After Ugly and Uglier comes UGLIEST, the third installment of Kelly Vincent’s The Art of Being Ugly series. Like its predecessors, UGLIEST foregrounds the experiences of young members of the LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities in America, along with the prejudices and problems they face. Non-binary lead character Nic Summers is now seventeen and studying math and science at a boarding school in Oklahoma City. Alongside trans friend Mack, Nic is caught up in a social media-driven whirlwind when one of the videos they post on TikTok concerning the removal of gender-affirming care in Oklahoma goes viral.

UGLIEST features attitudes and events inspired by contemporary U.S. politics with an emphasis on how lawmakers are increasingly victimizing already marginalized individuals. Vincent uses their characters and plotting to make the case for the necessity of standing up for what you believe in, no matter how viciously the culture wars may rage around you.

As the book progresses, the author skillfully demonstrates the insidious effect on regular citizens of distant lawmakers driven by repressive ideologies. Though there can be no doubting the point of view from which the author is writing, there is some nuance in the work. Notably, the lead character identifies and addresses their own tendency to be judgmental: “She approached Lily, a girl I had dismissed as ‘normal’ last semester because she was conventionally pretty—slim, delicate-looking, and blonde—and I had this thing where I thought anyone who conformed was somewhat evil. But Lily turned out to be really nice, and I’d revised my worldview.”

If Nic is capable of seeing beyond inherent prejudice, then why can’t others? As they make clear, it is the lawmakers who are the problem: “These politicians had no idea how hard it was to be LGBTQ, to be marginalized and persecuted just for being different. They were monsters.”

The book is well-paced, and Vincent’s dialogue is sparky and believable. They are able to conjure a realistic college environment in which their characters interact and agitate. However, there are moments when the author delves too deeply into factual exposition, causing the narrative to feel stilted. Characters occasionally deliver lines that seem more focused on conveying real-world information to the reader than engaging in natural dialogue. For example, in one scene the character Mack recounts what he has learned from a trans woman’s blog, resulting in two pages of updates on current anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in various states. His virtual monologue ends with someone saying, “You know what? I think we can talk about these issues on TikTok.” Introducing these points more casually and less awkwardly—perhaps while scripting their videos—would have smoothed the prose.

Nonetheless, Vincent generally remembers that an effective novel needs to engage the reader with the characters’ inner lives rather than merely serving as a vehicle for discussing important issues.

Kelly Vincent’s UGLIEST is a well-written YA novel that is unafraid to tackle topics affecting LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities in America. It is a bold story that should be embraced by any reader who wishes for fairness and equality.

~Kent Lane for IndieReader