Review: The Story of My Face by Leanne Baugh


Title: The Story of My Face
Author: Leanne Baugh
Publisher: Second Story Press
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Paperback, 230 Pages
Published September 2018



Summary: After being severely mauled by a grizzly bear in the Rocky Mountains, seventeen-year-old Abby Hughes's facial disfigurement sends young children screaming into their mothers' arms. Returning to high school, that most intensely judgmental of places, Abby is forced to combat rejection, bullying and betrayal. In order to accept herself and ask others to do the same, she too must learn to dig below the surface to see people for who they really are. Her love of acting and her return to drama class may be the key, or it may be the disaster that drives her from high school (and society) altogether.


I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, and I'm so glad that I did! This story gripped me from the minute I read the summary -- I mean, a protagonist who was involved in a bear attack and lived to tell the tale? That's definitely not anything I've ever read about before, which immediately drew me into the story. So without further ado, let's get into the review!

As the summary explains, Abby was on a hiking trip when she had an unfortunate run-in with a grizzly bear that ended up mauling her. It's month's later now, and after multiple surgeries and lots of rehabilitation, she's ready to go back to school. The only problem? People aren't taking kindly to how she looks, and they're making sure that he knows it.

This book was a breeze to get through, and it was a really interesting story to read. It was less than 250 pages, so it was a super quick read. I could've totally read it in one sitting if I hadn't been drowning in studying for finals! But because it was such a quick read, the drama was consistent and kept threading you along, which made things interesting. You would always want to turn the page and find out what would happen next!

The only thing that I wasn't crazy about with this book was the fact that the ending felt a little bit rushed. It seemed like the entire story was building up to the monologue and the moment at grad, but those pages passed by so quickly that I felt sort of cheated in a way. I was getting into the story and I definitely wanted more! Plus, there were some things that happened with some characters that was brushed over and we ended up being left in the dark about, so it would've been nice to see what happened with them. (Although I won't say any more about that at the risk of spoiling it!)

Overall, I'm glad that I was given the opportunity to read The Story of My Face. It was an emotional story about recovering from a super traumatic event while also finding ways to fall back into your old routine -- and, perhaps most importantly -- how to feel confident and fall in love with yourself again. This was a super quick and enjoyable read that I'd definitely recommend if you're looking for something quick to help you tie up those loose ends for your Goodreads reading challenge goal this year!




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