How To Look Like You by Rose McClelland

How To Look Like You

Book review by Helen Jackson.

Have you ever had a frenemy? Someone you smile at sweetly but secretly you are filled with jealousy? Meet Chloe and Ella.

Find out How To Look Like YOU.

The saying goes, don’t judge a book by its cover. When it comes to fiction though, that’s exactly what I do. If I don’t like the cover, there’s very little chance I’ll pick it up or read it, but if I like the cover, it’s possible I’ll pick it up to read, before even reading the blurb. Which is why I’m Kindle’s dream target.

I’m not sure how real Kindles work, but on the Kindle for Android app, they advertise books they think I’ll like (I presume from what I’ve bought before) at the bottom on my home screen. I saw How To Look Like You and decided I had to read it, the cover was so pretty.

I am so glad I did, I really enjoyed it.

I felt like in this, characters were more important than the story, because really, it was about Chloe and Ella.

As Chloe and Ella are ‘’Frenimies’’ (although they’d have to be friends and they’re really not), I think it’s understandable you’d take one of their sides reading this. Ella’s is the first chapter in the novel, and she’s the one I liked from the off. She’s very down to earth and likeable. I wanted to jump into the novel in the first chapter, and shake her, when she was in the room with the guy she was sleeping with. She felt like a friend I should give advice to, and didn’t want to see hurt.

In comparison, I didn’t like Chloe, I thought she was a spoilt brat, and attention seeker. Not my kind of person.

The tension between them grows when Ella pretty much becomes Chloe’s boyfriend’s best friend. As it grows and grows, I continued to love Ella, but starting empathizing with Chloe, and understanding, not agreeing with, but understanding. McClelland did a brilliant job of making me feel for both of them on opposite sides of the coin (or Aiden). Both girls are jealous of each other, which I found really interesting because both had so much going for them, but wanted what the other had.

I really enjoyed this novel, as I think you can probably tell. I’d massively recommend it. It just shows, you can judge a book by its cover.

(How to Look Like You is published by Crooked Cat Publishing, September 2012.)

by

Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.