Sep is a sixteen-year-old girl. She is about to start a new school year. Unlike most teens, she is fairly secure in her appearance. That is, until she wakes up with white lips. Uncertain of what it means, her mother makes a doctor's appointment and Sep covers it up with lipstick, something she hasn't worn since she was ten. But then, she finds out she has a disease that will turn blotches of her skin white, and her lips are only the first step.
Naturally, Joshua, her childhood sweetheart turned football player, is noticing her again, just when she is trying her best to hide. Sep starts out being immature, though not ridiculously so for her age. She worries about boys, but she is comfortable in her own skin, until that skin betrays her. Then, you see how truly important skin is to us. Sep goes from being secure to being constantly aware of her skin that might mark her further with her disease. Using her time wisely, she decides to give Joshua a try, and does something she never expected: she falls in love. But of course she knows it will have to end, because he doesn't know her secret, and once he does, he will never want to be with her. Taking the time she has left before she becomes self-proclaiming ugly, she makes the most of life and cuts all the politeness out. She hilariously and seriously uses honesty as a weapon and as a beacon of hope.
In her adolescent mind, readers can see even more so how sometimes the diseases that affect only the outside appearance and don't harm the inside of the body can be the most deadly to our fragile vanity. Sep gives a unique and clear voice to how beauty, inner and outer, can change you in ways you never thought possible. You see how sometimes you have to be a warrior even though the armor of your skin is your weakest link. Underneath this whole novel, you see the strength of a heart and the fragility of a teenage spirit. You see that first love can be tragic and beautiful and maybe not even love at all.
SKIN was powerful, moving, and heart-shattering. I loved Sep; I loved her relationship with Josh. I didn't make it half way through without crying. The characters and the plot were bittersweet and real. If I hadn't loved this book so much, I would have hated it for how much it tore me apart. If you're a fan of John Green or Katie McGarry, grab this book and some Kleenex and go have a good cry.
Sixteen-year-old Sep stares into the bathroom mirror. It’s not some weird lipstick (she never wears lipstick). Her lips are just — white. In a panic, she digs up an old lipstick and smears it on her colorless lips. But soon, more and more white spots begin to bloom, spreading their chalky tendrils across her olive brown skin. Does she have a disease? Is she turning into some kind of freak? Sep is usually the one who knows all the answers. With a quicksilver mind and a supple body, she’s happiest when she’s delving into the mysteries of animal biology or giving herself over to sweet, hot moves in Jazz Dance Club. Unlike her best friend, Devin, she’s never been in a rush to get a boyfriend. But as the white blotches spread, her dating days — like the endangered species she studies — seem numbered. So when Joshua, a boy she’s always liked, makes a flirty advance, she wonders: why not grab pleasure while she can?
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