You see, freedom has a way of destroying things.

When she awoke, the world was on fire.

Two weeks of killer sunburn is worth a lifetime of being gorgeous

I like my first lines short and declarative. No complicated sentences. Of course, that's not really a Scott thing. It's pretty classic grab-the-reader technique.

Your father always suspected that being pretty-minded is simply the natural state for most people. They want to be vapid and lazy and vain—Maddy glanced at Tally—and selfish. It only takes a twist to lock in that part of their personalities. He always thought that some people could think their way out of it.

The lie took form as she spoke, pulling on as many strands of truth as it could reach.

However stupid the choice seemed, Shay had made it with her eyes open, and had respected Tally's choice to stay.