Review: TRUE COLORS by Krysten Lindsay Hager

Landry Albright just wants to be one of the interesting girls at school who always have exciting things going on in their lives. She wants to stand out, but also wants to fit in, so she gives in when her two best friends, Ericka and Tori, push her into trying out for a teen reality show modeling competition with them. Landry goes in nervous, but impresses the judges enough to make it to the next round. However, Ericka and Tori get cut and basically "unfriend" her on Monday at school. Landry tries to make new friends, but gets caught up between wanting to be herself and conforming to who her new friends want her to be. Along the way she learns that modeling is nowhere as glamorous as it seems, how to deal with frenemies, a new crush, and that true friends see you for who you really are and like you because of it. This is the first book in the series.

My thoughts: How far would you go to fit in? Would you try out for a reality TV modeling competition show?

For someone as plain and tall as Landry, this definitely seemed like a waste of time, but friends pushed her into it. Now she had the grueling task of trying to look “exotic” and “gorgeous” rather than just “adorable.”

Reading this book made me feel like I was watching the floundering performances of American Idol contestants with tone-deaf voices and high-pitched shrieks. Oh, kill me now.

Witty at times but often frivolous, this story is a mild representation of peer pressure and discovery. With the insecurities of today’s youth, this book might help them find their niche. However, I got bored with all the talk of hair, make-up, heels, dresses, and the mall. How many times do kids go to the mall? I felt that Landry was just trying too hard and was overwhelmed with the incessant need to be popular. The best thing—the only thing—you can be is yourself, and it takes courage to do it. Perhaps that was the message in this story, and I certainly applaud it.  

My rating: 2 stars