This was a fantastic dark psychology thriller. The plot was very well written and there were some great twists and turns that I did not see coming

A really good read, dark at times but gripping all the way. I read it in one evening as I was so hooked.

This is my second book by Clare Boyd and I am loving her writing style and the emotions explored between family members. So much suspense. Plus, I love this cover & title. I was instantly hooked at first glance!

I stayed up super l;ate just to start this book then found myself up even later to finish it and WOW! Great writing!

A good domestic drama. Two stepsisters who are so close or are they? Nell - the pretty one - is scouted for modelling and we see the sordid side to this industry to young girls. A backstory leads to a big secret. A good read with great twists.

Great book. Highly recommend and will most defiantly read more by this author and suggest to others!

3.5 STARS

Two sisters and a step-sister. You can just imagine the sibling rivalry from miles away.

Nell is the perfect child .. beautiful, lovable. Nell and Ivy are a source of pride to their mother, Anna. She treats Bay, the step-daughter, just as she treats her own children.

BOOK BLURB: Quiet, sensitive Nell doesn’t want to have her face on a billboard for all to see. But she knows her family desperately needs the money, and perhaps it would be nice to have her mother’s full attention for the first time since Bay arrived? Could this be the escape from her stepsister’s twisted games Nell has been longing for?

As cameras roll, a secret is revealed .. one that has the ability to rip this family to shreds. Anne is forced to pick a side .. but with what consequences?

As a family drams, this is well written with a few twists and turns along the way. Told by different characters gives a sense of discord and tension... I didn't like all the characters, and I think that was good plotting by the author. The ending, for me, kinda fizzled at the end. The big reveal wasn't that big a surprise.

Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this family drama. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I could not put this book down! There are many twists and turns that I did not see coming. I was hooked and it was so well written, would definitely recommend!

Clare Boyds standalone domestic drama "The Pretty One" is a fast paced psychological thriller based around jealously and lies, sibling rivalry and a devastating secret that would tear even the strongest family to shreds.

Told with flash backs and with a dual POV the present has Nell has been scouted as a model for Take One agency and despite worries from her parents the money on offer is too good to turn down. Bay (the stepsister) tags along to the parties Nell attends to create footage - cue the jealousy and a devastating spiral as explosive secrets unravel before our eyes. Bay is willing to go to any length to try to gain attention from her parents and the her true character is revealed along the way, the author does so well in building a sense of hate and outrage towards this girl!

The book portrays the challenges in marriage so well and this combined with lost love, jealousy, sacrifice, bottled-up emotions, body shaming, and sexual exploitation and vulnerability. The rise of negative imagery in the wake of social media is timely.

A captivating, heartbreaking read and one I highly recommend.

This book was all about complex familial relationships and sibling rivalry with secrets tearing them apart. The book had emotions with the scenes bordering on the darker, dysfunctional side. The prose was erratic in its pace, but kept me going. Overall, a good read.

New author for me, which is what made me give this book a go as I’m always keen to try/discover new authors.

So on the whole it was a good story, well written albeit it being a bit drawn out in places and so some chapters were slow going than others. However I do have mixed feelings about this story, the main thing being is that I feel like there should have been some trigger warnings mentioned within the book blurb. I won’t go into too much detail as don’t want to risk spoilers but basically the devastating secret that Bay and Nell have between them and which eventually comes to light later in the story is of a nature (in my option) that some readers may find disturbing and upsetting, or in my case, it made me feel dizzy and lightheaded just from reading about it. I literally had to stop reading for a bit and when I did go back to the story, I had to scrim read the last few chapters.

The story was told from three different characters, being Anna, Nell and Bay, I liked how the author did this, as it gave us a more in-depth insight into each of these three main characters.

Having read other reader's reviews of this book, I am glad to see that there are a lot of readers that did indeed enjoy this book, which to me, means it is true what they say, certain books just aren't for everyone.

This is the story of Anna, Dom and their three daughters, Bay, Nell and Ivy. Nine years ago, Dom’s daughter came to live with them after being abused by her mother. Anna is a loving, hard working mother and loves all the three girls equally but everything changes when Nell is 15 years old and offered a modelling contract. Anna is against this but Dom persuades her to agree as Nell is drawn to the glamour and lifestyle. Jealousy erupts between Bay and Nell and we gradually realise that a lot of secrets have been hidden over the years about their relationship that when revealed will break the bonds of the family forever. This is a dark family drama with a number of complex characters who tend to frustrate the reader but after a slow start, it was an enjoyable read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I could not put this book down! So many twists and turns that I did not see coming. Compelling and well-written, would definitely recommend!

3.5 rounded up

This was strange and sad. This author tackles the darkness in people incredibly well. Anna and Nell are sympathetic characters but Bay plucked some heartstrings for me as well. Yes, she’s vindictive and manipulative but she has rarely felt safe and protected. It’s no excuse but she seems almost feral. Iris is an afterthought who’s not mentioned until the second half of the book, and briefly at that. I would have skipped her completely.

At times I was unclear what certain motives were… why did Anna marry Dom so much later (after children and living together for so long) and why was the town so invested in that decision? Dom was horrible and selfish. It was interesting how Dom’s parents were so selfless and he grew into such a narcissistic ass whereas Anna was raised by the narcissist and she was the selfless one.

There are tons of reviews at this point so I’ll cut it short. This was interesting and the ending was satisfying. I really like this author and will look forward to the next.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Bookouture for a copy in exchange for a review.

This book went in completely different directions than I thought it was going to go. From the very beginning, I could tell that there was going to be an emphasis on the psychological aspect between Bay and Nell. As I read further, I could tell that Bay would be the lynchpin in all of it, but I became less certain about who the other part of the equation would be. Let’s just say that nobody is really left untouched in this story. In addition to the psych aspect, there’s a good family drama to unpack, and the author relays a searing account of the modeling industry. It did seem to wrap up rather quickly in a “here’s what happened” manner, which gave the rest of the plot a short shrift. Still a good read though. For a detailed review, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for a digital ARC of the book.

The Pretty One is a standalone domestic drama following the trials and tribulations of a blended family and their dynamic, sibling rivalry and how secrets can tear even the strongest families to shreds.

This book was fantastic!! Going into it I wasn’t expecting much because I haven’t heard much about this book. The cover and description caught my eyes and made me want to read it. I really enjoyed this book and the story. Yes it took me a bit to get hooked to it, but once I did I don’t couldn’t put it down. I really loved this book, highly recommend!

Whilst out with her three daughters, Anna is approached by a model scout who delights in telling her about her middle daughter’s potential as a model. Nell had not considered being a model previously, but her interest is instantly piqued.
Anna is adamant that the modelling is a bad idea, but her husband is not as easily swayed to her way of thinking and they decide to dip their toe in.
Anna’s stepdaughter, Bay, who came to live with them years ago has been raised as Anna’s own and is understandably feeling overlooked and a bit jealous and as Nell begins to spiral and get lost in a scary unfamiliar world, will Anna realise what she must do to get her back? And why is Nell suddenly so unhappy?
I enjoyed how this book sucked me in, but I wanted to read it with my hands over my eyes as you could see the carnage unfold-I finished this in a day, I had to know what would happen next!
This is not my first read from this author and I need to read more of her books as they blow you away every time!

*Thank you to Bookouture, NetGalley and Clare Boyd for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Previously published at https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/the-pretty-one/

Sometimes the prettiest girls have the darkest secrets. As is the case with Claire Boyd’s standalone novel, The Pretty One. A book about family secrets, blended families and how jealousy can tear a family apart.

This book begins in 2012 and flashes back to 2019, which is the current day. Nell is six years old and excited that her eight-year-old stepsister, Bay, is coming to live with them. Bay is Dom Hart’s daughter from a past marriage and he and wife, Anna, believe they can make it work. Nell and Iris, the baby, can’t wait to show Bay their house and her bedroom. Immediately, Bay is jealous of Nell’s room and has a tantrum. Thus begins the blended family dynamic of the Harts.

Eight years later and Anna has taken Nell, Iris and Bay to see an art exhibition. Anna has become uncomfortable and suspicious as a white-haired male has been following them around. When the man catches up with them at the cafe, he introduces himself as David from Take One Models and gives Nell a flyer, ignoring the other two girls. He tells her she could have an amazing career as a model. Anna and Dom are immediately concerned that Nell will fall behind in her school work and exams but she promises to keep up with her grades if they will let her model. They decide to allow it as the money she earns will help pay for her college. Almost immediately, Nell spirals out of control, attending parties, drinking and having sex. Anna, as the Mother, feels unable to stop the spiral. Nell is persuaded to attend parties, mingle with older men and drink as Ian, her manager, looks on. Anna and Dom persuaded Bay, now 17, to attend the parties with Nell so she can look after her. She begins filming the parties and Nell at her most vulnerable moments.

Little do her parents know, Nell is harboring shocking secrets of her abuse at the hands of her step-sister over the years. The Pretty One is a deeply disturbing and heartbreaking family drama about the damage that unbridled jealousy can do to one person. Bay and Nell literally transform before the reader’s eyes into the people they have been all along, but hidden so well. This book is twisty, multi-layered with a palpable tension as the reader is constantly wondering what will happen next. Things explode in the last chapter as true colors reveal themselves and revenge is taken. I was captivated by the first chapter and completely shocked by the last few pages.

A taut, compelling thriller that kept me turning the pages. Recommended! Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC