Uglier: An honest and heartfelt YA novel about a teen finding their gender identity
The Art of Being Ugly Book 2
by Kelly Vincent
A new school. An opportunity to fuel her passion. A mean girl waiting in the wings to burn it all down.
Oklahoma City. Nic Summers is ready for a fresh start. Entering her first semester at a boarding school far from her narrow-minded hometown, the talented teen artist hopes to continue exploring her gender identity in a safer environment. And after meeting a boy she likes, connecting with another student, and discovering a supportive teacher, she’s relieved things are looking up… until once again she faces a cruel bully.
Trying to stay positive, the shy artist focuses on nurturing her fledgling friendships and honing her skills under the guidance of a kind mentor. But after Nic’s crush is vengefully outed as trans, she blurts out something awful and fears she’s ruined everything.
Can she mend shattered trusts and reclaim her authentic self?
Written with heartfelt empathy, author Kelly Vincent gives voice to modern youth as they face challenging social issues. With sensitivity and insight, Vincent puts the reader in the shoes of young people desperate to thrive and find their place in this universe.
Uglier is the emotional second book in the Ugly World contemporary YA series. If you like big-hearted protagonists, LGBTQ+ themes, and powerful journeys of self-discovery, then you’ll adore Kelly Vincent’s candle in the dark.
Buy Uglier to continue the search today!
5 out of 5 fairies
I found this story to be just as interesting and captivating as book one, and I’m looking forward to book three. Nic’s at a new school, new start, but as any high school student can tell you, there are always bullies. I truly wish I could just wrap Nic up in a big hug, I understand how hard high school is when you’re an outsider. The story itself moves along at a smooth pace, and keeps you interested. It felt like watching a show or movie about a teen struggling to figure out themselves and survive high school unfold before my eyes. Nic’s reactions and how she handles everything felt true to the Nic you get to know in book one, but you can tell how she’s changed and grown as well. This series is perfect for any teens who are struggling with their gender identity or who are simply part of the LGBTQIA+ community.
🖤🩶🤍💚🤍🩶🖤
AWARDS
Listed in Kirkus Reviews Top 100 Indie Picks for 2023 (December 15th, 2023)
Kirkus Reviews Editor’s Indie Pick (October 15th, 2023)
MORE PRAISE
“Those seeking a thoughtful story about gender issues, with an endearing main character, will enjoy Ugly.” – BlueInk Reviews, UGLIER
“An impressively honest and intimate first person POV powers this story of a young person struggling with gender and trying to find their place in a world that is seemingly determined to ‘erase’ them” – Kirkus Starred Review, UGLIER
“Uglier depicts a captivating story of adolescent growth.” – BookLife Prize, UGLIER
“Uglier is commendable for fostering increased empathy and understanding, and offering a beacon for young readers navigating the turbulent landscape of identity and acceptance” – Self-Publishing Review, UGLIER
“Nic is still the same lovable, unwavering hero that she was in Vincent’s last book, despite the cost she suffers for simply trying to be herself… Readers will be eager for more of Nic in the future.” – BookLife Review
The Art of Being Ugly Series
Figuring out your sexuality and gender identity while dealing with bullying, heartbreak, friends moving away, way too much homework, and your conservative state trying to erase you and your friends with legislation isn’t something just anyone can do. But Nic Summers can.
The Whole Series
Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads
Ugly (Book 1)
Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads
Uglier (Book 2)
Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads
Ugliest (Book 3)
Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads
KELLY VINCENT (they/ them) wrangles data weekdays and spends the rest of their time playing with words. They grew up in Oklahoma but have moved around quite a bit, with Glasgow, Scotland being their favorite stop. They now live near Seattle with several cats who help them write their stories by strategically walking across the keyboard, with their first novel, “Finding Frances,” a fine example of this technique.
Their four subsequent books, “Ugly,” “Always the New Girl,” “Binding Off,” and “Uglier,” were released in 2022 and 2023. “Finding Frances” and “Always the New Girl” won several indie awards and “Ugly” was selected as the Honor book for SCBWI’s Spark Award in the Books for Older Readers category for 2022.
Kelly has a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Oklahoma City University’s Red Earth program. Learn more about Kelly on their website.
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We are (slowly) working on updating old posts to the new format and removing old tour/blitz posts that are now missing key assets – please be patient with us, there are a lot of posts to go through, we’ve been doing this since 2016! Any tour/blitz posts that contained a review and are now missing key assets will be updated to review posts so the reviews remain accessible
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We’re doing our best to get everything up on the site and social media in a timely manner. Apologies if anything is missed or late! Between the state of the US right now, mental/physical health problems, and some things going on in our personal lives, things may be missed or late occasionally. We truly appreciate your understanding! Feel free to reach out to Lily if you notice something missing.
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Mental Health Resources for those in the USA – In light of the recent election, we want to put out a message that LGBTQIA+ and minorities are always welcome here. We may post promos in conjunction with tour companies that spout worldviews we don’t always agree with, but we do our best to avoid any openly phobic posts, and should you notice any, we’d appreciate you contacting us with this form to let us know.
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