Perfect by Natasha Friend

What do you think of when you hear the word perfect?...

Over the summer, I read a book called Perfect by Natasha Friend. This realistic fiction novel revolves around a girl named Isabelle Lee. Her father died and she had trouble coping with it, so she started binge eating. One day, her sister April caught her in the act, then tells their mother. Isabelle is forced to go to group therapy about body image. She is surprised to find the most popular girl in school, Ashley Barnum, in group. How could she be in group? She is perfect! Well at least that’s what she thought.. Ashley had bulimia just like Isabelle. Over time, they become friends. Isabelle ditches her two best friends Nola and Georgie, for Ashley and her friends. Nola and Georgie are astonished when they see Isabelle having lunch with the famous Ashley Barnum. Overtime, Isabelle realizes that Ashley doesn't have such a great life like she thought. How could Isabelle do such a thing? Perfect uses a lot of literary devices. Especially foil characters. Ashley and Isabelle are so different, that they contrast. Ashley is pretty, popular and everything a girl wants to be. Isabelle is one of those girls no one knows. Other than the fact that their both bulimic, they have nothing in common. Characterization and conflict are also major literary devices in this book.Natasha Friend really paints a picture in the readers mind about the characters. This is significant because if Ashley and Isabelle were exactly the same. Their friendship wouldnt be surprising or controversial. The conflicts are really obvious in this book, bulimia. I think the fact that the two main characters of the book are going through the same thing is very original. This book taught me a lot about bulimia and anorexia. At the end of the book, the author dedicates a page about these two diseases. I feel that if more people read this book they can realize how serious these two diseases are. My overall opinion of the book is that it was amazing! I thought the author made this book very easy to relate to. Also, this book taught me something I didn't know much about (anorexia and bulimia).