Perfect

Perfect by Ellen Hopkins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ellen Hopkins is, in my opinion, the best young adult writer out there. She tackles hard issues, and does so using poetry as her art form. Poetry is such an emotional way to tell the compelling stories that Hopkins chooses.

Perfect uses four different voices to tell the story of the high school seniors in this book. Kendra struggles with an eating disorder and body image while on her way to a modeling career. Cara, whose brother Connor just tried to commit suicide, is having a hard time deciding between her perfect boyfriend and a new intriguing girlfriend. Sean is a baseball player on his way to Stanford and will take whatever steroids he needs to ensure that dream, despite what it may cost him. Andre loves to dance, but has to keep his dreams hidden from his family who wouldn't understand, all the while dealing with an alcoholic girlfriend, Jenna, who will do anything to score some beer, even if it gets her killed.

This book is a follow up book to Impulse, which tells the story of Cara's brother, Connor. The books both have the same ending, told from a different perspective and are interwoven so perfectly.

I love Ellen Hopkins, and I loved this book. My only wish for this book is that the author's note where Hopkins explains the concept of perfection, and why she chose to write about it, was in the front instead of at the end. I'm afraid too many people will stop at the end of the story and not read her notes.

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