Beast by Brie Spangler

Beast by Brie Spangler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a captivating Beauty and the Beast retelling (and I use retelling lightly, as there were only a few parallels) that captured my full attention from the first moment.

POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD: YOU'VE BEEN WARNED! [Dylan is a hairy, hulking “beast” of a 15-year-old brainiac, and Jamie, the “beauty,” is a smart, stunning trans girl with a love of photography.

The catch is that Dylan is so busy feeling sorry for himself in his first group therapy session that he doesn’t listen when Jamie talks about being trans. Then when the rest of the girls in group ask what he thinks about that, he covers up the fact that he wasn’t listening by saying it sounds great. That’s the beginning of a miscommunication spiral that winds itself tight, as the two fall into a sweet romance. The last 1/3 of the book is what happens when the spiral unravels. (hide spoiler)]

Dylan is a hairy, hulking “beast” of a 15-year-old brainiac, and Jamie, the “beauty,” is a smart, stunning trans girl with a love of photography. 

The catch is that Dylan is so busy feeling sorry for himself in his first group therapy session that he doesn’t listen when Jamie talks about being trans. Then when the rest of the girls in group ask what he thinks about that, he covers up the fact that he wasn’t listening by saying it sounds great. That’s the beginning of a miscommunication spiral that winds itself tight, as the two fall into a sweet romance. The last 1/3 of the book is what happens when the spiral unravels.
Pages: 305

Pages: 305