My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters by Sydney Salter

For Jory Michaels, it’s all about the nose, that oversized facial feature of hers she’s dubbed the Super Schnoz. It’s the one thing ruining her life, making her look like the adopted daughter next to her classically good looking family and the odd one out among her gorgeous friends, and preventing her hot crush from really noticing her. If Jory could just fix her nose, she knows everything will be better. Enter the plan: Jory gets a job delivering cakes and flowers to foot the bill for her nose job. She even prepares to join the “Nice Nose Club” by compiling a Nice Nose Notebook to show the cosmetic surgeon. But is rhinoplasty really Jory’s cure all? Or will she start to accept and love herself, big nose and all?

My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters, a hilarious and sweet novel, explores personal image and identity in a heartwarming story. Jory obviously has serious issues with self esteem, and all because of her nose which she views as a supersized monstrosity. Salter portrays Jory and her insecurities well and realistically; lack of self confidence causes Jory to obsess over and exaggerate the size of her nose and makes her feel like an ugly, unloved failure. It’s so sad how most of Jory’s experiences have soured due to someone outshining her, only feeding her self-degradation. I liked how in the end, Jory and her mother together come to terms with their appearances and start to love themselves, but I was disappointed that Jory’s friends never offered her moral supposed when she truly needed it. I didn’t like how they continued to pick of Jory’s choice of a guy even after they made up from previous fights, because I’d like to think a good friend would be happy for her friend’s happiness; it’s good that at least Jory gained enough confidence at this point to not let this get to her. Despite those little things, I enjoyed reading Jory’s personal journey because even though much of it was terribly sad, the sweet and satisfying ending made it all better.

Fans of Faking 19 by Alyson Noël, A Little Friendly Advice by Siobhan Vivian, Violet on the Runway by Melissa Walker, and Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty by Jody Gehrman will also enjoy this cute story. Readers who liked this novel may also enjoy Purge by Sarah Darer Littman.

Rating: 4.25

Review copy from Amazon Vine