Violet by Designby Melissa WalkerOk, so I am slightly behind in posting my review thoughts on this book and though I don't need to apologize (since I don't think I have a ton of readers or anything) I do feel like I need to apologize to ME since I loved the book so very, very much and I just can't wait to tell the world about it!And yet, I ended up waiting.So Violet by Design, finds Violet once again in the crazy world of modelling, because -hello!!- Brazil! Paris! Who would pass up on opportunities like that? (Well, except me because I don't have any desire to visit either of those places. Ireland? Scotland? Finland? I'm so there! But this so not about me.) Violet is asked to come to Brazil for their Fashion Week and finds herself in both a different-yet-the-same type of Model World as in New York. This time around she has to deal with what a huge issue for many - especially young girls - body image. She's told to lose five pounds before she walks the runway in two days and is torn by the choices in front of her. On the one hand, what's five pounds, right? On the other, why should she have to starve herself for fashion?Frustrated, Violet blogs about her problems on MySpace. I so saw the red flashing lights for that one. Of course her blog posts are picked up by the gossip-mongers and Violet, tired of the pressure, uses this as a platform to speak her mind on the body image and eating habits in the modelling world.Not the smartest thing to do, but it was from the heart and true to who Violet is and what she stands for and I have to say I really admire the direction the author took with Violet on this issue. Yes, she bows to the peer pressure and ends up collapsing on the runway from lack of food, but Violet is also pretty strong in what she believes in and the hypocrisies of being chosen to represent the New Model Image (healthy body, healthy life) and yet still being told to lose the weight before the show isn't lost on her.The weight issue was deftly handled in this book and I think the author gave a voice to girls out there who deal with this every day. The topic was discussed smartly and not just lightly touched upon and then quickly covered up.I love how torn the main character is about the big issues, just like a normal girl. She doesn't cave in quite so blindly to the pressure. She fights it and isn't just a sheep in the herd. She keeps her own mind about her and her own morals. Yes, they often conflict with the choices she makes, but Violet is young and is still discovering this new world where she's Somebody. She's in a world where people want to talk to her, to be with her, to have her show off their clothes.It's a big difference from being the shy, tall girl that never really fit in in high school. Who wouldn't jump at the opportunity to suddenly Be Someone? To be liked for their (perceived) flaws? I know I would, though I would have conflicting emotions about some of the tougher choices as well. I know I will, I have always been that way. It's been the joke in my family that I would be the starving Rock Star who didn't make the big bucks because she wouldn't sell out for the millions of dollars pushed at her to wear next-to-nothing and starve herself.Eh, the choice is yours. Violet makes her decisions, her mistakes and comes around in the end. I am a firm believer that a good person will always be a good person, even when tempted by the wolf.(In a totally unrelated noted - where the heck did the spellcheck go in this new version of Wordpress? ARGH! I can't survive without a spellchecker!! *thwaps wordpress.com with a wet noodle*)I am all about Violet right now and am both frustrated and a-twitter with anticipation that the third book, Violet in Private won't be out for months! Argh!

• Violet on the Runway (September 2007)
• Violet by Design (March 2008 )
• Violet in Private