Anastasia Hollings

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

Amelia (ok, it's really Ann, but only her dad and her brother can get away with calling her by her real name) wants so much more out of life than her current lot.

Her father is a professor who can't seem to acquire tenure during any of his teaching jobs. And her mother has run off to live an extravagant lifestyle, cutting all ties to her and her brother. Amelia has heard rumors that her mother is currently the mistress to a wealthy French man.

It's on a working trip (for her father) to the resort island of St. Bart's that Amelia and her brother, Zach, meet Courtney Moore. Courtney is everything Amelia wants to be. Fate must be watching out for Amelia, because Courtney's parents invite the two of them to join the family for brunch at their table. From that moment on, Amelia and Courtney are inseparable during the vacation.

But too soon, Courtney's family has to return to New York. Amelia has spun a web of lies about the posh life that she and Zach live. Courtney is fascinated with the adventures that they have (supposedly) experienced. Courtney hopes to meet up with the two again in the future.

Amelia, an excellent manipulator to get what she wants, knows exactly how to play Courtney to be able to enjoy the perks that a rich lifestyle can bring. It's only when Amelia finally is introduced to Courtney's best friends, Piper and Geoff (yes, with a "G"), that she has to really step up her game and remember which lies she's said to whom.

BEAUTIFUL WORLD is the start of a new series by Ms. Hollings. The author has taken the "sad little poor girl" theme and tweaked it. Instead of having to suffer through the agony of a poor girl looking in (think Reed Brennan in the PRIVATE series or Jenny Humphrey in the IT GIRL series), Amelia is determined not to let her lack of funds stand in her way. Amelia is a conniving and manipulative girl, determined to wend her way into the world she feels she should've been born into.

The story leaves the reader hanging, as it seems Amelia has met her match in Piper. Will the two battle for Courtney's friendship, or will they become tight and forget that Courtney even exists?… (més)