Ugly: An honest and heartfelt YA novel about a gender nonconforming teen
The Art of Being Ugly Book 1
by Kelly Vincent

She’s struggling to know her authentic self. When a teenager loses her best friend, can she muster the strength to forge a different path?

Small-town Oklahoma. Nic Summers feels deflated. Overweight and cruelly labeled as an “ugly lesbian” despite liking boys, the fifteen-year-old artist is devastated when her best and only friend announces their family is relocating to Scotland. And after a well-intentioned makeover freaks her out, the desperate introvert tumbles down an internet rabbit hole questioning her gender identity.

Trying but failing to make new friends before she’s left all alone, Nic is plagued by self-doubt. And when her soul-searching leads her to stumble on the label “gender-nonconforming,” she fears sharing that revelation might only make things worse.

As she battles uncertainty and cruel judgment, can Nic learn to feel comfortable in her own skin?

In a sensitive exploration of real teen struggles, author Kelly Vincent deftly weaves a compelling story of individual identity and social expectations. Navigating anxiety, confusion, and loneliness, Vincent crafts an authentic journey through one of life’s most difficult tasks: Figuring out and accepting who you truly are.

Ugly is a heartfelt contemporary YA novel. If you like rooting for the underdog, true friendship, and relatable LGBTQ+ characters, then you’ll love this empathetic coming-of-age tale.

Buy Ugly to live the truth today.

5 out of 5 fairies

I’ve been sitting her for over an hour, trying to figure out how to write this review. On the one hand, this was incredibly well-written, and in a technical sense, a breeze to read. Emotionally, it was a gut punch that took me back decades to my own middle and high school experiences. I just wanted to reach through my kindle and hug Nic and tell her that things really do get better when you leave small towns and small minds behind and go to college. Of course, hearing that doesn’t help when your reality is still rough af (I know first hand). Vincent does an amazing job of capturing the realities of struggling socially and with your own identity in a small town as a teen. The pain, the way people around you act, all of it. I was lucky that HS for me happened when MySpace and AIM were the big ways to keep in touch with your friends, and calls were done with a landline (yes, I’m old). I really wish I was able to express how much this book touched me, and I will admit, as much as I see myself in Nic, I also see a lot of my ms/hs best friend in Sam. Y’all…this book pulls no punches, and there’s no happy, wrap it up in a bow, magic ending. But it’s a book you need to read, whether it’s to feel less alone, or to understand what it’s like to be the outcast. A final note – this book made me feel incredibly seen in a way I wish I had when I was a teen struggling with my identity and bullying.

🩷🤍💜🖤💙

AWARDS

Honor book in SCBWI’s 2022 Spark Award in the Books for Older Readers category

Semifinalist in the 2019 BookLife Prize for Fiction, Children’s and Young Adult category

MORE PRAISE

“The compelling story will resonate with young adults going on their own difficult journeys and should help them feel less alone” — Kirkus Reviews, UGLY

“A book so obviously special and powerful that it feels like a gift” – BookLife Reviews, Editor’s Pick, UGLY

“For readers looking for a novel that champions the underdog, offers a deep dive into the heartache and triumphs of growing up, and presents a candid look at the struggles facing LGBTQ+ youth, this novel hits all the marks and more, for a valuable addition to contemporary YA literature.” – Self-Publishing Review, UGLY

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
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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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