4.5 Stars. This was a bright shining star of a surprise!! I wasn't expecting to love it so much, but the characters in this book crawled into my heart.

This book took me by complete surprise!! I wasn't sure what I was expecting going into it, but it became this fun, entertaining, happy little daffodil of a book for me.

First, we have Charlie Dean. She's--- well, she's odd and driven and lives for fashion. When I first started the book, I wasn't sure I was going to like Charlie and I kind of understood why she didn't have many (or any) friends. But after a while, her quirks and optimism grew on me. Also, she's brutally honest and it's hard for me to fault someone for that kind of honesty.

I really liked Charlie's backstory and her relationship with her addict father. She wasn't angry at him like a lot of kids would be in that situation. She had clarity and vision that was beyond her years, and I think that's when I really started rooting for her.

Next, there was John-- he was flawed for sure. He's not into fashion, but wants to go to Green Pastures Art School for metal work. I liked him despite his negativity and weaknesses. I didn't always agree with his actions, but he had redeemable qualities that made up for them.

What I wanted more of: FASHION. So yes, this is a book about a fashion show, and we DO get descriptions of what goes down the runway-- but I wanted outfits throughout. There is some description of Charlie Dean's suits that she always wore, but after a while I got bored with those. If she's so fashionable, why is she always wearing the same thing?

The ending also didn't blow me away. This book felt a little like a Cinderella story and I didn't get my fairy tale ending.

OVERALL: The perfect book for a Project Runway junkie like myself. It's the story of teens competing for a fashion school scholarship and what they're willing to do to win. It somehow took 2 unlikable characters and made them people you want to succeed. Definitely recommend!

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I gave this to my granddaughter to read as it is for young adults. She was 14 at the time. She tried to read it but said she was not into this type of book. She said she would recommend it to her friends, whom she thought would love it. My granddaughter is more into science fiction and thriller. ( )

Thank you to Librarything and the publisher for a free copy through the Early Reviewers program.

Here’s what I love about Susan Juby: it doesn’t matter if I’m initially interested in the topic she’s writing about, she always manages to pull me in with fantastic characterization and a brilliant narrative voice. This book is no exception. I love the journal format, I love the characters and how strongly their voices come through, I love that this book addresses heavy issues with a whole lot of heart. Highly recommended (along wth everything else Susan Juby has written). ( )

Fashion is not my thing... so it took me a while to get started on this book. But when I did, I didn't want to put it down! I admire the two main characters Charlie and John. They are both special in their own ways and reading this story I couldn't help but be engaged in their extraordinary lives and anxious for the outcome because I knew that it wouldn't just be something as trite as one of them winning the contest at the end of the book. ( )

It took me a little while to get into this story about two teenagers who have entered a fashion contest to try and win a scholarship to a prestigious private art school. For one of the teenagers, Charlie Dean, the contest is a godsend, as she lives and breathes fashion. For the other one, John Thomas Smith, it is a nightmare. He'd rather be working in metalwork, but he really wants to get into that school, so he enters anyway.

The book was written in the style of journal entries, written by the two teenagers as part of the contest. It started off quite innocuously, and seemed to be heading into the realm of the usual kind of YA book of this type. However, as the story progressed, more was revealed about the two main characters and what they had to overcome. One lived in the shadow of addiction, as she had lost her mother to an overdose, with her father trying to keep clean; the other was being raised by his grandparents, as his mom was on the road most of the time and his father was absent. As theirs tries unraveled, it became obvious as to why they both wanted to win the scholarship.

The ending wasn't as predictable as I thought it was going to be, which was a pleasant surprise. As well as the main characters, there were a lot of interesting, well-written, side-characters. On the whole, it was a very enjoyable read and I'd recommend it for anyone looking for a Canadian YA book with a difference. ( )