The bestselling author of The Party returns with a chilling new drama. How well do you really know your friends? Frances Metcalfe is struggling to stay afloat. A stay-at-home mum whose troubled son is her full-time job, she thought that the day he got accepted into the elite Forrester Academy would be the day she started living her life. Overweight, insecure, and lonely, she is desperate to … and lonely, she is desperate to fit into Forrester’s world. But after a disturbing incident at the school leads the other children and their families to ostracise the Metcalfes, she feels more alone than ever before.
Until she meets Kate Randolph.
Kate is everything Frances is not: beautiful, wealthy, powerful, and confident. And for some reason, she’s not interested in being friends with any of the other mums–only Frances. As the two bond over their disdain of the Forrester snobs and the fierce love they have for their sons, a startling secret threatens to tear them apart…because one of these women is not who she seems.
Her real name is Amber Kunik. And she’s a murderer.
In her masterful second novel, Robyn Harding spins a web of lies, deceit, and betrayal.
Praise for Her Pretty Face
‘Creepy and compelling.’ Kirkus Reviews
‘Like Big Little Lies, Robyn Harding’s Her Pretty Face peels back the surface of placid suburbia and reveals the secrets, the deceptions, the resentments, and the chaos underneath. This is a smart, darkly witty, and perfectly constructed thriller about friendship, betrayal, and survival. You won’t want to miss a single, suspenseful page.’ David Bell, USA Today bestselling author of Somebody’s Daughter
‘Robyn Harding has once again proven herself to be a master of domestic suspense, weaving a complex tale of friendship, parenthood, and long-hidden secrets that forces us to consider whether we can ever truly leave our pasts behind. In the compulsively readable Her Pretty Face, everyone is hiding something, and the only question is whether anyone will survive unscathed as the action reaches its dramatic conclusion.’ Kathleen Barber, author of Are You Sleeping
‘Robyn Harding’s Her Pretty Face is a fierce and blazing one-sitting read that will make you question even your closest friendships. With prose elegantly woven between sinister, humorous, brutally honest, and downright horrifying, Harding crafts an all-too-believable narrative that preys upon every parent’s greatest vulnerability: their children. Her Pretty Face will undoubtedly spike paranoia levels in school car lines everywhere.’ Carter Wilson, USA Today bestselling author of Mister Tender’s Girl and The Comfort of Black
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After reading one of Robyn Harding’s book several years ago, I placed some of her other novels on my TBR. They were next on my list for May, so I added Her Pretty Face to the queue and read it over the long weekend. It started out quite strong, generating a complex set of characters and a burning desire to know which of the two women was the murderer from the trial we read about in the first couple of chapters. Both seemed slightly off their rockers, yet when the full history came flooding out, it was a lovely surprise.
On the whole, I really enjoy Harding’s writing style and ability to craft a strong suspense thriller. I felt parts of it fell apart at times, not incredibly, but enough that I thought… this seems a bit too easy. There weren’t a ton of characters, so you knew the ones who had to be connected. I wanted some additional strange relationships to pop up, and one did, which helped add to the momentum. By the time I sorted out the names/initials and the past versus the present, it was a moderate shocker… one that kept me entertained.
The book takes you a wild ride to determine what happened in the two decades between the murder trial and current day. Could one of these women really be a psycho rapist and killer, or was she misunderstood and hiding the truth? I found myself intrigued, but I definitely leaned more toward the protagonist, Frances. She had troubles, but we heard her voice most often, so I cared less about Kate. If you read between the lines, you can see that people don’t change significantly… although forgiveness and prison do make a dent in turning someone’s personality around enough that they can function in society without their secrets potentially being discovered.
Much of the plot leaves me wondering about a few moments in history, and without the dual POV, it’s hard to know what the other was thinking. In some ways, this was good because it amped up the thriller aspects. In other ways, I felt as if I missed a vital piece of the puzzle. Nonetheless, I devoured the book and kept trying to slow myself down so I would enjoy the narrative and dialog… not rush thru to find out the truth. Anyone else have to control their reading speed to not jump forward even when you’re enjoying the story? I’ve marked another of the author’s books in my July queue, so by fall, I’ll be fully caught up and waiting for the next release. Good one to keep in the rotations.
Frances Metcalfe is insecure, a few pounds overweight, with a son who is a bit of a handful. After an incident at the private school involving her son, she feels like an outcast. Also, Frances is harboring a secret from her childhood that she has not told her husband, Jason. Enter Kate, the stylish, slim, and put-together mom of two. Kate notices how the other moms treat Frances and befriends Frances, standing up to the mean moms. Frances instantly bonds with Kate. But, does Frances really know her friend?
Kate’s daughter, Daisy, is rebellious and doesn’t have a good relationship with her mom. When Daisy puts her trust in an older man, she needs to reach out to Frances for help. In doing so, Frances discovers something about Kate which calls their friendship into question. Additionally, there is a storyline from years earlier about the treatment and death of a young girl which has a long lasting effect on several people. The trial made headlines and plays a part in current day happenings.
This book explores many issues, friendship, acceptance, guilt, trust, control, manipulation, revenge, and more. It kept my interest. I thought I had most of it figured out, but I was wrong about a few things. I like when that happens, as the author has surprised me.
I read this on the cover alone, which draws you in as much as the story. Imagine Frances, with rather low self-esteem and feeling left out. As a stay-at-home mom, she gets lonely. She doesn’t see a place in the Forrester mom’s world. That’s why meeting Kate changes things. She now has a friend and ally.
I enjoyed that we get multiple points of view, which helps to tell a complete picture of what is going on. I read a lot of reviews before mine that give so much away that it spoils it for others, which is really disappointing. I think the best way to read this is to go in blind and let the tension draw you in. Overall, this was a quick and fun read that’s light on the thriller but great with the drama.
What a ride! With twists and turns galore, HER PRETTY FACE will not only keep you guessing, but have your allegiances shift time and again. A thrilling and utterly compelling read I couldn’t put down!
I read this book in two evenings. Told in three POV and alternating between past and present, the story had the perfect amount of suspense and twists for me– enough to keep me reading but not so much so to rob me of sleep or give me nightmares! The psychological insights and character development were well done. Very fast past and enjoyable.
Frances Metcalfe is a married, stay at home mother of an 11-year old son who is struggling socially, as is she. She’s slightly overweight and doesn’t fit in with the other mothers of the children attending her son’s private school who go out of their way to make her feel socially unacceptable. Enter Karen Randolph, a beautiful and svelte woman who has a son the same age as Frances’ and reaches out to her. They become fast friends, as do their sons, and Frances begins to feel better about herself for the first time in years. Meanwhile, Karen’s 14-year old daughter, Daisy, is virtually ignored and is engaging in risky behavior. When she reaches out to Frances, it starts the unraveling of secrets that may be the undoing of both families.
The story is told through Frances and Daisy in the present and DJ, a young boy who’s the brother of a 15-year old girl murdered years ago, in the past. It wasn’t readily apparent how he was connected to the story and that was part of the allure. The story slowly unfolds through the storytelling of each and putting together the puzzle pieces made this quite interesting. Daisy’s behavior ratcheted up the tension significantly as she had a fierce sense of self quite uncommon for her age but also a fearlessness only found in teenagers who have no sense of mortality.
I found this story fascinating and liked the slow burn for a change. I vacillated in my suppositions, changing my deductions as more information was revealed and still ended up being surprised at some of the resolutions. This is equal parts mystery, suspense and psychological drama, which made it an intriguing brew. I like the author’s style as the transitions between narratives were pretty seamless, not just a trendy literary device. The three narrators delivered strong performances and I am glad I chose audio for this book. All were really good and fit their characters well, helping to distinguish them throughout the story. I’m definitely going to read more by this author.
(I received a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review)
Wow….. Throughout this book the thought in the back of my mind was this friendship is way too good to be true. I would love a friendship like Kate and Frances’s. Frances is a bit backward and overly motherly to her son, but I get why as we learn about her teenage hardship. Kate brings her out of her shell, gets her to relax, and to become more confident. Once the whole truth about Kate comes out, I doubt I would have been as mad as Frances is here. It’s an engaging read.
Great read
Absolutely must read! Appeals to many genres. Loved it, could not put it down!
This is the 2nd book so far I’ve read by Robyn Harding, The Party being my first. All I can say is she’s my newest favorite author. She grabs me in immediately and I can’t stop. I actually just started Her Pretty Face but I’m already addicted. Really glad I found this wonderful author.
Her Pretty Face is a story about two women who form a deep friendship, but each is harboring a dark secret about the past. Frances Metcalfe is a stay-at-home mother to Marcus, who has special needs. In addition to having been diagnosed with ADHD, Marcus is immature and throws tantrums, and Frances is extremely protective of him. She and her husband have extended themselves financially to get Marcus admitted to Forrester Academy, an exclusive private school. Frances lacks self-esteem. She is slightly overweight and lonely, and wracked with guilt about a terrible thing she did when she was a teenager. Like Marcus, she does not have friends and things are only made worse when, at the beginning of the school year, Marcus acts out against a female student. Although he is not expelled, Marcus and, by extension, Frances, becomes a pariah.
Until Kate Randolph befriends her, and her son, Charles, becomes Marcus’s only friend. Kate is wealthy, beautiful, self-assured, and has a sarcastic sense of humor. She has no interest in being like or fitting in with the wealthy, socially-adept mothers. However, Daisy, Kate’s 14-year-old daughter, is troubled. Convinced that her mother cares nothing about her, she acts out in increasingly irresponsible, dangerous ways that include spending time with David, a mysterious man in his 30’s who has taken a keen interest in her.
One morning Daisy needs help and, unable and unwilling to reach out to her callous mother, calls Frances to come to her aid and elicits a promise from her not to tell Kate. In the process of assisting Daisy, Frances stumbles upon the shocking truth. Kate’s real name is Amber Kunik and when she was 18 years old, she was involved in the heinous kidnapping, rape, torture, and murder of a 15-year-old girl. When Frances learns Kate’s real identity, Kate’s behavior — which seemed questionable or quirky at the time — begins to make sense.
Her Pretty Face is a riveting story told from the perspective of a woman who made a mistake as a teenager and has been struggling to come to grips with her actions for many years. Harding demonstrates that the lives of friends and neighbors are never as easy and uncomplicated as they appear to be and, in fact our closest friends may be harboring disturbingly dark secrets about themselves, their pasts, and the typo of behavior of which they are capable. It is a cautionary story about true sociopaths target and prey upon their vulnerable victims and, ultimately, a narrative about learning to forgive oneself and others, finding one’s own inner strength, and what it means to become empowered. Her Pretty Face is a fast-paced mystery that will keep readers guessing about the two women’s respective secrets and, once they are revealed, provides an emotionally satisfying resolution. Readers will find themselves cheering for Frances and her special son, Marcus.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader’s Copy of the book.
Robyn Harding, Author of “Her Pretty Face” has written a chilling, captivating, intense, edgy, novel that should be accompanied by a WARNING: DO NOT READ BEFORE GOING TO BED.!!Of course that hasn’t stopped me, AND I am addicted to the author’s vivid description of the dysfunctional characters, and her story. I just couldn’t put this thriller down for the life of me. Perhaps I shouldn’t use that phrase. The Genres for this Novel are Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, and Fiction.
The author describes her cast of characters as complicated, complex, unbalanced, (to say the least), and toxic. There are deep dangerous secrets, betrayals, lies and twists and turns. Do you think that a person can change? Can a leopard change its spots? Are people who we think they are.? Should people have second chances?. In this novel, the author discusses the dynamics of friendship, family and community.
Two women become friends after bonding at an affluent exclusive school. Both women have sons the same age. The emotional climate of this school is one of bias , bullying and snobbery. Frances Metcalfe is a stay at home Mom, who struggles financially and emotionally. Her son has major emotional problems, that stress Frances . After her son does something unacceptable in school, the other mothers’ disapproval is overwhelming.
Kate Randolph, a wealthy, confident and extremely attractive mother defends Frances and her son, and puts the other mothers in their place. Before long, the two have what appears to be the perfect friendship.
Both women have deep secrets from the past. One is not who she says she is. One of these women is really Amber Kunik, a cold-hearted killer that served six years in jail.
I highly recommend this novel for readers that enjoy a chilling thriller that keeps you guessing. Just be warned, don’t read this before you go to sleep!!! I received this ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.
This book will reel you in and keep you hooked to the last page.
Frances and Kate become best friends as both their boys attend private school together. One of them is not who they say they are: one is a murderer who has served her time.
You get drawn into their stories and those of their families.
Don’t want to say too much but you wont be disappointed . The pages will fly by because you know this want turn out well at all.
Robyn Harding has matched her first novel The Party; loved that book
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.
A killer hiding in plain sight? Kind of, but not exactly. The blurb and even the beginning of the story sets this one up as what could have been a gripping domestic thriller. The glimpses into the past paint a disturbing picture, but the modern day happenings left something to be desired, mostly the suspense that should’ve been there. There are questions, but it was all way to easy to figure out in spite of the misdirection with certain points of the story. I kept waiting for something to happen in the present day chapters, some unexpected or shocking twist, and maybe that’s where this one lost me. It was all just a little too predictable. The story is well-written and I did keep going, looking for that twist, that wow factor. Maybe I’ve just read too many domestic thrillers lately, but the ‘thrill’ of this one was lost on me. It felt more like a personal interest story, a where are they now type of thing, than anything else.
I want to first off start by saying the cover of this book is AH-MAZING!! I love it so much!
Secondly I definitely recommend this book!! It’s all encompassing and captivating, a wonderful read. It keeps you guessing until the very end and once I put it down my mind was just reeling! This book was absolutely one I didn’t want to end. I completely devoured this book and enjoyed every questioning and confusing second of it!
It makes you feel pain for the characters, grieve for their loss, feel overwhelming heartache for the hardships, and makes you connect with them and understand them on a level that puts you in their position and makes you feel like you are them.
Daisy: Where to even begin with Daisy… I feared for her, sympathized with her, my heart aches for her, and I felt utter relief and an overwhelming protectiveness for her.
Frances: I felt like I could relate with everything she’s been through, the emotional struggle, the remorse, the protectiveness of her son. She’s such a great character and very relatable.
DJ: I cried for him, felt confusion, betrayal, and pity towards him, but yet absolutely loved him! He was the perfect person to see the stories unfold through his point of view.
And then there’s David (whom I thought was the same as DJ for the ENTIRE book) and then all of a sudden in the very end it wasn’t. I was confused by David at first and still don’t quite understand what is going to happen with him and Daisy but I was so thankful he was there when she needed him and he gave her the safe haven she so desired even though it was slightly inappropriate. I still appreciate the role he played in the storyline.
Overall I must say this is a MUST READ!! Very good book, well written, and definitely keeps you guessing. I was completely and totally engulfed in this book from start to finish.
This was a very good thriller that had me intrigued throughout while trying to figure out which one was Amber. Unfortunately for me personally, it hit a little too close to the Paul Bernardo/ Karla Homolka crimes that happened years ago in my area and left me with a bad taste in my mouth! That being said, it was still a really great book with interesting complex characters and a suspenseful plot that was enjoyable to read. I really liked the back and forth POV’s between the 4 different characters. I will be getting this authors previous book as well because I like her writing style and the she does this genre really well! * I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review *