Title: Such a Pretty Face
Author: Cathy Lamb
Genre: Contemporary/Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Kensington
Publication Date: August 1, 2010
eBook: 694 pages

Where’d I Get It: Library

Synopsis (From Goodreads): Stevie Barrett is a 35-year-old legal secretary in Portland. She’s also literally half the woman she used to be. Bariatric surgery melted 150 pounds off her frame, and life is looking up. However, Stevie’s svelte physique carries its own baggage.

My Thoughts: This book is definitely not a page turner, it took a little bit of work to get through it, but maybe that was the goal of the author.  It wasn’t an unpleasant thing, some books are just that way.  I really felt horrible for the main character, Stevie, along with her two cousins who suffered such tragedies in their lives that they were having a difficult time growing up and making their own lives as adults.

We all have our own coping mechanisms and I enjoyed going through Stevie’s with her while she was on her quest to heal.  For some it’s a longer road than others and Stevie certainly had her own share of skeletons in her closet to overcome.

Ms. Lamb really did her homework on mental disorders in this book and her writing was beautiful.  I felt happy when the family was having a lighthearted moment and deeply sad and disturbed when Helen had an episode.  Therefore I was glad that the book ended the way it did.  There were some parts that were difficult to live with and that is reflected in my rating.

Rating: 3.5 of 5