All Out of Pretty

by Dr Ingrid Palmer

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 3.5 Stars

This book took me into a world of drugs and violence, and chronicled one girl's attempt to maintain those things she valued, while trying to survive her circumstances.

•Pro: Andrea was one of the greatest strengths of this book. Even when she was making poor choices, and I was shouting for her to STOP!, I still couldn't abandon her, because I understood that it was desperation driving her decisions, and it made me sad, filled me with rage, and appealed to my empathetic side.

•Pro: Gram was a wonderful and beautiful person, and I was so brokenhearted when Andrea lost her, because when she lost Gram, she lost her world and the future she was determined to hold onto.

•Con: This as a really tough read. Maybe it wouldn't be as realistic, but I wish there had been a few more bright spots to even out all the darkness.

•Pro/Con: Andrea's mother was the most deplorable and selfish person. I absolutely detested her. So, I guess Palmer did a great job creating that hot mess of a character.

•Pro: There are some scenes, which had my heart pounding. I was really invested in Andrea, and it was harrowing to read some of the passages, and helplessly stand by as she was forced to suffer though some harrowing situations.

•Con: We DID get some closure with the ending, and I was left feeling like things were moving in the right direction, but I would have liked a bigger jump ahead or something. I really wanted to know how Andrea made out.

•Pro: One super bright spot in this book was the Masterson family. They offered some comfort for Andrea, became her allies, and I just loved them.

•Pro: I mean this in an "I can't look away" type of thing - this book reminded me of one of those Lifetime movies. You know the ones, where you are looking at the dark side of things, and thanking your lucky stars that it's not your life. It's disturbing, but at the same time, so compelling.

Overall: An emotional, dark, and gritty look at the affects of addiction, and the lengths some must go to in order to survive that world.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.