Halfway Perfect

Looking for more reviews? Visit <a href="http://deadlydarlings.wordpress.com" rel="nofollow noopener">Deadly Darlings</a>!<br /><br />Julie Cross is one of my go-to writers when I'm in need for a fabulous new adult romance, so when I found out that she had another book coming out (a collaboration--so awesome), I immediately added it to my wishlist. And I'm happy to announce that <strong><em>Halfway Perfect</em> did not disappoint</strong>!<br /><br />First off, let us begin with the most fabulous thing this book has to offer: the romance. <strong> There was no insta-love. *cheers*  </strong>When Eve and Alex first met, they were drawn to the other's spunky attitude. Everything just seems to go on from there. They banter (hilariously and adorably). They text, they meet up, they bond...<strong> They share some steamy moments.</strong> *wink*<br /><br />You're going to love both Eve and Alex individually, too! <strong> Eve was a passionate girl, and she worked hard for everything she got.  </strong>She wanted to go to an amazing school, so she worked to earn enough money to support herself. <strong> Alex was a family man. </strong>His family members might've been a little bit crazy and high strung, but you can clearly see how much he loved every single one of them. He was also really sweet to Eve, and you guys know how sweet guys have a special place in my fangirl heart.<br /><br />This book might sound a tad bit shallow from the synopsis, but let me assure you: <strong> This book is much more than just a fabulous romance.  </strong>I was pleasantly surprised at how this book touched up on the darker parts of the modelling industry as well. There are deceptions, lies and betrayals woven into the story, and in a realistic way, at that.<br /><br />Overall, I highly recommend <em>Halfway Perfect</em> to basically anyone. Whether you're a reluctant NA reader or a NA addict, surely you'll find this book to your liking.

<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1431274267i/14817199._SX540_.png" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>What Julie Cross and Mark Perini offer us is <b>a gritty and wide-eyes worthy incursion into the modeling world</b>, and for that fact alone, <i>Halfway Perfect</i> is worth reading in my opinion. <br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1431274267i/14817200._SX540_.png" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>Truth be told, I never thought that the modeling world was that great. <i>Guess what?</i> It seems that I was right. A book about what hides behind glitter and glamour written in collaboration with a former model? <b>I'll take that</b>. <s>Of course I googled the guy - because hey, if I struggle to remember the names of actors from movies I watch, you can guess that I don't know the names of models. The only ones I see are from perfume ads (what the deal with swimming-pools anyway?)</s> Yeah, I'm such a snob. Just sue me already. <br><br>The truth is, <b>this book made me rage</b>. I was <b>furious</b> to see how models had to comply with the requirements of ... Of what, exactly, tell me? Of what is considered as hot? Since when a fourteen years-old teenager too skinny and without breast is considered as a sex-symbol? Said <i>WHO?</i> What is wrong with our society? Seriously, what is wrong with us? To me this book brings a good kind of rage. <b>A kind of rage which makes us think about what standards our society runs and above that, about everything we don't want to see because "that's not our problem"</b>. ← <i>The favorite sentence of humans, if any.</i><br><br>However, we don't see only the darkest sides of the modeling world, but also the good parts, and it was refreshing because it sounded real. <br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1431274267i/14817201._SX540_.png" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>Frankly, <b>it was difficult to connect with the characters at first, yet I slowly grew attached to them</b>. Take <b>Alex</b>, for example. I'm pretty sure that I followed Eve's evolution in my opinion of him. Indeed <b>there is no-insta-love here</b> but characters who try to know each other's and who don't fall in love quickly. So, as Eve, I changed my mind about Alex. From judgmental toward him to interested to ... <i>Well</i>, the moment when I found him downright adorable and sexy, Eve shared for sure my opinion. Don't get me wrong, he's flawed. Oh, yes, he is, and I couldn't fathom how he could believe this piece of shit of an agent he has and not completely disregard what tabloids say about Eve. But you know what? I'm okay with that, because it's realistic to me : real people don't always believe the truth and need time to gather their thoughts. <b>Real people are frustrating and need time to evolve. So did Alex and Eve</b>. <br><br>Moreover, I'm not gonna lie, <b>I was waiting for Eve to fucking realize that her relationship with Wes (her former agent) wasn't healthy at the time</b> and in that particular case I found that Julie Cross did a good job at picturing how we can be blind when it comes to our relationships sometimes. The fact is, Eve was 14-16 at the time and <b>NO, she didn't realize that Wes was taking advantage of her and acting like a huge controlling and violent asshole</b> - and years after, at 18, she still has this false opinion about what was wrong in their relationship. In my opinion it was realistic because <b>unfortunately I do believe that the end of a messed-up relationship doesn't stop the crap right away if nothing is resolved and if nobody talks about it</b>. Don't get me wrong, I was APPALED to see how she still isn't able to figure out how jerk and creepy he is/was, but even if I wanted to shake her, I could understand why she acted and thought that way, because nobody never supported her, nobody never told her that Wes's behavior wasn't acceptable but downright CREEPY and pedophile. <s>I want him to die in a slow death</s>. But it didn't prevent me from being angry, so angry at her, because while I could understand her reluctance to tell her story, the fact that the young Elena could fall into Wes's trap was so infuriating that I couldn't help but feel mad anyway, even if WES was the only one to blame for sure. What a bunch of contradictory feelings, right? <br><br>And then, when shit goes down for Eve, IT WAS SO FRUSTRATING. I cried out of RAGE because it was so unfair. I felt the walls closing around her as it was me and felt claustrophobic. Even though I'm not sure if the way everything is resolved in the end is believable, at this point, <b>I don't fucking care, because I'd have taken ANY way to stop Wes and to make him pay for his actions</b>. <br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1431274267i/14817202._SX540_.png" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>Or, more accurately, <b>about how French people are pictured</b>. Yes, sexual majority is settled at 15 in France, that's true. Now, there is a difference between what's <i>legal</i> and what's considered as <i>acceptable</i>. Would Wes have been in trouble for sleeping with Eve when she was 15? Actually, <b>yes</b>, because he had authority over her, being her agent, and in that case the sexual majority is settled at 18. In Elena's case, that's a little different, that's true, <b>but</b> frankly, even if it's legal, I don't know anybody who would think that it's okay for a powerful guy of 27 to date a 15 years-old teenager. We're different from our laws, guys, and I'm sick of hearing people judge French as if reading our laws was enough to know how we think. Same thing about the legal age to drink : I had already a problem with that fact in <i>Anna and the French Kiss</i> actually. <b>In France, it's FORBIDDEN to buy alcohol in a club or a bar (or in a shop, for that matter) under 18, okay?</b> So, yeah, we can drink in family or in a party if somebody else (understand <i>older</i>) buys alcohol, that's true. Of course NOBODY does that in the US, RIGHT? Let's be a little frank one second here. Finally, <b>I don't understand what's the deal with the topless thing</b>. Twice characters said that as Elena was French, she would be okay to pose topless, because <i>"she's probably walked around topless since birth"</i>, being French and all. <br><br>YOU DON'T SAY?! Yeah, right. Just come to France, guys, we're all wandering around topless waiting for you to stare. Oh, wait - that's wrong. We're not. Come back in your plane. Perhaps you think that I'm overreacting, and maybe you're right. What can I say? <b>I'm sick of reading about French pictured as reckless parents who let their kids walking around almost naked and drinking wine, because 1)that's wrong, and 2)that's fucking hypocrite</b> in my opinion. <br><br>To sum up, I ended liking this book despite its flaws, and yes, I recommend it. Just know that it's not free of stereotypes and that the characters can be downright annoying at times.<br><br><i>For more of my reviews, please visit:</i><br><blockquote> <a href="https://meetthebookworld.com/" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1487851828i/22057164._SX540_.png" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a> </blockquote>

Wow. I didn't expect this book to be terribly dark and gritty. This book will show you all kinds of the wrong things happening in the fashion/modeling industry and it will make you even wish you just didn't look behind the camera. <br /><br />Also, I can't remember a time where I wanted to punch the antagonist so hard like I did here. And I think that's saying something because I'm actually not a violent person.<br /><br />Full review will be posted on <a href="http://herbookthoughts.reads-it.com" rel="nofollow noopener">HER BOOK THOUGHTS.</a>

Went into this with my guard up, but was still excited about it. Most NA I've tried in the past has either bored me, pissed me off, or both. <br /><br />I was pleasantly surprised by this... a thing I've about a few books lately but not any less true here. <br />Eve I was drawn to right away. I admired her for doing the best she can to make something of her life, and not letting what happened set her spiraling down with no way out. <br /><br />Alex was a cocky guy in some aspects but also sweet... he's a family guy and would do anything for them. I also loved how he was upfront with Elana and didn't look down on her... he did mess up a few times but he recognized it and didn't brush it off.<br /><br />One thing I loved most about this was there was no insta-love, Eve and Alex are drawn to each other first as friends and their relationship isn't rushed or full of unnecessary crap. They are comfortable with each other before and after they start something. Even though there a few rough patches, it goes with the story and doesn't feel out of place (conflict for conflict's sake).<br /><br />Wes, ooooh! Won't go into it too much so I don't spoil anything but what a slimy douchebag! My skin crawled every time he came onto the scene, and the creepiness/unsettling especially with our girls came out strong. <br />You know its a well-written one when you hate them and imagine Hulk smashing him into the floor.<br /><br />You see the darker aspects of the fashion industry in this, I was seething every time it was mentioned about losing weight for jobs and what they consider 'sexy'. Makes me want to shake the fashion industry *glares* or perhaps have Hulk roar in their faces...<br /><br />The 'fake relationship' is present but it's in the periphery, a backseat sort of to the story unfolding. It was handled well though, even as it had me rolling my eyes at it as a PR stunt.<br /><br />It was fascinating too, getting a look behind-the-scenes of some photo shoots... Janessa, loved her.. tough as nails but compassionate in her own way.<br /><br />I have no complaints for this, it ended on a note that had me smiling for ear-to-ear and cheering. I actually laughed out loud a few times in public and had people looking at me funny. <br /><br />Heard there will be a book two, not sure if it really needs one but I wouldn't say no just yet to more Alex/Eve, and to catch up with Elana as well.<br /><br />Review spotlights:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1242666389" rel="nofollow noopener">Aimee's review</a> <br /><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1192729915" rel="nofollow noopener">Nenia's review</a> , the one that drew my attention to this in the first place:)<br /><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1232322478" rel="nofollow noopener">Alienor ✘ French Frowning Pumpkin ✘'s review </a> - says everything quite well too :)

<a href="http://www.mostlyyalit.com/2015/04/giveaway-excerpt-halfway-perfect-cross-perini.html" rel="nofollow noopener"> <b>Win a copy of HALFWAY PERFECT &amp; a 1 year subscription to Cosmo!</b> </a><br>3.5 stars. <br><br>Review originally posted at <a href="http://www.mostlyyalit.com/2015/05/halfway-perfect-julie-cross-mark-perini.html" rel="nofollow noopener">Mostly YA Lit</a><br><br>Eve Castle was an up-and-coming supermodel at the tender age of 15, but on the eve (haha) of gaining a major campaign, she suddenly quits modeling and disappears. The press say she was in drug rehab, but what no one knows is that Eve had a secret affair with her much older agent, Wes Danes. Now Eve is back in the city, following her dream of being a photographer, and she ends up smack in the middle of a shoot with Alex Evans, an up-and-coming male model whose agent happens to be Wes. To complicate things more, Alex has been told that he needs to pretend to date French model Elana, who is only 14 years old (even though the tabloids say she’s eighteen). Meanwhile, Eve and Alex are attracted to each other and not sure what to do. <br><br>I’ve read a lot of stories about models and the darkness of the industry – <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/44707-violet" rel="nofollow noopener">Melissa Walker’s Violet on the Runway series</a> comes to mind – but <b>this one had a unique take – that is, the vulnerability of very young, underage models</b>, and the mentally, emotionally and sometimes physically abusive relationships they can find themselves in. <br><br>The strength of the book is in the portrayal of this theme and how the characters in the book deal with and learn about what is okay and not okay in relationships. Eve characterizes her relationship with Wes as extremely intense, and makes it clear that she thinks it’s because of their combative personalities that the relationship falls apart. Eve seems to brush over the fact that Wes would occasionally hurt her physically (not to mention emotionally and mentally). And as the story goes on, you can see history repeating itself. <b>It’s a dark take on the modeling industry, but it’s one that I think needs to be told</b> – whether you’re a model or not.<br><br>But there are moments of lightness in this novel – Eve’s past with Wes <b>contrasts fully with Alex and Eve’s relationship – these are two people who have found each other at just the right time</b>, and it’s wonderful to see them grow together – there’s a lot of nuance in this relationship, with discussions of the silly and the smart all mixed together. There’s also a lot of heat to their relationship – this is definitely mature YA, and man, does Julie Cross get me with her romance scenes.<br><br>I did have a qualm with this book, which is that the back half of the book, while exciting, felt a bit unrealistic to me. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I did feel like <b>things were wrapped up a bit too neatly for real life</b> - I actually felt that the authors could have taken things even darker. <br><br>That said, the writing is clean and neat, and it’s a book I read in a few hours. <b>A good, fast read. </b><br><br> <br>Bonuses: <br><div> <br> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uGzhlelWgZ4/VVAU-ulMm8I/AAAAAAAAC6Q/m9B_tbqsEM4/s1600/family.jpg" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img height="171" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1431361577i/14830004.jpg" width="200" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a> </div><br><b> <br> </b> <b>Family Matters:</b> The contrast between Eve and Alex’s family is pretty interesting to read – Eve is from a very dysfunctional family, while Alex’s family is a more traditional American family. I especially enjoyed Alex’s visit home and his siblings – that part read very, very true. <br><br><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ove53s1R3fE/VVAU-3IGPLI/AAAAAAAAC6U/mepw7DysNL4/s1600/models.jpg" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1431361577i/14830005.jpg" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><br><br><b>Models, Inc:</b> Obviously a book about the modelling industry will have some serious insider looks at what happens at shoots, and I'm sure Mark Perini's background was huge in this, because it felt very real. I really liked learning about creating the concept for shots, but I also liked that this part wasn't heavy-handed - the focus was on the characters, and the environment was just a part of that. <br><br> <br>The Final Word: <br><br>Halfway Perfect is a compelling, slightly gritty take on romance and the modeling industry. It’s a fun and fast read, and it’s got some strong character development. <b>I would recommend this to YA romance readers who like a little bit of maturity in their books. </b><br>

<i>A sweet, cute and heartfelt story about two people following their dreams while trying find themselves and figure out what’s most important in life in an environment where the top priority is appearances.</i> <br><blockquote> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1434587281i/15241160.jpg" width="300" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </blockquote><br>It’s rare that I pick up a Young Adult book, but the moment I saw Julie Cross’ name on the cover it was impossible for me not to pick it up. I’ve only read one of her books, Third Degree, but I completely fell for the super smart, socially awkward girl and the incredibly sweet and protective hero. Add Mark Perini’s experience in the intriguing and fascinating world of fashion and I great, insightful read.<br><blockquote> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1434587281i/15241161.jpg" width="300" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </blockquote><br>Two years ago, Eve Castle was on the cusp of super model stardom while her personal life was in a tumultuous and improper relationship. Deciding to take her life and fate into her own hands she turns her back on the seemingly glamorous life of fashion, changes her name to Eve Nowakowski and pursues her dream of becoming a photographer leading her straight back to fashion industry. <br><blockquote> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1434587281i/15241162._SY540_.jpg" width="300" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </blockquote><br>There she meets Alex Evans, who is gaining recognition as a male model and his co-star Elana whose career is eerily similar to her own. In order to get his foot firmly in the door, Alex is directed to keep up a phony relationship with Elana, who is as under-age as his little sister!<br><blockquote> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1434587281i/15241163._SY540_.jpg" width="300" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </blockquote><br>While on set Alex and Eve are on different sides of the camera, off set Alex shares all his secrets with Eve while falling in love with her. But Eve is hiding a secret that will most likely change the dynamic between them. Can Eve face her past and share it with Alex? Will he chose the girl over his career opportunities even after knowing her deepest secret?<br><blockquote> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1434587281i/15241164._SY540_.jpg" width="300" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </blockquote><br>This story of a girl whose parents’ neglect and selfishness left her at the hands of an agent that manipulated and took advantage of her is both touching and sweet. It broke my heart reading about the abuse Even was put through. But I was thrilled with her strength, determination and self-sufficiency. <br><br>And having the story told from both points of view also let me get to know and adore Alex with his boyish charm, grounded personality and under-the-surface humility. I loved the tenderness of how he worried about Elana and how he wasn’t blinded by the lime light that he would look the other way when a wrong situation needed to be stopped. He fought for who he loved and what was right and it was completely gratifying. <br><blockquote> <i>“There’s so much good in him that I’m desperate to find a way to unzip him and crawl inside and let myself be even closer.”</i> </blockquote><br>I really enjoyed how the relationship between Alex and Eve evolved. It was natural, clever and endearing with great chemistry. And it was a nice change of pace for the to read fade to black steamy scenes.<br><blockquote> <i>“Kissing Alex is like getting the chance to be a kid again. It’s light and uncomplicated and exhilarating and completely consuming in a way that isn’t even a little bit scary.”</i> </blockquote><br>It was a delightful and I think honest book that broaches grave matters such as abusive relationships offset by friendship and romance.<br><br>This is a young adult contemporary romance novel. Stand alone told from both points of view with happy ending. <br><br>Amazon -&gt; <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="http://amzn.to/1DtlUQ9">http://amzn.to/1DtlUQ9</a><br><br>* I was given an ARC of this book courtesy of the author and Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley. The excerpts are from that copy. *<br><br><a href="http://tjlovestoread.com/" rel="nofollow noopener">More reviews</a> * <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Tjlovestoread/" rel="nofollow noopener">Stalk us on FaceBook</a> * <a>As well as Twitter</a>

<a href="http://moonlightlibrary.com/2015/03/13/arc-book-review-halfway-perfect-by-julie-cross-and-mark-perini/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">This review was originally posted on The Moonlight Library</a><br /><br />SUMMARY<br /><br />Halfway Perfect is a sweet love story between an ex-upcoming-superstar-model-turned-photography student and a Calvin Klein underwear model who is more than he appears, and the conflicts that arise when the underwear model has to fake date a fourteen year old future superstar.<br /><br />WORLDBUILDING<br /><br />I don’t know much about modelling. The extent of my modelling knowledge comes from Zoolander and the time I binged watched half a season of America’s Next Top Model. I also don’t know how much of the worldbuilding was Cross’ and how much was Perini’s, but together they make a formidable duo. I was completely sucked into this world of agents and casting calls and photos shoots and meetings and travel. I really felt like I was seeing something most people don’t get to see, and I am completely convinced it was an honest representation of the modelling world.<br /><br />CHARACTER<br /><br />Eve is our ex-model dealing with more emotional baggage than most eighteen year olds should have to deal with. She was strong, and brave, but she was still eighteen, and therefore very young and inexperienced. It wasn’t that she was naïve, but she was making her way through the world without any guidance (her parents stole all her modelling money) and she could only rely on herself.<br /><br />Alex is the underwear model who genuinely cares for Eve but has to pretend to be in a relationship with fourteen year old Elana for the good of his career. He’s a really good guy who was completely genuine, even with Elana, and he was just a nice little beta boy, never seemed to lose his temper or get violent. He waited for consent and basically he was a huge sweetheart. We need more heroes like Alex, especially in NA fiction, because he’s such a change from the turbo-charged libido-driven violent psychopaths that most NA readers seem to find sexy.<br /><br />RELATIONSHIPS<br /><br />Eva and Alex’s relationship was so damn genuine. They moved very easily into respect, to liking each other, to a genuine friendship, to a flirty kind of thing, before both of them realised they wanted to spend more time with each other and then they realised they were in love. It was so well-written I could follow each moment and go, yes, that’s building on from the last interaction. I just loved reading it, there was no pressure from either of them and both were enthusiastic, willing participants. There was no drama in a ‘chasing’ kind of way – all the issues came from the outside forces trying to keep them apart - gossip columns, agents, work itself. I found this natural, organically built relationship very refreshing.<br /><br />I also liked the relationship between Eve and Elana because there was no slut-shaming or girl hate, and I really really liked the relationship between Alex and his older brothers. I have always loved the idea of protective older brothers because out of the two I had one died and the other never really cared about protecting his little sister from bullies, so I've always loved the idea of lots of big brothers around to protect their little sister or younger brother and his girlfriend.<br /><br />OVERALL<br /><br />I didn’t request to read Halfway Perfect and I wasn’t sure I wanted to based on the blurb, however Cross and Perini drew me in very early on with a clear, beautiful story of love between two great characters in a difficult industry that also showed me snapshots of life behind-the-scenes. I was previously put off reading Cross because of a misandrist rant disguised as feminism found in Tempest, but I am glad I read Halfway Perfect because it shows you can always give an author a second chance. Also, the blurb refers to this novel as ‘gritty’ – maybe because there’s statutory rape and domestic abuse in the backstory, which I did not find triggering at all – but I found it much more sweet and fluffy than gritty. I really enjoyed it and I would happily look at any of Cross’ future books.

**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: <a href="http://bookbriefs.net" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">http://bookbriefs.net</a>** <br />3.5/5<br /><br />Halfway Perfect is a young adult novel by Julie Cross and Mark Perini. It is about the not so pretty underside of the modeling world. I loved that Julie Cross paired up with a model turned writer to collaborate on this book. I thought that both Julie Cross and Mark Perini did an excellent job. I felt like I was at the castings with Eve, Elana and Alex. And while this book was darker than I initially thought it would be, it was a really good read.<br /><br />Eve used to be an up and coming model when she was a young teenager, and then something happened and she walked away from the whole world right after she landed a huge designer shoot. It was scandalous. But Eve didn't care so much about the rumors that spread about her, and she starts the story enrolled at Columbia. I loved that she worked hard against everything working against her and got herself to an ivy league school. Props to her! In fact, overall I really loved Eve. There were a few minor incidents and things where I didn't agree with her decisions, but overall, I thought she was a great character. And the way that Julie Cross and Mark Perini slowly fed you more breadcrumb tidbits about her life and her past made it seem like we were always getting to know her better and better. I liked that. She was constantly developing as a character.<br /><br />And her and Alex are so darn cute together. I loved the nicknames that gave each other in their phone. And I really liked how each of them interacted with Elana, who I thought was the most mature 14 year old in the world. I don't know how she did it all at such a young age. Halfway Perfect is part drama, part romance, part fictionalized expose, and totally addictive. I think this would make a great CW show. It has all the juicy drama that makes those shows fun. Halfway Perfect is a great read for those people that enjoy upper young adult romances with a side of drama and a dash of grit.<br /><br /> <a href="http://bookbriefs.net/2015/04/25/arc-review-halfway-perfect-by-juliecross1980-marktperini-sourcebooksfire/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">This review was originally posted on Book Briefs</a>

<b>TRIGGER WARNING for mental AND physical abuse</b><br /><br />This is very hard for me to rate. I think that overall this is an important story and one that should be told. However, I don't agree with some things. I think I'm going to settle for a <b>2.5 Stars</b>.<br /><br />This book deals with the modeling industry. In particular when it comes to photoshoots for commercials e.g. magazines and billboards etc. The story focusses a lot on the negative sides of modelling. It follows two perspectives of models who have been in the industry since they were teenagers and how this influences their lives. It also deals a lot with mental and physical abuse, abusive relationships, sexual relationships with minors and how this influences lives as well as 'fake' relationships set up by the agency companies in order to book more jobs. The guy was 18, the girl was 14 but the world got told she was 18. <br /><br /> I do think the representation is portrayed well, and it is definitely important to read. I had no idea what went on in the modeling world. I do not have any experience with any of the topics treated in the book however, so I can't comment on how accurate the representation actually is.<br /><br />Something that really <b>bothers</b> me however are the things they say about Europe. It's like the authors have this view in mind that Europe is this very freespirited place on earth where all girls walk around topless all day and where every minor can drink alcohol wherever they want, whenever they want and it's completely legal.<br /><br />Some examples of what I mean:<br /><br />Page 12:<i> 'The accent is heavy, but her accent seems good. Not to mention that she's pretty confident for fourteen if she's standing here making jokes rather than shaking with nerves. But she's French. She's probably walked around topless since birth. Janessa cuts the small talk and starts positioning us, which means Elana is now basically straddling my lap. I shut off the part of my brain that's telling me exactly what I would do to any guys who put his hands on my sister the way I have my hands on Elana. <b>At least she isn't topless</b>. </i><br /><br />Page 319:<i> 'I've met dozens of designers and eaten amazing food all over the world....and wine. I got to drink all the wine I wanted in Europe and it's completely legal</i><br /><br />Page 348:<i> '"He's twenty-seven, Elana. You're fifteen," Eve points out, keeping her voice gentle and not at all critical. A tear escapes Elana's eye and rolls down her cheek. She wipes it away quickly. "In France it's different. The culture is different. We don't have the same age stigmas that you have in America."</i><br /><br />Okay. These three examples are just some of the things that bothered me in the story. In the first one, the last line was actually said in bold in the book, which is why I typed it like that here as well. In this scene this eightteen year old model just meets his co-model for the first time and they have to shoot this session. The girl, Elana, is at the time fourteen. The first thing, and only thing it seems, that he thinks of when he hears she is French is that girls walk around topless there since birth so that of course this super sexy fotoshoot in a foreign country with a stranger she has never met before won't be at all strange and uncomfortable for the girl, right? Anyway, at least she isn't topless! *please note the sarcasm in my voice here*<br /><br />The second scene is an interview with Eve, a couple of years ago when she was 15 and a rising star in the modelling world. She is talking about her experiences traveling to Europe. I have no idea why the authors thought it would be totally legal to drink all the wine you want in Europe at the age of 15. For most countries in Europe goes that the legal drinking age is 18. This includes wine.<br /><br />I can't say what the last scene I used is about without giving away major spoilers. What bothers me about this scene however, is that the way they set up these particular lines. They say that it is perfectly fine in Europe to <u>use</u> a fifteen year old girl who is completely lost and alone in a foreign country, because in Europe we apparently don't have the same stigmas as in America. This guy was twentyseven, this means that he is 12 years older than her and he was using her, and mentally abusing her. I understand that she doesn't see it that way, since she is the fifteen year old girl in the relationship. BUT in Europe we do not agree with relationships of these age gaps either. Not even when they appear to be perfectly healthy because once again, HE is TWENTYSEVEN and SHE is FIFTEEN. <br />

I liked this book better than I thought I would. It got interesting when we found out the truth about Eve. Thankfully Alex was there for her. Too bad they couldn't change Elana's choices.