Just the Way You Are (Sweet Dreams Series #114)

by Janice Boies

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 055325815X
• Release Date: November 1986
• Publisher: Aladdin
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Just Be Yourself - And more ambiguous advice!

"Just be yourself"-- that standard, ambiguous platitude that fuels so many Sweet Dreams novels, after-school specials, and talks with Mom -- is the unabashed message of "Just the Way You Are", a funny, thoughtful novel that moves beyond the "Be Yourself" societal mandate to consider just what it means to be oneself and how to balance the desire to please others with the need for self-fulfillment. The novel follows brash, comedic main character Dee Davidson, who tones down her klutzy class clown act in an effort to impress her secret crush, cute but stuffy Jeremy Griffin. Although Dee's phony sophisticated act does achieve her goal of dating Jeremy, Dee quickly discovers that the pressures of dressing and acting unnaturally are not worth the bother, especially once she finally discovers that snivelly, hyper-critical Jeremy is not all she had hoped, and that sweet and athletic Ted Connors, her older brother's best pal, likes her just the way she is. The novel resonates particularly because it avoid the all-or-nothing characterization trap; although Dee learns that she should not pretend to be someone she's not, she also discovers that her old hyper-attention-seeking persona was not really making her happy either, and she finally determines to settle on a happy medium. The novel's only real drawback is bringing Ted and Dee together a bit too early on in the novel, leaving too much "plot resolution" time toward the end of the novel.