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Perfect Audiobook
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(4.00) - 7,938 listener ratings
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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.
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"Ellen Hopkins's style of writing is positively outstanding. Emotions were swirling inside of me as I ventured deeper and deeper into the book; from aghast to disbelief and from relief to utter horror. The story she wrote were filled with so many ups and downs. In a way, I could kind of relate to the protagonists set in the book. They were constantly trying to please everybody -- their schoolmates, their friends and their family -- struggling to become the ideal "perfect" person. I learned that the definition of perfection is subjective though, so you can never really please everybody because being "perfect" means a lot of things to everybody. For some it means maintaining a high grade point average in school. For others it means being able to play in state national championships. For others it also means having the flawlessly sculpted face and body. According to this book though beauty is also something that no two different people can really agree on. So basically, being beautiful on the outside doesn't really matter, unless you're also beautiful on the inside. These statements can surely boost the self-esteem, huh?My opinions on the characters in this book who were trying to be the "perfect" son/daughter student/worker.Cara - Oh, the straight-A student / spritely cheerleading captain / confident debate team and student council president / expressive speech choir leader who dates the most popular guy in school for a long period of time but dumps him for a relationship with another girl. Seriously, I did not see that one coming. When I first read about Cara being a dyke I was like, "Oh my fricking watermelon apple pumpkin pie she's gay" and then I was like, "How could this be oh my gosh why" but after a while I got over it. Cara makes it sound like her parents pressure her more but actually, it seems like her twin brother, Conner, is the more miserable one. I've already read Impulse and found out about Conner's tragic suicide. It doesn't make the pain less agonizing though. It only makes it much more fresh. (I really liked Conner's character okay? So yeah, I cried again when I read the part about him dying. Don't judge me.)Kendra - Hmm, I might have felt more sorry for this chick if she really had problems at home. I mean yeah, she has that whole messy-and-broken-and-equally-torn-apart-family thing going on but her mom found someone wealthy and fatherly in the end and her dad had also found someone new. There was basically no problem. Her mom was supportive of her modeling career, as was her stepfather, and her real dad was getting engaged to someone and moving away which meant she and her complicated and problematic younger sister were no longer in the danger of getting abused again. She was starving herself for shallow and frivolous purposes and she was turning tricks just so she could strut down the runway in size-two jeans and strappy heels. Seriously? She brought all the problems to her own life. She made the wrong decisions and as a result she paid for the consequences her actions brought. (Honestly I thought she was going to end up in a hospital somewhere, where she would slowly be dying from anemia or arrythmia or something. Good thing she wasn't (?))Sean and Andre - These two were suffering from girl problems. Seriously? Cara has strict and heartless parents who's expectancy of her is as high as Mt. Everest and these two are worrying about girls? Kendra is starving herself to death because of society's warped view of "beauty" and "perfection" and these two are dwelling on how both of their (ex-)girlfirends haven't said "I love you" to them? Understanding of how these two boys' minds work: 0%So basically, I would definitely recommend this to everyone who's trying so hard to appease today's people. Just remember, inner beauty is more important than the outer one. Focusing on the light inside of you can get you to places far better than whatever you'd imagined -- and can most probably lead you to finding true love. :">"
— Adrienne (5 out of 5 stars)
Perfect Listener Reviews
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" I did not read Impulse prior to reading this. The topic is timely and relevant. "
— Carol, 2/5/2014 -
" Hands down. Absolute must read. With every book I finish, I am starting to really like Ellen Hopkins' writing. Ellen Hopkins' books are easy to follow and easy to read and understand. She has mastered her writing style, like the lines within the poems that could be read by themselves to create a second poem inside of a poem. I know, it sounds confusing but it really isn't. She tends to be very blunt and in your face. I really like that about this author and this book. There is no sugar coating. Life isn't good or fair all of the time and it astounds me how Ellen Hopkins captures the tough moments in her books.I think I have figured out the reason why this author is so beloved by the YA community. It is because she has this way of being able to create overly human-like characters that everyone can easily relate to. When you read her books, you can imagine that the characters you are shown could easily be your best friend, a family member, or even yourself. There is nothing unrealistic about her characters, especially concerning this particular book. I also found out in my first E. Hopkins book that she uses people's real experiences in these topics and uses them to help her create a believable and well written plot. Books are always so much better when they pull from real life experiences, and that is just another talent Ellen has mastered. The issues in this book, like her others, are controversial. I really enjoyed this book, like I knew I would. This book, is well... not perfect (excuse the bad pun), but pretty close. "
— Sharif, 2/1/2014 -
" I would certainly recommend this book to anyone that would like to fast pace book, that you cannot put down. The situations in each person's life can be related to any normal teenager in our soceity. Perfect shows the reader how we all strive to try to be perfect individuals while trying to maintain our own personality. Perfect also gives a great insight on how corrupt our society is today, and the way we are judged by every action we make. This is a fantastic book, and I love the unique way Ellen Hopkins writes her books. "
— Dominique, 1/23/2014 -
" This book was amazing and i really loved it because i looked back on my life and i realized that ya i made mistakes in my life and im not perfect but i can always improve and learn more and really enjoy where i am and who i am right now! I used to look into the mirror and be completely disappointed with who i was and how i looked and i always thought of me as ugly but after reading this book i thought different and i know can look into the mirror and not be disappointed and can look beyond my flaws and look at the good things about me. "
— Theresa, 1/22/2014 -
" Just finished this book and I loved it!Ellen Hopkins really portrayed different teen problems and molded them wonderfully into one amazing story.She is by far now my favorite author! "
— Bookmarked27, 1/14/2014 -
" I always love Ellen Hopkins books. She is a very captivating author. "
— Tiffany, 1/3/2014 -
" I loved it! However i think there was mor eplot in IMPULSE which is the first book of this series.... love the way Hopkins weaves these books together "
— Mari, 1/2/2014 -
" I actually enjoyed this a bit more than Impulse. Maybe it's because I listened to the audio book, and Ellen Hopkins' audio books are very well done. Happier that she allowed the gay character to actually be gay in this book rather than chalking it up to teenage confusion. "
— Nicole, 12/30/2013 -
" What can I say? I have always enjoyed Ellen's writing and it only gets better with each novel! "
— Temoca, 12/5/2013 -
" love it Ellen Hopkins books are delightfully amazing. "
— Breann, 12/3/2013 -
" This is by far my favorite Ellen Hopkins novel. Not only could I really relate to many of the characters, but the issues in the book are more relatable to the everyday teenager. I would highly reccomend this book! "
— Sara, 11/29/2013 -
" it was amazing! it made me really sad at the end but really hopeful for the characters finding themselves and finding their futures. great read. "
— Alyssaaa(or, 11/18/2013 -
" I must say I was a little disappointed with this one... While Ellen still delivered a beautiful story I didn't feel the same thrill as while reading her other novels "
— Chelsey, 10/4/2013 -
" I think I was a bit too young to read this..... "
— Josie, 7/10/2013 -
" Both of the books in this series were difficult to read because of uncomfortable situations but Perfect was so much more believable. It breaks my heart kids actually have to go through crap like these characters do. "
— Shelly, 4/15/2013 -
" The Authors notes were so true. What a GREAT book!! "
— Shawna, 4/1/2013 -
" Gorgeously written. One of my favourite's by her- each and every different character in the story was unique and relateable- there wasn't a single moment where i didn't want to read one person's story. "
— Geeta, 3/31/2013
About Danielle Ferland
Danielle Ferland performed in her first Broadway musical production, Sunday in the Park with George, at the age of thirteen. She is best known for her Drama Desk-nominated role as Little Red Riding Hood in the original 1987 Broadway production of Into the Woods. She also appeared in theatrical productions of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, and Moliere’s Tartuffe.