Recently, I was seeing this book all over bookstagram and I knew just from the cover that this one is right up my alley. But when I read the synopsis, I was completely sold – I just needed to get my hands on a copy of Holly Bourne’s latest book. How amazing is this cover?! 😍
Published: September 2023
Pages: 392
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian
So, it’s safe to say I DEVOURED this one. From the moment I picked it up and started to read it, I could not put it down. Being introduced to Belle and the whole way the Doctrine works was already so intriguing. Belle is deemed a Pretty. She is someone who follows the Doctrine to the T and she is absolutely perfect in every way.
We are also introduced to Joni. Joni is in a category called the Objectionables. These are the girls and women who refuse to follow the Doctrine and are therefore deemed less valuable, not worthy of being considered or listened to, and basically just societal trash. They don’t keep up with the latest dress trends, or cover their faces with Mask or keep up on the Ratings.
The thing is, Belle and Joni are both super smart and working hard to get an opportunity to win a spot at the Education through means of a Scholarship. They both have very different reasons for that. And, even though they are on opposite sides of the spectrum in society, they are thrown together into these preparation classes for their Scholarship interviews that forces them to spend time together and get to know each other better.
All the while, we see how involved both Belle and Joni’s moms are in their worlds and how their different views are being worked out in each of their daughters. Belle’s mom lives strictly according to the Doctrine, and Joni’s mom has wilfully rejected everything the Doctrine stands for. In both cases, the dads are noticeably absent. In one case, the father left for a younger, more beautiful woman and in the other, the dad was always away working for Finance.
The Doctrine is this invisible force that controls all of society. It dictates how women need to look and dress and behave and it encourages all kinds of revolting behaviours from men. Women just need to be beautiful for men and obedient to men and never speak out of turn or dare to look anything less than perfect. As a result, women spend all their time and money making themselves look beautiful but at an even greater cost – their joy and contentment.
Gosh, I really, really loved watching Belle’s and Joni’s relationship unfold. They were incredible and Joni won my heart in this one. She was just so kind and solid in the entire story. And as much as the story ended on a frustrating note, I love how they handled it.
I was thoroughly engrossed in this from start to finish and would highly recommend this to everyone. It’s not really a dystopian. It’s a commentary on our current reality in many ways.
This was definitely a 5⭐️ read for me!
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Until next time,
Chevonn 💖
All The Books and I 