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You Could Be So Pretty
A dystopian YA novel with a shocking twist, You Could Be So Pretty is The Beauty Myth for teenagers.
“The Doctrine exists to make us believe we are less than, so we don’t have the strength to overthrow everything. Masking, and Ceremonies, and Chosen Ones – how we’re all groomed to worry constantly about what we look like – it’s a deliberate pressure. It’s designed to keep us down. To limit us. Divide us. Masks…Beauty…it’s all about weakening and dividing us.”
Belle Gentle follows the rules of The Doctrine to the letter and is so close to Having It All. She’s the highest Pretty in school, A Chosen One in her spare time, and she’s about to win The Ceremony and fulfil her destiny. So why does she feel so suffocated by her perfect life?
Joni Miller is an Objectionable and hated by everyone for her repulsive looks. But Joni doesn’t care. She just needs to win the Scholarship to The Education, so she get the power to overthrow The Doctrine and wake everyone up. The only person standing in her way is the prettiest girl in school.
Set in a dystopian world, of normalised sexual violence, and where girls are expected to maintain impossible beauty standards of beauty, You Could Be So Pretty explores what happens when two enemies are thrown together. As Belle and Joni confront their prejudices, the reader is left asking themselves: Is this world really so far from our own?
“The Doctrine exists to make us believe we are less than, so we don’t have the strength to overthrow everything. Masking, and Ceremonies, and Chosen Ones – how we’re all groomed to worry constantly about what we look like – it’s a deliberate pressure. It’s designed to keep us down. To limit us. Divide us. Masks…Beauty…it’s all about weakening and dividing us.”
Belle Gentle follows the rules of The Doctrine to the letter and is so close to Having It All. She’s the highest Pretty in school, A Chosen One in her spare time, and she’s about to win The Ceremony and fulfil her destiny. So why does she feel so suffocated by her perfect life?
Joni Miller is an Objectionable and hated by everyone for her repulsive looks. But Joni doesn’t care. She just needs to win the Scholarship to The Education, so she get the power to overthrow The Doctrine and wake everyone up. The only person standing in her way is the prettiest girl in school.
Set in a dystopian world, of normalised sexual violence, and where girls are expected to maintain impossible beauty standards of beauty, You Could Be So Pretty explores what happens when two enemies are thrown together. As Belle and Joni confront their prejudices, the reader is left asking themselves: Is this world really so far from our own?
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 28, 2023
229 people are currently reading
5955 people want to read
About the author
Holly Bourne
28 books6,084 followersHolly started her writing career as a news journalist, where she was nominated for Best Print Journalist of the Year. She then spent six years working as an editor, a relationship advisor, and general ‘agony aunt’ for a youth charity – helping young people with their relationships and mental health.
Inspired by what she saw, she started writing teen fiction, including the best-selling, award-winning ‘Spinster Club’ series which helps educate teenagers about feminism. When she turned thirty, Holly wrote her first adult novel, 'How Do You Like Me Now?', examining the intensified pressures on women once they hit that landmark.
Alongside her writing, Holly has a keen interest in women’s rights and is an advocate for reducing the stigma of mental health problems. She’s helped create online apps that teach young people about sexual consent, works with Women’s Aid to spread awareness of abusive relationships, and runs Rethink’s mental health book club.
Inspired by what she saw, she started writing teen fiction, including the best-selling, award-winning ‘Spinster Club’ series which helps educate teenagers about feminism. When she turned thirty, Holly wrote her first adult novel, 'How Do You Like Me Now?', examining the intensified pressures on women once they hit that landmark.
Alongside her writing, Holly has a keen interest in women’s rights and is an advocate for reducing the stigma of mental health problems. She’s helped create online apps that teach young people about sexual consent, works with Women’s Aid to spread awareness of abusive relationships, and runs Rethink’s mental health book club.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 566 reviews
October 10, 2023
Rarely has a book given me so many mixed feelings as this one did. I'm still not 100% sure on my rating because I truly cannot decide how much I liked this book.
My first impressions weren't great. felt dated and juvenile, calling to mind the kind of YA dystopias we saw everywhere in the early 2010s. The dystopian aspect featured the use of jarringly generic words like 'vanilla' to mean virgin, 'Invisibles' to mean older women supposedly past their prime and 'varnish' for Photoshop. Definitely not what I would have expected from Bourne.
It also gets very repetitive around the middle. A big chunk of the book is about Joni trying to convert Belle, and Belle questioning whether the Doctrine is really right, and this goes back and forth for a while, dragging the story out without going anywhere.
But, more than this, I had a massive question in my head for this entire book, one preventing me from fully accepting the premise and becoming immersed in it, and that question was finally answered by the last chapter... in a way I did not find wholly satisfying. I'll keep this vague to avoid spoilers, but my question was basically: pretty much everything that happens in this book happens in our world, so why stick in these new terms and pretend it's a dystopia?
Perhaps if you are a very young person or someone who has never really considered how unfair and stupid society is for women, that question won't be in your head this whole book and the last chapter will have the impact it's supposed to.
Looking back over the book I appreciate it a lot more than I did while reading it, which was a mostly confusing and frustrating experience. I think this book is very important for those who aren't well-versed in feminism and feminist-lit, and I'm sure there's a huge audience among young girls and-- one can dream --young boys. Still, I can't rate it any higher as that wouldn't reflect my experience with it.
My first impressions weren't great. felt dated and juvenile, calling to mind the kind of YA dystopias we saw everywhere in the early 2010s. The dystopian aspect featured the use of jarringly generic words like 'vanilla' to mean virgin, 'Invisibles' to mean older women supposedly past their prime and 'varnish' for Photoshop. Definitely not what I would have expected from Bourne.
It also gets very repetitive around the middle. A big chunk of the book is about Joni trying to convert Belle, and Belle questioning whether the Doctrine is really right, and this goes back and forth for a while, dragging the story out without going anywhere.
But, more than this, I had a massive question in my head for this entire book, one preventing me from fully accepting the premise and becoming immersed in it, and that question was finally answered by the last chapter... in a way I did not find wholly satisfying. I'll keep this vague to avoid spoilers, but my question was basically: pretty much everything that happens in this book happens in our world, so why stick in these new terms and pretend it's a dystopia?
Perhaps if you are a very young person or someone who has never really considered how unfair and stupid society is for women, that question won't be in your head this whole book and the last chapter will have the impact it's supposed to.
Looking back over the book I appreciate it a lot more than I did while reading it, which was a mostly confusing and frustrating experience. I think this book is very important for those who aren't well-versed in feminism and feminist-lit, and I'm sure there's a huge audience among young girls and-- one can dream --young boys. Still, I can't rate it any higher as that wouldn't reflect my experience with it.
December 24, 2023
"But it is my face. It is. It is. And my face is enough"
This book is perfection. It's not a light read and contains heavy themes, and it made me cry.
Because this book is the reality of this world.
Don't even for a second think that this is a dystopia or fiction. This book is real life. This book holds the truth, the truth of this world, and the truth of women, especially young girls like Joni and Belle. This is a book that needs to be read by everyone regardless of gender, age or ethnicity. It is a YA, but it's beautiful, powerful and magical and it is written so perfectly.
I will forever recommend this book until the end of time because everything about it is exceptional, because this is the story of every woman and for that reason it is unparalleled.
August 22, 2023
If the Barbie movie was a book
September 17, 2023
Please can this be required reading?
The doctrine promises the Bad Times are over and gender equality has been realised. It also provides guidelines on how girls can be the best they can in this new age of empowerment.
Of course, it’s not the law, and everyone has a ‘choice’ on what to take on board.
This alternates between two very different girls: Belle and Joni.
Belle is obsessed with the Doctrine and seeking Validation by being perfect, flawless, Sin-less.
Joni believes that the Doctrine is brainwashing girls into thinking they should want what they’re being told is the best as they now have CHOICE, but what kind of choice is it really?
Social pressure, bullying, advertisements, labelling, hazing, media…
Wait, is this a dystopia or our current reality?
”You think following the Doctrine gives you power," she says, "but it's all designed to weaken you, to make you compliant."
Bourne uses words like Smut, Vanilla, Frigid, Pretties, Invisibles, and Objectionables to denote trends that impact culture and rankings. And the worth of a girl.
The Doctrine states getting (unwanted) attention is desirable and lucky and gratifying. Then there’s Validation by posting photos and following trends. Dangerous operations to make older women more acceptable-looking to their husbands who married their perfect younger version.
My body has two arms, two legs, it works. It keeps me alive, it walks me to school each morning. My body is body shaped, down to the simple fact I feed it and move it. I’m not ugly. I'm just a person. A person in a girl’s body.
If you’ve watched the Barbie Movie (2023), and recall THAT speech, then imagine that in book format. It is absolutely stunning. Beautiful. Painful.
”She may be nice to look at, but she's starving and she's weak and she's exhausted and she's terrified. And no matter how much she wins, she still hates herself and worries she's not good enough and doesn't live a damned fucking day inside her body, enjoying her life, and instead watches herself like she's having some kind of freakin' out of body experience."
Similar recommendations: Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill and Uglies by Scott Westerfield.
Alexa play all-american bitch by Olivia Rodrigo and The Man by Taylor Swift.
4.25 stars because of the lacklustre end and some pretty predictable turns!
Thank you to the publisher for providing me an arc in exchange for a review!
The doctrine promises the Bad Times are over and gender equality has been realised. It also provides guidelines on how girls can be the best they can in this new age of empowerment.
Of course, it’s not the law, and everyone has a ‘choice’ on what to take on board.
This alternates between two very different girls: Belle and Joni.
Belle is obsessed with the Doctrine and seeking Validation by being perfect, flawless, Sin-less.
Joni believes that the Doctrine is brainwashing girls into thinking they should want what they’re being told is the best as they now have CHOICE, but what kind of choice is it really?
Social pressure, bullying, advertisements, labelling, hazing, media…
Wait, is this a dystopia or our current reality?
”You think following the Doctrine gives you power," she says, "but it's all designed to weaken you, to make you compliant."
Bourne uses words like Smut, Vanilla, Frigid, Pretties, Invisibles, and Objectionables to denote trends that impact culture and rankings. And the worth of a girl.
The Doctrine states getting (unwanted) attention is desirable and lucky and gratifying. Then there’s Validation by posting photos and following trends. Dangerous operations to make older women more acceptable-looking to their husbands who married their perfect younger version.
My body has two arms, two legs, it works. It keeps me alive, it walks me to school each morning. My body is body shaped, down to the simple fact I feed it and move it. I’m not ugly. I'm just a person. A person in a girl’s body.
If you’ve watched the Barbie Movie (2023), and recall THAT speech, then imagine that in book format. It is absolutely stunning. Beautiful. Painful.
”She may be nice to look at, but she's starving and she's weak and she's exhausted and she's terrified. And no matter how much she wins, she still hates herself and worries she's not good enough and doesn't live a damned fucking day inside her body, enjoying her life, and instead watches herself like she's having some kind of freakin' out of body experience."
Similar recommendations: Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill and Uglies by Scott Westerfield.
Alexa play all-american bitch by Olivia Rodrigo and The Man by Taylor Swift.
4.25 stars because of the lacklustre end and some pretty predictable turns!
Thank you to the publisher for providing me an arc in exchange for a review!
January 20, 2025
If I’d have read this book as a teenager I would have committed a misandrist hate crime
November 26, 2023
First, I need to spend a moment obsessing over this cover design. My edition is two-toned: pink down one half, red down the other. The “so” in the title is superimposed over a pair of lips, with the lipstick smeared on the right. The lips themselves are actually a cutout, and when you open the front cover, the page beneath is all blue and reads, “You should be so angry”—a stark contrast to the book’s title, You Could Be So Pretty. And what can I say? Holly Bourne does it again.
Belle and Joni are the same age and competing for the Scholarship—beyond that, they have nothing in common. Belle follows the Doctrine. She applies her Mask every morning, sweats daily in Body Prayer, and generally does her best to look pretty. Joni, on the other hand, has embraced the life of an Objectionable. She doesn’t put on a Mask, barely washes her hair even, and she doesn’t care for Doctrine. It’s her choice, of course—every woman is free to choose whether or not to follow Doctrine. But that doesn’t stop people from looking down on Joni, her mother, and those like her. That is, until Belle’s perfect Pretty life starts falling apart around her. As she spends more time around Joni, she starts to wonder if Doctrine is as shiny and unimpeachable as it seems.
I had so many complicated feelings while reading this. I couldn’t put it down. I also wanted to throw it across the room.
See, I understand what Bourne is trying to do here, and I’m mostly on board. I really, really hate to say this given how many of them were TERFy and intersectionality in general was not their strong suit, but the second-wave feminists had a lot of excellent points that feel startlingly relevant these days. Feminism in popular discourse has collapsed under the weight of the rhetoric of “choice,” with the implication being that all the women and girls out there who lean hard into heavy makeup, cosmetic procedures, and emulating a pornified version of sexuality are doing so out of an irreproachable sense of individual freedom. Women and girls choose to be slutty, you see. It’s empowering.
Bourne’s disdain for this line, for the patriarchal control that it conceals, is palpable throughout You Could Be So Pretty. Feminism, she charges, has lost the anger that was at its core, and she wants to reawaken that fire and help it burn brighter within young women and girls.
Now, on the surface, the dystopian allegory Bourne uses to achieve this mission feels facile. The overuse of proper nouns—Mask, Pretty, Objectionable, Invisible, etc.—and the highly simplified world in which these girls exist gives the book a kind of glossiness that peels as you read and makes it feel … cheap. I can see how some readers, particularly those like myself who have steeped ourselves in decades of feminism and young adult literature, might look at this book and think, “This is too on the nose. Too simplified. There’s nothing here.”
Take, for example, the inciting incident of the book—Belle is harassed and almost abducted by a man who wants to give her a ride to school because she’s hot. Joni’s intervention allows them to escape, with some difficulty thanks to Belle’s impractical footwear. The scene is viscerally terrifying and no doubt familiar, in one permutation or another, to a majority of women readers. So familiar that one might wonder if the messaging her is too obvious.
Yet I tried my best to take a step back and put myself in the shoes of a younger reader, a teenage girl in our current era of ubiquitous porn, social media likes and comments and filters, and algorithmic content. I live in this world yet am not of this world, certainly didn’t grow up in this world, and it behoves me to consider how a younger denizen of that world would come to You Could Be So Pretty and its central critique of choice feminism.
Dystopian allegories are valuable for how they allow us to end-run the complexity of the real world. One of the reasons being feminist in our world is so complicated is that the world itself is complicated. Much as one tries to do one’s best for the environment, for animals, for others, the systems in which we are trapped make it difficult to be conscientious, to be “pure.” Stripping that away in favour of a world of school and Education, of rankings and validation, of Ceremonies, might feel simplistic to those of us caught up in the daily grind of this world. Yet it allows Bourne a much more versatile canvas for the conversation she wants to have on the page. As such, Bourne harnesses dystopia effectively in my opinion.
This is also very much a book that is about the imperfection of revolution. Joni most notably embodies this trait. What I love most about Joni is not that she’s “woke” but that she is still young and learning about nuance. Joni’s interactions with her mother are powerful and important, for they reveal how Joni’s passion has yet to develop into the wisdom that comes with experience. In a notable scene, Joni explains how she was confused that her mother makes beauty products available to the women who visit their little feminist shelter. Joni, having been raised by her mother to believe that these products are anathema, doesn’t understand why her mother would willingly give them out to women she’s trying to shake out of Doctrine. Yet Joni’s mother sees the bigger picture, understands that these women need the comfort of the familiar, understands that it’s more complicated.
This entire “deprogramming” aspect of the book is compelling, for it really does make a strong argument that the beauty-industrial complex is a cult. Joni’s mission to “awaken” Belle, while cute and very naïvely feminist at times, speaks to the strength of patriarchy’s grip on our minds and souls. It isn’t that Belle can’t see how fucked up her life is, from the constant public exposure to porn to the way she embraces disordered eating to stay fit. But she is in a cult, and when you are in a cult, it’s hard to recognize that fucked up means you should get out.
All of this is to say, every moment in this book hits hard. It’s going to be trite and predictable for a lot of older, ardently feminist readers, but I don’t think that should be a turn-off. I think it’s important to meet this book where it is. It’s an awakening of sorts for readers, a primer, yes, but it is also a deep and heartfelt attempt to hold a mirror up to our world and say, “Hey, this is messed up.” And if that isn’t the purpose of dystopia or allegory, I don’t know what is.
Now, of course, this book has limitations. I’d love to declare this book the YA feminist work of a generation, but I can’t be that absolutist. For one, this book is very much grounded in white and Western ideas about feminism, patriarchy, and beauty standards. The experiences and anxieties reflected here are largely those of white, cis, able-bodied women. Although Bourne makes some attempts to be intersectional, these generally don’t work very well.
First, let’s talk about the gender binary. Trans and gender-nonconforming people are largely absent from this book. To be fair, Bourne tries to be inclusive. At one point, an authority figure uses the phrase “female-identifying students,” and later in the novel, there is a brief appearance of a trans girl. I really do appreciate this inclusion, but I also see it as a band-aid, for I don’t believe that Doctrine is compatible with the existence of trans women and girls. Patriarchy is inherently transphobic, so by hacking the dystopia to be trans-inclusive, Bourne ironically misses the mark on intersectionality. I would have rather she explored the idea that Doctrine suppresses trans people entirely as another dimension of why it must be resisted.
A similar problem exists with race. Again, Bourne is clearly aware of this issue: Vanessa, Belle’s “best friend,” is highly melanated. The book emphasizes how Vanessa’s darker skin makes it more challenging for her to be perceived as Pretty, a nod to the misogynoir that Black women face in a world where beauty standards are aggressively white and Eurocentric. So kudos to Bourne for that. Again, though, it’s insufficient and papers over the complexities that racism introduces to critiques of patriarchy.
Am I nitpicking? After all, Bourne is clearly writing this allegory based on her experience as a white cis woman. Maybe she feels like it isn’t her place to speak to the experience of trans women or women of colour. Fair enough. Indeed, no single book can be the universal feminist book, and I would never expect You Could Be So Pretty to be everything for everyone.
Nevertheless, the fact remains that, as a trans woman, I had a hard time seeing myself in either Belle or Joni at points. The way this book engages with patriarchal ideas of femininity does not always resonate with my own relationship to femininity. That’s OK. However, I can’t lie—it also feels disappointing that in 2023, our feminist primers and manifestos continue to flatten feminism down to something that is most recognizable and most relatable to white cis women and girls.
As I said above, this is a limitation of You Could Be So Pretty. I want to be critical of this book precisely because I liked it so much, believe i its themes so much. So don’t let my critique dissuade you from picking up this book, for it is powerful and raw and beautiful in its own, terrifying kind of way. Holly Bourne remains one of my favourite feminist novelists. She is just so good at poking holes in patriarchy and at creating great characters while doing it. You Could Be So Pretty is a striking evolution in her style versus some of her earlier forays into feminist YA, demonstrating that she still has plenty more stories to tell and battles to win. I hope this book awakens more than a few younger people and helps them push back against the absurdity that is the doctrine in our own world. I don’t mind being Pretty sometimes—but I definitely want us to be more Objectionable all of the time. Well-behaved women don’t make history.
Originally posted on , where you can easily browse all my reviews and subscribe to my newsletter.
Belle and Joni are the same age and competing for the Scholarship—beyond that, they have nothing in common. Belle follows the Doctrine. She applies her Mask every morning, sweats daily in Body Prayer, and generally does her best to look pretty. Joni, on the other hand, has embraced the life of an Objectionable. She doesn’t put on a Mask, barely washes her hair even, and she doesn’t care for Doctrine. It’s her choice, of course—every woman is free to choose whether or not to follow Doctrine. But that doesn’t stop people from looking down on Joni, her mother, and those like her. That is, until Belle’s perfect Pretty life starts falling apart around her. As she spends more time around Joni, she starts to wonder if Doctrine is as shiny and unimpeachable as it seems.
I had so many complicated feelings while reading this. I couldn’t put it down. I also wanted to throw it across the room.
See, I understand what Bourne is trying to do here, and I’m mostly on board. I really, really hate to say this given how many of them were TERFy and intersectionality in general was not their strong suit, but the second-wave feminists had a lot of excellent points that feel startlingly relevant these days. Feminism in popular discourse has collapsed under the weight of the rhetoric of “choice,” with the implication being that all the women and girls out there who lean hard into heavy makeup, cosmetic procedures, and emulating a pornified version of sexuality are doing so out of an irreproachable sense of individual freedom. Women and girls choose to be slutty, you see. It’s empowering.
Bourne’s disdain for this line, for the patriarchal control that it conceals, is palpable throughout You Could Be So Pretty. Feminism, she charges, has lost the anger that was at its core, and she wants to reawaken that fire and help it burn brighter within young women and girls.
Now, on the surface, the dystopian allegory Bourne uses to achieve this mission feels facile. The overuse of proper nouns—Mask, Pretty, Objectionable, Invisible, etc.—and the highly simplified world in which these girls exist gives the book a kind of glossiness that peels as you read and makes it feel … cheap. I can see how some readers, particularly those like myself who have steeped ourselves in decades of feminism and young adult literature, might look at this book and think, “This is too on the nose. Too simplified. There’s nothing here.”
Take, for example, the inciting incident of the book—Belle is harassed and almost abducted by a man who wants to give her a ride to school because she’s hot. Joni’s intervention allows them to escape, with some difficulty thanks to Belle’s impractical footwear. The scene is viscerally terrifying and no doubt familiar, in one permutation or another, to a majority of women readers. So familiar that one might wonder if the messaging her is too obvious.
Yet I tried my best to take a step back and put myself in the shoes of a younger reader, a teenage girl in our current era of ubiquitous porn, social media likes and comments and filters, and algorithmic content. I live in this world yet am not of this world, certainly didn’t grow up in this world, and it behoves me to consider how a younger denizen of that world would come to You Could Be So Pretty and its central critique of choice feminism.
Dystopian allegories are valuable for how they allow us to end-run the complexity of the real world. One of the reasons being feminist in our world is so complicated is that the world itself is complicated. Much as one tries to do one’s best for the environment, for animals, for others, the systems in which we are trapped make it difficult to be conscientious, to be “pure.” Stripping that away in favour of a world of school and Education, of rankings and validation, of Ceremonies, might feel simplistic to those of us caught up in the daily grind of this world. Yet it allows Bourne a much more versatile canvas for the conversation she wants to have on the page. As such, Bourne harnesses dystopia effectively in my opinion.
This is also very much a book that is about the imperfection of revolution. Joni most notably embodies this trait. What I love most about Joni is not that she’s “woke” but that she is still young and learning about nuance. Joni’s interactions with her mother are powerful and important, for they reveal how Joni’s passion has yet to develop into the wisdom that comes with experience. In a notable scene, Joni explains how she was confused that her mother makes beauty products available to the women who visit their little feminist shelter. Joni, having been raised by her mother to believe that these products are anathema, doesn’t understand why her mother would willingly give them out to women she’s trying to shake out of Doctrine. Yet Joni’s mother sees the bigger picture, understands that these women need the comfort of the familiar, understands that it’s more complicated.
This entire “deprogramming” aspect of the book is compelling, for it really does make a strong argument that the beauty-industrial complex is a cult. Joni’s mission to “awaken” Belle, while cute and very naïvely feminist at times, speaks to the strength of patriarchy’s grip on our minds and souls. It isn’t that Belle can’t see how fucked up her life is, from the constant public exposure to porn to the way she embraces disordered eating to stay fit. But she is in a cult, and when you are in a cult, it’s hard to recognize that fucked up means you should get out.
All of this is to say, every moment in this book hits hard. It’s going to be trite and predictable for a lot of older, ardently feminist readers, but I don’t think that should be a turn-off. I think it’s important to meet this book where it is. It’s an awakening of sorts for readers, a primer, yes, but it is also a deep and heartfelt attempt to hold a mirror up to our world and say, “Hey, this is messed up.” And if that isn’t the purpose of dystopia or allegory, I don’t know what is.
Now, of course, this book has limitations. I’d love to declare this book the YA feminist work of a generation, but I can’t be that absolutist. For one, this book is very much grounded in white and Western ideas about feminism, patriarchy, and beauty standards. The experiences and anxieties reflected here are largely those of white, cis, able-bodied women. Although Bourne makes some attempts to be intersectional, these generally don’t work very well.
First, let’s talk about the gender binary. Trans and gender-nonconforming people are largely absent from this book. To be fair, Bourne tries to be inclusive. At one point, an authority figure uses the phrase “female-identifying students,” and later in the novel, there is a brief appearance of a trans girl. I really do appreciate this inclusion, but I also see it as a band-aid, for I don’t believe that Doctrine is compatible with the existence of trans women and girls. Patriarchy is inherently transphobic, so by hacking the dystopia to be trans-inclusive, Bourne ironically misses the mark on intersectionality. I would have rather she explored the idea that Doctrine suppresses trans people entirely as another dimension of why it must be resisted.
A similar problem exists with race. Again, Bourne is clearly aware of this issue: Vanessa, Belle’s “best friend,” is highly melanated. The book emphasizes how Vanessa’s darker skin makes it more challenging for her to be perceived as Pretty, a nod to the misogynoir that Black women face in a world where beauty standards are aggressively white and Eurocentric. So kudos to Bourne for that. Again, though, it’s insufficient and papers over the complexities that racism introduces to critiques of patriarchy.
Am I nitpicking? After all, Bourne is clearly writing this allegory based on her experience as a white cis woman. Maybe she feels like it isn’t her place to speak to the experience of trans women or women of colour. Fair enough. Indeed, no single book can be the universal feminist book, and I would never expect You Could Be So Pretty to be everything for everyone.
Nevertheless, the fact remains that, as a trans woman, I had a hard time seeing myself in either Belle or Joni at points. The way this book engages with patriarchal ideas of femininity does not always resonate with my own relationship to femininity. That’s OK. However, I can’t lie—it also feels disappointing that in 2023, our feminist primers and manifestos continue to flatten feminism down to something that is most recognizable and most relatable to white cis women and girls.
As I said above, this is a limitation of You Could Be So Pretty. I want to be critical of this book precisely because I liked it so much, believe i its themes so much. So don’t let my critique dissuade you from picking up this book, for it is powerful and raw and beautiful in its own, terrifying kind of way. Holly Bourne remains one of my favourite feminist novelists. She is just so good at poking holes in patriarchy and at creating great characters while doing it. You Could Be So Pretty is a striking evolution in her style versus some of her earlier forays into feminist YA, demonstrating that she still has plenty more stories to tell and battles to win. I hope this book awakens more than a few younger people and helps them push back against the absurdity that is the doctrine in our own world. I don’t mind being Pretty sometimes—but I definitely want us to be more Objectionable all of the time. Well-behaved women don’t make history.
Originally posted on , where you can easily browse all my reviews and subscribe to my newsletter.
January 20, 2024
laced with the anger of the collective experience for women and girls, you could be so pretty is a powerful examination of patriarchal expectations. a little too overt and surface level in some places, and a little drawn out in others, but an important read nevertheless and one that i'd definitely recommend. 4 stars.
October 24, 2023
this should be a required read for everyone
April 24, 2025
C'était HORRIBLE. Mais c'était aussi incroyable. Incroyablement important, percutant, fort, touchant, dévastateur, intéressant, addictif, révoltant, révélateur... bref, c'est une lecture qui ne peut pas laisser indifférent. Attention aux avertissements de contenus, on parle de violences aussi bien physiques que morales, on parle d'agressions dans tous les sens du terme, on parle d'endoctrinement... et comme le dit l'autrice : ceci n'est pas une dystopie.
Un roman à ne surtout pas manquer, c'est une pépite qui fait autant de mal que de bien, qui fait réfléchir autant qu'elle heurte, qui désespère autant qu'elle encourage. ❤️
Un roman à ne surtout pas manquer, c'est une pépite qui fait autant de mal que de bien, qui fait réfléchir autant qu'elle heurte, qui désespère autant qu'elle encourage. ❤️
February 12, 2024
“This isn’t a dystopia. This isn’t fiction. This is now. Normal. Our world today.”
September 5, 2023
You Could Be So Pretty by Holly Bourne
Pub date 28.09.23
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ALL OF THE STARS FOR THIS BOOK! READ IT NOW!
Holly Bourne is one of my auto buy authors I was soooo excited to see this on Netgalley, I was a little unsure going into this book with it being dystopian as that isn't her usual genre. I love her YA books and her adult books so I needed to give it a go anyway. Just like the rest of her work this is a fast read, short chapters making it impossible to put the book down.
Even though this book is advertised as a dystopian novel it is worryingly accurate to todays society and how important looks are and the pressure on young girls to always make a effort and look their best. How they are judge on their appearance and the opportunities which arise based on how "Pretty" you are. It scares me that I have a 9 year old who is going to be under this sort of pressure soon. I will be encouraging Isla to read this in a couple of years, maybe once she starts high school.
I loved how the chapters where from a dual POV, Joni and Belle, I was rooting for both of these characters throughout.
I think this is the first book I've read where my name (Vanessa) has been in it! Woohoo! 😜 I wasn't really sure if I liked Vanessa though, she certainly wasn't the worse character but I wanted to love her as we share a name 😂
Damian urrrrrgh 🤮
I think this has been my fave Holly Bourne book so far and ive read 99.9% of her back log *chef's kiss* 💋
A huge thank you to Usborne, Holly Bourne and NetGalley for my early review copy.
#YouCouldBeSoPretty #NetGalley
I will be posting to my bookstagram in the next few days @booksbooksbooksxoxo ❤
Pub date 28.09.23
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ALL OF THE STARS FOR THIS BOOK! READ IT NOW!
Holly Bourne is one of my auto buy authors I was soooo excited to see this on Netgalley, I was a little unsure going into this book with it being dystopian as that isn't her usual genre. I love her YA books and her adult books so I needed to give it a go anyway. Just like the rest of her work this is a fast read, short chapters making it impossible to put the book down.
Even though this book is advertised as a dystopian novel it is worryingly accurate to todays society and how important looks are and the pressure on young girls to always make a effort and look their best. How they are judge on their appearance and the opportunities which arise based on how "Pretty" you are. It scares me that I have a 9 year old who is going to be under this sort of pressure soon. I will be encouraging Isla to read this in a couple of years, maybe once she starts high school.
I loved how the chapters where from a dual POV, Joni and Belle, I was rooting for both of these characters throughout.
I think this is the first book I've read where my name (Vanessa) has been in it! Woohoo! 😜 I wasn't really sure if I liked Vanessa though, she certainly wasn't the worse character but I wanted to love her as we share a name 😂
Damian urrrrrgh 🤮
I think this has been my fave Holly Bourne book so far and ive read 99.9% of her back log *chef's kiss* 💋
A huge thank you to Usborne, Holly Bourne and NetGalley for my early review copy.
#YouCouldBeSoPretty #NetGalley
I will be posting to my bookstagram in the next few days @booksbooksbooksxoxo ❤
November 2, 2023
This was incredible 👏 Holly Bourne has done it again!!
Content Warnings: Eating Disorders, Body Shaming, Pornography, Domestic Abuse, Sexual Assault and Harassment, Misogyny and Sexism.
“Choice means nothing if you feel you have no other option than to choose what everyone chooses. Choice means nothing if there are significant consequences for not following the established path."
Have you ever rage-read a book? Well, I did, this whole book was a rage-induced read. It should be read by all girls of all ages and then by men of all ages as a guide on what not to do.
Thank you to Penguin Random House South Africa for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings: Eating Disorders, Body Shaming, Pornography, Domestic Abuse, Sexual Assault and Harassment, Misogyny and Sexism.
“Choice means nothing if you feel you have no other option than to choose what everyone chooses. Choice means nothing if there are significant consequences for not following the established path."
Have you ever rage-read a book? Well, I did, this whole book was a rage-induced read. It should be read by all girls of all ages and then by men of all ages as a guide on what not to do.
Thank you to Penguin Random House South Africa for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
March 3, 2024
Ongelofelijk hoe dicht deze fictie bij de werkelijkheid komt 💔
“I don’t want to be told I’m still beautiful. The whole point is that it shouldn’t matter. That how I looked should be totally irrelevant to how people view me, or like me, or listen to me.”
“I don’t want to be told I’m still beautiful. The whole point is that it shouldn’t matter. That how I looked should be totally irrelevant to how people view me, or like me, or listen to me.”
January 12, 2025
I'm struggling to adequately review an experience such as this.
This book emotionally destroyed me.
It was distressingly uncomfortable to read and I cried when it was over. Intensely powerful - everyone should read it.
The Barbie movie in book form. But angrier.
The female rage was palpable and oh so relatable.
The dual cover design, like the dystopian approach to this subject matter... incredibly clever.
F*ck the patriarchy ✊
This book emotionally destroyed me.
It was distressingly uncomfortable to read and I cried when it was over. Intensely powerful - everyone should read it.
The Barbie movie in book form. But angrier.
The female rage was palpable and oh so relatable.
The dual cover design, like the dystopian approach to this subject matter... incredibly clever.
F*ck the patriarchy ✊
July 10, 2023
Phenomenal.
Honestly it's such an amazing book describing societal norms and the illusion of choice. It's about feminine power, or the illusion of it, thinking that: if you're the prettiest, you'll get everything and if you're not, you'll get nothing. And there's no choice in that really. Both sides of the coin have negatives. Prettiness comes with a price, such as not being able to eat and working hard every day to make sure that your body stays up to standard. The opposite involves being an outcast, where you can't do anything because you're just a ghost in the world, but you have freedom with your body and with what you look like.
To quote a sentence that resonated with me in the book:
“Choice means nothing if you feel you have no other option than to choose what everyone chooses. Choice means nothing if there are significant consequences for not following the established path."
The characters Belle Gentle and Joni Miller were my absolute favourite. I loved seeing both of their stories play out and how their animosity formed into a budding friendship, with a hint of something more that doesn't take up the story line at all or detracts from the main message of the book. I wanted to jump with joy but also cry at what happened at the end of the book, but I feel like the ending was a perfect fit for the story. You need to pick this up as soon as it's out. It is a story that predicts what our future might be like and, in that sense, it's quite scary.
Honestly it's such an amazing book describing societal norms and the illusion of choice. It's about feminine power, or the illusion of it, thinking that: if you're the prettiest, you'll get everything and if you're not, you'll get nothing. And there's no choice in that really. Both sides of the coin have negatives. Prettiness comes with a price, such as not being able to eat and working hard every day to make sure that your body stays up to standard. The opposite involves being an outcast, where you can't do anything because you're just a ghost in the world, but you have freedom with your body and with what you look like.
To quote a sentence that resonated with me in the book:
“Choice means nothing if you feel you have no other option than to choose what everyone chooses. Choice means nothing if there are significant consequences for not following the established path."
The characters Belle Gentle and Joni Miller were my absolute favourite. I loved seeing both of their stories play out and how their animosity formed into a budding friendship, with a hint of something more that doesn't take up the story line at all or detracts from the main message of the book. I wanted to jump with joy but also cry at what happened at the end of the book, but I feel like the ending was a perfect fit for the story. You need to pick this up as soon as it's out. It is a story that predicts what our future might be like and, in that sense, it's quite scary.
March 16, 2024
Re read for bookclub
And this was just as good the second time around, I think Holly Bourne captures what society puts women through really well. Told in the guise of a dystopia highlighting how insane beauty standards, misogyny and treatment of women is. It touches on serious topics in an accessible way for teens and is such an important read.
And this was just as good the second time around, I think Holly Bourne captures what society puts women through really well. Told in the guise of a dystopia highlighting how insane beauty standards, misogyny and treatment of women is. It touches on serious topics in an accessible way for teens and is such an important read.
October 13, 2023
I really wanted to love this, and I was a little let down! holly bourne was my IDOL when I was like 16-19, and I do think she’s written a lot of very important and wonderful books for young women, but I think I was just acutely aware that I’ve aged out of this genre. some of the prose made me cringe slightly in its simplicity or clunkiness, and I also don’t like that joni’s mother was portrayed as in any way right in her decision to give her child the silent treatment. the queer relationship at the centre of this book was pretty well done I felt, as I picked up on it early on and I appreciated that it culminated rather than just ended up a weird queer baity thing, but some of the other representation like women of colour and trans women felt shoe horned in and completely out of place - I understand the intention was to make the book more intersectional and less about white women and white feminism, but it just felt awkward and not entirely thought through. I would say this is worth a read but I think I’m not the intended audience and a younger girl would appreciate it more
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2023
This book’s message was eye-opening. The execution wasn’t as compelling as Bourne’s previous stories, but I see the vision.
This was written in a completely different way to her earlier books and I apploud her for the bravery to try something new. I wish it had been more gripping, and it felt dull most of the time.
However, the inspiration and reason for this book is important and I’m glad I read this. The way Bourne tackles difficult problems of our society is incredible.
This was written in a completely different way to her earlier books and I apploud her for the bravery to try something new. I wish it had been more gripping, and it felt dull most of the time.
However, the inspiration and reason for this book is important and I’m glad I read this. The way Bourne tackles difficult problems of our society is incredible.
November 1, 2023
I’ve read all of Holly’s books, I’ve been a fan since I first received a copy of Soulmates to read as part of the Waterstones childrens book prize shortlist about 10yrs ago (can’t quite recall what year!), and since then I’ve got them all. I’ve enjoyed all of them, each illicits a response depending on the subject matter, but this is by far the most powerful of her books. It feels very timely, and I’m sure has had a lot of comparisons / if you like you’ll love recommendations to the Barbie film, and that just says to me this book should be getting all the attention. It 100% needs to be in all school libraries and I want to give it to every girl and woman I know. The audio narrator was fantastic, I hope she does many more books.
I love Belle and Joni (no idea of spelling as listened to it) and I’d love to see this as a 6 part tv show.
I love Belle and Joni (no idea of spelling as listened to it) and I’d love to see this as a 6 part tv show.
April 17, 2024
I love the concept of this book and it was fairly well done BUT holly bourne uses a technique where she uses other words instead of the real thing. For example she says Mask not Makeup which is really clever but throughout the book it’s over used. It’s unfortunate because it’s the first thing you noticed when you open the book to read as you go through the book you get used to it and you can appreciate the story and the message it convey. I really love this book. It’s a must read but it would get five stars if that writing technique wasn’t overused.
April 7, 2024
Really thinks it did something but it’s so surface level and obvious that I simply don’t care. Very clearly written by a straight white women because the rare bits of intersectionality are just terrible.
It wants to be the Handmaid’s Tale so badly but I didn’t care for any of the characters. Cinderella is Dead did something similar but infinitely better.
And worst of all it made me hate a *queer* enemies to lovers arc…
It wants to be the Handmaid’s Tale so badly but I didn’t care for any of the characters. Cinderella is Dead did something similar but infinitely better.
And worst of all it made me hate a *queer* enemies to lovers arc…
August 9, 2023
This is one of my favourite reads of the year! It is a fantastic feminist book about how hard it is being a woman. It is told under the guise of a dystopian novel, but in actual fact, this is a non-fiction story of what it really means to live as a woman in society. I loved the main characters, especially Joni and the individual conflicts that particularly Belle had to face. An absolute top read.
October 22, 2023
A book where we don't know if its a dystopia or reality because it hit so close to home...
Holly Bourne just explain our society
If you liked the barbie movie you like this book too!
Holly Bourne just explain our society
If you liked the barbie movie you like this book too!
November 2, 2023
The "Bad Times" are over. Gender equality has been achieved. In order to make everything easier to navigate The Doctrine is followed. As a woman, if you want to be accepted and loved by society you must be Pretty, wear your make up, do your hair, keep yourself thin. Of course, because the Bad Times are over, a woman doesn't have to do these things, she has a choice. You can be Pretty or Objectionable, you have freedom of choice.
Except, what is a choice, really? What are the consequences for these choices?
Belle and Joni are on two different sides of this choice. Belle is a Pretty, she wants to be the Chosen One at the Ceremony at the end of the school year. Joni is an Objectionable, she is fighting against the Doctrine. Belle and Joni get pitted against each other to try to win a scholarship, and get forced to spend time together. Can they learn from each other, see things from another perspective?
I do not consider myself to be a feminist, and I did find some of the aspects of this story to be exaggerated and a bit on the nose. However, there are a lot of profound things in this book, a lot of layers to work through, and a lot of aspects that I need to work through in my own mind. Specifically about how we as women view our own bodies and how we deem it acceptable to portray ourselves to the world.
I would say that if the Barbie movie struck a chord with you, this book is in the same vein, and you will enjoy it. It is very important to question these types of areas of our lives from time to time.
Thank you to Penguin Randomhouse South Africa for the gifted copy of this book as part of their read-along.
Except, what is a choice, really? What are the consequences for these choices?
Belle and Joni are on two different sides of this choice. Belle is a Pretty, she wants to be the Chosen One at the Ceremony at the end of the school year. Joni is an Objectionable, she is fighting against the Doctrine. Belle and Joni get pitted against each other to try to win a scholarship, and get forced to spend time together. Can they learn from each other, see things from another perspective?
I do not consider myself to be a feminist, and I did find some of the aspects of this story to be exaggerated and a bit on the nose. However, there are a lot of profound things in this book, a lot of layers to work through, and a lot of aspects that I need to work through in my own mind. Specifically about how we as women view our own bodies and how we deem it acceptable to portray ourselves to the world.
I would say that if the Barbie movie struck a chord with you, this book is in the same vein, and you will enjoy it. It is very important to question these types of areas of our lives from time to time.
Thank you to Penguin Randomhouse South Africa for the gifted copy of this book as part of their read-along.
August 10, 2024
Interesting! Don’t let the cover fool you, this is much deeper than it looks (fitting…).
A teenage girl in Borough stopped me to shout, “I love that book!” And honestly? I can see why.
Bourne creates a world which is creepily close to today’s, using apocalyptic language to spotlight some of the troubling expectations we hold for women & girls. Told through the narratives of Belle (a Pretty- someone who follows the “Doctrine”) & Joni (an Objectionable- someone who neglects appearance to make a stand), this book explores the standards enforced by the patriarchy & its implications.
As a definite “Objectionable”, I instantly clicked with Joni, though Bourne was clever in the constant doubt that came from both Joni & Belle. Brought up by mothers entrenched on their sides, the teens are proper teens- their conscience sometimes wondering if they’re on the right side of the fence. This allowed Bourne to crack into the nuance.
I don’t want to give loads away about the book, but some things I took away were:
✨ How women can often be the ones to erect & maintain our own prisons. We have to be the ones to challenge expectations meant to bring us down.
✨ The subtle knife edge of “empowerment”. You can’t be told what empowers you, you have to find it yourself.
✨ A reminder of why I don’t bother with beauty in general. So expensive & time consuming even without the more sinister implications…
✨ Generational pressure is such a THING.
The boys in this book were AWFUL too. It was actually so hard to read. This is what happens when we don’t teach our boys to be respectful, & we need to build a world where that’s just not acceptable behaviour.
Such a good book!!! I love where YA is in this moment- it gives me faith in the kids of tomorrow! ✨
TW: eating disorders, rape culture, botched surgery
A teenage girl in Borough stopped me to shout, “I love that book!” And honestly? I can see why.
Bourne creates a world which is creepily close to today’s, using apocalyptic language to spotlight some of the troubling expectations we hold for women & girls. Told through the narratives of Belle (a Pretty- someone who follows the “Doctrine”) & Joni (an Objectionable- someone who neglects appearance to make a stand), this book explores the standards enforced by the patriarchy & its implications.
As a definite “Objectionable”, I instantly clicked with Joni, though Bourne was clever in the constant doubt that came from both Joni & Belle. Brought up by mothers entrenched on their sides, the teens are proper teens- their conscience sometimes wondering if they’re on the right side of the fence. This allowed Bourne to crack into the nuance.
I don’t want to give loads away about the book, but some things I took away were:
✨ How women can often be the ones to erect & maintain our own prisons. We have to be the ones to challenge expectations meant to bring us down.
✨ The subtle knife edge of “empowerment”. You can’t be told what empowers you, you have to find it yourself.
✨ A reminder of why I don’t bother with beauty in general. So expensive & time consuming even without the more sinister implications…
✨ Generational pressure is such a THING.
The boys in this book were AWFUL too. It was actually so hard to read. This is what happens when we don’t teach our boys to be respectful, & we need to build a world where that’s just not acceptable behaviour.
Such a good book!!! I love where YA is in this moment- it gives me faith in the kids of tomorrow! ✨
TW: eating disorders, rape culture, botched surgery
February 11, 2025
Why was she so real tho
February 25, 2025
This book had a strong and meaningful message that I wholeheartedly agree with. The themes and ideas the author was trying to convey are compelling and impactful. However, I found the language a bit clunky at times, which made the story feel repetitive. As a result, the plot seemed to drag and the book’s length (400 pages) felt excessive for what was actually happening. I think the story could have been more concise and effective if it was shorter. While I wouldn’t say I truly enjoyed reading it in the moment, I can appreciate the deeper intentions behind it now that I’ve had time to reflect.
June 11, 2025
Holly Bourne on mulle kirjailija, jolta luen kaiken automaattisesti. Tämä on tosi erilainen kuin Bournen aiemmat, mutta toisaalta herättää minussa samanlaista kiukkua kuin useat niistä, ja hahmoissa, juonessa sekä teemoissa on paljon tuttua. Bellen hahmokehitys oli suosikkiasioitani kirjassa ja sitä oli upeaa seurata. Kirja tuntui välillä ehkä hitusen ilmiselvältä, mutta loppuun saavuttuani olin sitä mieltä, että kirjalla on paikkansa eikä sen logiikassa oikeastaan ole mitään mitä en ostaisi. Holly Bourne meets Margaret Atwood, vähän Armonvuoden makua myös. Suututtavaa lukemista etsiville.
February 29, 2024
De maatschappijkritiek is een beetje te obvious en er zitten bepaalde stukken in die voor mij echt nog wat scherper zouden mogen zijn. Het is wel echt een goed boek om een eerste keer kennis te maken met heel aanwezige aspecten van de maatschappij en hoe fucked up die eigenlijk zijn. Het is een over the top dystopie van het dagelijkse leven van tienermeiden, die jammer genoeg niet zo absurd anders is dan de realiteit. Gezien het een YA-boek is denk ik zeker dat het goed doet wat het wil doen.
May 13, 2024
The ending ruined the message the book was trying to achieve
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