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Thursday, July 19, 2018

Review: A Grown Up Kind of Pretty

Title A Grown Up Kind of Pretty
By Joshilyn Jackson
Genre Adult Fiction
Format Audio book
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis
Three generation of women. A small grave unearthed. A secret that could tear them apart. A love that will hold them together.



First Sentence
My daughter, Liza, put her heart in a silver box and buried it under the willow tree in our backyard.




I thought this was the first Jackson novel I've read but I guess I read one years ago and wasn't that impressed. I'm glad I didn't remember that or I might have passed this one up and that would have been a shame.

A Grown Up Kind of Pretty is one of those types of stories I love. It reminded me a bit of a Sarah Addison Allen book without the magic realism in it. A Southern setting, a generational secret and incredibly strong, vibrant, unforgettable characters.

The characters are almost what make this story. They're all so vivid and real and likable...or unlikable in some cases. But the plot is strong too. I couldn't stop listening, I needed to know what was going to happen.

The writing was great too. Basically this book had everything I look for in a book. The only fault with it was I couldn't quite get behind Liza. Her choices and attitude bugged but she wasn't the only character and there were others to love and I did.   

18 comments:

  1. I've enjoyed all the Joshilyn Jackson books I've read. They're very warm and atmospheric. My favorite so far is ALMOST SISTERS. Glad you enjoyed this one as well!

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    1. I’m going to have to get to Almost Sisters soon. I need more great stories.

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  2. The cover is so pretty! I love all the green.
    This definitely sounds interesting, great review.
    Glad you enjoyed it.

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    1. I love the cover too. Never did figure out the apple under the belt thing though.

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  3. I have never read anything by this author, but I love character driven stories, and this one sounds like it's worth a look. Great review!

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  4. Great characters, good writing and a secret... sounds pretty good. :)

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  5. I've never even heard of Joshilyn Jackson, I'll have to check her out. Glad you really enjoyed it.

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  6. I love when books are so compelling and good that you don't want to stop reading them. :)

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  7. Sounds like a good read. I'll check out her books when the mood calls for it. :)

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  8. Oooh! I need to check this one out!

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