Pleasure In The Pages: The Story Of Awkward

Book Description: Book ONE in the stand-alone EMBRACE YOURSELF series.

A poignantly humorous New Adult romance with a twist. Embrace your awkward. Be unique. Change your fairytale ...

If you are looking for a happy book about beautiful people, this is the wrong story.

If you are looking for a narrative without emotion, without regrets, and without mistakes, this is definitely the wrong story.

This is by no means an uncomplicated tale about uncomplicated people. It is by no means sweet or light.

This story is ugly.

This story is complicated.

This story is emotional.

This story is tragic.

In short, this story is about being awkward.

Peregrine Storke is an artist with an odd sketchbook full of pictures she’s drawn since she was a child. It is a book full of strange sketches and awkward characters, for there is no better way to hide from bullying and life than to create a world of your own. With a stroke of her pencil, she has given life to a spectacled princess, a freckle-nosed king, a candy loving troll, a two-horned unicorn, and a graceless fairy.

At nineteen, Peregrine leaves her home, her sketchbook, and awkwardness behind. But what happens when something goes wrong in the world of Awkward? Trapped inside of her complex realm with the bully she thought to leave behind, Peregrine discovers there is nothing worse than falling for your own villain.

As in the description, this story is ugly. It is complicated. It is emotional. It is tragic. But what it fails to mention is that it is a brilliant, heartfelt, amazingly beautiful story.

When I picked this up, I didn't know what I was going to find. I read the description and thought it might be a YA read. Which is fine. I don't mind reading those, but what I found was much much more!

It is a poignant story about self worth. How to accept your awkwardness and embrace it. Those imperfections is what makes you, you. That beauty comes from within and with that beauty, comes strength. With it's quirky characters and lovely leading lady, it made for an exceptional fun, fast read. Everyone at one point or another can relate to this story. I know, I sure can... I could go on and on about how wonderful the story was, but I won't. I will just say, that the story will speak for itself. EVERYONE should read it.

Favorite quotes: - There are so many of them highlighted throughout the book I don't think I want to give them all away, but here are some that I think should be shared.

"Great endowments often announce themselves in youth in the form of singularity and awkwardness" ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"True sorrow like true happiness comes from love"

"This world is built on awkwardness, on the idea that there is someplace where it's okay to be different. Where it's okay not to be perfect," the troll said. "This world lives in more than one imagination. It was simply your hand that finally gave it a face."

"Even when we grow up, the child remains. It's the child that shapes the adult. What happens to you when you are young shapes what you become later. Whether you think you belong here or not is beside the point. The little girl that drew Awkward still lives inside of you."

"It isn't about being awkward. It's about not being ashamed to be awkward. It's about embracing what makes us different. Perfection and Stereotype are threats to that."

"Love isn't roses. It's those little square caramels and a root beer from the gas station because he knows that's your favorite snack. It's watching a musical with you without groaning. It's handing you your glasses at night because he knows you're too blind to find your way to the bathroom without them. Love is awkward."

"Foster's hand covered mine on his arm. "If I'm being forced to join your war, do me a favor." He glanced at Nimble. "Make her dust taste like a quarter pounder with cheese."

"There's nothing worse than having someone you've villainized admit he was wrong. There's nothing worse than admitting someone's words had done more than tear you down, they'd made you angry enough to fight back, There's nothing worse than having to forgive someone whose words gave you strength."

"Remember, the way we perceive ourselves is often nothing like what we really are," he said."

"Your creations - the princess, troll, fairy, and worm..." Foster said suddenly. "I was wrong about them. They may not look like much, but they have the heart of lions."

"Her heart had been broken. Love could be blind and unforgiving. It often made us feel like we had to change in order to be loved."

"That awkward moment when you realize running away from life doesn't mean life won't pack its bags and follow."

"Because avoiding the things that hurt us doesn't fix us," I told her. "There's only so long you can hide from life. Don't worry about being enough for Prince Dash. Worry about being enough for you. In the end, that's what counts. He or someone else will love you more for that."

"My feet carried me away from them, my heart and head needing the distance. There are moments when tears are all you have, when crying releases everything and leaves you fresh."

"I like that I'm different. I want to be okay with it. I love that I have friends who love me for who I am."

"True courage isn't about being brave. It's about being real. It's about being able to admit our weaknesses so that we can turn them into strengths."

"Everyone belongs somewhere, even if it's not in your perfect world."

"True beauty is about being happy"