Measuring Up - Nyrae Dawn

Hello Lovelies!

My 4 day weekend has officially begun and to celebrate I'm sharing one of my favorite books with you all.

Measuring Up by Nyrae Dawn

10 out of 10! 

Goodreads summary...

Seventeen-year-old Annabel Conway is tired of the Hillcrest High School elite making her life miserable because she’s not a size two. This summer, she's hiring a personal trainer to help her lose weight.

Annabel doesn’t expect her trainer to be a gorgeous guy around her age. Boys like Tegan are jerks. They pretend to like girls like her so they can make an idiot out of them. Been there, done that. Totally not going there again. She kind of hates him on principal. Blond. Muscular. Funny. It doesn’t help that he knows her measurements!

Soon, Tegan's so much more than that. He’s the boy who teaches her to box when she has a bad day. Who jogs with her and lets her set the pace. Who kisses her until she melts. He makes her feel beautiful regardless of what the scale says. Unlike her mom, he doesn’t expect perfection, and he doesn't try to shield her from the world like her dad and best friend. Tegan likes her the way she is.

But what happens when he’s not there? He can’t always be there…

Will Annabel be able to stand on her own and learn that she already measures up? That her worth doesn’t lie in what the world thinks, the scale says, or even what Tegan tells her—but in herself?

Thoughts

I love this book. As a whole the book sends an amazing message about self esteem and being happy with yourself. Annabel goes from being pushed around by everyone, including people who think they are helping her, to being a strong person who is comfortable in her own skin. 

Tegan. He is truly remarkable. He starts out with this tough exterior that is a complete turn off to me as a reader but Annabel soon discovers the pain and hardened guy underneath. He sees Annabel for who she is and not what size she is. 

I love Tegans nickname for Annabel, Annabel-Lee, because it is from my favorite poem by Edgar Allen Poe. This also gives Tegan major points for being the perfect guy. Annabel-Lee is one of the sweetest things I have ever read and the fact that Tegan thinks of that when he thinks of Annabel is completely swoon worthy!

Annabel shows strength that I truly admire towards the end of this book. Tegan is gone and she has to be the strong person that Tegan made her without him. She struggles and her realization is that for her to truly be strong and confident with herself, she has to do it on her own. She finds strength that most people would kill for and becomes happy with who she is without anyone's help.

The love story part of this book is amazing. It's a true first love story with the awkwardness and butterflies that, if done right, can make me giggle. Tegan and Annabel together are funny and caring not just to each other but to everyone they come in contact with. 

I have read this book about 4 times and every time I have the same feelings toward it as I did the first time I read it.     

As always leave me a comment letting me know if you have read the book and if you agree with my thoughts (it's okay if you don't (: ). Also leave me suggestions of other books you would like for me to review. 

Thanks for reading!

C.