Perfect by Ellen Hopkins

Summary Provided by Goodreads:

Everyone has something, someone, somewhere else that they’d rather be. For four high-school seniors, their goals of perfection are just as different as the paths they take to get there.

Cara’s parents’ unrealistic expectations have already sent her twin brother Conner spiraling toward suicide. For her, perfect means rejecting their ideals to take a chance on a new kind of love. Kendra covets the perfect face and body—no matter what surgeries and drugs she needs to get there. To score his perfect home run—on the field and off—Sean will sacrifice more than he can ever win back. And Andre realizes to follow his heart and achieve his perfect performance, he’ll be living a life his ancestors would never understand.

Everyone wants to be perfect, but when perfection loses its meaning, how far will you go? What would you give up to be perfect?

A riveting and startling companion to the bestselling Impulse, Ellen Hopkins's Perfect exposes the harsh truths about what it takes to grow up and grow into our own skins, our own selves.

My favorite Ellen Hopkins book is Impulse, so when I heard Perfect was coming out and it was going to focus on Conner’s twin sister and her friends, I was really excited! Hopkins really is a terrific author because she deals with the tough stuff and isn’t afraid of it. No matter what the issue is, she will make teenagers realize that they are not alone and there are others out there that are just like them, going through the same thing. Whereas her other books focuses on prostitution, rape and drugs this one deals with the need for teenagers to feel perfect because of pressures put on them by friends, family and society, but also the pressures that they put on themselves.

In Perfect, we meet Cara, twin sister to Conner. I really liked her and seeing her side of things. Conner mentions her a few times in Impulse, and I always thought she was a bitch, but she really isn’t. She is just trying to deal with her life and her messed up family. Cara is dating Sean who is taking steroids and pushes himself to the max to be better then the best. We are also re-introduced to Connor’s ex-girlfriend, Kendra, whom we briefly met in Impulse. Kendra’s need to be perfect is extreme. She wants to be a model and actress and will starve herself to have the perfect body. The last point of view is of Andre, who would rather dance then be head of a Fortune 500 company, something his parents would never understand.

I really liked all of the characters and felt their pain. I couldn’t be happier when we got to see Tony and Vanessa again. Tony’s my favorite character from all of Hopkins books. I just love reading what he has to say. He is so wise and for someone who has been through so much, he has the most beautiful things to say in every situation.

Overall, I really enjoyed Perfect. With her poetry, Hopkins can make anything spectacular and Perfect does not disappoint!

Perfect will hit bookstores on September 13, 2011. You don’t have too, but I recommend reading Impulse first and get to know Tony, Vanessa, and Connor if you haven’t already!