<!-- wp:paragraph {"align":"center"} -->
<p style="text-align:center"><strong>Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this e-ARC for an honest review. </strong></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>I didn't really know what to expect when I started reading this book but I was pleasantly surprised! In the beginning, I was a bit confused because it felt like I was just thrown into the middle of a story, but once I got oriented it was a breeze!</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Mia was a really relatable character and I really felt her pain and her insecurity and guilt radiate off the page. Mixed with her new and almost polar opposite friend Fig, it made for quite some entertaining conversations and fun! It was refreshing to see a friendship that wasn't completely about Mia feeling left out because she was new. And it was nice to see Fig including her and just being so nice and bubbly!</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>I really enjoyed the incorporation of art and food! While the elements of the YA contemporary remained the same, it became unique with the fun art related things and with the interesting characters in the restaurant Mia had to work in. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>I also really loved the family dynamics. Mia's family was strange and heartbroken and difficult. And Mia had to live with a grandmother she never knew... but seeing their growing relationship just made me so happy! And on top of that, there was lots of fun drama and antics with Fig's family at the restaurant! They were loud and sort of gossipy and hilarious! The interactions between all the different characters really gave this story a bump up!</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>There's one part in particular, where Mia gets to really know her new friends and understand that she doesn't have to feel guilty or alone in her tragedy that really got me. It was really touching to see that kind of realization and that solidarity in friendships and family.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>This book read like a Sarah Dessen novel (and if you don't know me, I love Sarah Dessen!). It was happy and sad with a sprinkle of drama and romance! I loved the characters' stories and (of course) the character development!</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>I would recommend this to anyone who likes to read about tragedies and what follows them, guilt and resurfacing memories, friendship and romance, photography and art, really delicious pastries, and family drama.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph {"align":"center"} -->
<p style="text-align:center"><strong>A trigger warning to readers: Mia does suffer from some PTSD (as she has to deal with her sister's death and the guilt that comes with it). There's also mentions of domestic abuse. </strong></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

I was drawn to this book because of the concept. Mia is struggling with grief, sadness, anxiety and frustration with the events on the night her sister died. Plagued with rumours and accusations Mia is sent to spend the summer with her grandmother. Left to mourn her loss and deal with her scarred face, the constant reminder of all she lost. Mia meets Cooper and thry both begin to heal from their damage of the past. This book is written as Mia's healing journey and while it was slow and flat at points the friendships and the raw emotions make up for it. This isn't all rainbows and butterflies, it's the harsh truths and the staggering blows that cut you to the core. This is a story of not only surviving trauma but coming back to claim the life you deserve. I laughed, I cried and I had to put the book down. A moving read well worth your time

An emotional novel that will make you want to laugh, cry, and reach through the pages to hug the characters tight as they go through their trials. 

Mia Hopkins has had almost a year to deal with the car crash she was involved in that killed her older sister and left her face scarred. She has been told over and over that it will take time to heal and move on, but she doesn’t want to move on. The night of the accident is a blank to her; she can’t remember what happened that night and the little alcohol that was found in her blood doesn’t help matters. With her mother gone and not able to handle being around her and her father having to go away to work, Mia ends up going to spend the summer with her grandmother. Being in a new place and around new people, Mia tries to figure out how to move on and live the life she has left.

We Were Beautiful is a powerful read with a message that is hard hitting and can help those struggling with deep emotional issues who are having trouble moving beyond. Mia is scarred, not just on her face but deep inside emotionally having to life with what happened, and worse not even remembering what happened. The worst part of it all is the way she feels abandoned by her family. Her mom leaving her is the worst part of all, she knows she is hard to look at but having her own mother turn on her is worse than the accident itself. Being forced to go live with her grandmother turns out to be just what she needs. I loved the way Hepler brings out the best and worst in these characters, showing readers their flaws and heartaches and how they go about moving forward with their lives. We all have hard times and scars we must live with, inside and out. This is the first book by Hepler I have read, and I was incredibly impressed with the way she brought these characters to life leading me to route for them, cheer with their victories and cry with their hardships. While there wasn’t much action the story itself moved quickly. The tension between the characters and what they are going through is plenty to keep the pages turning and the reader pleased. I recommend this to young adult readers that want a story that will teach them a lesson about forgiveness and moving on in the hard times. 

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher.  The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

The beauty of this book is just beyond words. This book is not only a story about loss and grief but about healing. It’s not easy to deal with insurmountable amounts of pain at such a young age, especially the loss of a sibling and the dismantling of a once happy family who can’t come together to cope with their grief. 

In the beginning we meet Mia, a young woman scarred by the loss of her sister in terrible accident that she believes to be her fault. This accident leaves Mia with a scarred face and with the dismantling of her family that does not know how to cope with the loss. We learn that Mia’s mother has given up full custody and that rather than helping his only daughter work through her grief, he decides to ship her off to her grandmother. 

What the reader would assume to be another cruel twist of fate for this character turns out to be a huge blessing in disguise for our beloved main character. Mia finally meets her grandmother for the first time who turns out to have needed a bit of healing too, she meets Nonna an Italian grandmother who I believe everyone needs in their life and Fig. If I could wish for anything right now, it would be that everyone had a friend like Fig because she was just such a wonderful being who Mia desperately needed in her life. Through Fig, Mia meets Sebastian and siblings Cooper and Sarah; a group of artists who help Mia heal and see that though she’s faced loss, she has so much more to live for. 

I adored We Were Beautiful. Plain and simple it may just be one of the best books I’ve read all year and i cannot recomendable it enough.

This storyline has such a good premise, but it ended up falling flat for me personally. I really thought I would love it and I ended up not. But that’s okay! If you want to try it, then you definitely should!

We Were Beautiful is a story set in New York City about a girl named Mia who is sent to live with her grandmother for the summer. Dealing with the sorrow of losing her older sister, and having no memory of that night only a scare on her face. Mia just wants to hide from the world but a summer job provides that it might just be the start of healing that she never expected and new friends give her the confidence and hope that she thought might be gone forever. This is a beautiful story of healing and finding happiness again and new friends that bring joy back into her life again.

This is the prime example of what YA novel should be. This book deposited you into the world of Mia and her struggles and reluctantly released you and the end of the novel.
The friendships between the teens were beautiful and lifelike. Throughout the novel, they discover more about each other and share their struggles. They learn to rely on each other in a way that makes them stronger.
I was a bit shocked that Mia did not tell an adult about what happened to her sister on the night she died.
All in all, I would recommend this to one looking for a story of healing, hope, and forgiveness.

Personal Rating: 4 Stars
Content Rating: 2 Stars

*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own and a positive review was not required.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I read this book but I found myself really enjoying it. All the characters had their scars (some visible some not) and I loved how they embraced them and each other. Mia was a really likeable character who was trying to figure out what happened on the night the car crash happened while also trying to get to know this strange women who is her grandmother and has her own guilt. I loved Fig and how she took Mia under her wing and didn't ask questions or expect anything in return. It's a story about finding yourself but also helping others and realising that we all have scars some just more visible than others.

I didn't expect to tear through this novel in a matter of hours, but here we are. It was THAT good.

First, I was utterly charmed with the characters here - the dramatic Brunelli family, the eclectic group of friends, the complicated family of the main character, all of them! It was impossible not to get attached to each of them and not laugh along with the witty banter between them. Watching the way these characters took a hollowed-out girl and filled her with so much love and peace was really beautiful.

The romance was ADORABLE. My only complaint is I wanted a little more - I know the novel was mostly about Mia's development, but I felt Cooper was a little on the under-developed side, compared with other supporting characters like Fig. There were definitely "awww" moments, but a little more depth probably would have gotten some tears out of me.

This was a very, very enjoyable YA novel that I highly recommend to lovers of YA, coming-of-age stories about overcoming grief.

Mia is heading to stay with her grandmother, Veronica after her radio actress sister Rachel passed away and her mum and dad struggled to cope. Mia too as she bears scars from the tragedy too, written onto her face.



Mia is haunted by her memories as she tries to adapt to life with her grandmother and working at a diner and going to church with her too when she wants her to.



But she does make a friend in Fig or Fiona as her real name is and her group of friends involved in Art Attack a local art group whom also have a deal with the Museum Of Modern Art.



She meets Cooper a boy also facially disfigured but for a whole different reason, saving his sister...



Mia starts off as a weak and unsure girl whom flourishes as the book goes on. With new friends and a possible boyfriend her confidence grows despite her parental issues as her dad is back home at work without her and her mum has left them both to become a nun. With all the issues is a good slow to unfold drama as we discover a heartfelt reason behind the accident that sets the precedent for the novel from the start.



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

I’m having a hard time rating this book. On the one hand I loved the story, and it definitely made me feel. On the other hand there were periods that were so slow and completely lacked any action. I will look forward to any future books by this author. 3.5 stars

Life is messy for all of us. Some have messier lives than others. Heather Hepler has written an incredible young adult novel about messy lives. It is about walls that need to come down. It is about learning each other’s stories and finding the similarities.

As I was reading this story I thought about the song by For King And Country – “God Only Knows.” Until we reach out to people and truly listen to their story, we have no clue what is going on in their lives. This truth is shown time and again in We Were Beautiful.

Heather Helpler’s book We Were Beautiful can help those struggling with secrets to realize they are not alone in their struggles. Like Mia and Cooper, many blame themselves for what happened to someone else – often carrying guilt they don’t need to carry.

I would not hesitate to add this young adult novel to the secondary side of my K-12 Christian School library.

I want to thank the publisher and Just Read Publicity Tours for the complimentary copy of the book.

I really liked this book. I enjoyed seeing the development of Mia as she began to remember the night of the accident & began to heal and move forwards. 

She made friends who accepted her for who she is and had their own complexities.

I truly did like this book.
How Mia struggled to come with terms of her sisters death and the tragic circumstances to follow were really heartbreaking. Her mother definitely was faulted; giving a view of how people cope with tragedies. 

Cooper seemed like a sweetheart and although their relationship did spring out of nowhere (given the book is quite short), it did seem genuine. The rest of the secondary characters were also really nice to see interact and have different traits, secrets and mannerisms.

Thanks for this ARC, it was worth the read :)

There is a genre of YA where a character deals with grief. While the actual process of dealing with hardship is slow-moving, the books, ideally, are not. We were beautiful is sadly a bit too slow to keep me interested. The main character's challenges don't help the pacing much. The rest of the characters are somewhat flat. The writing however is strong. I would say this is probably good for the die-hards of the sad teens genre but a pass for people who just like a variety of YA books. 

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

We Were Beautiful by Heather Hepler is a contemporary novel about love and loss and friendship. It is a story that goes to the edge of the abyss and survives. It was so beautifully written and has ignited and warmed my soul.
Loss is a defining moment. “Death created a black hole that sucked everything into it. Love was one of those things that got lost.” People deal with loss differently – they run and hide, they back off, they try to be invisible. “I hope someday, you let someone in.” All these traits are seen in the novel.
We all have scars. “Deep down, everyone has something ugly or dark or painful.” Some are visible, others not. We think we deserve to keep our scars on show to remind us of what we will never forget. 
A group of friends seek life. They champion the different and the underdog. They help to awaken others and watch them blossom. The friendship group warms hearts and leaves the reader smiling.
There is the theme of guilt. It weighs heavy. It says ‘we deserve nothing good.’ Guilt lies to us. Guilt needs to be shed. We need to live free, forgiving the face in the mirror.
I loved We Were Beautiful. It was beautifully and sensitively written. It felt the pain and the love. It was a work of great beauty.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary of WE WERE BEAUTIFUL by Heather Hepler in exchange for my honest review.***

Mia, mourning the death of her sister Rachel in an accident that scarred her face, spends the summer in New York City with the strict, cold grandmother she’s only just met. Working at a family diner Mia makes friends and maybe a boyfriend as she heals from grief and guilt.

Mia begins the narration of WE WERE BEAUTIFUL with palpable pain that drips off the pages. Guilt. Longing. Abandonment. Her entire life is consumed with sadness. Heather Hepler gave Mia an authentic voice of a teen struggling.

The romance between Mia and Cooper didn’t cure her life, instead as she healed she opened herself up to relationships with friends, coworkers, her grandmother and eventually her father. I wish Hepler had addressed a Big Thing that happened to Rachel on the night of the accident.  Not mentioning it again normalizes what should never be considered okay. The Big Thing isn’t something that should be thrown into books just to make characters interesting.

WE WERE BEAUTIFUL is a worthwhile read about forgiving oneself and healing from trauma.

We follow Mia who has a scar across her face but hardly remembers the night. When her dad sends her to her grandmothers who live in New York City, we see her bloom and grow. 

The start of this book is a bit slow but I think that it's needed for this story to build up the characters growths. At first, I wasn't crazy about this book but once it gets to Mia, Fig and their group of friends I fell for this book. I love this group of friends, (Crazy but honest)  for me, they are the main part of this story. In that group of friends, we meet Cooper. Mia and Cooper do kinda have an insta-love, but I think that's because they relate to each other, because of there painful pasts. Even though I like the relationship between Cooper and her. My two favorite relationship is Mia and her grandmother and Mia and Fig. However, at the end of the book, we see how a painful past doesn't define you, and how being honest with yourself and others will help. There's a relationship I can't talk about because of spoilers but I just wanted to say that I'm glad about how it changed by the end of this story. 

If I could meet one character who isn't Fig it would be Waffles. I'm a cat person but this dog stole my heat. 

This book does cover topics such as sibling loss, trauma, problematic parents and the power that art can have in one's life. There is a bit of religion, (Mia's grandmother.) The writing was well done, this is a character based book. 

With that, this was a moving story filled with heart and joy!

A truly hard hitting story that when on point destroyed all my emotions. Sadly this was weighted against a slow pace which at times took away the impact of the plot.

Accident, trauma, scarring, and loss. That’s what drew me to this book. It was something I could relate to and I was eager to read Mia’s journey through the aftermath of surviving a car accident that killed her sister. While her sister died, Mia lived and she has a constant reminder of that tragic night because of the scarring from her hairline to her collarbone. After the accident, her mom left the family and became a nun and her dad can’t bother looking at her. She’s shipped off to NYC for the summer to live with a cold and uncaring grandmother she’s never met and upon arrival she’s notified that she has a job at a nearby restaurant where she reports to at 4 each morning. 

Next we see Mia begin her job, get introduced to the large Brunelli family that owns the restaurant, make friends with Fig (one of the Brunelli’s daughters), and is introduced to Fig’s friends Sebastian, Sarah, and Cooper. Upon meeting the friends, Mia realizes that Cooper also has a deformity with his mouth. And so begins her budding friendship with this group along with growing closer to her grandmother.

Despite being intrigued with the first 35%, nothing really happened after that point. The secondary character were placeholders that didn’t get enough backstory to make them feel real. Sure, we learn that Fig, Sebastian, Sarah, and Cooper all lived through some form of parental abuse, but there isn’t anything else except they make art, Sebastian works at a Chinese restaurant, Sarah sings and writes, and Cooper works on a mural at a bakery before its grand opening. Then there was the instant love between Cooper and Mia that was built off of nothing. They hang out twice outside of a group and suddenly were in love.

There’s also the mystery surrounding the night Mia got in the accident. She was 13/14 (this happened on her birthday) and her older sister (who was at least 18) brought her to a party where they both got drunk and Mia had to drive her sister home. They crashed and Mia didn’t remember anything else. There wasn’t a mystery aspect to it. The older sister thinks it’s a good idea to bring a child to a party, they get drunk, older sister is almost in a comprising position with a guy, Mia has to be the adult and get them home, and she hits a deer. It was self-explanatory to know what happened despite Mia not remembering anything.

This was a book I would have passed on based on the lack of plot and character development, but thank you NetGalley for the ARC.