My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters by Sydney Salter
Release Date: April 6, 2009
Publisher: Graphia
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 352
It’s the end of junior year, and summer is about to begin. The Summer of Passion, to be exact, when Jory Michaels plans to explore all the possibilities of the future--and, with any luck, score a boyfriend in the process. But Jory has a problem. A big problem. A curvy, honking, bumpy, problem in the form of her Super Schnozz, the one thing standing between Jory and happiness. And now, with the Summer of Passion stretched before her like an open road, she's determined for Super Schnozz to disappear. Jory takes a job delivering wedding cakes to save up for a nose job at the end of the summer; she even keeps a book filled with magazine cutouts of perfect noses to show the doctor. But nothing is ever easy for accident-prone Jory–and before she knows it, her Summer of Passion falls apart faster than the delivery van she crashes.
This was such a fun book to read! It was absolutely charming/hilarious/authentic throughout the entire novel! Jory’s character was phenomenal. It’s easy to relate to her and her self-esteem/self-image issues, because honestly if it’s not your big nose, it’s your big ears, your big butt, maybe even your lack of certain assets! But whatever your insecurity is we all deal with it. Salter told Jory’s story though a uniquely hilarious and heartfelt way. It was nice to see Jory overcome her issues with her nose in a way that she nor I ever expected.
There was an insane amount of layers in this novel, which I hadn’t expected at all. It was refreshing to read about a girl that wasn’t perfect, or thought she wasn’t perfect.
My only complaints were Jory’s friends and mother. Talk about some of the most unsupportive friends in the universe! Wow, I would have kicked those girls to the curb. And Jory’s mother! Here honey, let me dab some more of this nose minimizing make-up on your face, but don't be self-conscience! Although, I think she had more of a problem with herself and it was projected onto Jory as a result.
Overall, an awesome debut novel!
(I kinda feel bad for poor Wooster Tom! I’m sure he wasn’t expecting giggling when he whipped out his manhood!)