You Could Be So Pretty by Holly Bourne Reading Group Questions

Reading group questions for You Could Be So Pretty by Holly Bourne.

Change the rules. Reclaim your power. If you can…

What would you choose?

“Razor-sharp and compelling, it is essential reading for every teenage girl.” The Observer

“This book is brilliant, brutal and beautiful. A spectacular must-read that manages to put into words all the things that can be so hard to say about the world today.” Beth Reekles

 
“The Doctrine exists to make us believe we are less than, so we don’t have the strength to overthrow everything. Masking, and Ceremonies, and Chosen Ones – how we’re all groomed to worry constantly about what we look like – it’s a deliberate pressure. It’s designed to keep us down. To limit us. Divide us. Masks…Beauty…it’s all about weakening and dividing us.”

In Belle and Joni’s world there are two options for girls:
One, follow the rules of the Doctrine: be a Pretty, apply your Mask, win admiration and attention, work hard to be crowned at the Ceremony.
Be a Belle.

Or two, fight the rules: be an Objectionable, leave your face bare, be sneered at or ignored, work hard to avoid the disgust in their eyes and hope to one day escape.
Be a Joni.

But maybe there is a third option…
 
You Could Be So Pretty is a work of fiction but deals with many real issues including eating disorders, domestic abuse, pornography, misogyny, sexual harassment and assault, which some readers may find distressing or offensive.
 
The recommended minimum age is 14.