Beastly by Alex Flinn

Summary:

"A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright—a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.

You think I'm talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It's no deformity, no disease. And I'll stay this way forever—ruined—unless I can break the spell.

Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I'll tell you. I'll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life. And then, I'll tell you how I became perfectly . . . beastly."

Beastly is a book that has become one of my favorites. This is a story that I thought would be difficult to do in a modern setting however Flinn is able to move the entire story to now and it works. However this story is told with a better message than the Disney movie. The message in this story is that looks are not everything, and being stuck up and thinking everyone is beneath you is not okay either. The main character learns this lesson the hard way in this retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I love how this book is told from the “beasts” point of view, and it’s fun to watch him fall in love with Lindy (the main girl). It’s also interesting to see him humble himself and change for the better. The roses are also integrated in a unique way as Kyle learns to love gardening and roses. This book was turned into a movie, however I must say I liked the book better. All in all, I would recommend this book because it sends a positive message and it is a very good retelling. 

Rating: 10 out of 10. This book is so good! It sends a positive message, and the retelling is very very good.

Content Rating: 2 (12-18). This book is pretty clean, there is some kissing (a tiny tiny bit of teen romance) and minor drug use but other than that its suitable for this age group.