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Anonymous
Posted Mon Apr 29 00:00:00 EDT 2013
This book is for any and every woman. It's the story of how one woman fights to accept that life cannot be defined by your dress size. It's honest and real, and will break your heart while putting a fire inside your soul. And all that without mentioning the love story! I recommend this book for everyone, simply because of the powerful story of Cat--an EPIC heroine. However, Nate's a pretty good reason too!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Mon Apr 22 00:00:00 EDT 2013
I loved that the woman in this book is not your typical thin perfect woman you read about in these new adult romance novels. I feel like most women, myself included, can relate to her. Her inner struggle with her weight and confidence is exactly what goes on in my mind about my weight and confidence. I hope we all find our own Nate, that will make us feel beautiful and loved on the inside and outside. And its such a super crazy coincidence that Cat is from Dayton, Ohio...because I am too! ;)
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Ellenalwaysyaatheart0
Posted Tue Apr 09 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Picture Perfect is such a fantastic book. You have all the elements needed for a great New Adult Contemporary Romance - super hot guy, beautiful girl, great story line, and some really steamy sexy scenes, but Alessandra Thomas takes you so much deeper than just another great romance, into a story regarding an issue that the majority of women deal with in one way or another, our body image, being overweight, feeling unattractive, and how to overcome that and learn to love yourself the way you are. Granted, that is sometimes a lot easier said than done, but taking the journey along with Cat in Picture Perfect really gives you a better perspective on what that entails, enabling you to see and experience things from Cat's point of view, but also to gain perspective from Nate, the super hot boyfriend, and from her best friend Joey, who I just loved. The story line itself is entertaining and well executed, and captured my attention right away.
I loved getting to know Cat and my heart broke with her and rejoiced with her as she walked through her experiences in a journey which begins with her hating herself because she thinks she is fat, and then seeing her come out on the other side a better person as a result of all she endured. I really loved Nate to. He has his own secrets though, which kind of throw a kink in things, but you still can't help but love this guy, and the chemistry between Cat and Nate is off the charts hot. I love the way he is so understanding and patient with her when their relationship turns "physical," and I loved the romance between them. It was bittersweet seeing how Cat's friends, her ex-boyfriend, and her sorority sisters reacted to the way Cat had changed since her accident, some positive and some negative, and I wanted to slap that ex of hers.
Picture Perfect is a wonderful contemporary romance with a great message, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I highly recommend this novel for women of all shapes and sizes who love a good read.
Kristi_Cramer
Posted Sat Apr 06 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Okay, so the end of Picture Perfect mostly redeems the first 3/4 of the book. Mostly. I do love the message of the ending, which can be boiled down to “True beauty really does come from within.”
How much better would the world be if women never had to believe that their dress size was the only thing about them that mattered? I believe women should be encouraged to be healthy and strong, whatever that looks like for each individual. I believe women should be told from birth that true desirability comes from their soul, not from society’s definition of sex appeal.
The end of Picture Perfect delivered that message. The rest of the story....I have also been overweight all my life, and body image was an issue in my life when I was younger. I really wanted to relate to this story. I think the final message is so very important. But I almost gave up before I got to it.
I felt like too much time was spent gushing over the sex. Cat seemed to have a two track mind. One was her fat rolls, the other was sex. Being 45, I know that there is WAY more to life than sex. As someone whose self-worth was closely tied to whether or not men wanted to sleep with me, I know how much the idea that “sex equals love” can damage in the long run. Love and romance mean far more than just having sex with your partner. The author had glimmers of this idea. Cat doesn’t want to tell Nate she loves him during or after they have sex. Good. They ‘do other things’ like cooking together, talking, etc. Nice. But those instances felt like feeble, token gestures. They were told, not shown, and glossed over, drowned in all the “OMG he’s kissing all over my body, that must mean he loves my body!”
And that leads me to the sex scenes. In general, I found the narrative to be so...what’s the word I’m looking for? Jumpy? Spastic? Convoluted? I don’t know. I just know that I found them to be anything but sexy, romantic, or exciting. I like a sex scene that makes me blush or daydream at least. At best it should inspire me to go find my husband. Why else put one in the book? These sex scenes did not deliver much of that for me.
I would have liked to read more instances of Nate and Cat doing things other than having sex. The rock climbing was good. What about bicycling? Swimming? Canoeing? The author’s attention to the sex scenes almost to the exclusion of other activities shows, in my humble opinion, where the true focus of the story lies. Yes, this is a romance of sorts, but to me, true romance happens when clothes are on.
I wanted more about Cat’s journey from “Nate makes me feel beautiful” to “I make me feel beautiful.” For me, THAT is where the meat of the story lies. All we are told is that Cat throws herself into her design work, and spends hours in the studio. Suddenly she knows she is comfortable in her own skin. I would have like to have been shown. There could have been so much more of a triumph to Cat’s journey of self discovery. What a missed opportunity.
For me, Picture Perfect would be closer to perfect if:
a) More emphasis was put on the romance than the sex. IMHO the sex scenes were not good enough to be erotica, which means the story would be better served if there was less of it.
b) The whole manuscript gets run through the editing process by someone who is willing to be ruthless in order to make the writing more readable.
To sum up: Picture Perfect has great potential, but ultimately falls short.
nikkidee
Posted Fri Apr 05 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Picture Perfect was exactly what I needed it to be--witty, sexy, emotional. I read it in one sitting and just couldn't stop. Thanks Alessandra for a great New Adult read!
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Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Andreat78
Posted Wed Apr 03 00:00:00 EDT 2013
I love stories about empowerment, self-acceptance, and love. Picture Perfect gave me all that and more.
I, like many many of you, can identify with a character who struggles with weight and self-image. And for that reason, I was instantly hooked on Picture Perfect. Cat is a model who, after an injury that left her unable to move freely for months, has gained a lot of weight. It's easy to be in denial when you wear yoga pants all day (my "uniform" of coice) and can't really see what's happening, but the denial stops when you realize you've gained sixty pounds and your clothes no longer fit. For Cat, this leaves two choices: beat yourself up and seclude yourself to help ease the shame spiral; or pull yourself up, face your fears, move on.
Cat is talked into doing a nude modeling session. To which I say, "Better you than me, Sister! You rock." I loved that Cat took a chance on the power modeling would give her, and I felt for her when she was scared and hurt. But this also leads her to Nate. Nate, he's a good guy. I loved his quiet, gentle, yet forceful nature. I loved that he brought fun, adventure, and love to Cat's life. He teaches her to appreciate aspects of life she'd always denied herself. I loved his acceptance. No, not acceptance, his absolute adoration for Cat and her body. He didn't love her despite her "flaws", he doesn't even see Cat's extra weight as flaws at all. Score one for the good guys.
At the heart of Picture Perfect, though, it is not exactly a love story between a girl and a guy. It is the love story between a girl and herself. For as much as Nate's love and assurances make Cat feel great, and he did absolutely help her, the bigger picture her is Cat's own journey towards acceptance. This is powerful stuff, and I couldn't help but fall in love with the stronger, more loving Cat.
Whether you can identify with the characters or not, everyone has had doubts about some aspect of their identity. Picture Perfect was a beautiful look at one woman's story, and I feel it will resonate with any reader.
"Picture Perfect is a beautiful story about finding out who you are and loving yourself for it" -Hootie
The blurb is pretty self explanatory in laying out the gist of the story but what you get to see in the book is how Cat grows into a more confident woman. She used to be skinny and once she gains weight after her horse riding accident she no longer feels attractive or worthy. When she takes her counselor's advice and poses nude in an art class she gets some of that powerful feeling she used to have as a skinny model back. That class is where she meets Nate, an architectural design student who is very smitten with her just as she is. Nate was the most amazing guy character. He was so loving and attentive to Cat and he helped give her back some of her confidence. He encouraged her to be strong and not focus on her appearance so much.
Let's discuss the hotness that is Nate shall we? I'm about to break it down a la TLC style...*Clears Throat*
"Let's Talk about NATE baby, let's talk about his Wee-nie. Let's talk about all the good things and the bad things, he can. DO. TO. ME. Let's talk about NATE!"
*bows*
Sometimes a girl has to bust out into song when a hot guy comes along! Nate is such a fantastically written male character that when you find out how he used to be, it doesn't even factor into your opinion about him WHAT-SO-EVER! Yeah he said and did some Douche -Baggy things but by the time you find this out you will have fallen so deeply in love with him that you won't even notice. Watching him basically worship Cat's body, mind and soul is erotic in and of itself, outside the hot sex they have and they have some hot ass sex! We find out these two share a past connection and that just makes their relationship that much sweeter. Nate makes her feel beautiful and made me swoon when he started describing her body as he explored. Whew! Talk about hot! There were lots of steamy moments to make you sweat because Nate is just too damn hot!! He's not just a sex machine though, he's very attentive and sweet. He paid attention to Cat and her feelings. He helps her focus on herself and what is important is how she sees herself, not how others see her. I would love to hug the author for writing such a wonderful, sexy and devoted guy that can make you swoon and have hot flashes all in one moment. *High Five*
Besides her relationship with Nate though the author showed that all her friends still accepted her as she was and loved her despite the weight gain. I really loved seeing that Cat had a team of support and nobody judged her or made her feel less than worthy. Anything she felt about herself was exactly that, her thoughts and feelings. Cat is my absolute HERO! Once she started to heal after her ordeal something happens in the club one night involving her ex Jake that just made me love her more than I did when the book started!
The most beautiful and important part of the book is the overall message of body image. How we see ourselves, and I feel like the author did a fantastic job showing Cat's struggles accurately in how she adjusted to her new size. Speaking as a woman who has had a poor body image her whole life this book really spoke to me because I know what it feels like to see myself as fat and disgusting. Watching Cat struggle felt familiar to me and made my bond with her character that much more solid. I know most women feel this way from time to time and this book is perfect for women like us. Not only does it shine a light on body image issues but the growth of the main character throughout the story helps show that it is more important to love WHO you are instead of WHAT SIZE you are. There were moments watching Cat compare her past life to the one she is living at the moment and she slowly realizes she was not as happy as she might have thought and THAT was the reward with this book. This story left me with such a sweet, warm feeling and I definitely recommend it for any woman struggling with self image or hell even a woman who just likes to read about a hot guy banging an equally hot and curvy woman! There wasn't one thing I didn't love about this book. It definitely deserves Five stars and maybe even a few more just because!
I gave this book 4.5 stars.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*
Picture Perfect follows Cat's journey as she has to adjust to her new size and cope with the reactions of people who surround her.
This was a refreshing read, body imagine is such a prevalent issue in today's world and I was really glad to see a New Adult book highlight this issue. This wasn't a story of fad diets, or get thin quick schemes. This was a story of one girl's struggle to learn to be comfortable in her own skin.
Cat struggled, especially out in public and what hurt her the most was being shunned by Jake, a previous love quest. Cat spiralled into depression and it was down to her best friend Joey to set things straight and get Cat to seek help. I loved Joey, she was the BFF every girl needs. I loved the ways in which she was always there for Cat and she would drop everything at short notice to help her in times of need. But I also loved Joey's honesty and that's what a true friend is about. She called Cat out if she was moping or she would tell her to change what she wasn't happy with instead of acting defeated.
After seeking advice from a counsellor, Cat tried her hand at nude modelling in a bid to build her body confidence again. Although the last thing she expected was to run into the gorgeous guy she briefly met at a party. When the handsome Nate shows interest in Cat she can't believe he would genuinely like her the way she is. Cat has to learn to love her body and accept that Nate can indeed love it too. "Cat, trust me. It is amazing how so many curves can all come together into something so absolutely visually perfect." ~Nate
I loved the relationship between Cat and Nate. They soon discovered that they had actually met years before when they were only seven at a summer camp. Although back then it was Nate who was uncomfortable with his body as he was known as the 'fat kid at camp'. Cat met Nate just when she needed him most and he played a huge part in her journey of acceptance.
Nate had body issues of his own and he went through a huge transformation to be the guy that Cat met in the present day. I did get the feeling Nate seemed a little too good to be true, so I was actually glad when something came to light near the end of the book. It added authenticity to his character and I knew immediately the reasons behind his actions, due to this I was happy to forgive him quickly and was rooting for Cat to do the same! :) This was also an important part of the story as Cat had to learn to be confident not only when she was with Nate but also as her own person. "Because this journey is mine, and I am a real woman." ~Cat
Can I also note that this book was hot?? For Cat who was really uncomfortable in the beginning and would flinch and tense up if a member of the opposite sex so much as brushed passed her, it was great to see the change in her after she started seeing Nate. Her journey from hiding under the covers with the lights out to not giving those factors a second thought was inspiring. And the bedroom scene that took place the night before Thanksgiving? Yeah that may be one of my favourite smexy scenes ever. Cat and Nate were joined as one with no inhibitions and I loved their connection. #HAWT ;)
Picture Perfect was a great story about self discovery and learning to love the skin you are in. I loved the author's writing style, I couldn't put it down and was desperate to find out what was going to happen to Cat and Nate, I even tried to finish this book after one too many cocktails~ Note to self: just wait til morning next time ;)
I recommend this book to anyone that has or ever had any body issues, if you take anything away from this book I hope it is that we are all different and it doesn't matter how the world sees you, it is how you see yourself that really matters.
AOlivieri
Posted Mon Mar 25 00:00:00 EDT 2013
I was lucky enough to snag an ARC, and I'm SO happy I did. This is a story--and a main character--that I think every girl can relate to. Cat is a former model, but gained sixty pounds after shattering her leg bone in a horse riding accident, and she has to learn to love her body--and herself--no matter what size she is. I connected with Cat immediately, and watching her attitude and self-esteem change throughout the book was SO inspiring. And Nate is the sweetest guy ever! Loved their chemistry. Thomas managed to write a smoking hot romance while also tackling the issue of body image, and the combination is so refreshingly unique. If you want a fast, fun read, with tons of romance and a deep theme, then you'll love this book!
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Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.DeniseGroverSwank
Posted Mon Mar 25 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Fashion design major Cat Mitchell used to be a runway model until an accident made it difficult for her to walk, let alone strut down a runway. Several months later and sixty pounds heavier, Cat’s life has entirely changed, and not for the better. None of her beautiful clothes fit and her boyfriend publicly dumps her. At the urging of her therapist, she accepts a nude modeling job at nearby college art class and meets Nate, who sees past her size and helps her realize it’s what’s inside that counts.
It doesn’t take a genius to realize that we live in a culture obsessed with weight. Ms. Thomas does a great job of portraying Cat’s struggle to accept who she is now and whether she is worthy of the love from an attractive man. I love that Nate is just a really nice guy (most of the time.) He’s not the stereotypical bad boy, and it was a refreshing change.
I love that Cat doesn’t solve her problems by losing weight and becoming skinny again. Cat learns to love who she is despite how much weight she carries on her body.
Review also posted on The Indie Voice
Cat is a heroine that's all too uncommon these days - a girl who is vulnerable and hurting over a breakup, confused and struggling to accept the changes in her body after an accident, and simple to connect with from the very first page. I adore Cat, and felt every step of her journey to self-acceptance alongside her.
When her therapist encourages her to try modeling nude for a University art class, Cat never dreamed she'd be baring it all for the most gorgeous boy in the world - or that when they first met as children, he had been the one who was struggling with his weight. Now a college junior, the handsome SWOONY Nate is buff and confident, and knows exactly what he wants - which is Cat and her body, exactly as it is.
It's obvious as Nate and Cat fall into that honeymoon period where nothing but the two of them matters that Cat is ignoring her issues instead of confronting them, and Alessandra Thomas does a beautiful job of crafting a girl who will one day have the courage to look her issues in the face (and the mirror) and face the girl she had become. Since Nate has some heartbreaking secrets of his own, it's important that Cat learn to love herself, with or without him at her side.
Of course, we're all rooting for Nate to be at her side, and there wasn't anything I wanted more from the moment they met. The romance is sweet and supportive, and left me wishing for a Nate of my very own.
PICTURE PERFECT is the kind of story we need a lot more of in New Adult, and will make you smile, make you cry, and make you root for love to win the day. Recommend.
Anonymous
Posted Mon Apr 22 00:00:00 EDT 2013
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Anonymous
Posted Mon Mar 25 00:00:00 EDT 2013
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Overview
When her gorgeous...