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    Ugly
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    Ugly
    Unavailable
    Ugly
    Ebook511 pages8 hours

    Ugly

    By Margaret McHeyzer

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
    If I were dead, I wouldn't be able to see.
    If I were dead, I wouldn't be able to feel.
    If I were dead, he'd never raise his hand to me again.
    If I were dead, his words wouldn't cut as deep as they do.
    If I were dead, I'd be beautiful and I wouldn't be so...ugly.
    I'm not dead...but I wish I was.

    *This is a dark YA/NA stand-alone, full-length novel. Contains violence.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMargaret McHeyzer
    Release dateOct 26, 2015
    ISBN9780994354730
    Unavailable
    Ugly
    Author

    Margaret McHeyzer

    **Bound by custom or unique by choice.**There's something about the written word which is pure magic.Possibly it's the fact there are 26 letters in the English alphabet, and they can create something so beautiful or so empowering that they're able to change our lives.How important is it that we break suit and stretch our minds?I like to think of myself as 'unique'. My stories aren't for everyone, and sometimes I may push what you believe to be 'normal'.Normal is subjective.I prefer to be known as a person who's never been 'bound by custom' but is 'unique by choice'.I hope you do read and enjoy my stories.Until next timeMxx

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    Reviews for Ugly

    4/5

    17 ratings4 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Ugly by Margaret McHeyzer is a captivating story about the life of Lily from her senior year through marriage and adulthood. Lily endures horrible abuse from her father for so long that it shapes who she believes herself to be. A life of abuse becomes her normal state of being, although never not terrifying. It is this that causes her to be what many of us would consider a doormat. Lily gets to the place where she blames every bout of domestic abuse as her own fault, no matter how irrational that seems. It is Lily's self hatred and willingness to accept the blame for everything that goes badly in her life that makes her tough to like, but this is a realistic part of who a victim becomes after their abuser strips the all self worth, outside influences, access to money, etc. Where I feel like this went wrong, and what makes Lily hard to sympathize with on an emotional level is her lack of character development. Lily is one dimensional for the majority of the story. Now, don't get me wrong, I did feel for her, but not in the way that I would have liked when reading a book that has such heavy content.The other difficulty I had was pacing. The beginning of the book has a ton of action and then things shift after Lily's moment of awakening and we watch her heal and find love...slowly. It isn't at all that I would expect the process to be fast, but it certainly could have been told in a different way. Margaret McHeyzer didn't have any problem jumping over years of Lily's marriage through journal entries, I only wish that she would have taken some of the same approach for the last half of the book. There was entirely too much filler like dinners, pointless conversations, and other frivolities of everyday life.In the end, I was glad to have read Ugly. It gave me a memorable story with an important message and moments of real inspiration. This is a very good book that with some tweaking could have rocked my world.
    • 5/5
      A warning this book can cause triggers, as it deals with certain issues.

      This is a dark read and I love dark reads.
      Lily is a a woman that has suffered unthinkable things and we follow her throughout her life as a girl to a woman. Abused, hurt, and abandoned, living with a father that is such an evil man. She is such a broken woman and her first love made matters worse.

      This read takes you on an emotional rollercoaster, you will cry and live Lily's life through her life. Margaret has delivered a read that is very well written, she has touched on subjects that are taboo, but very well done. It shows that no matter what, you can survive and there is hope in the world where unspeakable evil things happen.

      *****A copy was received via Obsessed by Books*********




    • 3/5
      Although I found this to be a wonderful book about a topic that is needed to be brought out in the open more to teens, I did find it a bit predictable. The book seemed to follow the classic lines of tragedy and had some unrealistic, or at the least, suspicious questions. As someone from an emotional and somewhat physically abusive relationship, I do know that police will believe the abuser and not allow the "victim" to even say anything. But, there just seems to be too many times at the beginning of the book where you wonder why nobody noticed anything for so long.I do think how the main character Lily is shown to go from one abusive situation to another is classic. I know from years of therapy that it is often the case so I was glad to see that realistic portrayal.Overall, it was a good book. One that didn't bore me, but wasn't one that grabbed me and held me captive either. I do have to hope and recommend pre-teens on up give this book a chance. It is so important topic wise and has a great message: you are worthy no matter what anyone says.
    • 2/5
      I hate rating a book that approaches a tough subject so low, but I felt I had to in this case. Abuse, domestic violence, and sexual abuse are very hard subjects to talk about, write about, and think about. While it is the reality for many, it is easy to shy away from the subject and remain blissfully unaware. I don't feel that way, I want to embrace the problem and bring hope for a better future. I applaud books that approach it, that can open up the communication lines for friends, family members, and those suffering or who have suffered in the past. In this case, I feel let down.

      Margaret McHeyzer is a wonderful writer, she has an ability to bring a situation to life and allow the reader to feel the emotions with the character. I felt like I was right there with the main character during Ugly, because it is described with such depth. Lily was a great character, one I rooted for, because she's lost her identity in the abuse she's suffered from for the majority of her life. As she found her strength and learned to lean on good friends I rejoiced. She is one of the more believable characters I have read in novels related to abusive situations. I also liked a handful of the minor characters and how they stood up for Lily and stood behind her when she needed it. Those are the kind of minor characters that bring a story to life, allowing you as the reader to see the main character has hope for a better future, even if the main character doesn't see it yet.

      Unfortunately, the story line was incredibly hard to keep track of and fairly unbelievable. At one point we'd skipped years, the writing went from first person POV to journal entries, and the abuse got to the point that I didn't see how no one had noticed. While I liked Lily and rooted for her, I didn't understand her desire to stay in bad situations. I understand how abuse can trick someone into staying, but this was beyond normal situations. Then, when good friends came, it was incredibly positive, also to the point of being unbelievable. I kept reading, because I wanted to know more, I wanted to know what happened to Lily and her past, but it kept going and going and going. Then, the ending is wrapped up so quickly, with another completely unbelievable moment. At one point I caught myself skimming the pages instead of reading and that's disappointing for me to admit. I need a book to hold me from the beginning and Ugly, while it started with a bang, just didn't the further I got.

      I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.