I thoroughly enjoyed Flawed, but Perfect left something to be desired. It just felt like, for much of the book, not a whole lot happened. It almost seems like it could have been one book instead of two. Just gut the majority of Perfect and attach it to the end of Flawed and it would have been a single strong book instead of a decent book followed up by a mediocre book.

I'm not sure that I enjoyed the relationship between Carrick and Celestine. It just didn't feel legitimate. I think there was too much insta-love between them with no real foundation for how far they'd go for one another.

Perfect wasn't a bad book. It just wasn't as good as Flawed. It did end the series rather well, wrapping everything up nicely.

Perfect is the second and last book in the Flawed duology and follows 18-year-old Celestine North who lives in a country where The Guild can ruin your life. If people make immoral decisions or decisions frowned upon by society, they can be branded with an F mark. Celestine was branded in six places, one illegally, when she helped an old man who was Flawed and refused to repent for her actions. Now Celestine is on the run from The Guild and its leader Bosco Crevan and trying to figure out she can bring the system down.

I don't think I enjoyed this book quite as much as Flawed but overall, I do think it finished up the story quite nicely. One of the things I like about The Guild is that it's still very weak and Crevan and the other judges reply on public support and government support. It's not an all-over power and it can still topple easily - obviously one of Crevan's main fears. Celestine is on the run and doesn't know who to trust but she does have ways that she can bring Crevan and The Guild down and she knows this. I liked that we knew how she could do, we just needed to wait for her to figure out how to bring it all together.

While in the first book, I enjoyed the chemistry between Celestine and Carrick while they were in the cells, Celestine's obsession with him was a bit annoying for me. I understood the connection but I do feel like Carrick became something big and great in her mind, and we never really got the real him. As soon as she finally sees him again, she sleeps with him and it was her first time. I felt like this was one, uncharacteristic of Celestine who always seemed like she would have planned this kind of thing out and wouldn't do it rashly, two, there was no mention of protection and I couldn't figure out why Carrick would have condoms in his room in the factory when he'd only been there a very short time (if we can just presume he used a condom that is), three they had only been together a day and a half, had very little actual conversation between them, and it just made me feel a bit whatever about the whole thing. I didn't care about their romance in this book at all. And as for Art and the attempt at a love triangle? He was just a massive wet mop.

I did eventually end up liking where this went, I definitely didn't enjoy it as much as Flawed though. Still a good YA duology - but i prefer Cecelia Ahern's adult books.

This conclusion to the Flawed duet brought a fast-paced narrative from start to finish. The story of Celestine remained engaging as she navigated not only being Flawed but also being an evader and the most prominent Flawed ever known. Sitting at the heart of the read is prejudice and this theme resonates with any contemporary society, so all readers should be able to identify. What is compelling about this particular society under The Guild rule is, what happens to society when compassion, empathy and kindness are only acceptable for the perfect.

Celestine remained a mildly chaotic character, due to her age, her notoriety and need to mature quickly. Nevertheless, she had courage and strength. Carrick was much more prominent in PERFECT and I enjoyed having his character developed more and the relationship dynamics were compelling. The side characters were all strong and this wide cast of characters is what made this such a good read.

Cecelia Ahern has demonstrated her YA and dystopian story-telling abilities with not only a first book but the ability to write a strong sequel. I will be looking out for similar work from her in the future.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through netgalley, in return for a honest review.

Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.

Huge thank you to Netgalley and Feiwel & Friends publishing for allowing me to review this for my blog!

This is the second book in the Flawed series, if you haven’t read that book, you probably shouldn’t read this review as it could contain spoilers for the first in the series. You have been warned…

This book starts out with Celestine getting away from the Whistleblowers and having to leave her family behind in order to keep them safe. The story escalates quickly as she realizes she needs to find Carrick, her cell-mate from the Flawed prison. Celestine is aided by her Granddad and his friends, and finds Carrick.

She travels to a hidden bunker to start figuring out what to do and how to save all the Flawed from the wrongdoings of society. They come up with a plan to help everyone, and it involves a secret video. A video that Judge Crevan is after her for. He’s willing to do anything in order for the footage to not be released, and Celestine is willing to do anything to not let him have it.

This is a wonderful end to this dystopian duology by Cecelia Ahern. As stated above, I got this book for review, and it officially comes out on April 4th. I am so happy to have read this, because I really enjoyed the first book of this series. YA dystopian always have a special place for me because I can fly through them, and it’s so fun to root for the rebellion that is bound to happen. This is was a very typical second book in a dystopian series in that sense. This book was very political, and it was really interesting to me because of that. One complaint I have about this book is there was a little insta-love.

Okay, okay. I understand that Celestine and Carrick knew each other from the prison, but it was a little cheesy at some points. There was one super cute scene between them, though. Celestine is such a badass main character and I love reading from her perspective. The whole story is based on her wanting to change the way that people think about society, so she has to be strong. She was a very believable character to me.

Overall I enjoyed this book. If you’re in the mood for a dystopian, definitely check out this series!

At heart this book is a lot like the big dystopian series, Hunger Games and Divergent and the like. We have a protagonist who sees no problem with the system under which she lives until it betrays her. Suddenly she finds herself the face of a rebellion, in spite of having no revolutionary aspirations of her own.
Even with that underlying familiarity, its a relatively enjoyable read. Pacing is solid and characterization is decent. My only real complaint is that the resolution is too tidy. Not the promise of change to come but real, palatable, new life.

The first book in this series was one of the best I have read in this genre lately and the second book did not fail to disappoint me. Celestine is back with all her brands and working to take Judge Crevan down. The book moves at a fast pace and it brings up so many moral dilemnas. What exactly is flawed and are we not all flawed? Will she save herself or will she take a stand for all those like her who choose to follow their heart or minds versus the laws of the society. I highly recommend this book and I cannot wait for more books written by this author.

I had quite enjoyed the first part, and was glad the second one didn't take long. And the sequel didn't disappoint, it was the perfect (no pun intended) conclusion to Celestine's story.

This picks up from where the first one left, so you should check Flawed before. At the same time, if you have already read it, you don't need to go back or anything. My memory is terrible but Ahern did a good job retelling whatever we needed to remember from the first part.

Celestine has evaded and she is now hiding with her grandfather, even though she knows he can't stay long there as the Whistle blowers close in. So little time has passed from her branding and so much has happened, she is like another person from when we met her. She doesn't know who to trust, so she doesn't. Her aim has also changed, it's not just her predicament she wants to change, but the whole Guild and the Flawed system.

I think Celestine was a character easy enough to develop, considering how naive she was in the beginning. That's why I feared she would become something else. I was glad Ahern considered this and was careful enough to keep her essence. This is mostly revealed by her relationship with Art. By the way, even though Ahern will never do it for me when it comes to romance, I liked how she dealt with the love triangle. You could identify with Celestine's hesitations and support her choices instead of spending half the book wanting to strangle her.

Now about her being a YA heroine, this was the same old cliché. Half the time people kept following her as if she were this great leader, as if no one had ever thought of what she had. Considering many of the Flawed were basically there for their opinions, wouldn't any of them have thought of pacific resistance, for example? Or be able to make a speech to gather others? You have a couple of "perfect" people trying to do it but no Flawed but Celestine. What the heck is up with that country? After reading these stories, it's no wonder children think adults are dumb.

I also think Ahern lost an opportunity to address current humanitarian problems, not that this has made me deduct any stars from her but I confess I expected her to, considering how this world was built.

I mentioned how her romances usually fall flat for me, and one of the reasons in this book as Carrick himself. I couldn't fully figure him out. He acts like this dangerous boy—although, in my opinion, Celestine is the one bringing him trouble—, almost as if he was raised in the streets but the truth is that he received prime education, and for a long time he believed in it. So how can he be so street-wise? It was like I got the wrong background, which made it difficult to trust him. Or maybe that is just not my type? Not that I cheer for Art, either. Yes... me, romances and Ahern aren't a good combo.

I think the big problem with this book was that it needed more editing. Especially in the beginning, many times it felt rushed, as if Ahern was always running out of time or something? Things were all over the place for half of the book. And she had some amazing action scenes, I loved each of them—and I'm not a fan of action!—, so you can see how this could have been a great book, I mean, isn't action supposed to be the hardest considering her usual books? So I found it strange that the problem lay with the rest.

Still, I really liked her take on YA, and was surprised to learn this was the end of the story. I was so sure it was at least a trilogy! I surely would have read the third one. Well, there's always room, although the conclusion was pretty much an actual conclusion. So maybe I should say I can't wait for Ahern's next YA novel.

If you have read Flawed, you should also pick this one. It's not as good but it's worth it.

A little more enjoyable than the first, if not completely unbelievable at times. (Like, say, the fact that they couldn't find her on her grandfather's property for months...)

More action-packed. More dystopian feeling. But...

I still have issues with the writing style. And I despise the love triangle. T be honest, I never felt either romance, so I'd have rather there be none. Sometimes, less is more. I also find Celestine whiny and dull as a narrator. As a main character, I just don't care about her well-being. At all.

It's a predictable ending, but one I'm glad was wrapped up the way it was.

This is the second and final book in the Flawed dystopian series. I call this book YA light. Like most YA books, the story deals with some kind of social issues. I call it light YA because the idea of what it means to be 'perfect' or 'flawed' and what it is to be human can be relatable to most teens without being preachy or overly deep. The book was a fast and easy read and finishes up the two-book series nicely. The books book starts almost where the first book left off and is also told from Celestine's point of view. One thing I would have liked to see more of (from both books) is more dialogue and interaction with other characters. So much of the book is from Celestine's thoughts and not so much from natural dialogue and interaction with other characters. It takes away from some of the build up and leaves little "action." The ending is also predictable. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing if you enjoy the journey getting there.

Note: I receive a copy of this book from the publisher via netgalley. This does not effect my opinion in any way.

I've always loved Cecelia Ahern's books and the duo of Flawed and Perfect is no exception.

Perfect picks up where Flawed left off. Celestine is a wonderful main character in my opinion. Dare I say, her flaws make her relatable? Sorry. But it's true. She's not perfect, she's a teenager in a deplorable situation trying to do the right thing. She cares for her family and they for her and in the midst of it all sparks a revolution.

I won't give it away, but the ending was a little neatly tied up with a bow. But sometimes those endings are necessary for readers for morale. We can't always have perfection but every now and then a happy ending is worth it.

This book really asks the question, can you really be either flawed or perfect or can you be perfectly flawed? I enjoyed this sci-fi, dystopian series and that is saying a lot because that is not normally a genre I read let alone like.

Perfect is the thrilling, action-packed finale in Cecilia Ahern's debut Young Adult duology. I started Perfect mere seconds after finishing Flawed because I was so eager to find out what happened to Celestine and Carrick...

Celestine North lives in a society that demands perfection. After she was branded Flawed by a morality court, Celestine's life has completely fractured - all her freedoms gone.

Since Judge Crevan has declared her the number one threat to the public, she has been a ghost, on the run with the powerfully attractive Carrick, the only person she can trust. But Celestine has a secret - one that could bring the entire Flawed system crumbling to the ground.

Judge Crevan is gaining the upper hand, and time is running out for Celestine. With tensions building, Celestine must make a choice: save only herself, or risk her life to save all the Flawed. And, most important of all, can she prove that to be human in itself is to be Flawed...

I've been trying to figure out for the past half an hour which book I preferred - the first one or the second one. And I think... maybe... that I may have come to a decision... I think I like the first book better. Don't get me wrong, Perfect was a brilliant read; I read it in a day. But I didn't like towards the ending where *spoilers ahead* ...

Art came back into the picture and was all like "Oh my god, Celestine. I've always loved you blah blah blah". You know what, Art? NO ONE CARES! You left Celestine to defend herself. Stupid boy. Now Carrick and Celestine.... there's a ship that I can get behind. I absolutely loved them together and I'm so so glad that Celestine chose Carrick at the very end. If she hadn't, then the ending just wouldn't have been right.

There was a bit more romance in this book but I thought it was good. It still wasn't the main focus of the book; it was still Celestine kicking ass and finding her voice. I was rooting for her the entire way.






"Mistakes are nothing to be ashamed of. Mistakes teach us to take responsibility. They teach us what works and what doesn’t. We learn what we would do differently the next time, how we will be different, better, and wiser in the future. We are not just walking mistakes, we are human."

- Cecilia Ahern, Perfect






I also agree with the fact that this book is a duology and not a trilogy. I think that if it was a trilogy, there would definitely be some middle-book-syndrome that would be happening. Perfect was a brilliant round up and tied up the loose ends but also offered great character developments for a lot of the main and secondary characters.

I still don't understand how the whole Flawed process was allowed to happen. What kind of government allows all of those disgusting things to happen? Oh... wait a minute...

Overall this was a great ending to a brilliant duology. I sincerely hope that Ahern considers writing more young adult fiction because she does it so well! I haven't read any of her adult fiction but maybe I'll give it a go...

Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review


Released 4th April

So, I have to admit, I liked Perfect more than the first book in the series. If you loved the first book, you are going to be really gratified with how Perfect turned out.

As we know from the first book, this is a dystopian world. And although that is a common genre these days, I still found it enjoyable and the pacing was great throughout the book.

Celestine was further developed and seemed, to me, to be a stronger character this time around. She has a cause to stand up and FIGHT for. She was intelligent, calculated, and embraced who she has become. I had a love/hate relationship with Celestine in the first book (though I liked Flawed as well), and in this book she is humanized a bit and more likable.

Since this isn't out for another two weeks, I don't want to ruin it, especially as it is the end of the duology. But it was a very satisfying read with action, twists and turns, and a dash of romance. Recommended to those who love a good dystopian series.

This a great sequel to book one and just like the first one it has an emotional charge to it. I love books that stir me up and make feel things. Thanks for sharing this with me.

I receded an earc of Perfect by Cecelia Ahern from Feiwel & Friends via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about a book.

Last year I read book one in this duology and was intrigued. Flawed introduced us into a world that is quite different from ours. Where if you go against their laws you are marked as flawed. And it’s not the usual laws that they have to abide. When protagonist Celestine North helps a flawed she is damned – and marked with not 1, not 2, not even 4 flawed marks, but 6. The most anyone has had. The ending of Flawed saw Celestine on the run and wanting to break this system.

I was really looking forward to reading what was going to happen next. What was Celestine going to find out? Will the system break? However, I was slightly disappointed with the outcome. When I finished reading Perfect, I was left hanging.

Perfect

Perfect starts off not long after Flawed. Celestine is hiding out at her grandfather’s farm, trying not to be caught and blending in. The connection that I had with Celestine was lost in this book. I don’t know what it was, but I felt that she was different. I loved her honesty, her weakness, her rawness and I felt that she lost that in Perfect.

The romance. I first I loved it. I really did. And then I figure out, the book wasn’t set over a large amount of time and my love for it did lessen. They just saw each other and wanted other. Although I did see a connection between the two, I felt like they didn’t actually know each other. However, I still enjoyed it somewhat and if the books were spaced out over a bigger period of time, it would have totally worked for me.

Family, was a big theme in Perfect and I loved it. There is the good, the bad and the ugly. But, that is what families are. I loved Celestine’s relationship with her mother and sister. It’s rare to get good family bonds in YA, let alone Dystopian. I loved that they cared so much for each other. And even with Celestine on the run, she cared so much for her family.Perfect Photo

I felt that Perfect was a lot slower than the first book. At times, I was getting bored and wanting something to happened, but then it didn’t. The last half of the book was pretty good on that part. There was action and every page I turned something was happening. The last 150 or so were probably my favourite. They were intense, I didn’t know what was going to happened next, and there was a twist – which I wasn’t expecting.

Overall, Perfect was an okay read. I enjoyed parts of it and disliked others. What disappointed me most was that I was expecting more. This world intrigued me and I was left hanging. The romance was a hit and miss for me, while I loved the aspects of family. Nevertheless, Perfect explores the notion of standing up and fighting for what you believe.

Another dystopian YA novel, they seem to be all the rage anymore. But Perfect stands apart from the rest of the pack. To be branded Flawed in a Perfect society is to disappear. Celestine North is different. She can't just disappear because she knows love, she knows her family and she questions why she has been branded so brutally. Can she save herself? Or should she sacrifice herself to save all of the Flawed? A unique premise and an excellent novel!

I have been a long time fan of Cecilia Ahern. In fact, one of her first books, Love, Rosie, is one of my favorite books of all time. YA dystopia is a new genre for her, but Perfect is the second book in the Flawed series. I read Flawed in a day, maybe two, I was so into it. The book was about a society of people who are branded in places on their body depending on the crimes they commit, which is what supposedly keeps their society in line. Celestine bucks the system, and it's up with a special 6th brand that was never given before and given by someone who wasn't supposed to give it. Perfect is the continuation of that story and about Celestine trying to fight for justice for what was done to her and the other "flawed" people in her society. I found this book to be the same as many second books in dystopian series...wordy and descriptive and not as compelling as the first. It was still an intriguing book and had a resolution at the end, which makes me wonder if another book is necessary or on the horizon, but these types of series usually happen in threes and #3 is usually a little more action packed than #2 so we can only hope that we will get a conclusion to this book. I think Ahern's foray into YA has been a successful one thus for and I would love to see more from her in this genre.

Feiwel & Friends, 2017.

Seventeen-year-old Celestine’s life turned on its head when she was branded flawed by the morality court. Now everyone can see that she is not perfect, that she does not meet the standard to which everyone in society is held. But Celestine still doesn’t think that what she did was wrong. As she told Judge Crevan, the impulse that sent her to morality court was simply based on compassion and logic, and she refuses to apologize for that. However, when the judge loses his temper and does something unthinkable and Celestine’s words to the court are taken up by his political rival, Celestine is suddenly caught up in a heated war between two political rivals and two very different parts of society. Celestine will have to use strength she didn’t know she had and the help of friends, both new and old, to use the evidence she has for good.

Frequent readers of this blog will know that I intensely dislike stories with a moral, anything blatant and I’m likely to throw the book across the room. On the other hand, I’m a firm believer in learning from stories. A good story pulls you in and teaches you something about life: how you want to live yours, what (or whom) you want to avoid, how it might be to live in another time or place or body. On the surface Perfect is a dystopian novel that is very similar to others found on the library shelves, and yet there are lessons here—lessons that seem different from other dystopian novels I’ve read in the last few years—lessons of compassion and decency. They struck a real chord with me perhaps because they are timeless lessons, but lessons that may seem particularly important today in the United States.

This young adult novel includes politics, ethics, romance, and a fast-paced, high-stakes plot.