A review by rayaslibraryy
Pretty Ugly Promises by C.W. Farnsworth

medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? Yes

3.0

rating: ★★★☆☆

‘when most men say they would kill for you, it's a figure of speech. coming from nick, it's a bloody promise.’

pretty ugly lies is a second chance mafia romance.

i loved the essence of the story - lyla and nick meet when they were 18 and dated for a few months before he disappeared without a trace leaving lyla with a baby… i loved how the story didn’t solely focus on the relationship or solely focus on the mafia aspect, c.w. farnsworth was able to morph the two without it feeling complicated or confusing. the writing was very easy and simple to read and i love that about the author. her stories are a breeze to read without it feeling too complicated with simple storylines and enjoyable characters! 

the story lacked the emotional connection between nick and lyla as i wished there were flashbacks from when they were younger to allow us as readers to feel more connected to them. the romance was felt surface level as we did not get to understand nick and lyla’s relationship from the past on a deeper level as it was only referenced - which is really important for a second chance romance. i also wished we had more of leo, i enjoyed the little glimpses of him but wished we had more of him, whether it was his thoughts or him talking more. normally kids are really annoying in stories but leo was such a cute kid :)

trigger warnings: mention of death of family members, mention of overdose, kidnappings, violence, death.