A Need So Beautiful

by Suzanne Young

Charlotte's best friend thinks Charlotte is psychic. Her boyfriend thinks she might be cheating on him. But Charlotte knows what's really wrong: She is one of the Forgotten, a kind of angel on earth, who feels the Need - a powerful, uncontrollable draw to help someone, usually a stranger. At seventeen, Charlotte finds the Need has virtually taken over her life, and it's becoming harder and harder to hide these compulsions-if anyone knew about it, they would think she was crazy. There have been other Forgottens, but they're gone - disappeared in a burst of light and erased from the memories of everyone whose lives they touched. This is the fate that awaits Charlotte. As everyone important in her life slowly begins to forget her, Charlotte has to decide if she'll fight the Need in order to remain herself - no matter how dark the consequences.

• ISBN10: 0062008250
• ISBN13: 9780062008251
• Publish Date: 22 May 2012 (first published 21 June 2011)
• Publish Status: Temporarily Withdrawn
• Out of Print: 15 October 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc
• Imprint: Balzer and Bray
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 288
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.com.au/9780062008251

Reviews

[bookishzelda]

I actually read this book a little while ago. It was another one of those Borders going out of business pick-ups. I couldn't resist the cover, it's almost like it glows.

I have to admit, I'm a sucker for a happy ending and from the moment I started reading this book I knew. I knew how it was going to turn out. I put it down for an hour thinking I was mad at it, how could this be happening to Charlotte and then quickly scooped it up and read like my life depended on it. I had moments when I was angry at characters and moments when I was just sad. I loved Harlin's dedication to Charlotte even though she was acting out of sorts. This was a great example of sacrifice for the greater good but I honestly had moments where i was torn between wanting her to be selfish and wanting her to fulfill her Need. We all sometimes struggle to do the right thing, nobody is perfect. I loved that about this book.

[lizarodz]

WOW! This book blew me away, the idea is so original and the concept so well carried out. I don't think I can find a single bad thing to say about it, other than it's a series and now I have to wait a whole year to know what happens next.

Charlotte has always had a compulsion to help others, she calls it The Need, and it is a painful pull towards someone she needs to help. The problem is that every time that she helps someone, she looses a little bit of herself and the memory of her disappears. This concept by itself is so heartbreaking, knowing that in fulfilling your purpose you will loose everything you hold dear and be Forgotten.

The characters in 'A Need So Beautiful' are beautifully written and developed. You get to know Charlotte, Sarah, Harlin, Monroe and others characters well and identify with them. What can I say about Harlin and Charlotte? Their relationship felt so incredible and at the same time real, a love so intense that it was almost like a physical need by itself. I laughed and I cried while reading this amazing page-turner.

Ms. Young's writing style in very down to earth and makes the reader identify themselves with the setting, the story and the characters. A very enjoyable and easy novel to read. Go run to the book store or the library right now and give it a try. It is, at the risk of being redundant, beautiful.

About the cover: Love the cover, its airy and full of light, which is a big part of the story. I also like the style and position of the title and how the words kind of link together.

[empressbrooke]

Having just read another YA supernaturalish novel that fell victim to just about every YA cliche in the book, I had to come back to this one and write a review for it. Suzanne Young managed to produce a well-written teen novel that avoided the expected. The dialog and interactions felt believable, the main character didn't have legions of men falling at her feel, and her angst felt understandable instead of overwrought. Plus, the ending was ballsy and threw me for a loop. Young is definitely an author to watch.