The Pretty One: An absolutely gripping page-turner with a heartbreaking twist

· Bookouture
4.4
11 reviews
Ebook
350
Pages

About this ebook

‘I was sitting on the edge of my seat unable to stop reading… Mind-blowing and totally unexpected conclusion… Exceptionally good!’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

 

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…

 

Anna is a wonderful mother. She gave up a career she loved to stay home with her children and her kind, polite daughters, Nell and Ivy, are a credit to her. As is Bay, her stepdaughter, whom Anna adores as much as her own two girls. But everything changes the day Anna’s middle daughter’s beauty catches the eye of a stranger in a café…

 

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?

 

But the moment Nell steps in front of a camera, the devastating secret she and Bay have been keeping breaks the surface – and the bonds of this close-knit family forever. But with both Nell and Bay insisting they’re innocent, can either girl really be trusted?

 

As Anna’s perfect blended family unravels around her, she is forced to pick a side. To save one daughter, Anna must betray another. Choosing the wrong girl will be more dangerous than anyone could ever have imagined…

 

An unputdownable read-all-night family drama that explores the dark consequences of sibling rivalry and the heart-wrenching emotional cost of keeping secrets from those you love. Perfect for fans of Big Little Lies, Little Fires Everywhere and My Dark Vanessa.

 

Readers love The Pretty One:

‘Just wow!… broke my heart into a million little pieces… one of the best books I've ever read… not to be missed!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

 

‘I was sitting on the edge of my seat unable to stop reading… mind-blowing and totally unexpected conclusion… Exceptionally good!’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

 

‘Extremely addictive… many times I wanted to scream… I couldn't read the book fast enough and was flipping pages until early in the morning.’ bookworm86, 5 stars

 

‘Gripping and unputdownable! I was enthralled from the first few pages and couldn't stop.’ AGJBooks&Gems, 5 stars

 

‘Completely and utterly impossible to put down… completely gripped… completely addictive… I absolutely recommend this book.’ Little Miss Book Lover 87, 5 stars

 

‘Reading with bated breath until the last gripping page. Wonderful. A bestseller for sure.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

 

‘I was literally carrying my kindle around the house. I took it with me to read while I waited for the toast to pop, I was reading while watching TV and yes, I even took it with me to the loo. I could not put it down.’ FabulousKerry, 5 stars

 

‘Wow!…  such a must-read. I was completely consumed by it and could not put it down. Totally intriguing and addictive… Be warned, once you start to read this book, you’ll find it very hard to put down. A real “one more chapter” book… kept me reading late into the night.’ SIBZZREADS, 5 stars

 

‘I couldn't stop reading this fabulous book. Had me on the edge of my seat until I reached the mind-blowing conclusion… I couldn't stop reading!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

Ratings and reviews

4.4
11 reviews
Suzi Makowski
February 26, 2021
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. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher.
1 person found this review helpful
Linda Strong
August 4, 2021
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.
Kirsty Whitlock
February 26, 2021
Title: The Pretty One Author: Clare Boyd Publication date: 26/02/2021 Description Everyone in the village admires Anna because she’s a wonderful mother. Juggling family life with a small sewing business, she’s the one they turn to for a warm hug after a hard day. Her kind, polite daughters are a credit to her – even Bay, her stepdaughter, whom Anna loves as much as her own two girls. But normal family life changes overnight when Anna’s middle daughter’s beauty catches the eye of a stranger in a café. As jealousy erupts between the siblings, Anna’s perfect blended family begins to unravel around her. A devastating secret about the dangerous game they played when they were little girls threatens to break the surface – and the bonds of this close-knit family forever… To save her girls, Anna must rethink everything she ever thought she knew about love, motherhood and family. She must pick a side, an impossible decision for any mother, but believing the wrong daughter could be fatal.

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