Beastly by Alex Flinn

Synopsis:

I am a beast.

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.

My Review: 4 Stars

Kyle is one of the most popular guys at Tuttle. All the girls love him and all the guys want to be him. Sadly he is also one of the biggest jerks. He thinks that he is better than everyone else and that they were put on this earth to serve him. While he may be gorgeous on the outside, he is definitely ugly on the inside. 

Lindy is just your average girl that no one ever notices. She doesn't have the greatest home life and was told that the only way she will ever escape it was to do good in school. She has worked her butt off and was granted a scholarship to Tuttle. There she just disappears among the crowd. She has no friends, no family that cares about her and she is all alone. While she may be plain on the outside, she is gorgeous on the inside. 

Kendra has had just about enough of Kyle's ways. When he takes his "joke" against her a little to far and does his very best to make her feel like a loser, she decides it's time to take matters into her own hands. She places a curse on him that turns him into a beast. He has 2 years to meet a girl, fall in love with her, have her fall in love with him in return and, to prove her love, she must kiss him. If he can accomplish this within the two years, he will be turned back into a human. If he cannot, then he will stay a beast forever. 

I have to admit I have seen the movie several times and enjoyed it. But the old saying holds true... the book is much better! I am a complete sucker when it comes to beauty and the beast and I really enjoyed this version. I loved that the story was told from the Beast's point of view. I loved being inside his head and seeing the changes through his eyes. He really did transform into a better person. And I loved Lindy! While reading I found myself wondering what Lindy was thinking at times and when exactly she fell in love with the beast. I was a bit on the excited side when I saw that there was novella of Lindy's diary! I purchased it right away and look forward to reading it! :)

All in all this was an enjoyable read! While it was a little slow in the beginning, by about halfway through I really got hooked. This was my first book by Alex Flinn and I have to say it won't be my last! Gotta love when you can add new authors to your list... ;)  

And I do not take any credit for this casting! Even though she doesn't fit the description in the book, I couldn't picture anyone but her. Hehe.