So this was a fun young adult novel taking a look at the "Beast" in Beauty and the Beast. Deciding to focus on high schooler Kyle Kingsbury (the most popular guy ever) and show him over a period of two years change from self obsessed to a thoughtful and kind person works. The main reason why I gave it four stars though is that Kyle's transformation to jerk to good guy felt sudden. He got down right eloquent at times and it didn't read as the same person. The ending was a bit abrupt too I thought. I wish that we got a peek at Kyle's future after he's graduated college. 

Told in the first person we follow Kyle. He's 16 and obsessed with being one of the beautiful people. After playing a practical joke on a witch (terrible idea) by pretending he was interested in her, Kyle is turned into a beast. His father's only thought is to keep him hidden and Kyle goes through periods of depression and loneliness throughout the story.

We also get some interesting secondary characters I wish we had focused more on as well. Kyle's tutor Will was great and hilarious at times. The housekeeper Magda is the only maternal figure that Kyle has in his life. Even the witch, Kendra, keeps things lively. When Kyle captures s man breaking in, he gets a promise the man will bring his daughter to live with Kyle. 

Kyle and Lindy's growing friendship and love was nice to read. I do know a lot of people hate Beauty and the Beast and say that Belle was suffering from Stockholm's Syndrome (I am not one of those people). The biggest lesson behind this story is one don't steal and two look past someone's outward appearance. Kyle learns the second lesson after being shut away in his "castle".

The writing was clever and the flow works. The fairy tale aspects are updated and flow throughout. When Kyle goes a few time what possessed me to say that when speaking like the Beast in the fairy tale made me laugh.

The setting is New York though at times it's at different locations in the state. When Kyle travels up north to enjoy winter with Lindy made me long for winter evenings by the fireplace with my books.

I read this for The (Mostly) Dead Writer's Society 52 week challenge.

I actually enjoyed that. Very cute and it calls back some elements from the fairy take story as well as the Disney cartoon. I did like Kyle just didn't automatically stop being a jerk and unkind. 

Enter Lindy (or Belle). Flinn kept her as a big reader though her father is awful.

The segues into the Chris Anderson chat rooms are pretty funny. So far The Little Mermaid, The Frog Prince and a few others are running around. 

References to Myspace age this book.

Kyle is still awful, though now he has a live in tutor (Will) and help (Magda). 

Flinn does a good job incorporating the fairy tale aspects though. Kyle has a magic mirror and his rose petals. 

Kyle has now been transformed into a beast. I wish I felt a little bit sorry for him. But honestly he sucks and he is still going on about being turned back into his beautiful self.