Her Pretty Face is my pick for what will be the most talked about book of the summer. After finishing it I am dying to talk to others about it and I think word of mouth will propel it to be popular. It is very difficult to discuss or review without any spoilers but I promise to mark them clearly. Everything I want to talk about happens after the first big reveal but I can’t get into it without spoiling the surprise. It wasn’t a huge surprise to me as I suspected Amber’s identity but I don’t want to ruin it for anyone else.

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This feels totally based on Karla Homolka. I’m not sure how much people outside of Canada know about her but her story is fairly parallel to Amber’s. Karla and her husband, Paul Bernardo were an attractive young couple who kidnapped, raped and tortured at least three teen girls together, including Karla's sister. When they were finally caught, Karla took a plea deal which gave her a short sentence in return for testifying against her husband. There is a famous picture of her leaving the trial in a car and her expression matches the one Amber is said to have in her similar picture. If I hadn't already made the connection, that would have done it. The general consensus on Homolka seems to be that she played a much more active role in the crimes than the prosecutors knew at the time and that she played the innocent victim but was actually a cold-blooded serial killer who had gotten away with murder. She served her short sentence, was released from prison, got married and had kids.

To this day I see stories in the news about where she and her family are living and the uproar when the locals discover her past. It’s a terrible story and although I don't feel much compassion for her I feel awful for her children. I wonder what it is like to be the child of a sociopathic killer and have everyone know all the gruesome details. In this story it is Daisy and Charles who pay the price for their mother’s past and really, psychopaths never change they just adapt their personality in ways that are convenient to them. Daisy sees this most clearly of all and she’s totally right to be concerned about her brother’s safety. I’m concerned about Charles and I know he’s not real!

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Her Pretty Face is a disturbing, haunting and infuriating story that has left me desperately wanting to talk to someone about it. On that note, this would be an excellent book club pick if your friends can stomach the implied violence. The worst acts are alluded to but never explained in detail so it’s graphic, but not too graphic. It is a book that gets in your head and will make you wonder about everyone. Is that PTA mom you hate actually a psychopath? Is your best friend? Your husband? Research says that 1 in 25 people are a sociopath. 4% of Americans are psychopaths and 5-15% are “almost psychopaths." Not all of these people kill but they are capable of it. It’s chilling to think about it too much. And after finishing this book you will be thinking about it. Too much.

Thank you to Gallery/Scout Press and Simon & Schuster Canada for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.

This book was not a bad read but I feel that the plot could have been much more compelling. It felt anti-climactic, and the subplot involving the daughter and “David” seemed poorly done and somewhat unnecessary. That being said, was still an easy and entertaining read.

An absolutely riveting story. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and will be recommending it to customers in our store!

Her Pretty Face is the first Robyn Harding novel that I've read and it exceeded my expectations. Each time I thought I had it all figured out, Harding surprised me. For anyone who loves twists and turns, this ones for you! Thoroughly enjoyed Her Pretty Face and looking forward going back to pick up The Party next.

This book is a quick, easy read. This, along with the suspense makes it a good beach read. I enjoyed the three different perspectives that the story was told from and trying to figure out how they are connected right form the beginning. I could see many women relating to the character of Frances as she struggles with motherhood and finding close friends. There are lots of secrets in this book, some I didn't see coming, some I did. The ending wrapped up pretty nicely. Three stars because I enjoyed the read, but it didn't blow me away and at times was predictable. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars. first time reading Robyn harding and was not disappointed. the plot is quite interesting and very unexpected. i wanted more justice for the departed. i like how i kept on guessing who is who and what really happened then end up being wrong. it makes the story more interesting.

3.5 stars

Two friends. One of them is a murderer. Such a simple complex, yet so fresh.

I have read The Party by Harding, but I did seem to enjoy this one a lot more. Her Pretty Face had so many great components that made it an enjoyable read.

The characters were full of secrets. Frances, Kate and even 14 year old Daisy. Everyone is hiding something from one another. There’s just something so entertaining about reading a book with secrets. Who’s secret is it? When will the person find out? Do they already know? These questions immediately come to mind and it creates an enjoyable atmosphere while I’m reading.

The plot was developed pretty well. I did enjoy finding out which one was Amber. At times you switch between characters because the author throws little hints throughout the novel but it’s meant to be confusing. I did find out who it was before it was revealed but it didn’t take away from the enjoyment of the novel.

The ending was concluded well, but I expected a little more. It might be because I read so many thrillers that I’m always expecting the author to come with a complex ending that will leave me shocked. But this was a great read, especially for the summer!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

Stay at home mother, Frances is attending a costume party… and she’s not happy about it. Unfortunately, it’s a fundraiser for her son, Marcus’s school. She would rather be doing anything else. The fact that it’s a costume party just makes everything worse. She’s dressed as Cyndi Lauper but feels she looks more like “a cross between a deranged clown and a heavyset bag lady”. She’s sweating and feeling anxious. She’s suffered from social anxiety for many years.

“When one’s past was something to be hidden and guarded, mingling and making idle chitchat became daunting.”

Just as Frances thinks she can’t take anymore, she hears a voice that instantly makes her feel better. Her only friend and ally at the school, Kate Randolph. When Marcus was accepted into Forrester Academy, Frances thought she might finally have a bit of free time on her hands. However, right from the start, her son has trouble fitting in…especially after an “episode” with a classmate. Since then everyone has shunned the Metcalfe’s, except Kate Rudolph. The two women bond over their mutual disdain for the other mothers whose children attend Forrester Academy.

While Frances in insecure, Kate is the exact opposite and she even stands up for Frances. Kate has a son, Charles the same age as Marcus and the two boys hit it off. Kate also has a teenage daughter, Daisy who is fourteen. Frances does notice that Kate doesn’t seem to spend much time with or worrying about, Daisy. Still, Frances is shocked that Kate wants to be her friend.

We hear from Kate’s daughter, Daisy. Daisy is having trouble at school. It’s always hard for her fitting in as her family moves every few years so she’s always the new girl. Now a rumor has gotten out of hand and Daisy is really struggling. She doesn’t feel like her parents care about her so she won’t go to them for advice or support.

We are given little tidbits into Frances childhood and the “heinous” act she committed in her youth.

Kate is confident, wealthy, beautiful, and powerful. In Frances’ eyes, Kate is perfect. But just like Frances, Kate has secrets ……

But one woman’s secrets are a whole lot darker…

“Her Pretty Face” was a very thought-provoking read. Can people really change? Can the past be forgiven…or are some things just too horrific to ever be forgiven?

I thought the multiple story-lines in this novel were interesting and they all came together well. One of the story-lines reminded me of a very famous criminal case in Canada. Overall, I thought this was an intriguing and addictive domestic drama that was hard to put down. I look forward to seeing what Robyn Harding writes next.

I’d like to thank Gallery/Scout Press and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I received this early copy of Her Pretty Face by Robyn Harding from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest and fair review.

I honestly couldn't believe how quickly I became enthralled with the story line here. I usually enjoy books where there are several different character perspectives, but this one really grabbed me right from the beginning. I was left guessing until the very end who each character was, and was surprised by each as there story progressed. The character development was excellent considering the abundance of main characters throughout the story. The only character I would have liked to know a little bit more about would have been David. I felt as though his story line was kind of anti-climactic.

This story put me in mind of the case in Scarborough, Ontario involving Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka. I don't know if any of the characters where based around this or not, but there were a lot of similarities.

One thing I'm sure of is that I would LOVE to have more Daisy in the future. I found her to be a very complex character, and I wish there was more to her story line, especially with the ending.

Overall I was pleasantly surprised with, Her Pretty Face, and highly recommend it when it hits shelves on July 10th!

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an ARC copy of Her Pretty Face by Robyn Harding in exchange for an honest review. Frances Metcalfe is a wife and an over-protective mother of her son, Marcus. Marcus is big and awkward and gets bullied right away when he gets accepted into private Forester Academy. Frances feels the judgmental looks coming from the cool moms. She feels like an outcast until she meets Kate, another mother at the school. She is instantly mesmerized by Kate. She thinks Kate is beautiful, thin and has a perfect house and life. The two woman quickly become fast friends and Kate’s son becomes friends with Marcus. Kate also has a daughter named Daisy. She’s in high school and goes through all the normal angst of a teenage girl. There are also flashback chapters from DJ, whose sister was brutally murdered. As the two women and their families become closer, secrets from both their pasts threaten to change their lives.
An excellent psychological thriller that keeps the reader engaged from beginning to end.

Frances is a stay at home mom to her troubled and misjudged son Marcus. When he gets into an elite private school, she thinks all her worries are behind her. But he gets bullied and singled out as being different by all the other kids. Frances doesn’t feel like she fits in with the cliquey mom group at the school either and is feeling very alone until she meets Kate. Kate sticks up for Frances and Marcus and Kate’s son becomes a good friend and influence on Marcus. Frances and Kate become fast friends, but both of them are hiding a secret and one of them you’d never believe.

You instantly feel sorry for both Frances and Marcus at the beginning of this book because they are both having a hard time fitting in at this new school where popularity is key. Frances also feels a lot of guilt about her son not fitting in and is very attached to him, which you begin to understand more once you find out her secret. I also really felt for Daisy who says over and over how much her mom doesn’t love her and you see evidence that she doesn’t seem to. It’s almost a game changer for her when she realizes that someone else may care about her and she’ll do anything to hang onto that feeling. Kate just seems too good to be true throughout most of the book, but I also got a weird vibe off her.

I loved that there were three different stories happening at once, Frances, Kate’s daughter Daisy and DJ, whose sister was raped and killed by a girl named Amber. You go through the entire novel wondering who the heck Amber is and I was actually pleasantly surprised by the reveal. You want to feel bad for the character who was previously Amber, but she just becomes instantly unlikeable when you hear about what she did. This novel had less drama and twists than I expected, but I was still interested in the story line. I enjoyed the ending and for the most part felt like everything was wrapped up.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I had a really hard time reading this book. as it didnt hold my interest very long. i found the plot was there but the writer didnt know where to take the characters. Thank you for the advanced read of this book

Thank you netgalley for an advanced copy of this book. I absolutely loved this book. The plot the characters. Everything! I would highly recommend this book to everyone.

Written from 3 different perspectives. France's and Kate are total opposites. Frances worries about her weight, lacks self esteem , has a secret that not even her husband knows about which bothers her greatly. Her son Marcus is overprotected and has behavioural issues. Kate on the other hand is slim, very self assured and has a rich husband. They meet in the private school their sons, Marcus and Charles respectively, go to. Marcus peed in a girls bottle, which she took a sip of, after she had bullied him! The parents ostracize Frances and the kids her son, but Kate ridicules them all and stands up for Kate. It developed into a very close relationship between the adults and the boys.
Dj's story interjects at times. He remembers his sisters disturbing death, and the court case that followed . Although he was only a boy he persuaded his parents to let him go to the court and hear the horrific evidence against the two defendants.; one of which made a deal and got a short sentence.
Daisy, Kate's teenager daughter has her own story to tell. As a 14 year old she was given total freedom to come and go as she pleased. She felt her mother did not love her. Wanting to be held and loved she experimented with sex, which led to being 'foulmouthed 'by the boy and laughed at by her schoolmates. The booze and drugs that followed she hoped would numb her despair..
The plot comes to a climax when it is discovered that one of the main characters is not who they say they are.......they are a murderer! Very well written, it keeps you guessing until near the end with the lies and secrets. I certainly recommend reading this mystery.

This thriller gets you hooked from the first word and keeps you guessing through the whole book. It was all about lies friendship and deceit. This book is about two women Francis and Kate. The two women become friends quickly however each of them is hiding their own dark secret and trying to keep their past hidden from everyone. Frances is trying her best to fit into the elite world that she has found herself in both in her own life but also at her son's preschool, and Kate sick of the drama of the preschool moms starts up a friendship with Francis right away. The book jumps a little bit between time lines. Now, where the two women are friends and tying to figure things out and then where it is revealed that one of these two women is a murder. With lies flying everywhere the reader must try to figure out who is telling the truth and who is lying. I liked how at first it seemed like two different stories were being told but the ending tied them together nicely. With intense family issues and a possible murder this book has it all.Great novel really had me at the edge of my seat for the whole thing and every time I tried to put it down I was compelled to pick it back up again to see what happens next. Great book and the story was even better I never could have imagined something like this so it was nice for the author to keep me guessing. Great work.

This was a very good thriller that had me intrigued throughout while trying to figure out which one was Amber. Unfortunately for me personally, it hit a little too close to the Paul Bernardo/ Karla Homolka crimes that happened years ago in my area and left me with a bad taste in my mouth! That being said, it was still a really great book with interesting complex characters and a suspenseful plot that was enjoyable to read. I really liked the back and forth POV’s between the 4 different characters. I will be getting this authors previous book as well because I like her writing style and the she does this genre really well! * I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review *

This is a very well written book. I did not think that this book was a psychological suspense book but rather an in depth look into human behaviour. This is a story about friendship, lies, and deception. The central theme is can a person really change? You will have to decide for yourself in this compulsively readable book. I do recommend this title. Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

I loved Her Pretty Face. Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for the e-copy in exchange for an honest review! Frances and Kate both have children at Forrester Academy and become fast friends. Their sons are best friends as well, but one has a secret and it’s unravelled over the course of the book. A compelling domestic drama, this book keeps you on your toes. The characters are developed with skill and you never quite know the whole story. I loved how little threads are dropped the whole way through to keep your interest. Perfect summer reading, not too heavy but gripping all the same.

What would you do if you found out your best friend had a dark past: stand by the person you know, or fear the person they used to be? This question is at the heart of Her Pretty Face, and causes one of the main characters to question everything she knows.

The story centres around two women. Frances is a stay-at-home-mom who is struggling to fit in with the other parents at her son’s private school. An incident with her son makes matters worse, until she meets Kate. Kate doesn’t care about what any of the other parents think of her, and stands up for Frances. The two become fast friends, but each are hiding secrets of their own. While they are both trying to keep their pasts private, a series of events brings old information to light, and it’s darker than you could have ever imagined.

Like many contemporary thrillers, Her Pretty Face is told from multiple first-person perspectives, and bounces back and forth between different timelines (in this case, “then” and “now”). Unlike others I’ve read, this one was very easy to follow. There are also a few newspaper articles thrown in the narrative as well, which mixed things up a bit, and added more depth to the story.

I will admit, I found the whole “who is the criminal” mystery a little obvious, but that did not at all disinterest me from the story. In fact, after guessing who it was, I wanted to read even more to find out what exactly happened to get that particular character to where they were in the present. It’s definitely an emotional story, and a bit graphic, too.

In fact, the crime in this novel reminded me quite a bit of an infamous Canadian case, although I won’t say which one right now, because I don’t want to give away any spoilers.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was entertaining, emotional, fast-paced, and kept me on my toes until the end. I’m even more excited now to read Robyn Harding’s first novel, The Party, which has been sitting on my bookshelf for a couple of weeks.

A special thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Frances Metcalfe is a stay-at-home mom that is struggling with her difficult son, her weight, being lonely, and a flat marriage. She is desperate to fit into the elite group of Forrest Academy moms assuming that her acceptance would change her mundane life. But then there is a disturbing incident at the school and the savage mothers further shun the Metcalfes. Frances feels even more judged, ridiculed and alone than before, that is until she meets Kate Randolph.

Kate is everything that Francis is not: beautiful, thin, confident, rich, with a gorgeous home, and for some reason, she's chosen Frances to be her friend when it is obvious that she would fit right in with the other mothers. The women bond over their boys and their shared scorn of the Forrester snobs. But there is a dark secret is lurking, one that will tear them apart. You see one of these women is not who she says she is—her real name is Amber Kunick and she is a murderer.

Okay, can we all just take a moment to appreciate how beautiful this cover is?

The story is told from multiple points of view and it is pure genius how the storylines tie together. Harding's writing is sharp, layered, complex, and and there are just enough plot twists to keep the reader engaged and fully vested in the story. She spins a tale of secrets and lies, deceit, and examines how well we really know people, especially those we let into our lives.

This was my first book by Robyn Harding and it won't be my last! I loved it and I can't wait to read The Party, I've heard incredible things about it as well. Okay, full disclosure: any book that has an 80s fundraiser or 80s anything is top of my list! Congratulations, Robyn, on a fabulous book.