Laura Danes was a young graduate with dreams of being a filmmaker when her life is changed in an instant following an acid attack on her way home from visiting a friend. She’s struggling to cope in the aftermath of the attack until out of the blue one of her attackers contacts her.

I recently signed up to NetGalley to expand my reading and reviewing and this is the first book I’ve read for them. I chose this one as the plot sounded interesting and quite topical.

Whilst I’m glad I gave this a try I didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped. The story is very topical; acid attacks are, sadly, becoming more prevalent in the UK and it was interesting to read a story based around this but I didn’t find Hashmi’s writing very engaging. Some of the descriptive writing was a little repetitive and I found the language used in conversations between the quite young characters to be oddly formal and a little stilted.

Whilst the story of the how the attack happened seemed quite well researched and realistic I found some of the other plot points to be a bit far fetched and at times I felt that Hashmi had tried to cram too much into one book and there was a lot going on.

There were also some editing issues with spelling errors and a character’s surname changing and then changing back at one point.

I am glad that I read it, it didn’t feel like a waste of time and I never considered DNF-ing but I wouldn’t be in a rush to read any of Hashmi’s other books.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. I tend to be pretty lenient with my ratings and I rarely rate under a 3. But, this book almost became my first DNF! However, I'm headstrong and will never have a DNF. And, I really hoped it picked up a bit. This story has a great premise. A girl with a scarred face uses her knowledge of her attackers to bring them down for justice. The premise was great. The exicusion wasn't the greatest. The story was rushed and unnecessary details lingered. The ending also seemed unfinished. Left me wondering how everyone ended up in the end.

Started off really well but felt the ending was quite sudden and just seemed to drift. Maybe there will be a follow up but not sure if I would read it

Laura Danes is just an average teen girl with ambitions and dreams of becoming a successful filmmaker. Then one night, outside a secluded train station, everything changed forever and her life nearly came to an abrupt end. A gang of boys threw acid into her face snd severely burned and disfigured her.
It’s been three months since the attack’s and Laura is still struggling to make sense of the incident. Things like that just don’t happen in a small town and to random people. Laura’s her mom tries and does support her, but life no longer seems to hold any promise, meaning or hope. Then she receives s letter from a member of the gang begging her forgiveness.

He even signs his name to the hand written letter. Jake, who is extremely remorseful for his part in the attack, strangely opens up a new world for her, Laura finds the old spark of filmmaking as she learns about the gang culture Jake comes from. With life slowly moving forward, Laura learns again to take risks, find courage and show others that one horrible event should not have the power to control your life.

This is a good story with a good message. I wasn’t a fan of the writing style, and although the book only 145 pages long , I struggled to finish.

I had to mark this book as a DNF title because even though I found the premise interesting, my expectations were not met.
I was getting so bored at the story I had to stop because I felt like every page was the same, without any developments or action.
I was hoping this book would cover important issues such as anxiety, mental health, disfiguration, death, and grief but what I read wasn't enough to keep me interested.

The concept of this book is fantastic and very relevant as it features Laura who is slowly recovering from an unprovoked acid attack. That in itself is a very strong basis for a book, throw in Jake who was part of the gang that attacked her and is suffering extreme remorse and you have two very complex characters, The premise of this book is that they team up to make a documentary about gang crime however I don’t think that reflects on the reality of the story as you don’t feel they are a team in any sense and the documentary is very much Laura’s baby.

I thought this book started strongly and overall the first half was good with original ideas however the second half was rather fractured and meandering and to be honest lost the plot, not to mention the non ending. If the author had expanded the first half and especially focused on the relationship between Laura and Jake this would have been a powerful novel, I think the editing has let it down.

Laura is struggling in the aftermath of a chemical attack. It's been months and the police still haven't caught the 4 boys that did this to her. But then one of the boys involved writes her a letter and the secrets Laura keeps from her mother start adding up. As she makes a plan for the boys that did this to her, she finds herself out of the house more, around people who seem generally supportive, and starts to find acceptance and so much more.

Spoilers in this paragraph: This was a slow read for me and Laura made some really questionable choices. She doesn't want Jake as a boyfriend, so he tries to kill himself, and then she tells him she does want him for a boyfriend, all in the span of an hour. Sometimes the plot was all over the place and I wasn't sure where the author was going. The ending was really weird, she can't say I love you until Jake publicly speaks out about his abuse. Why? Just because it worked for her, doesn't mean that is the way to go, and it's manipulative.

I thought that her coming to a place of acceptance was a good thing, though it did happen really fast. She went from shut away to out and about virtually overnight. But it was good the author talked about this happening because it isn't all that uncommon. Overall this was just an okay read.

The cover’s main feature is a shadowed image of a female with her head angled downwards, its as if the female is shielding herself turning away from the sunlight and hiding. This image fits very well with the character of Laura in the book. The byline is a perfect fit for the book content, “Life Can Change In An Instant”. It certainly changes in mere seconds for Laura Danes.

The book begins with Laura and her mother, Sheila Danes collecting all the mirrors in the house and putting them away in the attic so they are out of sight. Laura doesn’t want to see herself in the mirrors since the “incident”. Laura used to pose about in front of the mirror and take loads of selfies like and the males & female of her age did that was until “that night”. The “incident”, “that night” changed her life forever quite literally from the flick of a wrist. Laura had been returning home, when she became distracted by her phone so she didn’t really notice the group of hooded males to begin with. Then when she noticed them there was no way to really avoid them, so she tried to feel and appear confident as she was walking past them. She wasn’t looking down at them, talking to them or anything, she merely wanted to be on her way but the leader of the group of hooded males had other ideas. The leader who we later learn is called Mark Lawler has “had a bad night” he is looking to cause someone trouble and he flicks his wrist throwing the contents of the bottle he has been carrying all night splashing the liquid inside of it into Laura’s face. It’s that instance that changes her life as the liquid inside the bottle is acid.

Laura had been a normal happy, make-up, looks, hair, clothes and selfie taking obsessed young woman. All that, along with her future and dreams of getting into film making are, she feels, shattered beyond repair. Naturally a young woman having acid thrown in her face is an horrendous crime and means lots of pain and hospital visits for Laura, who in reality is still grieving the death of her father too. Laura begins suffering panic attacks along with not wanting to go out in public. Laura fears being stared at, or pointed at, shouted at in public.

The Police are doing their best to catch the acid throwing gang but without a detailed description of them it appears their search will not turn up any successful results. Then Laura receives a handwritten note from Jake Lawler, the younger brother of Mark Lawler, the leader of the gang and the one who threw the acid in Laura’s face. In the note Jake asks Laura to meet him, to talk to, he wants to explain what happened that night. Over time and many meetings Laura gets an insight into Jake’s life and realises that something awful has happened to him in his past too. The rest of the book tells how Laura decides she wants to meet Jake Lawler, confront one of her attackers, find out what he wants to say to her. She then begins following the different members of the gang and secretly films them going about their often, shady business in crime and day to day life. Laura becomes closer to Jake, so close in fact she forgives him for his part in her assault. When Laura makes a film about her attackers and it’s a huge success, because of the film the Police catch the attackers and they charged and locked up. Jake stays in touch with Laura and finally reveals his dark past to her.

My favourite characters were Laura and Jake, they seem to be drawn together both feeling fragile with incidents that have changed their lives.
I would describe the character of Jake as being the runt of his family, the one picked on, made to do the dogsbody work and bullied. I would also liken Jake to being like a “broken bird” the things that happened in his past that he has yet to come to terms with. Laura was a strong, confident person before she was attacked and throughout the book you see her fighting her panic attacks to regain her confidence and her life. I found the stories Laura learnt when attending “Bon Visage” (a retro reference, explained in the book) were interesting. Two of those attending the support group who share their stories illustrating other acid attacks and the perpetrators apparent reasoning for carrying out those attacks.

My immediate thoughts upon finishing reading the book were that the
ending seemed odd and the story felt unfinished. Laura may have found closure and be ready to move. Sheila has certainly moved on and is creating a new life for herself with Peter. Jake's story has to be been left in the air only half told? Maybe Jake will have his own book? But if that's the case half of his life story has already been told.

Now my honest opinion, I did like the book, though in some parts the pace was a little slow for my taste I continued reading to the end. I hate to DNF a book unless I absolutely have to. It also felt a little overly descriptive in some parts, yet rushed in other. There was also lots of little sub plots tacked into the main Laura/Jake plot. There’s the whole widowed Sheila who with Laura initially appears to have not gotten over the loss of husband/dad Michael who regularly gather friends around to re-enact his not so great plays. Then we have the sudden entry of Peter, the new boyfriend who quickly propose and marries Sheila. We also have other, bits sort of rushed in like Tom & Sophie but then it ends before it even goes anywhere. I think Sophie needed to be introduced and appear more in the book, as surely you would be around more for your best friend who had been attacked with acid. Especially as the character of Sophie feels she is to blame as she was the one on the phone distracting Laura from her surroundings and any potential danger. Some parts of the book flow really well others feel a little stilted or pushed in to fill out the book more

A young woman's life is destroyed when she becomes a victim of an acid attack. The police seem to be getting nowhere with the investigation when a letter pops through her door. One of the gang members is remorseful and wants to meet. She starts secretly filming the gang members, with the inside knowledge of their whereabouts, and exposing their criminal activities. Her video becomes a documentary and her career soars as she exposes how easily it is to obtain materials for these attacks.

This story had so much potential. An amazing storyline and characters that could have been inspiring. But I feel like it wasn't written well and this let down the story. There were questions left unanswered. There were scenes that seemed out of place. And situations that seemed unrealistic and just forced idealism. The story felt unfinished and there was no ending for the main male character. And as petty as this may sound, the book needs another proof-reading. The male lead's name changes (it took me a while to figure out who this extra character was) and there are obvious word errors.

3 months after a gang threw acid on her face Laura is still trying to make sense of what happened and why. Her mom and friends are doing their best to support her but nothing seems to help. Until one of the gang members reaches out and not only begs Laura for her forgiveness, but, also helps her get her life moving towards the future again.

After seeing the few reviews on Goodreads I was a little nervous to read this book. But, I am glad that I didn't let that cause me to push it back and start on another book because I really enjoyed this book. I was able to finish it in a day even though I was reading on my Kindle (I read slower on a screen than on actual paper). I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and will continue to use that website to find new titles to read. This book follows Laura after her attack while she is trying to get her life put back together while continuing to be supportive to her mom and her best friend who seem to be moving on with their lives at a faster pace than she is. She gets a letter in the mail shortly after her attack from one of the men that were involved with her attack causing her to put aside her pride and regain her confidence very quickly. Before she knows it she is no longer keeping herself inside of her bedroom and feeling sorry for herself; instead she turns into a type of vigilante doing her part in trying to stop the gang members from causing anyone else harm.

On Goodreads I rated this book a 3/5 because, although, I enjoyed the book I did not like how it ended. I'm not one to enjoy open endings and this book definitely has one. I feel like there are so many things that we're left unanswered. I also was a little thrown off by how quickly everything happens in this story. It is a good book but I don't feel like it is as realistic as I wanted it to be. It is a very positive and uplifting read but I feel like it's too positive and uplifting for the content that the story surrounds itself (violent attacks and disfiguration). However, if you're looking for a quick read that will give you happy feelings about the world I recommend this book to you.

What would you do if you were the victim of an acid attack? How would you go about your life if either you were the victim or the offender? It's an interesting premise to say, however in reading this there is such a disconnect that I felt with the heroine of the story, Laura. She wants to put herself out there, move on and in so doing, receives a letter from a witness, Jake, who was there while his brother-Martin, poured the acid on Laura's face. What seems like an opportunity for healing felt quite awkward and toxic to the point that I could neither feel any sympathy for the characters and that is something I never hoped to experience while reading this book.
I will however say that any reader who picks up this book will pick a thing or two from it, some might even like the whole story, others, not so much, but all in all, the writer did say their piece.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

Girl Without a Face by Nasser Hashmi, 240 pages.
Troubador Publishing Ltd., 2019. $13.
Language: R (58 swears, 24 “f” + British swears); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - NO
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Three months ago, a ransom assault left Laura disfigured. The police have been working without progress since then to track down her assailants. With little confidence in the police, Laura doesn’t report the letter she receives from someone promising her more information about the four men who attacked her. Laura sets out on her own undercover role to enact justice -- or something like that.
Right from the start, something felt off as I was reading, as if I was being kept at a distance from the story. The feeling faded as I started to feel more part of the story in chapter two before I suddenly got kicked out again. I just couldn’t lose myself in Laura’s story. Also, I am not supportive of the main character’s relationship with her love interest -- it’s a toxic relationship. I think Hashmi has a good message about moving on from the bad things that happen to us, but the execution of the story to get that point across isn’t very effective.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

There were parts of this that were really good, but then there were parts that fell flat. The ending didn't really resolve everything, so it felt like it was an incomplete book. The ending wasn't written in a way to lead into another book, so it just felt unfinished.

I really liked the premise of this, it seemed like it would be an interesting read about tough issues, but the writing style didn’t keep me focused and I felt it wasn’t well thought out or believable, sorry,

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I really thought this book was going to be good. In the very beginning the character hasn't seen anyone for 3 months and then all of a sudden she has a sleeper over and is ok with meeting one of her attackers. How? The pacing is bad.

I had high hopes for this book from the start but I lost interest towards the end as it seemed a bit far fetched. I read until the end but didn’t feel anything. The subject matter with the acid attack was dealt with well and sensitively but the rest of it disappointed me. 🌟🌟 2 stars

I really wanted to like this book, but I didn't.

I chose this to read based on the story. It promised to be an emotional journey, and a possible tear jerker. It did not live up to my expectations.

I know how hard it is to write a book, and I know what an author invests of themselves, so I hate giving negative reviews. But I could barely get through this book. I ended up skimming a good deal of it. The style of writing is just not my personal preference. I also thought that I couldn't feel anything for the main character. And I'd have to be pretty cold not to feel for a girl who had acid dumped on her and was disfigured. But I felt zero connection to her.

I was interested enough to continue reading it, but barely.