Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Pretty Baby will keep you at the edge of your seat. A suspenseful mystery that has a beautiful ending. It was a nice audio book. I enjoyed the different readers for Chris, Heidi, and Willow.
So many turns upon turns, I'm not sure I like this book or loathe it. I was not expecting the ending to be so shocking or the players to be so devious, but I was definitely entertained throughout the entire novel. I would highly recommend this title to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers like Gone Girl and The Woman in Cabin 10.
4-ish stars
I couldn't quit this book. It was a page-turner for me (it helps that the extraordinary Cassandra Campbell narrates) and I stayed up late to finish it (there was no way I was going to sleep without knowing what happened). HOWEVER, the end became so fast-paced and jumpy (it felt all over the place) that it was hard to follow. By the end, it all made sense to me, but I think it could have unraveled more seamlessly. This is a rare comment from me: I wish the author would have taken a bit more time. Overall I liked this book and have come to appreciate how, although Kubica tends to writes dark stories about awful things, she does so with characters you feel for and love and a story that is compelling and suspenseful.
TRIGGER WARNINGS: the death of parents, molestation, rape, mental breakdown, affairs.
SUMMARY: The book starts with Heidi and Willow (a teenager) being in jail. Then it jumps to when Heidi and Willow first met, about a week before. Heidi (a social worker or sorts) sees a young teen mom (Willow) with a baby on the subway platform. Heidi wants to help them but doesn't. She feels bad about that and then sees them again and this time offers to help them. It starts with giving them her jacket and money, then buying the girl a hot meal and a few items for the baby (i.e. formula). Then she's inviting them into her condo to stay and rest.
Heidi's husband, while used to his wife's constant need to do charity, is worried this is a step too far. He looks into the girl and her story, and the baby's story is horrifying and sad. Some of this is revealed through Chris's searching but it's also told from Willow as she remembers her idyllic childhood, and then what happened to her when her parents died.
Meanwhile, you're still on the hook wondering what is going to happen to put both Heidi and Willow in jail...
I couldn't quit this book. It was a page-turner for me (it helps that the extraordinary Cassandra Campbell narrates) and I stayed up late to finish it (there was no way I was going to sleep without knowing what happened). HOWEVER, the end became so fast-paced and jumpy (it felt all over the place) that it was hard to follow. By the end, it all made sense to me, but I think it could have unraveled more seamlessly. This is a rare comment from me: I wish the author would have taken a bit more time. Overall I liked this book and have come to appreciate how, although Kubica tends to writes dark stories about awful things, she does so with characters you feel for and love and a story that is compelling and suspenseful.
TRIGGER WARNINGS: the death of parents, molestation, rape, mental breakdown, affairs.
SUMMARY: The book starts with Heidi and Willow (a teenager) being in jail. Then it jumps to when Heidi and Willow first met, about a week before. Heidi (a social worker or sorts) sees a young teen mom (Willow) with a baby on the subway platform. Heidi wants to help them but doesn't. She feels bad about that and then sees them again and this time offers to help them. It starts with giving them her jacket and money, then buying the girl a hot meal and a few items for the baby (i.e. formula). Then she's inviting them into her condo to stay and rest.
Heidi's husband, while used to his wife's constant need to do charity, is worried this is a step too far. He looks into the girl and her story, and the baby's story is horrifying and sad. Some of this is revealed through Chris's searching but it's also told from Willow as she remembers her idyllic childhood, and then what happened to her when her parents died.
Meanwhile, you're still on the hook wondering what is going to happen to put both Heidi and Willow in jail...
I can't really even write how I feel about this book because it felt like nothing happened for a very a long time and then something did happen and it wasn't particularly twisty or engaging. I couldn't find it in me to care about the characters. The last portion of the book sped through a bunch of activity and all I could think about was how I couldn't wait for the book to be done. I wanted to know the end but sadly, it was a hard push.
This book starts off fairly slowly until you get to page 150. After that it was quite a wild ride. I loved every minute of it.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Couldn’t stop listening it was super good and threw me for a loop on the baby! The end was a little rough but it was worth the read.
Where are the plot twists? This book was not engaging in the slightest.