Review : Damsel Distressed by Kelsey Macke

Summary (from Goodreads) 

Title : Damsel Distressed
Author : Kelsey Macke
Publication Date : October 14th 2014
Publisher : Spencer Hill Press
Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble

Hot girls get the fairy tales. No one cares about the stepsisters' story. Those girls don't get a sweet little ending; they get a lifetime of longing

Imogen Keegen has never had a happily ever after–in fact, she doesn’t think they are possible. Ever since her mother’s death seven years ago, Imogen has pulled herself in and out of therapy, struggled with an “emotionally disturbed” special ed. label, and loathed her perma-plus-sized status.

When Imogen’s new stepsister, the evil and gorgeous Ella Cinder, moves in down the hall, Imogen begins losing grip on the pieces she’s been trying to hold together. The only things that gave her solace–the theatre, cheese fries, and her best friend, Grant–aren’t enough to save her from her pain this time.

While Imogen is enjoying her moment in the spotlight after the high school musical, the journal pages containing her darkest thoughts get put on display. Now, Imogen must resign herself to be crushed under the ever-increasing weight of her pain, or finally accept the starring role in her own life story.

And maybe even find herself a happily ever after.

Enhance the experience with the companion soundtrack, Imogen Unlocked, by the author's band, Wedding Day Rain.

Personal Thoughts

Damsel Distressed was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I liked the idea of a contemporary "Cinderella-esque" story, only told in the POV of the ugly stepsister. Add to that that gorgeous cover, it was honestly hard to resist the book. Damsel Distressed has to be one of the best written debuts I've read this year. It was raw, emotional, but most importantly honest.

Imogen was an easy character to sympathize with. Not only was she overweight, but she was also battling with a severe case of depression which she has tried to keep hidden from her close friends. Despite her situation, Imogen tried to make the best of her life until her gorgeous and mildly psychotic step-sister, Ella, decided to move in with her family. From then on, we watch as Imogen goes on a downward spiral. I felt like Imogen was a very realistic portrayal of a teenager. With the ideas that the media constantly perpetuates, young girls are always struggling with the notion of body image. I loved that Kelsey Macke attempted to tackle this in Damsel Distressed a strong and positive way. Like every teenager, Imogen was prone to making mistakes, and these mistakes sometimes cost her greatly. I loved this was the story of her growth though. You get to watch her slowly become confident and more accepting of herself over the course of the book. Throughout the entirety of the story, you can't help but root for this girl to find the happiness that she truly deserved. There was this scene where Imogen got to play the lead role in her school's play and you get to see her excitement and passion for the whole thing and it brought a huge smile on my face.

While Imogen's home life may not have been as easy, she was surrounded with some great friends. I was actually very jealous of her for having such a supportive and all around fabulous group of friends who you could tell cared deeply for her. Her best friend and future love interest, Grant, was my absolute favorite. The two of them shared a deep bond and even though their friendship had its moments of ups and downs, they were pillars to each other. As you can imagine, their friendship slowly developed into a romance and the pacing to their relationship was beautifully written. I had butterflies in my stomach watching the two of them becoming closer than they already were. It truly was a lovely romance. If I had one complaint about Damsel Distressed, it would have to be about Ella's character. I wanted to see more of her in the book, more of the real girl was hidden behind the facade of the mean girl. I wanted to know her back-story, but we were never privy to that. I honestly wouldn't mind if the author decided to write a book in her POV because she definitely has a story to tell. Other than that though, I have no complaints about Damsel Distressed. This might be Kelsey Macke's debut, but she shows the sign of a well-established author.

Damsel Distressed is a book that should be read by teenagers and adults alike. It's a book that not only has a lovely story about the growth of a young woman, but it also sends out a positive message that could benefit a vast range of readers.

Rating 

Cover : 5/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 4/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Spencer Hill Press for the e-ARC of Damsel Distressed.