I am so excited that these will be available in physical copies! The kids at the library are going to be as obsessed with this story as I am.

The story is one we've read over and over - ugly duckling gets makeover, gets cute guy, gets blackmailed with images of before or without makeup, horror story of backlash begins. The heroine is a neurotic mess, the other characters just as shallow and uninteresting, and the message here is completely lost amidst all the good things that actually do happen when the heroine is in makeup and 'beautiful.' It's also really weird how all the guys fall all over her asking her out yet she is constantly complaining about not being able to get a boyfriend. There's just no logic here and the story is boring as hell, even as a retread we've seen far too often (but done better).

Story: Jugyeong was constantly bullied for being ugly in junior high school. So she goes online in the Summer before high school and remakes herself into a beauty queen. But she doesn't always take the time to put makeup on and often goes out as her 'plain' self. Cue meeting hot guy Suho without makeup, earning the dislike of a vicious pretty-girl rival, and then dating another cute guy. Will they find out the secret of how 'ugly' she is without the aid of makeup?

This had to have been written by a very shallow person herself - there should be messages here about loving yourself as you are but instead we get endless make up tutorials on how to get pretty. Our heroine only likes/goes out with hot guys and doesn't look twice at the nice but not hot boys at her school. The hot guys are also pretty rude and have no personality (or are very fake) yet that doesn't seem to be an issue as long as they look good. Most of this first volume is Jugyeong being unsure, desperate, and being blackmailed over having her plain photos uploaded to social media. Does she even accomplish anything at school other than putting on her make up well?

The illustration work is ok. There are far too many 'meme' shots - redraws of famous memes that you will have seen all over Tik Tok or social media. They are ugly, rather stupid, and really disconnect the reader from the story. It's just another demonstration of the shallowness of the story and author that there is no depth to the storytelling and so many illustrations are copy pasta redraws from social media.

I really didn't like this manga. It's only saving grace was that it was at least in color. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

I had read on Webtoon first, so I was excited to dive into it in a book format. The art style is lovely, it's unique so that it stands out from the crowd, and the storyline flows well. Definitely one to reread and continue collecting as more volumes release.

The ugly art is so much like real life than the beautiful persona's and that is what I love about this graphic novel.

After watching the kdrama true beauty, I was very curious about this graphic novel and was glad to have this on my shelf. I liked how the adaptation on screen was full of justice to the web novel. I am definitely going to read the rest of the episodes on webtoon because it was that hooking and entrapping.

The characters and art is flawlessly cliche yet beautiful in its own way and that is what I love the most about this graphic novel. All those who are a fan of cliche yet fun romances can pick this volume up. Thank you @netgalley for the ARC.

5 stars for this colorfully-illustrated, fun and quirky graphic novel~

After being bullied on her appearance, the main character decides to give herself an extreme makeover. She starts using makeup and learning more via tutorials online, and soon enough she has amazing makeup skills. With the power of makeup, she transforms herself into an unrecognizable version of herself and gains instant popularity.

The graphic novel follows the main character through school, social interactions, relationships, and everyday life with a quirky and funny tone throughout. She may have changed her looks on the outside, but deep down she's still a nerdy and witty character. I really enjoyed it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group, WEBTOON Unscrolled for the digital ARC!

I read the webtoon on webtoon and knowing that it is being published is an immense joy.

I have also seen the series and I loved it although I feel that the comic has much more depth in certain subjects, as it usually does.

an engaging story, that you know you won't be able to let go of once you start it because you know when a story is one of those that leaves you waiting for more and more with each chapter.

I hope they continue to be published and spread so that more people know about it.

And hopefully we begin to become aware that the physical appearance of people is not the most important thing, that we can feel good as we are, simply by looking at ourselves in the mirror and liking ourselves, and not change for what society wants us to be.

Sometimes this message won't be seen clearly in the webtoon, but with a little thought it can be done.

Jugyeong isn't hideous to start. She's just plain in a manhwa world of gorgeous people, with a pretty unsupportive family (or at least a nasty little brother). But she suddenly changes, not with the tried-and-true comic method of "go to sleep plain wake up pretty," but with learning the art of makeup!

I appreciate that this book portrays applying make up as a skill. Jugyeong's first attempts make her look like a clown, and it takes a summer of YouTube (or the comic off-brand) tutorials and practice to get it right. The artist even teaches a bit about makeup techniques as part of the story.

The majority of the book is about Jugyeong hiding the secret of her transformation (and I have to wonder if the rest of her school ALSO practices these ancient and arcane makeup arts, and EVERYONE is hiding it), but there's also the beginning of a romance plot between her and the only observant person in the entire school: Lee Su-ho, a particularly pretty boy, who makes the connection between Jugyeong's beautiful school face and the plain girl he's connected with at the local comic shop.

This first volume ends with a little twist and a harsh plotline, and I am tempted to continue. I'm not 100% yet, but I'd definitely recommend this first volume as a trial run. You might find your new favorite series!

Thanks to WEBTOON and NetGalley for this ARC!

I remember first reading True Beauty when it was first released on WEBTOON, and now that it finally has a physical release, I was thrilled to re-read it. The artwork is stunning, and I felt nostalgic when reading it again.

True Beauty follows Jugyeong Lim, who struggles with inner and outer beauty. She was bullied in middle school for liking "weird" things such as metal music, horror movies, and manga. However, determined to change herself and her image for high school, she discovers the world of makeup and fashion. Soon enough finds a new love for makeup and starts to become popular. Then suddenly, she finds herself between Suho, a stoic boy who figures out the secret of her true appearance, and Seojun, the school's bad boy.

This story was as funny as I remembered it to be, and I loved the meme-worthy panels. I thought Jugyeong was very relatable regarding self-image, as most girls her age, even myself, were very self-conscious about their outer appearances. I also found this surprisingly informational and honest when re-reading about Jugyeong's journey with makeup. The mess up's, the long tutorials, and applying makeup over and over again until it came out the way she wanted were my own makeup experience. Heck, I still can't do half of what Jugyeong does but reading the webtoon taught me a lot about K-Beauty.

Knowing where this story goes in the future, I'm not super excited about the future volumes, but I'm hoping that re-reading the series will provide a new outlook.

On November 7th, 2022, read the ARC! And it truly lived up to the hype I gave it years ago.
Thank you for providing the advance reading copy, netgalley .
It would feel wonderful to hold a paperback!

7th November 2022: Read the ARC copy! And yes it’s so worth the hype I hyped 3 years ago…..

Thank you, Wattpadd WEBTOON Book Group, for the advance reading copy.

The paperback would feel so good!


First read: 7th September 2019

***update: The Series adaptation is here!!! Already 4 episodes! Damn. Another series to go crazy for ☺️


Might sound a bit over the top materialistic and fictional but boy, this is the real webtoon deal💞

And yes, the guys are hot😭

I was truly amazed by how much I actually enjoyed true beaty than I originally thought.
This is definitely one of my ew favorite comfy reads. I'd heard a lot of amazing things from friends and such about this story but never took the time to read it but then it appeared on my netgally and now I don't particularly believe in faith but I still thought to myself "okay Pilar I think it's finally time to read true beauty" and so I requested it and was truly plesantly surprised by how enjoyable it is!
I had a great time reading, and now I don't consider myself a person that is particularly someone that "giggles" but I did giggle a lot, I think my brother truly believed I was insane.
But if you are like me and never really had any interest in reading true beaty I encourage you to do so because I truly had a wondeful time.

yours truely,
Pilar

This is not my type of tea.
The illustrations are pretty, but the plot itself needs more work in it.

"True Beauty" is a pretty good comic, which - above all - gives food for thought. This seemingly simple story about a girl who is ridiculed for her appearance - although she looks perfectly normal - shows the reader how awful it is to live in a society where what matters most is how you look, not what kind of person you are.

The comic is easy to read, and the line is pleasing to the eye - especially if you like the manga style. It is true that some scenes were very strange, but the author clearly likes memes and sometimes she could not help but reproduce a certain faces from popular memes on the faces of her characters.

The plot is not complicated, but it is addictive. It's impossible not to like Jugyeong, I personally supported her a lot and I understood her (in part). I am curious to see how her story will unfold.

I've been following True Beauty since it's early days on WebToons, and I am so thrilled it is getting a formal book!

I love the characters but had forgotten all the growth they've yet to go through in this first book! The pacing and the romance is perfectly lovely and genuinely the makeup tips are pretty helpful!

I'm someone who has read true beauty on Webtoon since its early days and followed the story through the months. I have to say that each update was enjoyable however my only qualm with this as a volume would be that Jungyeongs actions might seem a little repetitive to the reading when reading in larger sections, as opposed to each updated chapter/episode.
I find the story entertaining, and the characters realistic. Overall, very enjoyable especially if you love romance.

I already loved the k-drama adaptation of this, so I knew the source material couldn't be very far off, and boy was I right. While this maintains some of the Big conversations around beauty, perception and social capital (and dare I say the dislocation of the self), it is, ultimately, so fun!! so light!! so delightful!! Got me giggling and twirling my hair

True Beauty follows Jugyeong who in high school learnt how to do makeup and overnight became the prettiest girl in her school. Now she has to face new problems, like love and friendship whilst maintaining her good looks because after she takes off her makeup she looks like a completely different person! And no one can know or else she'll be ostracized in school.

Jugyeong is a relatable character. She puts on makeup to be 'ordinary' and to fit in with people in her class. Because when she didn't put on makeup she was treated with contempt and faced bullying from her fellow peers. Which really highlights the bullying 'ugly' people get subjected to and 'pretty privilege'.

However, Jugyeong with makeup and without makeup are 2 different people too. Jugyeong hides who she is at school, and is only a people pleaser. And she hides her real interests because she's afraid of her friends reaction, and if they'll hate and leave her for it. So I do wish Jugyeong is able to merge her personalities and not have to hide what she likes to the people shes close to. But I do understand she does this to fit in. After spending years being bullied she doesn't want to risk anything after she just started fitting in.

Anyways, I think the art is gorgeous and I am excited for the next volume to see how Jugyeong progresses.

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

Eh. I found the concepts to be degrading and shallow, especially in a time where self-love movements are really kicking off. Even though I love a good, high school drama, this one did not meet expectations. Art is beautiful though!

This was a fun book! I enjoyed the story and it was very interesting. I would highly recommend. I loved the buildup.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to review TRUE BEAUTY which was written and illustrated by Yaongyi. This is south korean slice of life romantic comedy webtoon. It's about a young shy comic book fan who after being bullied for her appearance masters the art of make up and has transformed herself into a "beauty goddess" and re enters highschool with a changed identity. The story follows her as she struggles with maintaining this elite beauty status as she tries to keep this secret away from love interests and rivals. But somebody might already know her secret. This theme might not be for everybody but it does reflect the dark side of the beauty standards in certain cultures and at the end of the day inner beauty is what really matters. Filled with great character a fun story line and amazing illustrations. I am familiar with this webtoon and have been a fan for some time, and I am very excited to see this in physical form.