When I began reading Robyn Harding's Her Pretty Face I was between books and wasn't ready to commit. I knew I wanted to read an easy title by an author I wasn't familiar with but, at the same time, I didn't want to waste my last few summer reads on a read that really added nothing new to the mystery thriller genre. My 2-star rating of Her Pretty Face is quite generous and here's why.
Frances Metcalfe feels like a fish out of water and completely out of her element after her son has been accepted into an elite grade school. Coupled with her son's social and behavioral issues, she battles with her own self-esteem issues that forces her into the outcast role among the other mothers. Figuring she'd never find her place in any elite social circle, Frances is thrilled to find a friend in the beautiful, confident Kate Rudolph.
Almost as quickly as they grow closer and their friendship blossoms into a necessity for Frances, that bond is fractured by the discovery of Kate's past. Although Kate has secrets of her own she'd like to keep buried, she's in danger of more than her own past being exposed and losing her only friend.
Robyn Harding's Her Pretty Face instantly grabs the reader. Intrigue and mystery effectively works as bait to keep readers engaged and interested in seeing where things go. As the pages fly by I realized my face was no longer pretty. Instead, whatever prettiness I had morphed into boredom.
Her Pretty Face ultimately became predictable and hurried. The ending was lackluster and uneventful.
I really hate that my review is quite negative because Harding did manage to maintain control of my attention 65% of the way through, but beyond that mark, finishing the title was the only option after having gotten so far.
Either way, I can't say that Her Pretty Face has made a fan out of me. The writing was too simplistic and the plot too predictable for my tastes. This title also leaned closer towards the chick-lit genre as opposed to the mystery/thriller it's marketed as. There really is no angst or tension.
In conclusion, Robyn Harding's Her Pretty Face was not a hit for me, I do appreciate having the opportunity to read it. **
Copy provided by Gallery via Netgalley
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