Her Pretty Face by Robyn Harding
I had high hopes for Robyn Harding’s anticipated second novel after thoroughly enjoying The Party however; it did not pack as much of a punch and left me feeling underwhelmed. I assumed that a story of a past-killer turned mom would be thrilling, fast-paced and riveting; yet the story was only mildly entertaining and the characters and plot were mediocre at best. If you loved The Party, expect to be disappointed by this average novel.
2/5 stars

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was really well done, the characters were believable, the mystery was there. I thought I had things figured out, but I was wrong. I was drawn right into this book and could not put it down.

This is my second book by this author and I can't wait until the next one!

A disturbing psychological thriller featuring two 15 year old girls, and two mothers with tragedy in their pasts.
Frances Metcalfe is an over-protective mother hiding a dark secret. Kate Randolph is a disinterested mother hiding a dark past. Forming a friendship because of the needs of their sons seems beneficial for the women too until Frances befriends Kate's teenage daughter, Daisy.
Bouncing between then (15 years earlier) and now, and between Then Courtney and Now Daisy as well as the lead women and their families was at times a bit unsettling.
Not a happy ever after ending nor were all of the questions answered leaving an open-ended tale.
I give this a 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to Net Galley and the Publisher for a free ARC novel in exchange for an honest review.

Her Pretty Face is dynamite! The cover alone would make you buy it. It is told through the eyes of Frances - a stay-at-home mom who does anything to help her troubled son make friends and be accepted. Daisy - a neglected teen who sadly doesn't know how to care for herself and what others think of her. Finally DJ - his character relives the horrific crime that ties everyone in the novel together. While they are not related, their lives a forever connected by these events of the past.

The back story was reminiscent of serial killers, Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka. Especially in regards to how Kate was treated once her story was told.

The story has many twists and turns and if you think that you've figured out what is happening, you will probably find that you are wrong. You will feel every emotion possible while reading this book. The moral of the story that Robyn Harding weaves could be that you should look past that "pretty face" because you shouldn't judge and choose based on those looks.

This book will reel you in and keep you hooked to the last page.

Frances and Kate become best friends as both their boys attend private school together. One of them is not who they say they are: one is a murderer who has served her time.

You get drawn into their stories and those of their families.

Don't want to say too much but you wont be disappointed . The pages will fly by because you know this want turn out well at all.

Robyn Harding has matched her first novel The Party; loved that book

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

2.5 - All my thoughts on <I>Her Pretty Face</i> can be summed up as "meh".

I found the plot somewhat boring; I found that the only interesting part was Daisy and if she was going to turn out okay or not. Frances and Kate both annoyed me for different reasons, although as a protagonist Frances wasn't terrible. I liked her mind-tangents on murder, even if that seems weird.

The plot was predictable, which was unfortunate. Both reveals were lacklustre and frankly completely obvious. The third reveal, the one that isn't really... part of the plot was just as boring. Her guilt over the situation made sense but the writing kept mentioning it which just made it so very boring and inconsequential to the overall story.

If you're looking for a somewhat quick read for the beach or a flight, this is a fast-paced novel. But if you're looking for a great mystery/thriller, this isn't it.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read and review this book.
4 🌟
I really enjoyed Her Pretty Face. The story told from 3 different perspectives worked really well. I especially enjoyed DJ and Daisy,s perspectives . Although I don’t always enjoy books that go back and forth in time, I found that it worked really well in this novel. The story over all flowed very well .

I will have to check out some of Ms Harding’s other books .

Prior to reading this I had not read anything by Robyn Harding so I wasn't sure what to expect. The story sounded interesting so I dove in without much thought. I was immediately sucked in! I couldn't stop reading! Well, life forced me to stop, but if I wanted to finish it all at once. As I neared the end I found myself slowing my pace to make it last longer!
The characters are strong and whether you love them or hate them, they feel so real. The pace is great and following the flashbacks was easy and clear -- some authors make this difficult but it was seamless in "Her Pretty Face". A lot of twists you never see coming. And the reveal is gentle and timely (if that makes sense!) -- I hate when authors dump the reveal on you in a Scooby-Doo style where there is no way in hell you'd figure it out -- but Robyn handles the ending so well. The clues were there all along but she puts the pieces together slowly so the "aha" moment is satisfying and true. You feel good at the end. :)

I'm off to read, "The Party" now because I'm a new fan of Robyn's and want to read all the things!

A fabulous summer read. I really enjoyed that the story shifted back and forth between three narratives that were easy to keep straight. The different perspectives made it hard to put the book down and the characters were easy to relate to making for a quick read. As someone who lived in Ontario during the Bernardo/Homolka era it did make the book a little less enjoyable for me but I am glad I read through to the thought provoking ending. This book will stay with me for a while. I will be picking up Robyn Harding’s earlier book The Party to read.
Thank you to Robyn Harding for a fascinating read and to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for the ARC.

Very tense novel as the story plays out. I love how we are given bits of information in the form of memories from the past that lead up to the climax. In the end it was still difficult to know REALLY what happened and who was ultimately responsible. I love that the reader is really left to decide on her own how much to believe and how much to discount.. This topic fits in well with the whole #MeToo action as it can be difficult to distance yourself from someone you previously admired or liked.once you hear negative information. And it can be difficult to fully accept that this person who "appears" so confident and nice and helpful is actually dark and evil at the core.

What if you find out your best friend is not who she says she is? This is what Her Pretty Face by Robyn Harding is all about. Frances has a past she wants no one to know about, but so does her best friend Kate. A young teenager is kidnapped, tortured, raped, and murdered. A plea bargain is made and one woman gets off with murder.

Those of you who are familiar with the serial killers, Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka, will find a lot of similarities in this story. Although the similitude is there in the back of your mind; this book is not pervaded with gruesome details of the murder and focuses on the themes of deception and revenge.

I want to thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for this thrilling ARC of Her Pretty Face by Robyn Harding. This contemporary suspense book will be at your favourite bookstore on July 10, 2018.

I very much enjoyed reading this book. The friendship between Kate and Frances, how that friendship developed and then how it disintegrated. The novel is written from three viewpoints:
Frances- she's a mousy, timid kind of person and she has secrets
Daisy- Kate's daughter, a teenager who has learned how to not care what others think of her. Daisy was actually one of my favourite charcters.
DJ- brother of a young girl who was murdered. His recounting of the trial of his sister's murderer and how it affected his life is heartbreaking.

While I was reading, I couldn't help thinking of the events surrounding one of Canada's most notorious murderers, Karla Homolka. The story is eerily similar and I couldn't help wondering if the author based this novel on those events. I'm sure many people would be curious about what happens to criminals in the years after their release from prison, how they cope with the notoriety and everyday life. This is what the book is about. We know that Kate or Francesca, both suburban mothers with a child at an elite private school, is the killer and part of the suspense of this novel is figuring out which one. They are both trying to live normal lives and they both have secrets.

I liked that at the end, even though we know who the killer is, we don't know if they are actually guilty or innocent. It's all in how a person interprets the facts. Very interesting read and one I'll probably be mulling over for a while.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy.

Frances is an over protective mother and is outcasted by the other mothers at Forrester School especially after an incident involving her son. She then meets Kate. Kate is the best friend that Frances has always dreamed of. Kate's son and Frances son become best friends as well. Kate also has a daughter Daisy who is 14 and is the spitting image of her mother when she was that age.
As Kate and Frances friendship grows, secrets from their past threaten to surface. There are also snips of the past told by DJ - the murdered teen's brother.

While reading this book, I kept thinking how similar this sounded to the Karla Hamolka/Paul Bernardo case from the 90's. I really enjoyed this book from start to finish. It was well written. It is told in three different POVs - 2 present (Frances and Daisy) and 1 past DJ) which gives you great perspective. I loved and felt sorry for Frances, disliked Kate and my heart went out to Daisy and DJ. It will keep you guessing until the end with the twist and turns the book takes. 4.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Frances Metcalfe is trying to care for her troubled son, Marcus, and maintain her marriage to her almost-perfect husband. When her son finally gets into the elite Forrester Academy, Frances sees this as a positive sign that her life is about to change. Then, when she meets the beautiful and charismatic Kate Randolph and is suddenly accepted into the social circle of the other Moms, Frances is overjoyed. Kate and Frances form a fast friendship however, one of the women holds a deep, dark secret. One of the women is Amber Kunik, an active participant in the rape and murder of a teenaged girl years ago. When the secret comes out, how far will the other go to protect her friend? Will she abandon her entirely?
In “Her Pretty Face” by Robyn Harding, it is pretty predictable right off the bat which one of the women is Amber. However, this does not make the book any less appealing. Kate and Frances are both utterly likable and completely dissimilar characters, and their friendship is a very typical one (I mean, I guess? I can count my close female friendships on less than one finger.)
The novel is well told, although it didn’t really get going until about the midway point. Most of the beginning is spent detailing the budding relationship between Frances and Kate, and telling their respective background stories. Once I got through this part of the novel, I became thoroughly entertained.
Even with the predictable ending, this novel was definitely exciting to read. This novel played out in a very similar way to the Paul Bernardo murders that occurred down in my area so I felt a personal connection to this novel too (makes sense that the author was Canadian). It helped that this novel touched a personal note, as it made the story completely relatable and the characters of Shane and Amber completely despicable.
If this novel completely surprised me, I would have given it five-stars. However, since the novel was predictable and too much time was spent focusing on the women and their “sisterhood” relationship, I downgraded it to a four. It is definitely worth a read though, especially for those who have an interest (like I do) in the inner workings of a sociopaths’ relationships.

I enjoyed this book and how well it was written, 3.5 stars at least. I enjoy books with a twist/ true crime and this story was based on Karla Homolka real life case, which kept me intrigued. I do wish there was more closure with the ending of the book as I still have some unanswered questions. Props to it being a Canadian writer and using real life events for inspiration.

This was a great read. It has been awhile since i read a book this quickly. I just had to know how it played out. Really enjoyed it

While this was a quick and enjoyable read, it was not more than that. I do like that the back referred to it as a 'domestic drama' as I think that is a better description than thriller - which is what some of the blurbs led me to believe this book was. It was an interesting examination on the lives of people years after a crime.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada via Netgalley, for the advance copy of this chilling, page-turning, psychological thriller. Her Pretty Face by local Vancouver talent, (what what!?) Robyn Harding, was exactly the type of “can’t-put-it-down” escape read I’d been craving.

Overweight, insecure, and shy, Frances tries desperately to fit into the mom group at her troubled son’s elite private school. When she becomes further ostracized by the parent community for a disgusting prank her son initiates, Frances feels completely alone. A gorgeous husband at home only seems to worsen her self-esteem issues. Until one day, when she meets Kate.

Kate is beautiful, confident, elegant, chic, and wealthy. On the surface both her and her family look perfect. When Kate tries to start a friendship with Frances, the insecure mom isn’t quite sure how to respond. She is flattered and empowered by knowing this ‘perfect’ woman wants to be friends with her.

As their friendship blossoms so does Frances. Suddenly it’s much easier for her to get to the gym every day, and she begins to feel a lot better about herself. Even Frances’ son seems to be doing better! After making friends with Kate’s son, the two boys set down a successful path both academically and socially, and the two couples and their boys seem to settle into domestic bliss. Kate’s teenage daughter never quite fits into the pretty picture, but if I said much more than that I might spoil something for you!

That is my biggest and mainly only complaint about this entertaining thriller; I wish the published synopsis had been vaguer. Then the ‘twist’ may have actually been a twist. I loved almost everything about this book. The characters were well-developed and I loved the rotating chapter perspectives and time jumps. Who doesn’t love a juicy, question-answering flashback? I loved the mystery, and the twists and turns. Since the plot synopsis gave so much away, I wasn’t as thrilled with the ending as I had expected with the tension building up to it. UNLESS, there is a possible sequel in the future… Then it alllll makes sense to me.

Go into this one as blind as possible. The less you know, the more you will enjoy this already very entertaining novel that leaves you asking yourself just one question…

Can people really change? And even if they can, is it possible to forget the past?



Set to be released this July 10th, 2018, be sure to pack it with you in your weekender for a summer trip. I finished my copy in three days!

Until next time,

OMPP

Her Pretty Face is told from a third person narrative, but each chapter focuses on different people of the story: Frances, Daisy and DJ. Frances is an overweight and insecure mother, Daisy is a lonely daughter whose mother is indifferent to her, and DJ (told in flackbacks) is a young boy whose sister was abused and murdered. Frances befriends Kate Randolph and her world changes. However, both women carry two huge secrets regarding their pasts. But, can people really change? Can their past be forgiven?

If you are interested in this story, I urge the reader to not read the synopsis - It gives away a huge plot twist! I went into this novel completely blind and it was SO much better. I was guessing who was who right until it was revealed.

This fictional novel was packed full of suspense and drama. It had all the dark and twisty turns that I want to read in my thrillers!

My only complaints are:

1) I felt the writer used "big words" for the sake of using "big words", it felt unnecessary and forced.

2) My other complaint is that the book dragged a little bit between about 25% - 50%. It was showcasing the relationship between Frances and Kate and not much else. However, the last quarter of the book kept me on my toes and I couldn't put it down!

Rated 4/5 stars!

Thank you so much to Simon and Schuster Canada for the advance copy of this book.
I really enjoyed the multiple perspectives of this riveting story. The characters are well thought out and very interesting. I love domestic noirs and this book had me hooked right from the beginning.
I look forward to reading The Party, also by Robyn Harding, as I have heard great things about it.