Review: Beastly by Alex Flinn

Beastly by Alex Flinn

4/5 stars.

Another book becoming a movie. The trailer alone was enough to make me take a mad dash to my computer and google everything about it and low and behold, it was a book. Of course I had to read it.

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Kyle Kingsbury has everything any of his peers could ever dream of; good looks, popularity and money. Though Alex is only popular for those other two reasons, money and looks.

But really Kyle doesn't have everything. His mom left him and his dad long ago and never calls. His dad only talks about himself and his work and is rarely ever home. He doesn't even have someone he truly loves. Yet still Kyle thinks he is everything because he is popular. He is even nominated to be the Homecoming Prince, but that doesn't sit well with one student, Kendra Hilferty. Kendra say it isn't right for him to be treated better just because he is better looking than others. Kyle gets angry at Kendra for saying just because they are beautiful doesn't mean they are smarter, stronger, or braver than someone else. He then takes a jab at her for not being smart enough to make herself better looking. Kendra then says "Then you'd better hope you never get ugly, Kyle. You are ugly now, on the inside, where it matters most, and if you ever lost your good looks, I bet you wouldn't be smart or strong enough to get them back. Kyle Kingsbury, you are beastly."

After that little argument in class, Kyle then devises an evil plan to get back at Kendra. To make her feel the worst kind of embarrassment a girl her age can imagine. He asks her to the Homecoming but really he is already going with another girl. He tells he'll buy her ticket and meet up with her there. Come Homecoming night he arrives there even though his night didn't start out so great. His clumsy maid bought the wrong corsage and he ends up giving it to the ticket girl. But things get better when Kendra shows up and he walks in with his other date and laughing at her for thinking he would actually go with someone like her. Kyle hopes for Kendra to cry or do anything but she doesn't. She only tells him she thought he would have made a better decision and that he'll see. Throughout the rest of the night Kyle feels weird and can't stop freaking out about what Kendra means by "You'll see."

After Kyle comes home, he finds Kendra sitting on his bed...

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Again tricked by the movie previews into thinking the book and movie would be similar. Of course, they aren't. But none-the-less, the book was enjoyable. Though honestly some parts caught me off guard, like how he begins to interact with Lindy. Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert! He kidnaps her?! Seriously? Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert! 

Throughout a lot of the book I thought he was a complete jerk but then I came to love him as he changed into a whole new person. Took on his beast form, began to see the beauty in other things.

I loved how he didn't build the greenhouse for Lindy but for himself, which it shows him doing in the movie. It made me like him more, but I'm sure the gesture will make me go "Awww" when I see the movie. I'm such a sappy romantic!

I kept comparing the book to the movie and also to Beauty and the Beast. I know its like a modern day Beauty and the Beast but still couldn't stop comparing it. Lindy loves to read, so did Belle. Now if Lindy loved to sing then maybe I would have called copyright issues. Lets not forget the rose part... Also Lindy was always talking care of her father...and to be honest... I hated Beauty and the Beast. Well maybe not hated but I remember the movie scaring me when I was younger.

Read the book, I couldn't put it down. It was very easy to read and enjoyable too.