The Pretty One is an edgy family drama that takes sibling rivalry to a whole new level.

The family is a blended one consisting of Anna and Dom, the parent. Dom's daughter from a previous relationship, Bay. Nell and Iris, the 2 biological daughters. Bay came from a troubled home to live with her father and his family. On the surface, they seem like an ideal family.

Near the beginning, the surface appearance starts to crack. We have family discord, jealousy, terrible decisions, secrets, shouting and the inability to parent sensibly.

The story centres around a young girl who manages to land a successful ymodelling job. She is The Pretty One. But the troubles in the family started long before the modelling jobs. Right from the beginning, there was an undercurrent of tension between Bay and Nell, even though they seemed outwardly loving.

Fast-paced, character-driven and plot-driven. The reader is never sure where the story is going until it is there. Many times during the book I had trouble reconciling my feelings about the parents. Anna doubted her own intuition. Dom had his own agenda. I had lots of empathy for both Bay and Nell. And, poor little, oblivious Iris; all she wanted was a kitten.

Some book blurbs say this is a thriller. I think a more accurate description would be that it is a psychological study of a broken family. It is dark, dysfunctional families always are dark.

The ending is a bit tidy but also satisfying.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an Advance Readers Copy of this book.

Bay is 8-years-old and she will now live with her father, Dom, stepmother, Anna, and half-sisters Nell, 6, and Iris, 1. Anna is so happy to welcome Bay into their family and does all she can to help the young girl settle into her new home. Anna and Iris are very loving to her as well and are delighted to have a new sister.

One day when the girls were 16, 15, and 10, Anna takes them to see an exhibition at a museum. There, she notices a man who continues to stare at Nell who is a natural beauty with blonde hair. He introduces himself as a scout for a talent agency and hopes Nell would be interested in it. At first, Anna is totally against it, but Nell begs to be allowed to try out. Dom insists that Nell try out but Anna worries it will interfere with her studies.

Bay appears to be happy for Nell, but secretly she is going to try to trip her up. On the outside, Bay appears to be nice and loving, but over the years she has done many means and hurtful things to Nell and then lies about it.

As Nell becomes involved in the modeling scene, she encounters some really bad characters, but she wants to continue as she knows her Dad likes the money she can make.

This story is a bit overly long but it builds well. Bay and Nell have a secret that turns out to be so sad. Even though Nell acted out with her modeling social scene, I felt sorry for her. I wanted to simply kick Bay in the butt along with her Dad, Dom. Parents will see get a lot of insight into the minds of teens whether they are normal or not. Glad my sons are raised!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Pretty One by Clare Boyd is narrated through the eyes of Anna, Nell and Bay. It follows a dual timeline which switches between the past and present.

This book had me hooked from the very beginning with its intriguing storyline and complex characters. I like how the story is separated into three parts because it sort of hints at what the major events are that will happen. I saw each chapter as a stepping stone that brought me closer and closer to the final showdown. With each chapter the intensity builds until it finally boils over.

I found that Anna cared more about Bay than her own children and I can understand that she needed to give her more love because of what happened to her but she was totally blind to what was really happening. My heart absolutely broke for Nell and everything that she went through. I found that I had absolutely no sympathy for Bay at all especially at the end. Anna really annoyed me by still making excuses for her.

The ending really shocked me and I actually never saw it coming. Part of it made me really happy but other parts were a bit sad. This was definitely a heartbreaking and emotional read.

I recieved an advanced copy for free, and this is my honest opinion.

Nell's day is long, excitedly waiting for her new big sister Bay to arrive, her fathers daughter from a previous marriage is coming to live with them full time. All is not as Nell hopes, as the excitement is not reciprocated, no matter how hard she try's. Will they all live as one big happy family...

Told from Anna, Nell and Bay's perspective, Anna is Mum to Nell and Iris, Step Mum to Bay. On a visit to a museum Nell gets scouted by a model scout, Anna airs on the side of caution, not wanting this to go any further, her father Dom, not so. Anna's also concerned for the impact on their family.
Lots of changes for the family, skeletons coming out of the closet. Whilst there is a lot of mind games/manipulative actions, it also touches on more serious subjects of the modeling world for young girls.
Overall a good read, quite sad in many ways, a whole mixture of emotions.

Absolutely absorbing- a rollercoaster read packed with twists. The writer deftly weaves us in, the characters gripping our attention so we are reading with bated breath until the last gripping page. Wonderful. A bestseller for sure.

This is a book that shows a family’s pretence of normality when the reality is they are broken, dysfunctional and struggling to hold it all together. It also encapsulates an unsavoury behind the scenes look at the supposedly glamorous world of modelling.

I struggled with Anna as a mother and her chase for family perfection. As a mother of two girls I thought I would relate to her but maybe it’s because i think perfection is overrated I just wanted to shake her. The Japanese art principle to me is a better way of looking at flaws, embrace them, gild them and turn them into something wonderful. Whereas Anna just chooses to bury her head in the sand and ignore the obvious.

The children all had very distinct personalities, Nell desperate to please but also find independence, little Ivy who only wants a kitten but Dad is allergic and Bay. Now Bay was my favourite character and I wanted to hug her and murder her all at the same time. The tag line you’re only as perfect as your most troubled child was genius and fits this family and the book completely.

The short chapters kept the pace and the minutiae of chores and family life kept the realism of a stay at home parents daily struggle. This is a dark family drama that really puts parents and the modelling industry under the microscope and makes you ask how well do you know your kids?

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. The prologue begins in 2012 and Nell is more than a little excited that her stepsister, Bay, is moving in with them. Eight-year-old Bay is Dom Hart’s daughter from a past marriage and he and wife, Anna, believe they can make it work. Six-year-old Nell and their second daughter, baby Iris, are dying to show Bay her bedroom and make her feel welcome and a part of the family as quickly as possible, even though to allow Bay her own bedroom meant Nell would have to share with Iris. They point out Pippa the horse in the field across the road before Bay asks to see Nell’s bedroom and says that she wished that was hers before running out and slamming her own bedroom door behind her. Both Bay and Nell end up in tears. Fast forward to present day, Nell is fifteen and on a trip to the Tate Modern in London with her mother and sisters. She is rapidly turning from a girl into a woman before Anna’s eyes and is curvy and beautiful. Iris is ten-years-old now meanwhile Bay is seventeen. Anna spies a white-haired forty-something male who was beginning to make her feel uncomfortable by watching her and her daughters as they move from exhibit to exhibit. The man eventually catches up to them in the cafe and introduces himself as David from Take One models, who had been searching for new talent.

Nell can't believe her luck but her parents are wary and are filled with concern that if they decide to allow her to work as a model that it will negatively impact her education. How can she prepare and ace exams if she is networking and often busy as well as being either out of the country on international photoshoots or away from home in another state? They decide to allow it as the money she earns will be able to help pay for her college course when the time comes and will teach her an important lesson – the value of money. She is persuaded by her management agency to attend parties to increase her exposure and to further her career prospects and Bay goes along to film it all. Anna worries herself sick continually about Nell and the danger she could be in but little do they know, their worst nightmare is just around the corner and unlike Nell, it ain't pretty. This is a compulsive, captivating and heartbreaking domestic drama about the disintegration of a blended family. When jealousy erupts between Nell and her stepsister, Bay, it becomes deeply disturbing. Bay feels like the black sheep and has turned from a once loving teen into an angst filled ball of rage which takes it toll on the Harts. Explosive secrets unravel before our eyes in a wickedly twisty and superbly plotted read in which the tension is palpable throughout building slowly but surely and the complex, multilayered narrative that becomes exponentially more chilling and enthralling as it progresses has you engrossed. Bay is willing to go to any length to try to gain attention from her parents as her envy over all of the attention Nell is receiving makes her resentful and devious. What could go wrong? Highly recommended.

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Pretty One’ by Clare Boyd in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

When Anna’s fifteen-year-old daughter Nell is discovered by Take One Models Anna’s worried how she’ll be able to fit in modelling assignments with her exams. Nell’s agency persuades her to attend parties to enhance her career and Anna’s step-daughter Bay chaperones while filming everything on her phone. But Nell and Bay have a secret that they’ve kept hidden from when they were little girls that will devastate the family if it’s revealed.

‘The Pretty One’ is the disturbing novel of an ordinary loving family, the consequences of taking on a neglected step-child and the hidden threat of her jealousy towards her step-sister. It’s been really well-written with a tense and complex plot that’s become more chilling as the story unfolded, making me feel uncomfortable thinking of what could happen next. I was sitting on the edge of my seat unable to stop reading as events became traumatic until I reached the mind-blowing and totally unexpected conclusion. This is an exceptionally good and involving novel that I can wholeheartedly recommend.

The blurp of this book in Netgalley caught my attention. This is the first book I read from Clare Boyd. Anna has to welcome Bay, her husband's daughter from her first marriage, into their home. Here she is trying to be a great mum for her blended family. It's hard to believe that you can't see through your family members despite you are living in one roof and share a dinner table, but again, family is always a complicated thing.

It's a domestic family drama involving step-siblings jealousy, manipulation and guilt trip, as well as body shaming and sexual exploitation in a teenage modelling world.

What would you do if your 15 year old daughter was offered the chance of a modelling career? This is the question which Anna and her husband Dom must answer.

Nell is the pretty 15 year old. The question divides her parents. Anna her mum worries about her losing her education and innocence while Dom her dad , is more swayed by the potential of wealth.

Nells sisters are divided in their options too, younger sister Ivy is quietly supportive while her older stepsister Bay seems willing to do anything to stop Nell becoming a model.

With Nell stepping into the limelight, the childhood secret she and Bay share is uncovered and this threatens to destroy the tight knit family.

As a mother myself I found it difficult to imagine how Anna was feeling throughout the book. Loving all your children equally but to be forced to choose one child’s story over another would be unimaginable. Is it possible to know your children fully? Can you protect your family from outside influences?

The description of the book as dark and emotional is spot on. Some parts of the book were difficult to read but very relevant to the story. I highly recommend this book and throughly enjoyed the great writing style.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the copy.

This is an interesting take on family dynamics and relationships with dramas. Nell is a beautiful teen girl who has been asked to model. Her step sister Bay, is jealous of the attention and of Nell, so she sets out to prove herself in her own way and in return damages the family on a whole other level. The parents, Anna and Dom are already struggling, so when all this comes to a head, including secrets from the past, it is hard for them to recover.
This took a bit to get going, but once it did, it was quite intense. The characters were well developed and it really delves into the unseen side of the modeling world.
It won’t be for everyone-there are definitely some triggers, but it is worth the read.
Thanks to netgalley and bookouture for this arc in exchange for my review.

“ Nell is the perfect child; more beautiful and more likeable and more loveable than me. If my pretty little sister never came home again, I’d finally be free from the terrible secret we share… “


This book had me hooked, it was compelling, although a little uncomfortable to read at some points, I couldn’t put it down. Another book written from multiple character viewpoints, with flashbacks thrown in. Brilliant. The tension was unbearable, had to keep reading!

This book has been completely and utterly impossible to put down. I have been completely gripped, suspicious of all the characters involved and completely unable to predict where this book was going. This is well-written, completely addictive and all round a wonderful gem. I absolutely recommend this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced e-book addition of The Pretty One by Clare Boyd in exchange for my honest review.

A blended family getting on well until sibling rivalry rears it ugly head. How is a mothers set on loving all her children equally pick a side. Things go wrong, secret are revealed and this kind of trouble could cost a life.

This is a nail biting phycological thriller that is sure to please. A mother who doesn't listen to that gut instinct, some competitive siblings along with a very unlikeable husband all make for a roller-coaster of a ride that is certain to entertain.
Good page turner and face paced.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I have not read anything from this author before but will be looking out for other titles from her. Great storyline, great characters and a real page turner.

I really enjoyed this book. A dark and sometimes creepy storyline which explores the family dynamic when a stepchild is brought into the family. A good solid read that I read in a couple of days as I wanted to find out what happened! My only criticism is the ending could have been better and not so rushed but I would still recommend this book.

The chance at a modeling career for 15 year old Nell threatens to tear down the façade built around her family from the outside and between one another in Clare Boyd's "The Pretty One". Nell sees a life of excitement and fun, her mom Anna worries about disruption of her schooling and exposure to danger, and father Dom sees the dollar signs. Most nefarious, however, is stepsister Bay anticipating the loss of attention from Nell and Anna, and her quest to do anything to prevent that.

"The Pretty One" was dark, disturbing, and hard to put down. The codependency of the characters really lent itself to the plot's forward momentum, and Boyd's exploration of their complex emotions seemed spot on. The probing of the modeling industry felt authentic without being preachy or obviously biased. I do wish the Epilogue was a bit more detailed, as I had come to connect with the characters and wanted to know more about how they ended up. Overall an interesting story and well worth the read.

Note: I received a free ebook copy of "The Pretty Ones" from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I would rate The Pretty One 3.5 stars. I found the premise to be intriguing. Bay is brought to live with her Dad’s family. She’s gone from a home with her mum where she wasn’t shown any love to a family with her Dad, a new mum Anna and two half sisters, Nell and Iris. They become a normal family until one day fifteen year old Nell is scouted by a model agency. This leads to jealousy amongst the siblings. The plot deepens as Nell becomes sucked into the world of modelling and as things happen she starts to keep secrets from her parents, although it seems she’s not the only one with a secret.

This book has a number of complex characters who are all a bit like marmite but do add to the plot. Although I enjoyed this book I found the plot to be quite slow at first and it didn’t grip me as much as I wished.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

From the outside, Anna’s life looks perfect. Married to her husband Dom, running a small millinery business, and mother to three lovely daughters – two by birth, and one stepdaughter. But she loves Bay just as much as she loves her biological daughters Nell and Iris… right?

The novel begins with the pivotal encounter that is the catalyst for the family’s unraveling. Teenage Nell is spotted at a gallery by a scout for a modeling agency. Nell is thrust into the modeling world, forcing Anna to upend her life to chaperone Nell on calls across Britain and even internationally. The story explores the dark and dangerous underbelly of modeling – sexual exploitation, body shaming, eating disorders, partying, and underage drinking/drugs.

Nell’s modeling career also causes drama between her and Bay. Bay is jealous of the attention Nell is getting, not to mention the fact that it takes Nell’s attention away from her. Only eighteen months apart in age, the stepsisters are close, but the foundation their relationship is built on dark secrets… secrets that are threatening to destroy this blended family. What lengths will Bay go to in order to keep her family’s attention and affection?

This story is billed as dark and emotional, and it definitely is! Although this book was a tad slow to start (and a little too fast to wrap up at the end), it drew me in before too long. The story is told from alternating viewpoints between Anna, Nell, and Bay, and interspersed with some flashbacks to when the girls are young. Each character’s voice is distinct and rings true. The insider view of the modeling industry feels authentic too. As a mother myself, I felt sick watching Nell get sucked into seedy environments, cringing as she made one bad choice after another. I felt Anna’s anxiety and despair as Nell grew more rebellious and out of control, while Dom enables Nell’s behavior and because her modeling was so financially lucrative. My sense of dread grew steadily as the story unfolded and the characters’ relationships fractured.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4 solid stars!

The novel begins with Dom's eight year old daughter, Bay, moving in with him and his partner Anna and their two young children, Nell and Iris. Many years later at age 15, Nell is approached by a modeling scout while visiting an art gallery. Nell is thrilled about this, but Anna is concerned about how it could affect her schooling. She shares her reservations with Dom but he insists it will help to pay for Nell's college. As things progress, Nell becomes defiant and rebellious. This tears up Anna who adores her family so much.

The story is told in three parts and in three POV; via Anna, Nell and Bay. Told from past to present, we learn a lot about how truly troubled Bay is. The turbulent relationship between Nell and Bay has many ups and downs and in the end a shocking discovery is made.

Overall, I did enjoy this book and could really connect with certain parts of the story since I currently have a teenage daughter. This was a very well written family drama and although it might not be for everyone, it did resonate with me and I would recommend it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC and for an honest review.