I was so intrigued to read this first volume; I never watched the kdrama (yet) but I do think the premise is very interesting and I have no idea about its premise moving forward, but I do think it is a great way to address beauty standards and the toll it takes on society and people's mental health.

The style is very good, attractive and beautiful, and it reads like any typical webtoon, which is to say, it is very fast-paced and engaging, I read the first volume in no time, my hands kept scrolling, and I do think most people will feel the same way.

I am now very curious to both continue reading this webtoon but also start the adaptation when I'm done with it.

I do think this will attract a lot of people that watched the kdrama, as it was very popular, but apart from sharing the title, there is nothing to indicate it is the same thing, and even though I hate when books get covers from their adaptations, I think a little hint or removable sticker/jacket would have benefited both a lot.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the opportunity to start this series!

Edit April 2024: I have completed the series this year and though it does not always focus on that ideal beauty and how that affects young people, it certainly is present throughout the whole series. I have also been surprised by how much I have enjoyed the secondary characters that appeared during the story and their weight on the story.

So here's the thing. The art is amazing. Without any doubt. And since it's just volume one, there's not a lot to unpack here except for the fact that it may be too focused on keeping up with societal expectations rather than anything else. I am 90% sure I won't be continuing with this series.

This is a cute and entertaining story about the perils of navigating a fresh start in high school while not being entirely true to yourself. It's at times a little predictable in the way high school romance stories are, but still a very enjoyable and escapist read.

In this graphic novel we follow our main character who has been bullied at her school because of the way that she looks. Because of this she decides to start to learn how to put on makeup and she becomes quite good at it. This leads her to have friends for the first time and possibly even a boyfriend?

This was a cute graphic novel but I hope that any young girls that read this realize that this is not reality and don't think that all of their worth is decided by what they look like. I did enjoy this story and the artwork was very clean.

True Beauty is one of my favorite webtoon comics, and rereading it in novel form was a dream come true. I love getting into the story again and remembering all the funny jokes and makeup tips the main character did and followed to feel beautiful. I, also love the romance that happens with the male lead. The relationship between the main character and Suho is funny and sweet, and I cannot wait for the second volume to come out. This story is really wonderful, and I would recommend to people who love drama, romance, and humor. Thank you NetGalley, and the Publisher for sending me this copy to review.

The art of this book is great. The feeling of it after reading it, its almost like reading about high school and the glow up that happens before you get to high school and during your junior year. Its sad how she feels of beauty and how it pertains to her, but seeing as how Korean's have a more strict beauty standard, it makes sense. And societal standards on beauty, do not even get me started. Reading the summary, I noticed that this has been turned into an TV series. I would rather finish this, than watch it, since I love the fact that the book is in color (there aren't too many of those those that I actually will read).
Overall, great start to a new series. It addresses how women deal with the pressure and the faces that the characters make are hilarious. I will read the next one when it arrives definitely.

I like the artwork, it was beautiful. I like the story also. I already watched Kdrama and read it on webtoon.

The art style was really nice, and I did fly through this. But as for the story itself, it didn't grip me and I found myself quite indifferent to what was going on. It's beautiful to look at, absolutely, but I never really cared all that much, so overall it's unfortunatley a miss for me.

I love the Korean drama of this novel! Thus, I was excited to read the comic book! I find this to be better than the drama! The storyline was more fleshed out! I also love the artwork! This graphic novel is perfect for those that love shook manga!

I an unable to review this title, as it was archived before I had a chance to download and read it. This feedback is only to stop this title from adversely affecting my netgalley feedback rate. If in the future I have the opportunity to read this title, I will post a proper review here.

I would like to thank Yaongyi, Netgalley and WEBTOON Unscrolled for providing an advanced readers copy in exchange of an honest and unbiased review. True Beauty follows the journey of our main character Jugyeong who has been bullied and mistreated her entire life due to being perceived as ugly. Upon discovering makeup and having a few ups and downs along the way she completely transforms her appearance, and she gets a fresh start. But can she keep her secret nerdy true self identity secret while living a double life as a popular girl. As far as True Beauty goes it is fairly interesting, I like that while she does change her appearance she still enjoys horror comics and everything she did before. I don’t like that it sends the message that to be a nice girl you cant openly enjoy these comics and that the author followed the negative stereotypes that what you read is who you are as a person. I also didn’t like that the character quite essentially bought into diet culture and societal norms and that the second she turned skinny all and her acne was covered her life was perfect. It isn’t inherently bad it has a plot and interesting characters but in a way all it preaches is that happiness is tied to appearance. You can overlook that aspect and enjoy the comic but I cant especially since it is targeted towards young girls who don’t need these negative stereotypes.

A fun revenge and romance tale set in modern Korea. The art is gorgeous and the story of a bullied girl who watches makeup tutorials until she becomes beautiful and goes to get back at her bullies is likely to appeal to romance graphic novel readers, but (perhaps because this title was originally a webcomic) there's a lot of filler and fluff

I love love love the full color artwork in this and am happy this webtoon is being published into a physical copy! I really enjoyed the story, it's a nice mix of comedy, drama, and romance.

While the artwork was beautiful, I did not like the story very much.
The main character learns how to do her makeup and suddenly has to deal with popular people problems like love and friendships. I get that the point of this story is to show that these things are fake if they are dependent on physical appearance, but I did not like the way her 'beautiful' and 'ugly' faces were emphasized.
How many Asian girls with small eyelids will read this and see themself in the 'ugly' version of the main character?
I wouldn't hand this to any asian child or teen. They are likely to be dealing with racist microagressions and judgement already, the last thing I want is to show them a picture of an 'ugly' face.

I enjoy reading it. It was entertaining and also educating readers regarding makeup and skincare. The first volume was good

When True beauty trended with the comparison of Jin of BTS to Lee Suho, I was on it right away. I don't know what to expect and I'm glad I read it. It was an enjoyable read if you don't take it too seriously, because if you do, you might focus on all the negatives, because this doesn't have the perfect plot, the characters are frustrating, etc. The story is very much a cliche but I appreciate the social issues and personal struggles of the characters. I did get uninterested after a while, manga/anime tends to drag on for a long time and this is no exception. But I will definitely continue reading it until the end and I hope it will have a good, happy ending with a lot of character development. I love, love the art and I'm so glad that there's finally a physical copy and I can add it on my bookshelf.

I also watched the kdrama and I really loved it. I think I liked watching it more than reading it though.

Thanks to Netgalley and Wattpad Webtoon Book Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I first read True Beauty when it made it's Webtoon debut. It was one of my first Webtoons and it has remained a favorite. It was also one of the first K-Dramas I ever watched. Of course, I was thrilled when I realized that a physical version of True Beauty was being released so I could rediscover it.

True Beauty is a a take on the high standards of beauty in South Korea and the affect it has on people. It follows Jugyeong Lim, a teen who has been bullied about her appearance for years who begins binging makeup tutorials in an effort to stop the bullying and gain some self-esteem.

When Jugyeong begins attending a new school, she uses her makeup skills to use to transform herself out of fear that she would also be bullied there. Her peers are stunned by the "new beauty" at school and she quickly rises to popularity and online fame because of her looks. She also finds herself at the heart of a dramatic love triangle with former friends Suho and Seojun. But how long can Jugyeong keep her true personality and looks from her schoolmates, especially her new found friends?

"Living in a society where people are judged based on their physical appearance, Jugyeong navigates both high school and her college life, while her self-esteem, romantic life and career are constantly in flux."

True Beauty certainly holds a place in my heart and I was really excited to get the chance to revisit the story from the beginning. I find the artwork enjoyable and the pace of the story to be very reader friendly. It is important to note, that this is the FIRST volume of True Beauty which means that it is more slow moving and moreso provides exposition for the future volumes.

I had read on Webtoon first, and also watched the KDrama version of it, so I was excited to read it in a book format. The art style is gorgeous. The plot moves a bit slow and not much happened in this first volume. But I'm really excited to know what happens in the next volume!
Would definitely recommend if you've loved the Webtoon and the KDrama related to this book.

Art style is gorgeous. The plot moves a little slow and not much happened in this first volume. But in very intrigued to know what happens with the dating drama next.
Probably the best take on Korean beauty standards and the effects they have on teenagers yet.

Would recommend to people who already enjoy kdramas or kpop.

Really enjoyed this book. I started reading it when it was released on webtoons and I've been a fan ever since. Really enjoy the notes about beauty standards and such and it does make you think.