REVIEW: Picture Perfect by Holly Smale

July 27, 2014

Edition: Harper Collins Hardback (signed)
Release Date: June 5 2014
Pages: 400
Series: Geek Girl #3
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Source: Received as an ARC from Harper Collins Australia (Thank you)
Links: Goodreads | Author's Website | Buy the book
"My name is Harriet Manners, and I'll always be a geek." Harriet Manners knows more facts that most. She knows that New York is the most populous city in the United States. She knows that its official motto is "Ever Upward". She knows that 28% of Americans believe we never landed on the moon.

But she knows nothing about modelling in the Big Apple, and how her family will cope with life stateside. Or how to "become a brand", as the models in New York put it. And, even more importantly, what to do when the big romantic gestures aren't coming from your boyfriend...

Does geek girl go too far this time?

I'm just going to say it now, Holly Smale is awesome. Her books never fail to impress. It's like instant candy floss, in the sense that I'm always smiling, laughing and enjoying every moment of the Geek Girl series. Picture Perfect was no exception.

Picture Perfect the third and thankfully not the final of the Geek Girl series is a bit different to the other two, despite being set shortly after the sequel. Harriet is no longer working for Yuko Ito and wants only to spend time with her best friends, cute boyfriend and loud new sibling. But when Harriet is told she'll be temporarily moving to New York, that's not the case. At first Harriet pictures glamour, the big lights and all that comes with the big apple. But when arrives she see's that this might not be the case.

Ok so.. I think I've come to a decision. Harriet Manners is one of my favourite protagonists in YA. Her voice is refreshing, honest, hilarious and relatable. I'd love to be friends with Harriet and I think my education would benefit from it; seeing as she is basically a walking trivia book. I was loving the facts. Geek Girl as a series, revolves around a lot of self-discovery and acceptance. A message I've always appreciated as it's an important one for the YA age group. So seeing as this is book 3 and Harriet is constantly growing despite still staying the same socially awkward teen, I feel proud to have seen her character evolve over time.

Harriet is flawed. She is insecure, clumsy, awkward and sometimes doesn't make the best choices. But I think that's what sets her apart from the long list of characters in YA with the same personalities. Her curious and intelligent nature makes her a entertaining lead, who stands out from the bunch. I also gotta mention that I loved seeing a rebellious nature to her character.

The relationships in Picture Perfect were a large part of the plot. Harriet has never been a girlfriend before so things are still new between her and Nick but I adored what they shared. Their relationship wasn't without complication but it was caring, innocent and selfless. Towards the end I was just going 'aww <3', every few minutes. What would their ship name be? Narriet? Hick?

I also loved the addition of Tabby to the Manners family, too cute. You definitely see Harriet's step mother and her father take on stronger parenting rules. It was obvious they were trying their best  even though they were occupied with other things; new jobs and a newborn. In the first 2 novels Harriet's father is portrayed as a funny character much like Harriet but in Picture Perfect we see that he does take his role quiet serious. Annabel and her father make such a good parenting team because they really do support Harriet.

I thought it wasn't as funny as the other two and maybe even more serious, but I still adored it. It was an average sized book yet I still couldn't believe I'd reached the end. Holly Smale is a great writer and she really excels in characterisation. Her books are uplifting and amusing, I can't wait to see what's to come.






9 comments

  1. I haven't read this series yet but I've heard so many great things about it, the humour sounds really great and Harriet sounds like such an adorable character! Great review Sunny!

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    1. It's a really fun read if you get around to it, I highly recommend it :)

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  2. Love your blog! I've been wanting to read this book for a while, the book review helped a lot!:)
    -Lauren xoxo
    http://pretty-things-a-n-d-polka-dots.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. Thanks Lauren! That's really lovely to hear. Thanks for stopping by :)

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  3. NARRIET FOR THE WIN. I need to get to this, but I've only read the first one. It's a true testament when you, Sunny, admit that Harriet is one of your fav YA protagonists. That takes guts. Glad you enjoyed it! Haven't spoken to you in a while! How are things?

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    1. Hell yeah! I know, I feel quite bold. Haha. It has definitely been too long since our last twitter chat, I miss them. I'm well thank you, what about you? Hope everything is good x

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  4. I've STILL not read Geek Girl - though I have a copy of it on my shelf. I think I'm going to wait until the mood strikes though, because it's not my usual genre and I don't want to force myself into reading it if I'm just not in the mood. But the more I hear about it, the more I feel I ought to pick it up - hope I don't expect too much from it! :3

    Harriet does sound like a fun character!

    Great review!! XD

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    1. Fair enough! It's never good to force yourself into reading. I'd probably say pick them up when your looking for a fun and entertaining mood lifter, it will do the trick x

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  5. EEK! I just read Geek Girl and Model Misfit and I LOVED them! I seriously need this in my hands because...come on, it's a Holly Smale book. I agree with you, Harriet is one of my favourite protagonists too!

    Great review, Sunny! <3

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