Love a good fairy tale? Like Robin McKinley's stories? Want something similar but put in modern times? Then you'll probably want to check this story out, especially since it's being made into a movie. 
 Kyle is gorgeous, the boy every guy wants to be & every girl wants to be with. He's also the biggest jerk at his ultra-rich, ultra-exclusive school. Anyone he views as a zero he either treats like dirt or publicly humiliates. When Kyle decides to humiliate goth-girl Kendra he discovers that he's picked on the wrong person. More specifically he's discovered that he's not only picked on a witch, but a witch who transforms him into a horrific beast. She tells him that if he manages to not only fall in love with a girl who returns that love, but manages to get a kiss from her, he'll regain his formerly handsome appearance. But with a two year limit on his love quest can Kyle really find someone to look beyond his appearance? 
 While listening to this book I couldn't help but think of some of the other authors who have also re-imagined popular fairytales & set them in modern times. While this isn't as awesomely great as Robin McKinley's tales, it does manage to come close enough for me to put them in the same category. Rest assured, Flinn does a very good job of spinning the tale for modern times. Kyle makes a suitably good beast & you can't help but enjoy his interactions with the witchy Kendra. 
 However where the book flubs is when Flinn tries to think up a way to put Kyle & love interest Lindy in the same house together. It just felt a little forced at times. Many will also wish that Lindy had a little more definition to her- other than her love of reading we are given very little information about her or her personality. The other thing some might want to be warned about is that while the book is pretty PG, at some points the writing hints at more... passionate feelings from Kyle. There's also mention of drug addiction, although not by either of the main characters. Flinn does try to tone it down & she's a lot more discreet about it than some of the other authors in the YA category, but it is still there. 
 As far as the audio version goes, Chris Patton does a marvelous job of voicing the characters & drawing the reader into the tale. While I've not heard a lot of professional voice acting (most of the audio books I hear come from PodioBooks), he is very much one of the better ones I've listened to. I really feel that his narration is what made this book for me. The story is OK- not great, but not bad either- pretty middle of the road. However, Patton really makes everything come alive in the audiobook! 
 If you want a hard core fantasy read, you won't find it here. This book is pretty light, but then not every book should be some Tolkien-esque tome. Some books are great because they're perfectly fun reads. This is one of them & it's something that fans of Twilight, Melissa Marr, or similar authors will just love. 
 (Book provided by amazon vine)