My Review of Pretty Is by Maggie Mitchell

Welcome to my Review of Pretty Is by Maggie Mitchell.

Product Description

"Lois and Carly-May are just twelve years old when they're abducted, driven across the country, and imprisoned in a remote, isolated hunting lodge for two months.

That summer, under the watchful gaze of their kidnapper, they form a bond which will never be broken ...Decades later, both Lois and Carly-May have built new lives and identities for themselves.

Lois, a professor of literature, is shaken when an obsessive student reminds her of the man who kidnapped her, a man she saw shoot himself on the porch twenty years before. Out in LA, Carly-May is drinking too much and watching her beauty-queen looks fade, clinging to the last remnants of a once-promising career as an actress. When she reads a shockingly familiar screenplay, she warily she takes a role she knows is based on events from her own life.

Increasingly haunted by the devastating experience that shaped both their lives, Lois and Carly-May are drawn together again in a world that both echoes and falsifies their beautiful, terrible story.

An enthralling portrait of two haunted young women, this remarkable debut novel explores the very nature of survival."

What I Say:

I really wanted to love Pretty Is. It sounded like such a gripping story. Itis quite original and well told but for me, it was a bit confusing bouncing between the characters and time periods.

The characters were likeable and their story was quite memorable. I did find myself drawn into their worlds and wishing them well but again, they were hard to follow.

All in all, a good read and I would recommend this if you're looking for a twisty turny thrilling read.  7/10

Thanks to Sam Eades at Orion for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest review.