Book Review: Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

“Crazy” Lucius and beautiful Aurora meet the first day they both attend a new school. Aurora is drawn to the mysterious boy with hooks for hands and Lucius to the friendly girl surrounded by an air of sadness. But while Aurora is swept into the popular crowd, Lucius is met with scorn and ridicule. Can Beauty and the Beast overcome these odds and get together?

I have to admit, I was expecting something much different than what this novel turned out to be. The cover promises a dark, passionate love story…but what we actually get is a winningly sweet high school tale about an outcast and his dream girl.

I could buy into the fact that Aurora was this amazingly gorgeous and yet completely down-to-earth person thanks to the background on her relationship with her recently deceased mother. But I did not believe for a minute that Lucius was a brooding, evil character that needed to be reformed by falling in love and having someone fall for him in return. We are told he did something bad, but it fails to compute because he’s just written as such a nice guy (with the exception of one strategically placed volleyball spike). I mean, he lets his sister Misty beat him at pool, is unfailingly polite to his elders, and even takes the time to help out a former football hero/current security guard realize his dreams. I bet he bakes cookies for the homeless and rescues cats from trees too.

I devoured the novel in one sitting and enjoyed the various authentically drawn relationships (especially Lucius and Misty and Aurora and her librarian father). I never needed Lucius to be bad, so I wasn’t disappointed that he wasn’t. And even though the big showdown at the end felt rushed/forced, I thought the story ended on a nice, satisfying note.

CRAZY BEAUTIFUL comes out September 29th in hardcover. For more information about the book, visit the author’s website.