Brad About Books: A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young

A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL
Published: June 21, 2011
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (Harper)
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 267 pages
Source: Amazon.com
Series: A Need So Beautiful, #1

We all want to be remembered. Charlotte's destiny is to be Forgotten...

Charlotte’s best friend thinks Charlotte might be psychic. Her boyfriend thinks she’s cheating on him. But Charlotte knows what’s really wrong: She is one of the Forgotten, a kind of angel on earth, who feels the Need—a powerful, uncontrollable draw to help someone, usually a stranger.

But Charlotte never wanted this responsibility. What she wants is to help her best friend, whose life is spiraling out of control. She wants to lie in her boyfriend's arms forever. But as the Need grows stronger, it begins to take a dangerous toll on Charlotte. And who she was, is, and will become--her mark on this earth, her very existence--is in jeopardy of disappearing completely.

Charlotte will be forced to choose: Should she embrace her fate as a Forgotten, a fate that promises to rip her from the lives of those she loves forever? Or is she willing to fight against her destiny--no matter how dark the consequences.

The title says it all with this book: beautiful. A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL is raw, powerful, and thought-provoking beyond belief.

Let me just start with saying that this is one of the most saddest books I’ve ever read. The reason being is that people gradually start to forget her . . . imagine your own best friend starting to forget memories with you! I had to set the book down at one point because I couldn’t handle the grief and tragedy that Charlotte (our main character) went through.

Suzanne Young’s writing style is so addictive. I couldn’t put this book down, and even stayed up until two in the morning to finish it. Her prose in this book is magnificent, and this book definitely lived up to its hype.

And can I just say that this whole concept is original and brilliant? Suzanne Young really hit it out of the ballpark with this one. I felt attached to every single character, especially Charlotte. The reader journeys along with Charlotte, discovering secrets about her life along the way with her, and the way the Suzanne Young sets this book up to the absolutely major cliffhanger was just pure awesomeness. 

That being said, I didn’t really care how Charlotte was just so naive for a little bit of the book. I mean, I totally understand how it would be hard to understand that people are going to forget you, but when your skin starts to flake off to reveal a plate of gold, I would start listening up more and try to figure out a way for people to keep remembering you.

And I loved how every character grew stronger somehow in the novel. Suzanne Young’s characters are one of the most diverse and complex characters I’ve ever read about, and I really appreciate her for putting that great quality into A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL.

Nonetheless, Suzanne Young’s captivating and wonderful novel exceeded my expectations. So pumped to read book two!

M Y   R A T I N G: