Review: My Life In Black and White

My Life In Black and White by Natasha Friend
Release Date: June 28, 2012
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Pages: 304
Buy the Book: Amazon

What if you lost the thing that made you who you are?

Lexi has always been stunning. Her butter-colored hair and perfect features have helped her attract friends, a boyfriend, and the attention of a modeling scout. But everything changes the night Lexi's face goes through a windshield. Now she's not sure what's worse: the scars she'll have to live with forever, or what she saw going on between her best friend and her boyfriend right before the accident. With the help of her trombone-playing, defiantly uncool older sister and a guy at school recovering from his own recent trauma, Lexi learns she's much more than just a pretty face.

I'm always interested in books that deal with some sort of a trauma that changes your life forever. I think it's because I always wonder, "how would I act if I were in the character's shoes?" So naturally this book really attracted me. The main character Lexi is gorgeous from head to toe. Everyone loves her, and the girl's all want to be her! But then one night she get's into a terrible car accident and her entire life changes!

Lexi survives the accident, which is the most important part! But her face went through the glass windshield and it's safe to say that it will never be the same. Lexi's face isn't healing properly and she winds up getting a skin graft. They wind up taking the skin from her butt ( eww gross!) and grafting it to her face! This was seriously one of those "what would I do?" moments for me! Okay in the grand scheme of things, she is alive! She has no long term effects other than some obvious scaring and *ahem* butt skin on her face! If I were in her shoes, I'd totally be glad to be alive, don't get me wrong! But...seriously...did they HAVE to use butt skin???

Lexi wasn't necessarily a character that I really identified with. Ya, know, with me be stunningly gorgeous and all! (insert sarcasm here) But I totally felt for her and wanted desperately for things to turn around for her. She's just been in a bad wreck, her face is changed forever, and on top of that she finds out some terrible things about her best friend and her boyfriend. Her world is literally shattered! I could really identify with not wanting to go back to school, sleeping late, vegging out in front of the tv and befriending a new ice cream flavor or two!

This story is all about Lexi and her journey of self discovery. I loved how while most people let her beauty define her, she didn't let it define HERSELF! Sure, she was lost at first. But in the end she truly found her inner self, butt cheek and all!

All in all this was a really solid book for me that I enjoyed. I liked the character's, and the plot. It was a super fast read. I couldn't put it down and I'm betting you won't be able to either!