Happy release day to Alessandra Thomas!! I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of PICTURE PERFECT and you guys are definitely going to want to read this one! I loved it. Congratulations to Alessandra on her new release :) And here's all you need to know about this fantastic book and author! The Picture Perfect blog tour is also going on RIGHT NOW, so be sure to check out the links at the end of this post for some info :)
★★★★
Synopsis:
Fashion design major Cat Mitchell has a closet full of gorgeous clothes - and not a single thing fits. After two years of runway modeling for easy cash, an accident shattered her lower leg bone and her self-esteem in just one swift fall. Ten months of no exercise, prescription steroids, comfort eating and yoga pants meant returning to campus as a size twelve instead of her former size two.
When her gorgeous long-time friend with benefits sees her for the first time after her accident and snubs her in front of all her friends, Cat’s self-image hits rock bottom. Her sorority sisters all insist that she looks gorgeous, but all Cat sees is the roll of her stomach when she sits down, or the dimpling at the back of her thighs that wasn't there last year. Cat’s therapist prescribes something radical to stop the downward spiral - nude modeling for a nearby college's human form drawing classes.
When Cat faces her fears and bares it all for the class, she realizes that she's posing naked in front the most gorgeous, buffest guy she's ever seen in her life. He asks her out after the class, and after one steamy night together, Cat's absolutely smitten.
Nate’s pretty close to perfect – he takes Cat rock climbing when he discovers that it makes her feel strong and becomes a great chef after he learns that the perfect pesto sauce makes her swoon. Cat starts to feel like her old self again - confident and beautiful - as long as Nate's around. Even when he discourages her from entering the Real Woman Project, a design competition for plus-sized apparel, she reasons that he's just trying to prevent old body image wounds from splitting wide open again.
But when Cat goes home with Nate for Thanksgiving, she discovers something shocking from his recent past that proves that he hasn’t always been so encouraging of women of all shapes and sizes. Cat has no idea what to think, but she does know one thing - this might destroy their relationship before it's even had a chance to get off the ground.
Before Cat can figure out whether the real Nate is the sensitive, adoring guy she fell in love with, or an undercover asshole, she'll have to finally feel comfortable in her own skin - even if it means leaving him forever.
(This book contains sex and adult language.)
When her gorgeous long-time friend with benefits sees her for the first time after her accident and snubs her in front of all her friends, Cat’s self-image hits rock bottom. Her sorority sisters all insist that she looks gorgeous, but all Cat sees is the roll of her stomach when she sits down, or the dimpling at the back of her thighs that wasn't there last year. Cat’s therapist prescribes something radical to stop the downward spiral - nude modeling for a nearby college's human form drawing classes.
When Cat faces her fears and bares it all for the class, she realizes that she's posing naked in front the most gorgeous, buffest guy she's ever seen in her life. He asks her out after the class, and after one steamy night together, Cat's absolutely smitten.
Nate’s pretty close to perfect – he takes Cat rock climbing when he discovers that it makes her feel strong and becomes a great chef after he learns that the perfect pesto sauce makes her swoon. Cat starts to feel like her old self again - confident and beautiful - as long as Nate's around. Even when he discourages her from entering the Real Woman Project, a design competition for plus-sized apparel, she reasons that he's just trying to prevent old body image wounds from splitting wide open again.
But when Cat goes home with Nate for Thanksgiving, she discovers something shocking from his recent past that proves that he hasn’t always been so encouraging of women of all shapes and sizes. Cat has no idea what to think, but she does know one thing - this might destroy their relationship before it's even had a chance to get off the ground.
Before Cat can figure out whether the real Nate is the sensitive, adoring guy she fell in love with, or an undercover asshole, she'll have to finally feel comfortable in her own skin - even if it means leaving him forever.
(This book contains sex and adult language.)
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PICTURE PERFECT by Alessandra Thomas is a story about Cat, a college junior and and model who, after recovering from a horse riding accident and horrible injury, is left 60 lbs heavier and feeling insecure and out of place in her old life. After having a difficult time adjusting to her new size and feelings of depression, her therapist suggests that she pose nude for a human form class at a nearby college. This is where she meets Nate, an aspiring architect, who soon becomes the perfect person to finally make her see how beautiful she is, no matter what size she wears. There were several moments in book when I was afraid that she was using Nate as a crutch, which her therapist does point out to her, but then there were other times when their relationship just seemed normal and supportive, so I went back and forth with that a little. But as perfect as Nate seemed, he turned out to have an interesting past and some issues with body image as well. And Cat's perception of sweet, perfect Nate came crashing down big time. This little shocker definitely threw me for a loop and I was just as surprised and devastated as Cat to find out about Nate's not so "supportive" past.
As a bigger girl myself, I found Cat's thoughts, feelings of discomfort, and insecurities about her size to be very believable, although she really isn't that big at all. At her heaviest, she is actually at a normal, healthy weight. But I suppose after being a stick thin model, 180 can probably seem huge. And when your whole life and profession is based on how good you look in teeny tiny clothes, judging your appearance above everything else and constantly comparing yourself to others, then I can definitely see how it would be difficult for her to find her place again after her accident and weight gain.
The supporting characters were pretty great. Cat's friend Joey was supportive of her during her entire journey and an extremely good friend to her, always there when she needed a shoulder to cry on or a good pep talk. Of course Nate was wonderful, even despite his drama there at the end, and I loved everything about him. I really wish this novel would have been a little bit longer, I found myself wanting to read more about these characters. Overall, I think Picture Perfect is a very realistic story about a young woman with self esteem issues learning to love her body and, most importantly, love herself despite her body. I truly enjoyed it and would definitely recommend this book! I can't wait to read more from this author! 4 STARS!
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Alessandra Thomas on PICTURE PERFECT:
PICTURE PERFECT is about a girl who went from a size two to a size twelve in just under a year, and has some serious body image issues.
Yes. This book is about a girl who is size twelve and hates her body. She hates it so much that she tries to hide it, squeeze it into Spanx, cries over it, and emotionally eats up a storm. She hates it so much that she doesn’t believe her friends when they tell her how gorgeous she is. She hates it so much that she thinks no guy will ever want to have sex with her again.
Is Cat’s body image healthy? Lord in heaven, no.
Is Cat’s body image REAL? Yes.
Raise your hand if you’ve ever hated your body unreasonably.
Raise the other one if you’ve known someone who has hated her body unreasonably.
Yep. That’s what I thought. (Now do the Harlem Shake. You know you want to.)
Cat Mitchell, the protagonist of PICTURE PERFECT, is a freaking disaster. That’s what the book is about – her journey to becoming not-a-disaster. If Cat felt awesome about rolling out her new bangin bod all over campus, I’d be all, good for you, honey, but you make a damn boring story.
Are you a size twelve, and you love it? Good for you. Go on with your bad self. I’m a size sixteen, and while I have occasional moments of woe about a belly (or knee) roll, I’ll tell you right now, I’m freaking gorgeous. Not to mention that between the sheets, The Boy has nary a complaint. (*wink*)
Cat hates her size twelve body, but that doesn’t mean that I’m saying you should hate yours. In fact, what I want is for you to root for her to feel as good about herself as you do.
I’m so happy you like your body the way it is. I like it too. I think you’re DEAD SEXY, in fact. So you can bet that Cat Mitchell is gonna feel dead sexy by the end of the book, too. And no, it’s not the way you think.
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About the Author:
Alessandra Thomas is a New Adult writer who swears she was in her twenties yesterday. Since she's not, she spends her time looking back on her college years fondly, and writing sexy stories about guys and girls falling in love and really living life for the first time. When she's not writing, you can find her with a spoonful of ice cream in one hand and the newest New Adult release in the other.
Connect with Alessandra:
Alessandra Thomas is a New Adult writer who swears she was in her twenties yesterday. Since she's not, she spends her time looking back on her college years fondly, and writing sexy stories about guys and girls falling in love and really living life for the first time. When she's not writing, you can find her with a spoonful of ice cream in one hand and the newest New Adult release in the other.
Connect with Alessandra:
PICTURE PERFECT IS AVAILABLE NOW!
**GIVEAWAY**
Prizes:
- 2 signed copies of Picture Perfect
- 2 ebook copies of Picture Perfect
Enter below to win! Good luck!
Be sure to visit these two awesome blogs,
they're the next stops on the Picture Perfect Blog Tour!
Blog Tour & Release Day Event Organized By:
Reviewed by Brittany
