Synopsis:
Ever dealt with self-esteem issues only for them to be confirmed by your mother? That's been the case for Rochelle Jackson all her life. She's constantly reminded that she wasn't born with the "pretty gene". The only time it's not brought up is when she's with her cousin Dakota North. Dakota is labeled as the prima donna but wants to be treated like a regular girl. Rochelle becomes so engulfed in Dakota's life that she does whatever she can to be on top. Fueled by jealousy, Rochelle will not stop until everyone denounces Dakota and names her the prettiest of them all.
My Review:
I wanted to like this book a little more than I did. I rated it a 3 out of 5. For starters, there was some confusion when it came to Rochelle and her sexuality. One minute it was a big deal and leads the reader to believe that's another major cause for her rejection. Then at other times, it comes off like it's no big deal. Like she's the only person freaking out about something that nobody knows or cares about. What hurts is the fact that her mother has already sown a seed in her. She was made to feel inferior and Dakota was superior.
Dakota wasn't as stuck up as they made it seem. She just had a preference for certain men who had certain financial and social status. There's nothing wrong with that. If she thought she was better than Rochelle, why push for her to hang out and meet the same kind of guys? If anything she wanted Rochelle to know someone was on her side. Sad to say Rochelle was already poisoned fruit. Another positive for Dakota was sticking with her man through it all. Granted it was a lot of lies that started them off, but she hung around to find out the full truth from him. I know that sounds crazy, but some people have real reasons as to why they lie. They have to find the right person to divulge the truth to. There was a lot that she didn't want, but she learned how to compromise and think about her partner and not just herself. When it came to Dakota's relationship, it showed that your "perfect" person isn't going to fit into your box. Some things will have to be compromised and that's ok.
Getting back to Rochelle 🙄 the only thing that made me laugh was her mom. Yes, the woman that built all this craziness in her child, to begin with. I laughed because her mom became scared about how obsessed Rochelle was over Dakota. She wanted to be three steps ahead in causing her heartache and loneliness. She didn't want Dakota to have any type of status. When she started running down her plans to her mom, that's when things hit the fan. I didn't feel bad for her at all because ma'am you caused this 😂.
This book is sort of a toss-up on whether I recommend it or not. So I'll say read at your own risk, but if you don't like don't blame me.