I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
So, honestly, I wasn't expecting for my request to read this book to be accepted. Once it was, I kind of regretted sending the request because I really didn't want to read it. I was actually going to apologize to the publishers and back out. But for some reason, I did read it and I'm glad I did.
This is not a happy book. It's sad and dark and thought-provoking but it completely draws you in. It follows Lily's life from the age of 12 to about 25. She's abused by everyone she loves and can never find a way out. But, eventually, she makes some new friends who want to help her and she attempts to live a pain-free life on her own.
Now, Ugly was great, but there were also A TON of things wrong with it. The very beginning of the book is a scene from when Lily was 12. In my opinion, it was completely unnecessary and made no impact on the story whatsoever. Also, why are all these schools offering her full scholarships? She's only got a 3.9 GPA and has done no other activities. That seems very unlikely. And, Lily obviously realizes that the relationships within Trent's family are not normal. Lots of other reviewers-that I've seen- have all said she doesn't know any better, BUT SHE SHOULD!! Her thoughts about it show that she knows it's not right! And even if she didn't know, they teach about "healthy relationships" and abuse is school. AND that tell you ways to get help. I also don't get why she went back to Trent and agreed to marry him. She was so ready to be strong. Why would it be SO easy for her to go back to him? To marry him? And then you get the diary entries, which was an incredibly weird thing to stick in the middle of the book. When you think you're almost done with the story and nothing else could happen, you're only 40% of the way through. Then you think again " it's gotta be almost over" but it's only 52% through! And lastly, Trent was OBSESSED with Lily. I find it hard to believe that he would just let her go like he did and not bother her at all until she went to court. He probably would've gone after her. Especially through the divorce.
Basically, Ugly is a very heavy, strange read. I'd give it 3/5 stars but I wouldn't just casually recommend it to someone. It's definitely thought-provoking but it drags on way to long and I would've enjoyed it much more if it all happened within 3 years.