Frances Metcalfe is struggling to stay afloat.A stay-at-home mom whose troubled son is her full-time job, she thought that the day he got accepted into the elite Forrester Academy would be the day she started living her life. Overweight, insecure, and lonely, she is desperate to fit into Forrester’s world. But after a disturbing incident at the school leads the other children and their families to ostracize the Metcalfes, she feels more alone than ever before.
Until she meets Kate Randolph.
Kate is everything Frances is not: beautiful, wealthy, powerful, and confident. And for some reason, she’s not interested in being friends with any of the other Forrester moms—only Frances. As the two bond over their disdain of the Forrester snobs and the fierce love they have for their sons, a startling secret threatens to tear them apart.
Because one of these women is not who she seems.
My Thoughts: Her Pretty Face opens with an article from 1996: a teenager was murdered in Arizona. What, if anything, connects these happenings to the current day characters?
I could empathize with Frances and how she has been ostracized by the other school moms due to something her son Marcus did. One can sense that she has had her own experiences from childhood that set her apart…if she could only talk about those events.
So when the gorgeous and wealthy Kate offers friendship, and their sons get along, which really helps Marcus begin to settle into the school, Frances feels connected and understood for the first time ever. Something had happened in her own past that led to her feelings of alienation.
In a back and forth storyline that begins to reveal more from the past events, I could see where the plot was taking us…and then was stunned by the final revelations. Daisy, Kate’s teenage daughter, gave an alternating narrative that led us to a greater understanding of the characters and their secrets, while intriguing us with more questions.
A riveting 5 star read.
Fantastic review, Laurel! I loved this book. It had me in suspense for a while and guessing wrong about what was going on. I’m glad you enjoyed it too!
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Thanks, Stephanie, I was so happy to read a book that kept my interest throughout.
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You’re welcome! That’s always a plus. I’ve had a couple lately that have not held my attention and I’ve had to put on hold, but I’m hoping to return to them in a bit and maybe they will grab me…
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I just read something like this about a person being ostracized by other mothers and the terrible spiral it led to. It was very intense. This sounds like that too.
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Thanks for visiting, Mystica; the book was fascinating.
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When I decide to read a thriller I want it to be one that’s difficult to put down. This sounds like one of those books so it’s going on my TBR list. Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks for visiting, Mary, and I hope you find it impossible to put down.
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This one sounds utterly intriguing and I believe rather sinister. I can see why you’d read it and its one I’d read too.
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I am very glad that I picked this one up this week. It has set the pace for the rest of the week, I think. I am on a roll now. Thanks for visiting, Kathryn, and i hope you enjoy it.
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Glad you liked this one. I enjoyed the author’s first novel called The Party which also seemed a pretty hard to put down thriller. Now I need to get this one. thanks!
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Thanks for visiting, Susan, I’m glad you enjoyed this book…and now I should check out The Party.
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