Emma Giordano's Reviews > Pretty Girls

4.5 stars. This book truly blew me away. I was not a huge fan of the story in the beginning but once it picked up, I could not put it down.

CW: murder, violence, gore, torture, rape, assault

This novel is straight up disturbing and horrifying. I don’t believe I have ever read a more graphic and chilling novel. As someone who spends a decent amount of time listening to readings of “dark web stories” and other horror stories on YouTube and scrolling through reddit threads like /letsnotmeet and /nosleep, this book fed into my fascination with wickedness in humanity. This book is truly not for the faint of heart. It is sick and twisted and surely will leave a lasting impression on all readers.

After reading The Good Daughter as well, I can say with confidence that Karin Slaughter is extremely talented at writing complex family dynamics. I loved learning about Claire and Lydia’s history, uncovering the reason behind their falling out, and watching them piece their relationship together in the direst of situations.

The beginning of the novel did not totally grasp me. The plot was a big slow to start as we are introduced to the characters and it took me a bit of time to really become engaged with the story. For me, there was not one particular moment that hooked me so I was surprised to find that at some point during reading, I just could not put the story down. This novel quickly transforms from mundane to thrilling and chilling and I’m so pleased I continue through the end.

Pretty Girls was a truly fantastic read. I would definitely recommend it to my fellow lovers of thrillers, but more specifically to those who can stomach heavy, grotesque content.