Halfway Perfect

Gr 10 Up—Eve Nowakowski knows all about the ups and downs of the modeling lifestyle. Just a few years ago, she was internationally known cover girl Eve Castle—but the life became too much to bear, and she slipped into anonymity. Now a freshman at Columbia University, she discovers that photography is her passion, and through a twist of fate she becomes an assistant to a famous fashion photographer, which puts her right back in the world she tried so desperately to escape. At her first fashion shoot, Eve meets rising modeling star Alex, and sparks immediately fly. However, Alex's agent has cooked up a plan for Alex and another ingénue, underage French model Elana, to become fashion's new hot couple. Eve and Alex have real chemistry, though, and they know that Alex and Elana's contrived relationship is not only dishonest: it is illegal. Eve and Alex are then faced with a series of tough decisions that will put their new relationship to the test. Presented in dual perspectives, switching between narrators Alex and Eve, this title is well written but suffers from a weak plot. The instant love connection between the protagonists is unrealistic and the central conflict between Eve and Wes, Alex's evil talent agent, is not enough to carry the story. Mature subject matter, including alcohol use, eating disorders, and domestic violence, makes this a title suited to an older teen audience.