stuff.I'll admit I was nervous to read this because of how I reacted to the first one but I'm proud to say I enjoyed it. A lot. I can't even believe how quickly I finished this book. Long story short, I feel it is important for EVERYONE to read at least one of Ellen Hopkin's books because they help people. Seriously.
    • 4/5
      I've always been kinda meh about Hopkins, but for some reason this book really touched me.
    • 5/5
      Amazing follow up. I love her books. They're quick reads usually but very detailed. I'm glad she branched out and somewhat finished the stories.
    • 4/5
      I absolutely loved the first book, Impulse, so I had high expectations for Perfect. My expectations were definitely met. The book was one of those books that just sucks you in from the beginning and you don't want to put it down. I loved how the characters had different issues going on, but the stories were intertwined. I think I identified most with Kendra and her need to be perfect to impress others. The only character I didn't care or was Jenna, because of the way she uses Andre. The ending of this book made me cry, which a book hasn't done in years. It's great YA read, and can be read after I pulse or just read by itself.
    • 5/5
      Ellen Hopkins never seems to disappoint me and this book was no different. From the moment I read the poem on the back of the book, I was hooked. I was sucked into these characters lives very quickly. After figuring out this book went along with Triangles I went and reread it again and managed to get an even more clear view of what these teenagers went through.
    • 5/5
      Another excellent story by Ellen Hopkins that looks at the lives of four teenagers as they pursue their definition of what it means to be perfect. Perfect is often skewed by parents, friends, and society but ultimately it is in the mind of the individual. These teens go to great lengths to achieve their goal and often this pursuit involves choices that are not the best. Very realistic and telling. Hopkins writes a very clear picture of what could be happening right under our very noses.
    • 4/5
      This was a very well written book, though it ended with me wanting about twenty more pages- like it should have had another chapter or two. I would have given it five stars except I'm not sure about the graphic and detailed descriptions of binging and purging. It was good but being that the book was aimed at a middle school audience, they don't need to know techniques for bulimia. A little too much "how to". It's important not to gloss over what eating disorders are so that maybe someone will recognize themselves and realize they need to get some help but for those who don't, they don't need instructions for starting. I think I would consider having my daughters read it with me and discuss it but I definitely wouldn't let them read it on their own. One really strong point the book makes is showing how hard and yet how possible it is to stand up to peer pressure. It also deals with family relationships and grief.
    • 4/5
      Was a really good book about a girl with a eating disorder an goes to a group with people just like her, there she meets the most popular girl in school and becomes good friends with her.
    • 5/5
      Perfect by Natasha Friend, is a book about a 13 year old girl named Isabelle whose father died and because she is so sad she now has an eating disorder. The story starts when April, Isabelle’s sister, catches her making herself throw up. April tells their mother what she saw and Isabelle’s mother brings Isabelle to a therapy group for eating disorders. When Isabelle gets to the therapy group, she is surprised to see that Ashley, a popular girl from her school, is there as well. During the time at the group, Isabelle and Ashley become friends because they have the same thing. When they get back to school, Isabelle chooses Ashley and her group at lunch over her other friends. The rest of the story is basically about Isabelle missing her dad, dealing with friends and her throwing up and the therapy group.I would rate this book a 5. It was one of the best books I ever read and I couldn’t put it down! I was sad when I finished it because it was that good. I could kind of relate to the book, even though I don’t have an eating disorder, because someone close to me died too, and I know those feelings of not knowing how to handle it. 
    • 4/5
      Great book. I believe all women and young girls should read it, a touching story about a very real and scary problem.
    • 5/5
      This book is about a girl, Isabelle Lee. Her sister, April, tells their depressed mother Isabelle has bulimia. Isabelle became bulimic since their father died two years ago. Isabelle's mother forces her to join "Group" a group to help girls appreciate their body image. At Group, Isabelle becomes friends with the most popular girl in school, Ashley Barnum, who is also bulimic. Isabelle goes through a few weeks with Ashley as they eat and purge together. Isabelle is upset her mom won't forget her dad and is depressed all the time. But as Isabelle is in Group longer, she stops purging and tries to help her mother overcome her depression.I liked this book because it shows what a lot of girls my age go through. I appreciate the fact the author doesn't try to make anything less harsh. She writes what really happens, and how people are affected by things such as death. I'm glad that Isabelle overcomes bulimia. I hope that Ashley Barnum also does the same. This book can be life-changing to a lot of teenage girls. This book has a very good lesson. When something bad happens, you need to stay strong and keep family close. Don't let them go no matter what.
    • 5/5
       Isabelle Lee has an annoying little sister, a depressed mother, a newly found friendship with the most popular girl in school, and bulimia. "Perfect" is the story of her personal journey through hardship and self-discovery. A year ago Isabelle's father died, and her family has not been the same since. Her mother spends days in bed, cries late at night, and doesn't often cook for her daughters. Isabelle's little sister, April, has to struggle with doing a school project on her family when her mother won't tell her where the photos of her father are. Forced to go to Eating Disorder and Body Image Therapy Group by her mother, Isabelle is shocked when Ashley Barnum, the most popular girl in school, walks in late. Soon a friendship forms between the two that is held together solely by their shared need for binging and purging food and soda. Through her observation of Ashley's eating disorder Isabelle comes to realize how much she is actually hurting herself and her family by continuing her own habit. Through fighting her mother's depression and helping the rest of her family recover from her father's death Isabelle is able to fight her eating disorder.Isabelle's matter-of-fact descriptions of the world around her and how it makes her feel are at times sarcastic, ironic, or pessimistic, but other times are funny, thoughtful, and quite true-to-life. The author's creative use of the first person point of view makes "Perfect" hard to put down once you start it. "Perfect" is a novel for middle and high school readers.
    • 5/5
      This book was absolutely amazing. It shows the emotions of a teenage girl, Isabelle Lee, struggling through life. It tells a story of how she overcomes the obsticals of loosing a loved one, and an eating disorder. But my favorite, was how she realized what Ashley Barnum, the most popular girl in school's life, is really like. Which, in this case, isn't as perfect as everyone thinks. This book takes you through life in Isabelle's shoes, and it I can definatley relate to her feelings. I think that all teenage girls feel this way, and I would definately recommend it for girls middle school and up.
    • 5/5
      The book Perfect was about how this girl named Isabelle dad's died. Isabelle's whole life is falling apart when she has a little sister that bugs her all the time. Isabelle's mom cries everyday because of her husband dieing.
    • 3/5
      i thought the author was childish. saying things like "sure thing girlfriend"maybe that's how people from her generation spoke, i just thought it was weird
    • 4/5
      I thought this book was really good because it was about a problem many girls go through...accepting for who they are, and their bodies. A girl goes to a group to help solve their insecurity, and kept me reading.
    • 5/5
      I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this book. I know many people who suffered through eating disorders and some that still do and they said that they found this book helpful. I read it in the 6th grade and was very happy to find a book that helped. The author made everything very convincing and very realistic.
    • 3/5
      After her father dies, Isabelle, her sister and her mother are bereft. But mom won't even talk about dad, and Isabelle can't deal by herself. She begins a cycle of binging and purging and meets the perfect Ashley in the eating disorders group. Maybe perfect isn't always what it seems.
    • 3/5
      Isabelle Lee is a high school student with an eating disorder.
    • 2/5
      This book was disappointing. I was expecting it to be extremely good, and I didn't get much out of it. There were several parts of this book that appeared to be randomly put in there, but if you ignore those random details, and the ending, I'd give it a 3 out of 10.
    • 2/5
      Positives: * Deals with a very tough issue in a very real way * Explores guilt, the way a child takes over adult roles too early in life, grief, and a multitude of very real emotions that we don't usually talk about * Simple words make her easy to understandNegatives: * I don't like the descriptions that the author uses. * No resolution with anything, I don't even think they accurately portray the healing process of any of the major issues discussed in the book * I feel tempted to try the things that she does, rather than stay away from. That scares me because I know that a teenager reading it will have less self control than I do. (No offense to my students who are all wonderful) * There are very few positive moments, answers given to the problems, etc. The psychologist that plays a positive role could have provided some facts so that teenagers receive an accurate interpretation and don't lead themselves to other conclusions.
    • 3/5
      Isabelle's father has died and her mother, mired in grief, retreats to her own world, leaving her 2 girls to fend for themselves. Isabelle develops an eating disorder, but through therapy makes some improvements.
    • 5/5
      What a great book! I loved it, the emotions are completely genuine. I really felt like the words came straight from isabelle. I could feel her hurt, her frustrations, her happiness. I especially liked the ending because she finally gains the courage to make peace within herself and her situations.
    • 4/5
      This is a very good book so far. It hits on bases that people don't usually talk about. There are so many people who could relate to this book; and other ones by this same author. I can really understand this book because I have friends who used to have these kind of problems, but they have stopped, knowing they are only hurting themselves. The way Natasha Friend explains some things makes me wonder why people don't relize what they are doing to their bodies when the try to get skinnier.
    • 4/5
      Isabelle's father has recently died. Neither she, her sister or her mother has really dealt with the pain of his death. They all have ways of avoiding the pain. Isabelle's way manifests itself as an eating disorder. This is a good book, although I believe the ending is easy and a bit too tidy. Real life is probably harder. Still, this is a good read that makes you understand what Isabelle is going through.