The List by Siobhan Vivian

"Prettiest. Ugliest.
It happens every year before homecoming - the list is posted all over the school. Two girls are picked from each grade. One is named the prettiest, on the ugliest. The girls who aren't picked are quickly forgotten. The girls who are become the center of attention, and each reacts differently to the experience.
Abby's joy at being named prettiest is clouded by her sister's resentment.
Danielle worries about how her boyfriend will take the news.
Lauren is a homeschooled girl blindsided by her instant popularity.
Candace isn't ugly, not even close, so it must be a mistake.
Bridget knows her summer transformation isn't something to celebrate.
Sarah has always rebelled against traditional standards of beauty, and she decides to take her mutiny to the next level.
And Margo and Jennifer, ex-best friends who haven't spoken in years, are forced to confront why their relationship ended.
With The List, Siobhan Vivian takes you into the lives of eight very different girls struggling with issues of identity, self-esteem, and the judgments of their peers. Prettiest or ugliest, once you're on the list, you'll never be the same."

To start, I completely devoured this book. Being a teenage girl myself, I couldn't help but entirely relate to each of the eight girls who tell the story. While I've never experienced anything like the list, I was able to imagine what it would've felt like to be on the list. The book not being all that long and myself being totally captivated by the storyline, I finished it in three hours. During those three hours, I saw the problem of self-esteem, confidence, and identity within teenage girls perfectly written about in every page. In just one week, these eight girls' lives are flipped upside down and a lot of secrets come out. While the reader may think they know a character well in the beginning, each girl changes through the duration of the story.

In this day and age, the idea of confidence and self-worth comes up a lot, especially in girls. Influences such as the media and peers can put a lot of pressure on a person to act or look a certain way. As well, they use a lot of subjective words, such as "pretty" and "ugly". The definition of these terms will be determined by one individual; everyone may not agree on what is "pretty" and what is "ugly." The List is able to clearly and intelligently speak about these two very current topics in a way that makes the reader think. Being a teenager myself, Siobhan Vivian was able to put to words some of the things I've seen and the thoughts I have that I wasn't able to express, along with incorporating them into a organized and interesting plot with clear writing.

Plus I'm a complete sucker for girl power, which was hidden in unsuspecting places throughout the story.

I think this was a good book to start my journey on. Definitely a good choice. Reading this has inspired me to continue on my journey. As of right now I have read one book, and have seventeen other books sitting in a pile. Woohoo. This is not going to be easy.