Pretty Girls: A Novel

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Scientifically Proven Reasons Life Is Better If You're Beautiful – by Dina Spector in Business Insider

Claire - although a seemingly high-maintenance doormat, we learn, soon enough, that she has teeth! I was left wondering throughout the majority of the story - who could she trust?Starred Review. Slaughter ( Cop Town, 2014, etc.) is so uncompromising in following her blood trails to the darkest places imaginable that she makes most of her high-wire competition look pallid, formulaic, or just plain fake" - Kirkus I don’t even have time to touch on the weird beauty stuff in this book. Claire’s beauty is mentioned constantly, as is Lydia’s chubbiness. In fact, the dude torturing her BY WATERBOARDING HER WITH HIS OWN URINE, manages to get a couple of digs in about how she’s gained so much weight, he doesn’t even want to rape her anymore. Apparently, that’s how we’re supposed to know that he’s a REALLY bad guy. Please note that there is graphic violence in this book (not a lot in terms of content, but what there is will make anyone shudder and cringe. However, if you're used to watching TV shows like Criminal Minds or CSI, you'll probably be ok to read this (it's kind of on the same level that they have). But it's still very seriously G.R.A.P.H.I.C. and genuinely disturbing at times. Please be warned. Amongst the world's greatest and finest crime writers' YRSA SIGURÐARDÓTTIR Read more Look Inside Details Overall, I thought that it was a fantastic story. It was suspenseful and kept me in a hyper-vigilant state until every question had been answered. I had chills while listening to this story. This has got to be one of the most screwed up, disturbing stories that I've "read".

Twenty years ago, Julia went missing and has not been seen since. The book shows how her disappearance affected her family. Her father never stopped searching and wrote her letters. Her mother suffered depression and drank before pulling herself up by her boot straps and tried to have a life. Claire, married Paul and lived a very affluent lifestyle, while Lydia has been sober for years after a long drug addiction. She is a single mother in a relationship with a man who is also in recovery. The book lets us know that a young girl has gone missing. Her disappearance triggers feelings in both sisters and remind them of their owns sister's disappearance. The author did an excellent job with the plot and character development which had me totally invested in what I was reading as the suspense and tension developed. I've never read a book like this. There are so many twists and turns a race car driver would have trouble navigating. I literally cannot stop thinking about all of the people and events in this book. I went into it with just the knowledge that this was about a woman and her sister that hadn't spoken for years and that was about it. Holy moly did this get good! This book was so damn freaking spectacular that I don't even know where to start. This has climbed to the top of my list as my favorite psychological thriller ever. This tops Dark Places and That Night and I never thought that would happen! For any book to triumph over those is a win for me :) although they are still right behind this book.And when the book isn’t showing women being tortured, raped, murdered and cut up into little pieces, it’s actually kind of boring. This group is a place for all book lovers young and old for any genre. We hope this place will be a sanctuary for you to discuss the books you love an This group is a place for all book lovers young and old for any genre. We hope this place will be a sanctuary for you to discuss the books you love and hate most. You'll probably hear a lot about characters and the literary merits (ha ha, I hope!) but make no mistake--at its heart, this book is a thriller. There are lots of twists and turns and all the stuff that folks have come to expect from me. The only thing missing is cops. Not that there aren't cops in the story (because they usually show up when there's a crime) but the narrators are just two ordinary women who are thrown into extraordinary circumstances. The real question is whether or not they can rise to the occasion (or will they make it at all?) WOWZA! I thought this book was terrific. I worked for years in forensics working with serial killers, serial rapists, child molesters, etc. so I was not as "horrified" by the subject matter as some might be when they read this. Slaughter certainly did her research. I thought her deception of "bad guy" to be very realistic and spot on.

This was one of the hardest books to read that I’ve ever read. It has trigger warnings for pretty much any awful thing you can imagine like: violent rape, sexual assault, suicide, graphic violence, murder, torture, and at times I honestly wasn’t sure if I could stomach any more of it. But I was captivated by this writing and I couldn’t stop reading this book, I had to figure out how it would end. The disappearance of a teenage girl and the murder of a middle-aged man, almost a quarter-century apart: what could connect them? Forming a wary truce, the surviving sisters look to the past to find the truth, unearthing the secrets that destroyed their family all those years ago . . . and uncovering the possibility of redemption, and revenge, where they least expect it. The two sisters join forces to continue searching for the truth about Julia’s disappearance, and must face the consequences of Claire learning some very disturbing secrets about her husband. Become a fan o Join us on Tuesday, April 22nd, for a special discussion with authorEmma Donoghue ! The author will be discussing her book Frog Music. A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.

I’m a little concerned that there’s not a single decent male character in this book. Well, there’s one, but the man is dead. I’m also uncomfortable with the way beauty is viewed and how Pretty Girls is heavily centered around violence against women. wow. i didnt know KS could be so disturbing. i dont get triggered by anything, but there were several moments in this where i felt quite uncomfortable. like, it felt as if i was doing something illegal by reading this book. I understand it's a thriller and it was to show just how much of a monster certain characters were but it's rare that I have to skip so much or put down a book because I'm so horrified. In my opinion gruesome violence overkill. At the same time the authors ability to describe other things and situations so well kept me intrigued as to what was going to happen next. At certain parts I was literally holding my breath as things were unfolding. Just like watching a horror movie and yelling "don't go in there" to the person on the screen I wanted to yell similar things at Claire and Lydia.

The queen of police thrillers takes a more psychological approach with her 15th novel…the book has all the twists and suspense that readers expect from Slaughter, but from a more poignant perspective.” — Atlanta Magazine I can’t just walk away from this. I have to know. There isn’t anything left in my life except finding out the truth.” <--- my sentiments exactly! *keeps reading* I particularly loved the chapters where Julia's dad wrote her letters. Man, that ripped my heart out. It physically hurt to read the loving, fatherly tone, with his undying love for his missing daughter. The world could've ended, and he wouldn't have sacrificed his love for his daughter. Only death could bring sweet relief from the pain of missing your child.After I was well into the book I started to realize that the gruesomeness might be too much for me. I was starting to skip over the descriptions (very graphic descriptions) and feeling quite bothered. Other readers may not have an issue with it but I just felt a bit overloaded with details of such horrific acts. I ended up having to skip over quite a few parts. Library folk? Take off the mystery label you might place on the spine of this book. Put on a horror label instead. People deserve at least SOME sort of warning. Fair warning, this book is very much a thriller and contains graphic moments of sexual content and violence. However, that's part of what makes it so enthralling within it's genre. I might be too much for some to handle but if you're up for it, I can't even begin to recommend this book enough. And then the first big thing happens and then almost immediately a second. Me? I felt my heart sink. Because anyone who's seen a 90s thriller, Lifetime movie or not, should be able to rattle off the next few major plot points in easy succession. Description: Twenty years ago Claire Scott's eldest sister, Julia, went missing. No one knew where she went - no note, no body. It was a mystery that was never solved and it tore her family apart.