Charisma Review

TITLE: Charisma
AUTHOR: Jeanne Ryan
PUBLISHER: Dial Books
PUBLICATION DATE: 3/3/2015
FORMAT: Hardcover
PAGES: 384
SOURCE: Won from Crystal @ Winter Haven Books
MY RATING: 

INSIDE COVER SUMMARY: Aislyn is the kind of shy that makes her choke up in class and avoid parties. And it means talking to her crush, Jack, is a total non-starter. So when she's offered a dose of Charisma, an underground gene therapy drug guaranteed to make her shine, she jumps at the chance for an internal makeover. The effects are instant. She's charming, vivacious, and popular. But strangely, so are some other kids she knows. The media goes into a frenzy when the therapy turns contagious, and then deadly, and the doctor who gave it to them disappears. Aislyn must choose between reversing the treatment and losing her new personality, or risking her life for a shot at charisma.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: This was a fun read. First of all, I could totally relate to Aislyn's social phobia. I don't have it quite as bad as her, and lately I'm starting to come out of my shell as I get older and realize that we're all just people, but I can definitely relate to her. There were some things that I predicted about the story, but that didn't really take away from my experience reading. I felt that the ending was pretty well done. There was a good amount of closure while still leaving some things open.

CHARACTERS: I wish there was more information about the side characters. I feel like I almost got to know them, but not enough to feel connected to any of them. Aislyn was a good main characters. I could feel what she was feeling. I thought that she made some unwise decisions, but I also felt like she acted in a way that many teens would if faced with her situation.

COVER: I love the cover, but I'm not entirely sure how it ties in with the story. It would make more sense if it were monkeys or something, but the color scheme is cute.