North of Beautiful is a work of art. There is no other way to describe this book. It is a painting. A tapestry. A collage.
Headley did an amazing job using similes and metaphors to impart the ideas of her characters and what they were going through. Not to mention that her characters were slightly exaggerated and romantic in an unusually comforting way.
The main character is an artist and Headley reflects this amazingly well in this seventeen-year-old's story. Just as the girl makes collages of different pictures linked together in various ways, so Headley crafts a geniously coordinated sequence of events linked by the desires all the characters have to understand and relate to those around them. The variety of the author's characters are equivalent to an artist's use of exotic colours that are completely different yet fit together like pieces in a puzzle.
This novel is a delightful picture of regret, independence, the desire to belong, all kinds of love, and true beauty.
I highly recommend. As does Brianna.

Lydia